# Life hacks you figured out on your own **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041 "2023-03-11T20:36:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/390 "2023-04-21T21:51:11Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My laundry hack: I throw everything into the washing machine together; whites, darks, dry clean only, all together. Wash in cold water. During the colder months, I have enough laundry for two loads per week anyway, so I separate them into darks/lights, because why not. But yeah, in the summer when it all fits in one load, in one load it goes. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/391 "2023-04-21T21:51:13Z")
I saw a post regarding Chapstick ™. When I can, I go swimming a lot. Which results in hangnails. To avoid them, after drying off, I rub some lip balm on the cuticles. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/392 "2023-04-21T21:54:48Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > Sage advice. It usually works great for me, as long as I can do it all in one shot. Here’s an example of mine that covers both taking pictures to remember how it goes back together and using a towel. In this case, the towel not only keeps things from rolling away, but also makes them easier to see since the table is dark…also, kept the table clean. [![](https://i.imgur.com/NAMF7Bq.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/NAMF7Bq.jpg) . [![](https://i.imgur.com/gAQXZ6j.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/gAQXZ6j.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/393 "2023-04-21T22:41:27Z")
If you have to remember to bring something with you in your car, put your car keys next to, on, or in that item. For example, if you put your keys in the work fridge next to your good takeout you want bring home for dinner, you can’t forget it. (Though people will think you are strange, and perhaps drive away with your car and your takeout.) Everyone knows this, but in case someone doesn’t: choose electronic file names that force convenient sorting. Instead of file names like January, February, call them 01 January, 02 February, and so on. This falls into possibly disreputable Hints From Heloise territory, but I toss all lightly-used paper towels into a bag in the kitchen, then use them to wipe the grease out of pans and other work where I’m too cheap to use a fresh paper towel, but the job is too nasty for a rag or a sponge. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/394 "2023-04-21T22:49:15Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > When using a ruler to measure distance, or to draw a line of a certain length, never use the very end of the ruler as one of the alignment points. Better rulers never start their graduations at the end of the stick. It’s fine to start at the zero mark on them. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2023, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/395 "2023-04-21T23:04:27Z")
I learned the ‘start measuring at the 1’ method as a picture framer. The hook thing at the end of a retractable tape measure is supposed to slide back and forth is own thickness, so you can measure both with it hooked on something or pressed against it. Most picture frame jobs require better precision than that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/396 "2023-04-22T00:16:54Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > This falls into possibly disreputable Hints From Heloise territory, but I toss all lightly-used paper towels into a bag in the kitchen, then use them to wipe the grease out of pans and other work where I’m too cheap to use a fresh paper towel, but the job is too nasty for a rag or a sponge. I also use the shitty napkins that come with takeout or delivery. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/397 "2023-04-22T00:43:17Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I also use the shitty napkins that come with takeout or delivery. Anytime I go to a drive-thru, or pick up some takeout order, I always ask for extra napkins and throw a few into the glove compartment of my car. It’s useful to know that you have a bunch of napkins there, as it’s inevitable that at some point while driving you’ll want to wipe your hands or quickly clean up a spill. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/398 "2023-04-22T13:13:53Z")
Joey\_P - some type of valve? In floor heat? Also, it seems I can get my hand in somewhere with a wrench or whatever, but can’t really see what is going on. If you can sneak your phone in and take a couple of pics, it can help. DON’T drop your phone. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/399 "2023-04-22T13:16:31Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > If you have to remember to bring something with you in your car, put your car keys next to, on, or in that item. For example, if you put your keys in the work fridge next to your good takeout you want bring home for dinner, you can’t forget it. (Though people will think you are strange, and perhaps drive away with your car and your takeout.) Semi-related to this: When getting to your car, if you must set something down to free up a hand to open the car door, maneuver something bulky into the car, whatever, do NOT set the extra item on the ground or on the car roof. Instead set it on the hood of the car directly in front of the driver’s seat. It is very hard to drive away unwittingly with your purse, laptop bag, or carryout sitting there right in front of your face. I won’t say it’s impossible because fools are so ingenious. But it is pretty darn hard. