These Genius Hacks Will Save You Time—And Maybe Your Life

Originally published on our site mydailymagazine.com

Full of memes and cat videos, the internet is a great place to waste a way a lunch hour, or a day, or a couple of years of college. But as well as backwards cartoons and videos of eating tide pods, there is a wealth of information out there for helpful tips and tricks that can save you tons of time and money.

In fact, some of these internet hacks will not only just help you up your game—but they could actually save your life.

So read up, and remember these top hacks next time you’re in a pinch.

Home Fire

Did you know, that one of the most common fire dangers of all is in fact in your own home? All too often, fires can begin in our own kitchenד, and it’s essential to know the proper fire safety measures to ensure.

Kitchen fires, especially ones caused by oil or grease, can get out of control pretty quickly, and many people’s first instinct to quell the flames can actually make them rage even harder.

If a fire breaks out in your home, never throw water on it, but instead cover the fire and deprive it of oxygen

Tornado Time

Hopefully, none of us will ever have to look out of the window and see a tornado near us or approaching us. Imagine the terror! But for some people living in certain states and certain weather conditions, this danger is more common than you might think.

And though the sight of a tornado barreling towards you might be pretty terrifying, the truth is that’s actually a better sign.

It’s when the twister appears to be staying still that is the real danger. If the tornado looks still, that means it is actually traveling towards you—and you need to get out of its path, fast!

Scenting Danger

Some dangers aren’t something to so much look out for, as keep your nose primed to sniff the hidden risks all around. Poisonous gases aren’t always easy to detect, but here’s one tip that could save you—or your friends’—lives.

If you ever smell a mysterious smell of toasted almonds wafting around—and no almonds anywhere to be seen—then get away from the area straight away. That’s the smell of cyanide, an incredibly dangerous poisonous gas that can cause severe damage or even death within moments.

Strong Currents

We all know that electricity and water make a bad, often potentially lethal, combo. Most of us are pretty aware of this and keep our electrical appliances safely away from any water sources.

But did you also know that there can be a risk of electricity leaking into your swimming pool? Just think of all the systems in place to keep the water heated or clean!

But there’s no need to panic—just keep an ear (or mouth) out for the tell-tale sign of a metallic taste in the water.

This means that an electrical current is passing through the pool, and you’d better get out—fast.

Bear Necessities

Hopefully, most people will go a good long while—or entire lifetime—without having to come face to face with an attacking polar bear. However, you can’t be too careful.

One top tip in the middle of a polar bear attack is—yes, you’ve guessed it—take your clothes off!

Ok, well, also run away as fast as you can. But if you take off some clothes and leave them on the floor as you run, the bear will be distracted sniffing your clothes, giving you some valuable time to get further away.

Break the Ice

Or, rather, thaw the ice. You may not know that icy streets and cars cause a high percentage of traffic accidents every year.

Before getting into your vehicle and driving off to work, make sure that your windows are free of any frozen obstacles to your vision. If you can’t see properly, how can you drive safely?!

A little-known hack to shift tough ice from your windshields is to rub it all over with a raw onion.

Your car might not smell so great after, but it will be perfectly clear to see out of.

Put Your Foot Down

Many people like to kick back and relax when they are embarking on a long car journey. And that’s fair enough—except you may not realize the extra and unnecessary danger you are putting yourself in.

With today’s airbag technology, the force of these babies can be so strong that if you are sitting with your feet up on the dash, an airbag release can cause you some pretty serious injury—or even death.

We know it’s comfy, but better to keep your feet firmly on the floor.

Waves of Warning

We all love to chill by the beach and watch the waves gently lapping the shore. Sometimes, we can end up staying there so long, the whole day goes by!

Over the course of the day, the tide comes in and out, so don’t be surprised if it ends up in a different place to where it was beforehand. But, if you notice that the tide is unusually far out for the particular time of day—get away sharpish. If it’s pulled out unusually far, it means it’s about to come back in unusually far—and fast.

This is a major warning sign of an oncoming tsunami.

Dating Advice

This one may seem obvious, but you have no idea how important it is to get this particular piece of legal admin done properly. Of course, we want to dot all the I’s and cross all the t’s whenever we’re doing something contractual or dealing with our finances, but make sure you pay particular attention to the date.

If you write the year in only shorthand form, (i.e. ’20), it’s super easy for someone to come along and add further digits, completely changing and sometimes voiding your contract.

Total Eclipse of the Eye

We all know it’s not a good idea to look directly at the sun. Even if we are wearing the best, most expensive designer sunglasses, starting directly at the sun’s rays can damage our eyes and leave us blinking and unable to see, sometimes permanently damaging our vision.

