Life Hack: making life easier, one hack at a time.
Life can be hard sometimes, but with a little creativity and vision, life can be a little bit easier. We’ve compiled ten life hacks we’ve used to make our lives easier, and we hope they’ll help you too! Check out our life hacks to use around the house and in the great outdoors:
Around the House
Life Hack #1 – Shucking with Hex Bit
Did Mom ask you to help her in the kitchen again? And she gave you the worst job—pulling all the rosemary from the stem. Make your life a little easier by shucking the rosemary using the hex bit. You can thread rosemary (and other herbs like Oregano) through the Toolcard Pro hex bit and pull against the grain to quickly shuck the herbs.
Life Hack #2 – Painting Keys
If you’re like me, you have a lot of keys that look uncannily similar on your key ring. It can be hard to sort them out, but if you get some paint—I usually just use nail polish—you can paint the head of the key to help organize and differentiate your keys. In the image above, you can see where I painted my work key grey and even added our logo using a fine tip Sharpie. Now I don’t get my work key confused with my house key!
Life Hack # 3 – Cleaning With Aluminum Foil
Maybe you’ve been using your grill a lot lately. Or, maybe you’re not the best cook and you’ve been burning food in your wife’s nicest cookware. Either way, it needs to be cleaned and the soft scrub sponge just isn’t cutting it. Take a sheet of aluminum foil, ball it up, and start scrubbing away. DO NOT do this on non-stick pans, the Teflon will not thank you (and neither will your wife). If your pan or your grill grate still isn’t coming clean you can let it soak a little while longer in warm water. You can also add in a touch of salt, vinegar, or baking soda to help the baked-on crud disentigrate. Check out Today’s Homeowner’s instructional video here.
Life Hack #4 – Clearing Windshield Frost with Toolcard Pro
Winter is coming. That means frosted windshields and chilly mornings are imminent. As a make-shift scraper, I used to keep my old high school ID in my car to clear my windshield, but the ID was plastic, so it would bend under the hardness of the ice. More often than not—instead of my ID card cleaning the windshield—my fingers and nails would take the brunt of the job, making for a painfully cold start to any morning. Now I keep the Toolcard Pro in my glovebox for emergency situations when the ice gets too thick. The Toolcard Pro is sturdy enough that it’s easy to clear my windshield, and I’m not freezing my fingers.
Life Hack #5 – Easier Opening with Rubber Bands
Whether it’s the wood glue in your workshop or your daughter’s nail polish—liquids with screw on tops can be really difficult to open if the liquid dries into the threading of the screw top. If you twist a rubber band around the cap, it will give you better grip and more torque, so it’s much easier to open.
In the Great Outdoors
Life Hack #6 – Multitool Signaling Mirror
So, your adventure into the great outdoors didn’t quite go as planned. You need a signaling mirror, but you didn’t pack one. Luckily, you’re prepared with your polished Toolcard Pro. Your shiny multitool can save the day by catching the sunlight and signaling to the circling helicopters that you’re ready to be rescued. Need a refresher on your signaling skills? Check out Backpacker Magazine’s instructional video here.
Life Hack #7 – Fishing: Cutting Lines and Carrying Hooks
The Toolcard Pro cord cutter is a great way to cut a line if you get hung and can’t jimmy line to free it. But, before you cast, you’re going to need to put the hook on the line. Whether you’re going on a camping trip and need to catch your dinner or you’re just throwing a line for fun, transporting hooks and flies can be tedious if you don’t want to take the whole tackle box. To transport your hooks, pierce an ear plug with the hook so the barb is fully covered. Now you have a simple and safe way to carry a lot of hooks. Plus, you can use the ear plug as a bobber too. Learn how at Field & Stream.
Life Hack #8 – Transporting Liquid Essentials
After a long day, I like to be able to feel clean—even when I’m on the trail. Instead of carrying bottles of soap or shampoo that take up unnecessary space, I carry my liquids on paper! All you need is water soluble paper and the liquid you want to carry. Paint the liquid onto the paper in a thin layer and let it dry thoroughly. Then, cut the paper into small pieces. Carry your paper in a plastic bag or small, water-proof container. When you’re ready to use it, wet the paper, and viola! You have soap and shampoo without the bulky bottles. Want to see it being done? Watch it happen here.
Life Hack #9 – Keeping Matches Dry
When you’re backpacking, all you want at the end of the day is a decent fire. Matches are a great way to get the fire started. Wet matches are not. A simple solution is to get an old Tic Tac container and fill it with matches. Then secure striking paper to the inside of the Tic Tac cap, so the striking paper stays dry too. Fun fact: sandpaper is a good substitute for striking paper if you’re in a fix!
Life Hack #10 – Eating Well on the Trail
Okay, so maybe when you’re backpacking all you really want at the end of the day is a good meal. Sausage, peppers, and potatoes is my go-to meal. It tastes okay on its own, but with a dash of salt, a little pepper, and a helping of Italian seasoning, I eat like a king. Seasoning is a luxury on the trail. Instead of going through the hassle of transporting your entire kitchen to the wilderness, try using a pill box. Yes, just like the one your grandma uses. A one week pill box makes carrying and organizing different seasonings very easy.