I came across one of those Hacks slideshows online and started looking at them. Surprisingly, I saw several suggestions that I decided to act upon. *Actually, my recent order from Amazon, for a couple of fire extinguishers , for the kitchen & car was because I had read the “Life’s Little Instruction Book” by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. I said to myself, “Yeah, that would be a good idea.” **Unfortunately, the Novete 2-pack of small fire extinguishers arrived with some leakage, which discolored the package, and smelled of ammonia. I got a full refund from Amazon.
One of the items on the hack list wasn’t actually a hack, but a simple awareness. Not sure how many years this has been the case, but the little “Gas” icon on your dashboard actually has a little arrow, which points in the direction of your tank. Not actually the tank, but the side on which you would go to put the gas nozzle in your car. The picture above is for my Camry and sure enough, the little arrow is pointing toward my driver’s side..
A hack I liked showed a large plastic cereal storage container, with a flip top. They showed someone who had put a plastic grocery bag as a liner for this container. You can then use this container as your auto trash can.
Another hack that I intend to explore more thoroughly, and tried out a little already is, to use a cloth and olive oil to wipe down your dashboard and doors, or where dust collects inside your car. I had a microfiber cloth that I wasn’t using and I put a little olive oil on it and tried wiping my dash. It sure looks like it works. Not just after you wipe, but later, there appears to be no dust.
NOTE: I used just olive oil and a microfiber cloth to clean my dashboard. That appears to work really well. The dust hasn’t reappeared by the next day (today). But I also read online that combining some distilled water, baby oil, white vinegar and a few drops of Dawn dishwashing soap makes a really good cleaner/dusting concoction. I’m guessing you could substitute olive oil for baby oil?
This wasn’t a hack, but I actually bought a 4-pack of Box Cutters. Four colors of the plastic holder and a safety switch to lock the blade, either when it is out, or when it is retracted. I had a black box cutter that I keep by my easy chair, and often used it when an Amazon package came in.
But, I have already put one of these in my kitchen utensil drawer, and one in my car. *Don’t cut yourself! These are really sharp, and are useful for opening various plastic bags. Having it handy, means instead of fiddling with a difficult package, I just slice it open. And, for resealable packages, these cutters make a straight cut.
I’ve ordered a dishwasher basket for small items. I have some little plastic bottles that seal well, and I carry various sauces (wasabi, horseradish mustard) for use at the restaurant. But, they are difficult to clean by hand. If I can put these in a basket, then the dishwasher can do it’s thing and I won’t lose them to the bottom of the dishwasher. *And, stupid me, I threw away two of these small capped vials just a day or two before I ordered this dishwasher basket. They could have been cleaned by throwing them in the dishwasher in this basket.
NOTE: I’ve used the dishwash basket once and put a few of the little snap-top bottles in it. The inside of these containers wasn’t cleaned out completely, so I am going to run them again, next time I use the dishwasher.
NOTE [03/24/24]: These box cutters have been very useful. I use one to cut into the protective layer of my prescription medicines. I cut the bacon packages so that I can fold the clear plastic away from the bacon. I sometimes have something (seeds) in a plastic bag, and twist the top and then use the box cutter to remove most of the plastic. This makes it easier to pour the seeds out into another container. I slice the outer skin of the liver pudding to make it easier to peel away from the inner sausage. I slice the outer plastic package for both the polenta and the Nueske’s Smoked Liver Pate. Oh, and the box cutter is excellent for opening an Amazon package or box. [end NOTE]
Bill Gibson, II 