Well, you might think that during an eclipse it would be safe to look up in its direction, right? After all, it’s covered up—that’s the point.

But in fact, the sun’s rays are so powerful that even during an eclipse the light escaping from it can damage your eyes.

Even during a full solar eclipse, never look at the sun unless you are wearing protective eyewear specifically designed for the purpose.

Ice Ice (Fur) Baby

It’s not just our cars and windows that need protection from the icy conditions of the winter. As snow and ice settles on our surfaces, conditions everywhere can become more treacherous and contain many hidden dangers.

And our furry friends are no exception! Just because they have their own layers of adorable fur and fluff, it doesn’t mean they don’t need protecting from the harsh weather conditions.

But it’s not just the ice that can pose a danger—in fact, sometimes the chemicals in anti-freeze and similar products can actually be fatal for pets.

So make sure to keep your furry friends safe from ice in a way that doesn’t pose new risks.

Flood Damage

It can be pretty scary to get stuck in an unexpected flood, especially if you’re in an area that’s particularly struck by damage.

If you’re stuck inside a building during a flood and need to get out to reach safety, you might be inclined to take the fastest way out—the elevator.

But in fact, it’s much safer to take the stairs—as the elevator could malfunction due to water in its system, and you’ll end up even more stuck.

Always take the stairs in case of flood damage, and get yourself to safety.

Chilling Reaction

When people are stuck in incredibly cold conditions, sometimes in extreme cases this can lead to them suffering from hypothermia. Interestingly, a symptom of severe hypothermia is actually feeling very hot—even though in reality the person is extremely freezing. This is because at this point, the blood vessels contract and create a feeling of “hot flush” within the body.

Many people suffering from this effect, already confused and disoriented from hypothermia, end up taking off their clothes in an attempt to cool down—only speeding up their already severe heat loss.

If you suspect you are suffering from hypothermia and suddenly get hot—keep those clothes on!

Stay Away From Dr. Google

We all know what it’s like to diagnose ourselves on the internet. We feel unwell or in pain in some way, and the first thing we do is get online and Google our symptoms.

Sometimes, this can be really helpful for tips in how to look after our ailments, while other times it can convince us we are dying from an instantly fatal disease.

While by all means scour the internet for interesting tips, don’t rely on it in place of actual medical advice.

Any medical advice or treatment should only come from your healthcare professional—never a random person from the internet.

Don’t Pick Up

In this day and age, it’s not unheard of to get a phone call from a number you haven’t seen before. This can often be from a totally innocent caller, such as a business appointment for example, but it can also have more sinister undertones.

Sometimes, these callers are simply scammers or not even a real person.

It’s hard to know sometimes which numbers we should answer and which we should ignore, but here’s a good tip—if the number looks similar to another number you know, it’s more likely to be fake.

Water Works

We have all seen those disaster movies of people being stranded in the wilderness with no water or food. It may sound farfetched, but a wrong turn while trekking or losing your compass while camping could leave anyone in a similar position.

If you ever do find yourself stranded and needing to find water, here’s a top tip—watch the birds above.

In the morning, birds fly towards water, so you should follow them. In the evening, they head back to their nests, so you should head in the opposite direction to them.

Crayon Creation

In a heavy storm or other natural disaster, one particular danger is that we can be left without power. Aside from this meaning our phone lines go out, and our fridge-freezers full of food start defrosting, the most immediate danger is the lack of light at nighttime.

If in a pinch, you may not realize that a simple household item can work as a pretty good candle. Obviously being MEGA careful, try lighting a crayon, and it can provide light for up to 30 minutes!

Call for Help

We all know what it’s like when something goes wrong in our home and needs fixing. Often, it’s mega tempting to try and fix these things ourselves—and many times it works out just fine!

However, there are some items and contraptions that simply should never be tackled by anyone other than a professional, trained specifically to deal with the task at hand.

A big example of this is garage doors—the mechanism behind them is incredibly complex, and messing around with them could cause serious damage—both to the door and to the person. Don’t risk it!

Suit Up

Everyone knows the importance of appropriate office attire—we want to look suited perfectly for the job, and sometimes the right sense of style can even help us move up the career ladder.

But sometimes wearing appropriate work clothes isn’t just useful, but it’s actually essential for safety.

For example, if you are working in construction, it’s absolutely vital that you are wearing the right attire and equipment for the job—and lacking to do so can result in serious injury or even death.