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2023, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/400 "2023-04-22T20:02:27Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Joey\_P - some type of valve? In floor heat? KitchenAid Mixer I pulled apart and had powder coated. [![](https://i.imgur.com/47ofNU3.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/47ofNU3.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/401 "2023-04-23T03:59:35Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Imagine a world where taking a photo of something meant having to bring the film in and have it developed before you could see the result! Digital instant photography is a miracle! There was a famous freelance photojournalist, Arthur “Weegee” Fellig" who worked in NYC during the 1930s and '40s. There were times when he would actually develop his negatives while riding the subway, en route from the shooting location to whatever paper or magazine he was shooting for. I can’t begin to imagine how physically awkward that must have been, but I can’t help but marvel at what old school photographers had toput themselves through. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/402 "2023-04-23T07:41:44Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > he would actually develop his negatives while riding the subway Don’t you need a darkroom & vats of chemicals to develop old-skool film? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/403 "2023-04-23T10:46:00Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > if you put your keys in the work fridge next to your good takeout you want bring home for dinner, you can’t forget it. Technically, you can still forget, you just can’t leave the office until you remember. I do this sometimes, but only in my own home, and only by putting keys on the kitchen counter next to the thing. If I start putting keys in places keys don’t go, I’m going to be in real trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/404 "2023-04-23T10:52:56Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Don’t you need a darkroom & vats of chemicals to develop old-skool film? I had to look that one up (there are a few crime scene photographs with corpses on that page) > **[Truth or Fiction? ‘Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous’, PopMatters](https://www.popmatters.com/flash-weegee-the-famous-bonanos-2574073728.html)** > > Christopher Bonanos' impeccably researched biography of Weegee is also a history of newspaper photography and of the growth of New York City through the... > Weegee himself relates the story of leaving a World Series game and bribing the subway conductor to let him use the motorman’s booth as a darkroom. While other photographers boarded the subway with negatives, Weegee already had developed photos when the subway reached his stop. Bonanos makes clear early on, however, that Weegee is not always a reliable narrator: his bravado and exaggeration are key to the identity of the impoverished Jewish immigrant, [Arthur Fellig](https://www.moma.org/artists/1842), who grew up to call himself “Weegee the Famous”. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/405 "2023-04-23T12:51:06Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Don’t you need a darkroom & vats of chemicals to develop old-skool film? I was a photographer for my HS paper and would develop film on the subway. But it was 1961 and I used a product called Unibath. The film was loaded onto spool and placed in a light tight container The bottle of developer was screwed on and ran into the container. Time was flexible and after a little wile the developer was replaced with a stoop bath. Film was washed when I arrived home. I’m certain Wegee’s process was much more involved. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/406 "2023-04-23T16:50:14Z")
Yeah, without a darkroom, you can load the film onto the spool inside a thick coat. You button/zip it up with the spool and the camera inside, fold the coat to prevent light from entering through the collar and waist areas, insert your hands into the sleeves and load the film using your sense of touch. Although I don’t know squat about what Weegee would have been using back then. There was a film loosely based on Weegee. The Public Eye (1992, written and directed by Howard Franklin, with Joe Pesci and Barbara Hershey). I liked it a lot and haven’t seen it or even heard about it since. Might have been my first exposure to Pesci. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/407 "2023-04-23T19:03:27Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Yeah, without a darkroom, you can load the film onto the spool inside a thick coat. You button/zip it up with the spool and the camera inside, fold the coat to prevent light from entering through the collar and waist areas, insert your hands into the sleeves and load the film using your sense of touch. I wonder if techniques such as this led to the invention of the Polaroid camera. The film in a Polaroid essentially develops itself while still in the camera where it’s always safe from exposure to light. Prior to the SX-70 format, after you got the finished image from the camera, you had to coat it with fixative, which came in a small tube with an applicator much like a vinyl record cleaner. (I’m really dating myself here aren’t I.) ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/408 "2023-04-23T19:09:10Z")
Maybe just a little. But what’s a _vinyl record_? 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/409 "2023-04-23T19:15:52Z")
My grandma said it’s like an analog CD. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041.md?page=21)