Today I would like to go over some very easy household tips to make your life around your house a lot easier. You know what a great feeling of satisfaction it is when you complete a big job like installing new fixtures in the bathroom or new cabinets in the kitchen, but sometimes it’s just those little things that make all the difference.
Ever have a slow drain? If so there is no need to go throwing harsh expensive drain cleaners down your drain. Here is what you do. Boil some water then pour a cup of vinegar and a cup 
of baking soda into the drain. Once they are done getting all foamy and bubbly pour the boiling water down. Your drain will flow freely again.
Ever go to change a light bulb only to have the glass part come out in your hand and the base break off and remain in the socket? Considering the jagged glass attached to the base and how tight the base can be in the socket this can make for a very frustrating problem.
Well not anymore, here is what you do. First make certain to turn off the light switch if this is a ceiling or wall mounted light. If it is a lamp make sure to unplug it from the wall. Then insert 
a long nose plier into the base of the bulb that is stuck in the socket. Turn the plier while spreading it against the inside of the base of the bulb and watch your bulb come right. If you don’t have or don’t like using a plier a half of a potato will work just as well. Just make sure to firmly push the half of a potato firmly into the base of the bulb.
If you are like me parking your car in the garage is always a guessing game. I don’t want be too far forward that I bump into anything and I don’t want to be too far back because then the garage door will not close. Being too far left or right is also a problem so here is a trick that makes for a perfect park every time.
Take a tennis ball and connect it to a rope by making a very small hole in the ball and then pushing a knot that you tie in the rope into the ball. Once you make sure that your car is 
perfectly positioned in the garage, tie the other end of the rope to a rafter so that the ball will hang right in front of the center of the windshield. Now each time that you park use the ball as a guide making certain that it just touches the windshield. The result – a perfect park every time.
Sometimes it’s just the little things around the house that can make your life so much easier and be so rewarding. Have a household tip like the ones that I just shared? We’d love to hear it!
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Thanks for visiting my Hooked on Copper post
And thanks for the fix-it tips
Proves that you don’t need expensive gadgets to solve problems 
I never would have thought to use a potato to remove a broken light bulb from the socket!!
Kelly @ DesignTies
I like that tennis ball idea. I always have trouble backing out our driveway because I don’t drive in correctly.
In these times of water shortages I have heard of people take a shower but leave the plug in the tub and reuse the water to flush the toilet or water plants. This is a direct use of grey water that any one can do. I don’t have to do that where we live, I am surrounded by the great lakes. To water my plants I collect rainwater in screened barrels and use that water for the herb garden and the veggies out back. One of my friends got rid of the wall-to-wall carpeting and now has move able rugs which she can shake outside and only uses a broom and a mop to clean he floors eliminating the need for a vacuum cleaner. I grow Large sunflowers in my front yard to attract birds (and the odd squirrel) instead of getting a bird feeder. Those animals attract stray cats which keep my house free of mice. That was an unforeseen benefit, and I like cats, but I do not want to have to care for them. Been there-done that.
Clearing a choked drain and fixing a bulb correctly are all good, but your idea of parking the car correctly in the garage tops the list of most useful tips ever. Thanks a lot for this enlightenment.
I read this tip somewhere and I’ve used it several times and it works. If you drop something glass and it breaks, get a slice (or slices) of bread to pick up the pieces. They stick in the bread and you don’t cut your fingers.
Debbie
You are very welcome Kelly and thanks for visiting Your Online Handyman. I really enjoyed your blog – the pictures are beautiful! Yes, you really don’t need expensive gadgets, often simple things that you have around the house will work just fine. Thanks again! Scott
You are welcome DaisySoapGirl, I am glad that I could help and thank you as always for being such a loyal reader!
Michael, thanks for visiting Your Online Handyman! You have some very good ideas there. I especially like the idea of collecting rain water for things like the vegetable garden. Scott
Gopal, I’m glad that I could give you that. I never stop appreciating kind words from my readers! Thanks, Scott
Hi Debbie, I never heard that one before, but there are so many good ideas for solving small problems around the house. That’s what I like so much about the internet, it gives us an easy way to share them with each other. Scott
Instead of a ball, my husband put tape on the wall. It has saved me from dents and from divorce:)
YAY YAY YAY! Thanks so much for advice on how to clear a drain! My roommates and I have been frustrated with our slow drain for weeks and I hope this does the trick!!!
Great post, as always! Love these tips. I’ve got a slow drain I’m going to try the boiling water trick on. And I could really use a tennis ball in my garage. I never park right the first time and it’s so annoying to have to pull out and try again. Thanks!
Thanks Puna, Daly Essentials & Julia, I hope that I was able to help. Julia, I also would like to thank you for “Hooked On Fridays” it’s great!