Storage & Organization & Hacks

Helpful Handy Hints Prt.1

kelleysdiy

Hi there! I want to share with you some of the most clever and handy ideas that are so easy, and a bit ingenious!

Last summer I was at the beach with my grand daughter. We were jumping over the waves, and a boy came up and asked me if this was my phone. It was soaked. It’s too bad I didn’t remember to place in a zip lock baggie. You can still hear the phone and work the buttons.

waterproof-iphone

How many of you have gone to a store or a garage sale and see a piece that you love, but don’t know if it is the right size. You forgot the tape measure. Well, just take out a bill from your wallet and use to measure. A dollar bill is 6.14 in. long. But you don’t have to memorize that; just remember that a buck is about 6 in. long and you’ll always have an approximate measuring tool in your wallet.

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Did you know that one??

 

Now I have been doing this for ages, it seems, but this might be a new idea for some of you. To park your car in perfect position every time, hang a tennis ball from the garage ceiling so it just touches the windshield. It will show you precisely where to stop. No guesswork!

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Did you know that one? It really takes all the guesswork out of parking in the garage.

 

Do you have cushions on your chairs that keep sliding around? You know those no slip rug pads, it’s perfect!

FH05SEP_461_08_022.jpgUse the left overs for making a new top for a bench, chair, or rug as I did in these projects:

https://kelleysdiy.com/2017/02/21/crusty-heirloom-chair/

https://kelleysdiy.com/2018/06/08/shaggy-ottoman/

https://kelleysdiy.com/2018/06/08/make-your-own-rag-rug/

 

 

What do you do when you drop a tiny object on the carpet and can’t seem to find it? Just turn out the lights and shine a flashlight across the floor. Transparent items like a contact lens will glimmer. Other objects will cast a shadow marking their location.

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Problem: Your placing a large item in your cars trunk. It has to hang out but you don’t want the hood to bang up your item. Keep/bring along a pool noodle in your trunk to protect both the car’s paint and your oversized cargo.

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When you paint and get it on your hands and arms? Try coating your skin with some skin lotion prior to painting. It washes the paint off effortlessly.

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Speaking of painting….No need to mess up a brush to fix a wall wound. Just dip an old washcloth in the paint and throw it away when you’re done. A washcloth leaves the same texture as a paint roller, so your repair will blend nicely.

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Also, say your painting and want a break. You can put the whole tray, roller, and brush in in a plastic bag in the fridge to store. So take a break!

 

For most of us, mixing a two step epoxy can be a mess to thoroughly mix. All you have to do is put them in a plastic bag, and knead them together. Punch a small hole in the bag with a toothpick or nail to make a neat dispenser.

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Next is a great way to keep remotes stored and hidden from site. All you need is adhesive-backed hook and loop strips that will let you stick remotes under an end table. They’ll always be handy when you’re ready to watch TV but won’t clutter up your tabletops.

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Here’s an easy idea if you don’t have enough space to hang towels in your bathroom. Add a second shower curtain rod and you’ll have plenty of room. Plus your towel will be within easy reach.
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I would suggest to get matching rods. Or purchase a double curved shower bar, like this.

Missing Socks? Stuff a piece of pool noodle into the space between your washer and dryer or along the wall. That way, socks can’t slip into the abyss.

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Your ready to hang something on the wall. Oh No, you didn’t match the keyholes! When you’re mounting something on the wall with keyhole slots, lay paper over the slots and make a template by rubbing with a pencil. Then level your template on the wall and you’ll know precisely where to position the screws.

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Isn’t that an easy idea?

I hoped some of these idea are a help to you. Thank you so much for visiting my blog!

Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC

Published by kelleysdiy

I love creating new ideas. And now that I am happily retired, I have lots more time to create them! Whether its crafts for decorating my home, or up cycling items I find at garage sales, thrift stores, and even on the curb, and turning them into something wonderful. The creative juices flowing in my head are almost always in overdrive....so many ideas! I love sharing my new ideas with all of you! So please follow me and let me know how I'm doing! I hope I can inspire you.....and if I do....send me a pic. I would love to see your creation.

61 thoughts on “Helpful Handy Hints Prt.1”

  3. Pingback: Helpful Handy Hints – Timeless Wisdoms

  6. The picture of the tennis ball hanging from the garage rafters made me stop. Two of my first cars were Electras, which are almost as long as garages, so tennis balls were very useful, although I used a pine cone in one garage. I have not used a dollar to measure anything, but I do know that my index finger is three inches long. It is an old trick from typing. Remember typing in a real typewriter with paper? I didn’t to the shower curtain rod thing, but I did put a birch limb across in the same position so that philodendrons that grew in a window box over thee window (yeah, it was a weird design) could hang over the shower and down the outside of the curtain. It was pretty rad.

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    1. Oh Tony, I would love to see your birch limb with the philodendrons hanging over it, do you have it anymore?! Please send me a pic, it sounds awesome. I have used that tennis ball trick forever, such a great idea. I would think a pinecone would scratch your car.
      Thank you so much for your comments, you always make my day!

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      1. The pine cone only touched the windshield, and a 1970 Electra is pretty indestructible.
        I moved from the home with the philodendrons over the shower in 2006. I do miss that shower because it had a tub under it. A family of small birds nested in the planter box, and by the time I noticed them and reached in to get rid of the nest, there was already an egg in it. I could not evict them until they were done with it. My shower after that was in a burned out redwood stump. I put sandstone on the floor. There was no roof, so the rain came in. Right next door, I put an old outhouse on top of another hollow redwood stump that went into the ground deeper than I could see. It was on a very steep slope that was almost a cliff, so it the stump was about fifteen feet high on the downhill side, but only about two and a half feet high on the uphill side. There was a short bridge to it, so I did not need steps going up to it. I am sorry that I lack pictures of them.

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      2. Wow! You are one interesting man with a boat load of hacks! It’s amazing where birds decide to nest. I had some plants hanging in the back that a dove decided to nest in. I couldn’t water of course with the eggs/babies….I watched the plant die slowly…but I could see the babies from outside my bedroom window. It was so awesome..watching them grow. It did get quite noisy at times, especially when they were hungry. I would have loved to see pics Tony. Thank you so much for reading my posts and commenting. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you. You have the most interesting stories, thank you.

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      3. Well, we have an interesting tradition: the night before Passover, we hide 10 little pieces of bread around the house, turn all lights off and walk around with a candle searching for them. Usually, one person hides them, and kids search, with a little feather sweeper, while an adult holds the candle. This symbolizes getting rid of all leavened bread that we are not allowed to have in the house during Passover. Since childhood, I found this procedure utterly romantic, and your post reminded me of it.

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  14. LOVE the sock blocker idea on the dryer. I’m going to do that for two reasons: I keep losing socks, and my washing machine moves as it spins and keeps bumping into the dryer. Your handy tip will solve both problems. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you Claire. It sounds like you washer is off balance. Tip it a little to see which side/end is off balance. There are little adjusters on each leg. If you don’t want to go through all that trouble, stick something hard under it. Like a coin, washer, shim, etc.
      I am so glad you liked the idea Claire! Thank you for looking!

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