# Neat useful tricks that you think most people are not aware of **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959 "2013-01-31T21:35:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/221 "2013-02-07T15:04:47Z")
**A Question:** Can Mint Oil be added to laundry, to make bed linens fresh-scented? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/222 "2013-02-07T15:26:03Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > **A Question:** Can Mint Oil be added to laundry, to make bed linens fresh-scented? Yes, but I’d add it to the bottle of laundry detergent, or a few drops to the capful you’re about to pour into the laundry if you’re not up for that kind of commitment. Stir to mix it in evenly and then put it in your washer. Otherwise it probably won’t distribute evenly. OR, if you’re a fan of scent, put a few drops on a damp washcloth and add it to your dryer load. The scent will be stronger that way. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/223 "2013-02-07T15:56:52Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > I heard a good one on the radio last night. I’ll leave it up to the individual to decide the usefulness of this tip, if its useful at all: > > To fool somebody into thinking they are drinking a decently measured alcohol drink just use the mixer straight and use your finger to coat the rim of the lass with the alcohol. i.e. if you want to fool someone your serving them a proper vodka and orange, just give them pure orange and brush the rim of the glass with vodka. > [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Why would you want to do this? You might if you’re Michael Weston. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/224 "2013-02-07T16:22:30Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Having Sex the night before will allow you to sleep longer, all night in some cases before being wakened by the urge to pee. > > I’m guessing it might have something to do with the prostate gland. But you should always pee after having sex to prevent UTI’s, so you’re robbing Peeter to pay Paul. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/225 "2013-02-07T17:18:42Z")
If you have a dishwasher, and also have hard water, pour in about a half cup of vinegar before every wash. Not immediately, but within a couple of washes, you will notice a HUGE difference - glasses come out sparkling and the dishwasher is quieter and everything runs smoothly. No - you will not smell the vinegar. Yes - i know that vinegar is the first that is taken out of the dishwasher - but this works! We add a bit to every load (cheaper than that “jet dry” stuff) and our dishwasher cleans everything perfectly now! BTW, you can also use a half cup of vinegar in your regular washing machine if you run out of laundry detergent and need to do a couple of loads of wash before you get to the store to buy more…also helps clean the washing machine. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/226 "2013-02-08T01:57:59Z")
I use a bit of vinegar in my High Efficiency clothes washer as a clothes softener - it’s working as well as anything I’ve bought (and I guess it’s helping keep my machine fresh, too). On a related note, since I had heard from you folks that HE washers tend to get musty smelling, I’ve left the door open and the spot for the soap open after using it since we bought it three years ago, and it smells as fresh as the day we bought it. That trick’s been very useful for me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/227 "2013-02-19T19:54:52Z")
Gel hand sanitizer works quite well at de-icing a car door lock. Put some (\>60% alcohol) on your key, insert the key, count to 10 as you wiggle the key to ‘dispense’ the gel. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/228 "2013-02-19T20:20:24Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Here’s one that kinda goes along with the previously mentioned olive oil getting pine sap off skin- baby oil works great on stuff like that, too. I found that out on a whim. I had been doing some DIY roof repair and had roofing tar on my hands. It is petroleum based and very difficult to remove (after all, it’s designed to stay where it’s put!). I had used mineral oil in the past with good results, but didn’t have any on hand (a pun!) on that particular day. I was about to resign myself to a long, fruitless bout with hand cleaner when I spotted the bottle of baby oil. Baby oil, mineral oil - I figured it was worth a shot. I was quite surprised when it took the roofing tar off easily, and left my hands smelling baby fresh to boot! Of course, now I wonder about using that stuff on actual babies… ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/229 "2013-02-19T21:20:11Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > If I could coat the rim of the lass with alcohol, I probably wouldn’t even need to be buying her drinks. Bwaahhahaa. Thanks! I needed that! ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/230 "2013-02-19T21:36:49Z")