Aside from your hard hat, make sure you wear the required orange suit—this helps you stay visible to your coworkers at all times.

Check Yourself

Before you wreck yourself! Or rather, before your home becomes at risk of being destroyed by a fire.

Yes, it’s all very well and good to install smoke or fire alarms in your house, but did you know that it’s not just a one time job?

As well as installing these safety measures in the first place, it’s also mega important to check them regularly and make sure they are still working as they should. A smoke alarm should be tested at least once a year, and replaced for a new one every ten years. Safety first!

Vicious Venom

In many areas of America, there can be found a variety of crawlies and snakes. Now, many snakes are completely harmless and friendly—but many are extremely dangerous and their bites can contain poisonous venom.

If you are bitten by one of these snakes, it can result in serious injury or even death—no matter how quickly you act.

The far better solution is to avoid being bitten in the first place, which means taking extra special care when walking around areas known to have snakes in the vegetation.

Watch carefully where you are putting your feet—and if you can’t see the ground, don’t step there!

Mixed Grill

Who doesn’t love a Bar-B-Que sunny summer day? The delicious smell of meats smoking on the grill is enough to tempt the laziest person outside to partake in some summery treats.

But as ever when dealing with fire, it’s important to take the necessary precautions to make sure everyone can enjoy the food in total safety.

It’s not enough just to place the barbecue outside—the fire should be at least three feet from your property, just in case any wayward flames jump out from the grill.

This means three feet from your house, car, or even a nearby tree—keep the area clear.

Go Nuts

Coconut water is one of the most fashionable and healthy drinks of the moment right now. Full of vitamins and minerals, what health-conscious fashionista isn’t clutching a carton of this stuff while shopping?

But in all seriousness, coconut water can be a healthy drink and brilliant option if you find yourself stuck outdoors with no drinking water. However, you must be very careful which coconut you drink!

Green coconuts contain the delicious and hydrating liquid that’s popular in shops, but brown coconuts are actually very dehydrating and can be dangerous to drink.

On the other hand, the husks of brown coconuts are a great mosquito repellent!

Emergency Call

Everyone knows that 911 is the telephone number to call in an emergency, but what if you don’t have a phone nearby? Maybe you’re not at home, or your cell phone is somehow lost or indisposed.

A useful thing to bear in mind is that you can always use payphones to call the emergency services, even if you don’t have any coins—or even if they’re not in service.

Wherever you go in the country, all payphones are equipped to dial 911 for free—even without being hooked up to a carrier.

Stampede Safety

Who can forget the devastating loss of Mufasa in that infamous and tragic wildebeest stampede? But in real life, stampedes can be just as dangerous and fatal for anyone who is unlucky enough to get caught up in one.

Hopefully, you will never find yourself in such a situation—but if you do, here’s what to do:

Curl up with your feet tucked up, and use your hands to cover your head.

Try your best to face the same direction as the stampede is going in, as your face will be less likely to get kicked.

As soon as you can, try to get up again and out of danger.

Matchstick Man

One of the handiest things you can bring with you when out and about is a tiny box of matches. You never know when you might need to light a fire, from using it to cook food or provide warmth, to send out a distress signal that someone is lost or in need of aid.

But as you probably know, it can be hard to keep a match lit when in cold or windy conditions, with the flame constantly going out. A great tip for this is, cut the wood into a Christmas tree shape—this will make it much more likely to stay alight.

Rough Waters

Sometimes, when you’re out trekking or deep into nature, you come across a stream or river along your route. Now, it may look appealing to wade through or attempt to jump over the stream, but it’s important to know what sort of water we’re dealing with here. Is it super deep, or has a mega strong current? If so, it’s best to find another route around it.

A top tip to find out the strength of a water’s current, is to throw a stick in to the water first and see how fast or vigorously it is swept away. To test the water’s depth, you can also throw a stone in to see how far it plummets.

The Magic Number

In an emergency, it can often be hard to stay calm and remember the vital information you need to get yourself to safety or what needs to prioritize first.

In this situation, a handy way to remember the essentials is with what’s known as the “rule of three”. We can survive without our essential sustenance for the following periods of time: three minutes without air, three days without water, and three months without food.

So make sure you provide yourself with these things in the above order: air first, and then prioritize finding water—although make sure it is freshwater, not saltwater.

Light in the Darkness

Candles don’t just look pretty and provide atmospheric and sultry shadowy light. They can actually be a vital tool in keeping yourself safe and saving your skin in an emergency!

