Rescue a Worn-Out Pillow with Tennis Balls [Clever Uses]

Feel like your pillow's a leaden lump and reached the end of its life? Try throwing it in the dryer with some tennis balls as a last-ditch rescue effort. It might just (literally) beat that sucker back into shape.

More than one poster on the oddly named Top Tips for Girls site points out that tennis balls, a general agent of dryer improvement, can get results., Specifically, throwing the pillow in alone with the tennis balls can beat the heck out of that pillow, and force out some of the dents and creases your not-so-light head have worn into it. Depending on your pillow, there's a chance it might backfire, but as you're probably on your way toward buying a whole new pillow, it's not a bad one-more-try strategy. Photo by bnilsen.

How to keep pillows fluffy and comfy | toptips via Consumerist

Use Your Coffee Cup as a Basic Barometer [Clever Uses]

Instructables user stickmop shares a trick to tell basic barometric pressure using a hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa; when you pour the coffee into the cup watch the bubbles. If they move to the edge of the cup quickly you can expect clear skies for the next 12 hours, if they hang out in the center expect rain in the next 12 hours, and if the bubbles move slowly to the edge you may get a bit of weather, but it will clear soon.

This trick came from a long ago issue of Backpacker Magazine. If you're out camping without an internet connection it may come in handy someday.

Use an Analog Alarm Clock to Disable Forced Screensavers [Clever Uses]

Some employers have security policies that require mandatory password-protected screensavers after a minute or two of idle time. This can be extremely annoying since every time you take a phone call or jot down notes you have to login again. For a low-tech solution to this problem keep an analog alarm clock on hand.

Any time you need to take your hands off your keyboard and/or mouse, Reddit user acntech recommends placing your mouse on an analog alarm clock—the ticking will register as movement and keep the screensaver from engaging. This tip also works when watching longer videos on any computer.

How to use an analog alarm clock to disable forced corporate screensavers on your PC or laptop | Reddit

Coat Screws with Soap to Help Them Turn Easily [Clever Uses]

If you've ever put together a large set of IKEA furniture (or something similar) you know the fabricated holes and screws don't always fit together well. Hidden inside the massive Popular Mechanics list of the best DIY tips is a trick from way back in 1957 that still applies today: if a screw isn't turning smoothly, coat it in a layer of soap.

When a screw isn't fitting like it's supposed to it a simple project suddenly becomes a pain. Roll the threads of a screw into a bar of wet soap and the process gets a lot easier. I ran this one through the paces this weekend when putting together a horribly manufactured dining room table where the holes weren't as big as the screws and it worked like a charm. It might be an ancient tip, but if you're ever stuck putting together a poorly crafted piece furniture it works great. Hit up the full post on Popular Mechanics for a huge list of other DIY tips.

Know Your Stuff: The 110 Best DIY Tips Ever | Popular Mechanics

Turn Wooden Shutters into a Multi-Pocket Wall Organizer [Clever Uses]

Surprisingly enough, wooden shutters can be wonderful to hang inside your home, not just outside. In your entryway or home office, the numerous louvers can hold messages, artwork, to-dos, and much more.

Martha Stewart says for adjustable louvers, you'll need to lock them into the up position by driving a brad through the tilt bar and into the frame. While there are three shutters shown here, painted and mounted together, you could use as many as you like.

I've also seen shutters used as wall magazine holders, so these are pretty versatile organizing tools to make the most of your vertical space.

Repurpose Clothes Hanger Clips Into Chip Clips [Clever Uses]

If your chips clips disappear as often as mine do (usually to be found later in my 8-year-old son's bedroom) you can keep plenty on hand by cutting the clips meant to hold pants or skirts from clothes hangers.

User noooitaremybirthday from crafting forum Craftster offered the tip on creating free chip clips from hangers you most likely already have. Just saw the clips off the hanger and you're good to go.

Unexpected Chip Clips | Craftster via Reddit

Flip Your Toaster On Its Side to Make Easy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches [Clever Uses]

Making a perfect grilled cheese sandwich can take both time and dirty your cookware. If you're just making a quick grilled cheese sandwich try turning your toaster on it's side and toasting the bread with the grilled cheese on top of your bread.

This is one of those tips where the photo above explains the concept better than anything I'll ever write. Culinary weblog The Kitchn shares this tip originally from Jamie Oliver's UK show Jamie's Kitchen. You can place cheese on one or both pieces of bread depending on how much cheesy goodness you wish to include.

One caveat—many modern toasters have a wire cage that folds inward to brace your breads. This will of course cause a sticky mess. If you have this type of toaster try wrapping the entire sandwich in parchment paper or aluminum foil before placing it in the toaster.

Utilize a Military Poncho as a Backpacking Tarp with Collapsible Tent Poles [Clever Uses]

Many backpackers are eschewing heavy rugged tents for lightweight tarps. If you normally carry a rain poncho you can kill two birds with one stone by adapting aluminum or fiberglass tent poles to fit the grommet holes in the corner of the poncho. This modification will allow you to use the poncho as a freestanding tarp.

The modification comes from emergency preparedness group Alpha Disaster Contingencies who call the design the Alpha tent. You'll need to get two aluminum or fiberglass tent poles with shock cords that are 111" when assembled which may require you to remove a section or two. Once that is done attach a standard electrical wiring nut to the ends of the poles by drilling through the end of the nut and knotting the end of the elastic shock cord in the tent poles at the ends. If you're having trouble visualizing this, check the source link below for full details and step-by-step photos.