Remember this sequence: 1, 1.25, 1.6, 2, 2.5, 3.2, 4, 5, 6.4, 8. This should be easy if you notice the first series of every third number is 1, 2, 4, 8 and the second series is 1.25, 2.5, 5 and the third series (starting at the end and wrapping back around) is 8, 16, 32, 64 (if we cheat on the decimal point). Now, if you want the common (base 10) log of a number, divide it by ten again and again until it is in the range between 1 and 10, and the number of times you had to do that is the part of your log before the decimal point. For example if your number is 365, you have to divide it by ten twice, so your log starts with 2. Now check where your divided number fits into this sequence. For example, I wound up with 3.65, and that is about halfway between the 3.2 and the 4. Consider the 1 as the starting point at 0, and the 1.25 is worth 0.1, the 1.6 is worth 0.2, and so forth, so my 3.65 is worth about 0.55. So, log10(365) must be about 2.55. Now I check it with a calculator, and find it’s 2.5623. That’s not bad, for calculating a log in your head. If you need ln (that is, natural log), just multiply this result by 2.3. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/231 "2013-02-19T22:26:13Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > These are great - [this is a brilliant idea for pasta](https://picasaweb.google.com/102844392150412393724/201305LifeHacks#5837651416390037090); I’m one of the few people in the world who has a tall, thin container for spaghetti, but I would use this if I didn’t… Ooooh - that reminds me. I too have a spaghetti container - but it’s hard to tell how much spaghetti I’m getting out to cook since the container holds 3+ pounds. So I was trying to use my food scale to weigh it and it was rolling all over the place. Finally it occurred to me: a drinking glass. Put it on the scale. Zero out the scale. Add spaghetti to the glass until I’ve got the desired portion. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/232 "2013-02-19T22:27:42Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I’ve heard things like this before. Am I the only person who just folds the last inch of masking tape under itself? No (we do it too) - but I like the bread-tie thing, that gets rid of the problem of the tape end being wasted. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/233 "2013-02-19T23:00:17Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > One problem with that: shampoos can go bad, can spoil. Soap does not, as it does not contain water; but shampoos do. They contain preservatives (usually parabens) to stay good longer. That is necessary, they are kept in moist, hot circumstances. If you dilute shampoos in the bottle, and especially if you mix old (perhaps spoilt and crawling with bacteria) shampoo with a new bottle, your thrift might let you end up with skin problems. > > All of which can be prevented by diluting shampoo _outside_ the bottle. So, use less shampoo and dilute it in your hand, immediately before you use it. > > The thickness of shampoo has very little to do with how much detergent it contains; most shampoos are originally very watery, and get their thickness by adding a thickening agent. Thickening agents cost next to nothing, (and the most common cleaning ingredeint, sodium laureth sulfate, is also dirt cheap) so how thick a shampoo is has nothing to do with quality, it is just that a shampoo maker wants to diversify their shampoos. Some people feel they get more quality with a thicker product, others prefer thinner stuff. The industry knows this, and makes two shampoos, and gets a bigger market share. > > Signed **Maastricht,** who used to make cosmetics from industrial ingredients as a hobby. Thank you for this. I was blissfully unaware that shampoo could spoil. A couple weeks ago, I poured out the last bit of a large bottle of shampoo. It was incredibly thin and had a horrid chemical smell. I really had no clue what had happened. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/234 "2013-02-20T00:29:06Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I had trouble visualizing this. > > YouTube to the rescue! > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEPz1nkiwLI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEPz1nkiwLI) > > I can’t wait for the opportunity to be a hero and try this. All I could think while watching that video was, “Gee, what could possibly go wrong?” ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/235 "2013-02-20T00:33:54Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > R > Now, if you want the common (base 10) log of a number, What the hell would someone named “Napier” know about logs? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/236 "2013-02-20T01:41:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Your breath smells like Cindy’s Cootch, a cracker or bread ain’t the answer. Sorry, a pet peeve. Cindy Who? ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/237 "2013-02-20T01:42:28Z")
I posted this in the previous thread but I’m posting it again since it’s useful for everyone here: A lot of people complain about getting USB plug direction wrong. The USB plug actually isn’t symmetric. One side has holes, and the holes on the other side are blocked. If you remember which direction your ports accept (usually the holes are the “front” so they’re up or towards you, except for Dell desktops), you’ll always get it in on the first try. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/238 "2013-02-20T03:32:26Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Cindy Who? Better hope not[.](http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120215002238/seuss/images/8/8c/Grinch-stole-christmas4.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/239 "2013-02-20T04:31:34Z")
I’m too lazy to read all of the posts but one of my favorite tricks is microwaving oranges/limes/lemons for 20 seconds if you want to extract juice. You will easily get 2x more juice than if you squeezed it at room temp. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959/240 "2013-02-20T07:26:18Z")
If you’re going to crumble bread croutons for a salad, place them in a plastic baggy first, then crumble them. No mess! And crumble soup crackers while they’re still inside their wrapper. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neat-useful-tricks-that-you-think-most-people-are-not-aware-of/648959.md?page=13)