When going out for long drives or out at night, a great safety measure is to keep a survival candle in the trunk, so that if you break down or get lost, you can keep yourself going a little longer while you wait for help.

This little candle can help provide essential light, or even keep you warm or heat up food or water.

Handy Help

Who hasn’t been on the lookout for hand sanitizer every time you head out shopping these days? It’s become one of our go-to accessories in the age of Covid. But even before the pandemic unfolded, it’s always been a handy and useful thing to have at all times.

But next time you find yourself in a pinch and in desperate need of sanitizer, don’t despair—you can always make your own!

Simply mix some everclear with some aloe juice, and voila! Home made hand sanitizer!

Label Love

Here’s a top tip for keeping your kitchen tidy and organized! We all know what’s it’s like to get confused in a pinch while in the middle of a chaotic cooking session, and struggle to find the right spice for what you’re cooking.

Imagine the horror of adding sugar to your cake batter, before realizing you actually added a cup of salt! Oh no!

An easy and foolproof way to avoid kitchen horrors such as this, is to label all your spice containers neatly. Then you’ll never have a mix up again!

Get Carded

We are not sure what kind of barbarians carry their various credit cards around loose in their bags, but apparently this is a thing. Are you one of those people? Own up!

If you really can’t bring yourself to purchase a wallet to house all these cards, there is another way—hook them up to a handy clip.

A top tip for keeping all your cards in one place is to punch a little hole in them at the top, then thread a key chain loop through all of them.

Just don’t punch through the magnetic strip on the back.

Jar Jams

We all know the ultimate test of any man’s ultimate manliness—can they open the tightest of tightly screwed on jam jars?

Well actually, there’s a trick to unscrewing these impossible lids that doesn’t involve strength or power—but merely a bit of strategic thinking.

Next time you find yourself struggling to get the lid off, just run it under hot water for a few moments—warming up the lid will cause it to expand slightly, making it easier to get off.

Hard-Boiled Hack

Hard-boiled? More like easy boiled! That’s what you’ll be saying next time you boil and peel some eggs using our handy hack.

Instead of spending ages fiddling around peeling the shell off your eggs and burning the ends of your fingers, try these simple tips to get a perfectly peeled egg each time.

Simply add a pinch of vinegar or baking soda to the water before boiling, and the shells will peel right off!

This will save you so much time—and pain!

Separate Sweet

We all know what it’s like to feel full of regret after overindulging in a spot of candy-eating. One minute we’re looking at a full bag of candy, the next it’s empty and we don’t know what happened to it, to the last twenty minutes, or to our own dignity.

Don’t despair—it happens to the best of us. But there is hope! Next time you feel a candy crush coming on, separate the sweets into two bowls, and make sure you alternate bowls each time you reach for a new piece.

This will trick your mind into eating more slowly!

Ice is Nice

Isn’t it so annoying when you are enjoying a fresh chilled lemonade on a hot summer’s day, but then the ice melts and waters down your drink? Ugh!

Instead of blaming yourself for not drinking fast enough, you can instead point the finger at the ice itself. But next time, you can avoid this with this one handy tip—simply freeze some chopped lemon and pop that in instead of ice cubes.

Now as it melts, it will only become more lemony!

Frozen Fun

We all love a freezer with an automatic ice dispenser. In the heat of summer, sometimes we simply don’t have enough time to open the freezer door and lift out some ice cubes with our hands! So it’s a huge relief to be able to stick it straight in to the dispenser and be iced immediately.

That is, until disaster strikes and the ice runs out!

If you are helping yourself to ice more frequently than the freezer can produce, don’t despair—simply remove the ice tray from the bottom, and there’ll be room for more!

Bath Time

Many dog owners know the difficulties of getting their pooch to cooperate during bath time. Sure, some doggos love it, but some are notoriously averse to getting clean, or even anywhere near the bathroom!

Which is ironic, because that’s the only place they want to be when we are trying to have a peaceful poo.

Anyway, one top trick to get your very good boy into the bathroom and nice and clean without complaining, is to put a bit of peanut butter on the bathroom wall. They’ll be straight in!

Just remember to clean the wall after…

Wash and Roll

You know who sometimes, when handing your clothes over to the cleaning service of a hotel, you end up losing one of your favorite clothing items? Or they get ruined by not being taken care of as they should? And even if everything goes smoothly, the service is quite pricey. A few pieces of clothing could have a pretty high price tag.

What you could do instead, quite easily and without cost, is put a few coins above a plastic wrap in a sink and wash your cloths in it. Once you are done, you can hand the clothes in the room and put the coins back in your pocket.