Genius House Hacks · a GopherCentral & PulseTV publication
Household Hacks · Sep 14, 2022 edition

Wrinkle-Free Laundry, a Drain Fix, and Color-Coded Keys

From the Genius House Hacks archive.

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'Handy' and 'frugal' tend to go hand-in-hand. A few of these ideas might sound a little unusual, but they're also kind of brilliant, and best of all, they're cheap.

Get Wrinkles Out of Laundry With Zero Effort

Skip the iron: throw a wet washcloth into the dryer with wrinkled clothes for about five minutes, and the water vapor it produces will steam the wrinkles out. A spray bottle of water spritzed on wrinkled clothes near the dryer works too, though it's most effective on lighter fabrics.

Clear a Hair Clog With a Wire Coat Hanger

Untwist a wire coat hanger under the hook, leaving a hook at one end and a makeshift auger at the other. Push the auger end down the drain to the clog, bend the free end into a handle, and crank it so the auger bores into the clog, then pull it out.

Color-Code Keys on the Cheap

Paint both sides of a key's head with brightly colored nail polish, a different color per key, to find the most-used ones at a glance. The polish is durable and lasts a surprisingly long time.

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This edition is part of the Genius House Hacks archive — 20+ years of tips, rebuilt from the original Handy Hints newsletter. Browse more hacks →