All the little tips, tricks and gimmicks that are meant to make your everyday life easier and that are regularly presented to you on brilliant tricks are not a phenomenon that only came up with the Internet age. In the 1950s, for example, there were journals that dealt exclusively with such topics. We would like to introduce you to 13 such 60-year-old everyday tips from one of these magazines that still work today.
1 brush and magnet
Sometimes, during painting, you do not know where to put the paint-dripping paintbrush. He can not be placed in the bucket because otherwise he is completely immersed in the paint. It does not work to put it across the bucket, because it is too small or drips anyway from the edge of the bucket.
To remove the brush clean and secure, hang a U-shaped magnet over the edge of the bucket. The magnet will attract the ferrule – this is the metallic part that joins the handle and bristles together – thus giving the brush reliable hold.
2 Hold screws
Meanwhile, there are magnetic screwdrivers that hold the screw so you can screw it in more easily. But you can imitate this effect easily by sticking the screw to the tip of the screwdriver with a little tape. This tip is especially useful for places that are hard to reach for you and your tool.
3 Hold the nail
Not only screws, but also nails you can hold with a little creativity, without having to use the fingers directly. In addition, with this trick, you no longer run the risk of hitting your fingers while hammering.
Cut a slot in a matchbook or another piece of cardboard and pinch the nail in between. So it is held up so you can beat it until it stands alone. Then you can remove the cardboard and hit the nail completely in the wall.
4 Keep the door open
Maybe you’re angry about a door in your home that swings lightly over and over again, even though you want it to stay open. Instead of placing a doorstop in front of it, you can put a spring on the hinge, as shown in the picture.
To do this, remove the bolt, place the spring on top of the top bushing and insert the bolt through the spring again. Of course, this should be checked to see if it still fits into the frame.
5 Suction cup
If suction cups, such as bathroom hooks, no longer hold against the wall, try squeezing the suction surface with soap. This should keep the hook longer and more reliable on the wall.
6 dustpan
This trick is called simple but effective. But you have to get that idea first. So your dustpan can be transformed into a kind of spatula. Slide the dustpan under the hot baking or casserole dish to get it out of the oven without burning your fingers. For the dustpan should of course be heat resistant, so at best be made of metal
7 Potato
The tailor has his pincushion to always have his needles at hand. As a craftsman, you can make an equivalent for your nails and screws from a raw potato. Halve the potato lengthwise. Thanks to the sliced side, the potato lies flat and your nails and screws can be comfortably inserted and removed as shown in the picture.
8 Open letter
If you’ve already pasted an envelope but need to open it again because you forgot something, you can do so without having to cut open the envelope:
Place the letter with the back up between a towel and drive over it with the steaming iron. The steam gently opens the envelope so you can reuse it afterwards.
9 Flashlight and funnel
For example, handling a flashlight during a power outage, or generally in a poorly lit corner, when using both hands to work can be complicated.
Therefore attach the torch to the neck of an upside-down funnel with the help of a rubber band. So you do not have to hold the flashlight any longer, you can set the angle of the incoming light and you have both hands free to work.
10 Steel wool and funnel
Speaking of funnels: In some funnels, the neck has a notch or bead on the outside to allow air to escape from the vessel being filled. This is to prevent the vessel overflowing during filling or foaming the liquid.
You can achieve a similar effect by putting some steel wool in the funnel. The liquid flows more slowly into the container, the air has more time and space to escape.
11 Steel wool as a hair sieve
And where you have the steel wool ever in your hand: To prevent the hair from getting into the drain when you wash your hair and clog it, put a ball of steel wool into the drain – of course not too deep, so that you can get it out again at any time. As the water flows through, the loose hairs stick to the steel wool and do not get into the drain. That’s how you made a hair sieve out of steel wool.
12 Hammer with padding
Removing a nail with a hammer can sometimes cause the hammer to damage the wood and leave unsightly scratches when the nail is removed.
To counter this, simply stick a thick patch or thick strips – such as the so-called power strips for posters or bathroom hook – on the hammer. The area with which the hammer usually damages the wood is therefore well padded and should not leave behind unsightly marks.
13 Change heavy pieces of furniture
Changing the couch or closet is not only a work of sweat, but can sometimes leave unsightly marks on the floor or worse on the wood floor.
In order to prevent sanding marks and to move heavy pieces of furniture a little easier, it is recommended to put cardboard or towels under the legs.
Backing furniture, hammering in nails, putting down brushes: Many of these tips could prove extremely useful, especially when renovating. It’s worth noting that these 60-year-old tips still work the same way today