Now all you need to do is assemble the tent poles and run them through the four corners of the poncho. Tie them together with a bit of cord or a zip tie where they criss-cross in the middle. Lay out your sleeping pad and adjust the poncho tent over yourself like a big umbrella. You can also use this tent upside down to hold your gear when crossing a river; it won't hold you, but it will hold your backpack, boots, etc.

*The Alpha tent* | Alpha Rubicon Disaster Contengencies via KISSATA Forum

Repurpose an Old Cellphone as an Emergency Phone for your Car, Other Strategic Locations [Clever Uses]

We recently shared a number of things you can do with an old smartphone, but Redditor hepdd remind us that we left out one of the most obvious uses: any cellphone, activated or not, can still make emergency calls.

When you activate a new phone (or slip your SIM card into a new phone), your old phone ceases to have cell and data access—though it can still make emergency calls. So, if you have an old phone that's sitting around doing nothing, you might as well stash it in your glove box, the pocket of your big winter jacket, or wherever else you can think of. That way, if you get into a situation and you've lost your phone, left it somewhere else, or it's just plain run out of battery, you can still make a 911 call if you need to. Heck, you can even use this if you've repurposed your phone as, say, a music player for your car—just remember that no matter what you've repurposed it to do, it can always be an emergency phone as well.

LPT Need an Emergency Phone for Your Car/Boat/etc? | Reddit

Photo by Cord Woodruff.

Create a Makeshift Wrench with a Bolt and Two Nuts [Clever Uses]

If you need a wrench but all the hardware stores are closed for the evening, you can actually take a bolt and a few extra nuts to create something that will work almost as well.

It obviously isn't quite as good as having an actual wrench on hand, but if you just have one little nut to tighten, this trick can give you that extra bit of leverage you need. Just screw two nuts onto a bolt with space in between them, as shown above. The nature of the bolt means that it'll even be adjustable, which is great. This particular tip comes from a 1910 issue of popular mechanics, rehashed in their 110th anniversary look back. We couldn't find the original source (if you can, let us know), but Redditor Newkingdom has screencapped some of them at the link below.

Clear Out the Musty Smell in Old Clothes or Thrift Store Purchases with Cat Litter [Clever Uses]

Ever pull clothes or containers from storage only to realize that no amount of washings will get that weird, musty smell out of them? DIY blog The Art of Doing Stuff offers up the simple solution of using a little unscented cat litter to pull out the scent so you can use your stuff without worrying about smelling like a walking mothball.

We've talked before about how cat litter is great for eliminating trash can odor and as a de-odorizer for shoes, so it should come as no surprise it also works on pretty much anything you pull out of your own storage or buy from a thrift store. For something like luggage, you can pour the unscented cat litter in and leave it for a week to get rid of the smell. For clothes, shove them in a plastic bag, dump some cat litter in, and seal it up. If you're pulling out your spring clothes from boxes right now, this might come in especially handy. Have your own cat litter tricks? Share them in the comments.

How to Get Rid of that Musty Old People Smell | The Art of Doing Stuff via Apartment Therapy

Repair a Ruptured Hydration Bladder with a Vacuum Sealer [Clever Uses]

If you do a lot of outdoor activities you may use hydration bladders or soft canteens made by Camelback, Nalgene, Platypus, and other brands. They're great for carrying water, but if the plastic gets punctured you were out of luck until a clever person figured out you can repair damage by sealing the bladder with a food vacuum sealer.

Outdoor adventures weblog Brian's Backpacking Blog notes that a reader figured out that they could use the heat sealing function of their Foodsaver vacuum sealer to make the bottle good as new, albeit smaller. The reader's soft Nalgene canteen became a 10oz capacity which isn't much for a full hike, but is a nice size for using in camp or to turn into a flask to bring alcohol. As long as you don't tear it near the mouth you should be able to salvage it this way.

Fixing a Broken Nalgene - Reader Submission | Brian's Backpacking Blog

Twist a Bottle Cap Into a Bar of Soap to Prevent Soap Slime [Clever Uses]

Soap slime, aka that gross layer of soap that accumulates underneath a bar of soap after you set it down, is one of life's minor annoyances, but an annoyance nonetheless. Reddit user Pavement_ist_rad had enough of it and decided to hack a bottle cap on the bottom of a bar of soap to prevent the slime from building up.

Using a standard bottle cap, twist the cap into the bottom of a bar of a soap and you have yourself a little platform for the soap to stand on. This prevents the wet soap from leaking all over the place and creating a layer of soap slime in your shower or countertop. Have your own trick for combatting soap slime? Share it in the comments.

Use Sugar to Clean Greasy Hands [Clever Uses]

If you've ever had the pleasure of trying to clean off your hands after working on a car, bike, or other greasy equipment then you know that grease can stick around for days afterwards unless you really scrub down. Real Simple suggests using sugar as a hand degreaser that washes away the grease quickly.

Use about a teaspoon of sugar, a little water, and then wash your hands as normal. If it's a stubborn mix of grease and grime, you can also throw in some liquid dish soap. It works great, and it's a lot easier to keep around than a harsh degreaser and less gunky than cooking spray. What's the best way you've found to get grease off your hands? Share it in the comments.

Sugar as Degreaser | Real Simple

Photo remixed from Tim Pierce.

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