c/failed-life-hacks

Warning: the 'freeze your credit card in a block of ice' trick cost me $150

I saw this hack online to stop impulse buys, so I froze my card in a big Tupperware container. Last month, my car battery died in a Target parking lot and I needed a jump pack. I had to buy a cheap hair dryer to thaw the block, which took 25 minutes, and then I was late for work. Has anyone found a less ridiculous way to curb spending that doesn't involve turning an emergency into a sitcom?

Tried the 'use a binder clip as a phone stand' hack for video calls

I saw it online and grabbed a big clip from my desk. It held my phone up at a weird angle, and the metal part scratched the back of my case. After two calls, it just fell over and my phone hit the table. I went and bought a real stand for 12 bucks the next day and it's solid. Anyone have a better cheap fix that actually works?

That 'use a potato to remove a broken light bulb' trick cost me $150

Saw a video saying to cut a potato in half, jam it onto the broken glass, and twist it out. Tried it Tuesday night in my kitchen, and the potato just mashed into the socket while the glass shard stayed put. Had to call an electrician from Springfield to safely remove it and replace the whole fixture. Anyone got a REAL method for this that doesn't involve produce?

Honestly, that 'use a binder clip for cable management' hack ruined my laptop at a coffee shop last month.

Vent: Tried the 'freeze your sponge to kill germs' trick for a month

I saw a tip online that said putting your kitchen sponge in the freezer overnight would kill bacteria without needing to microwave it. I tried it every night for 30 days straight. Turns out, freezing just puts the germs to sleep, they wake right back up. My sponge started smelling worse than before after about two weeks. Now I'm back to just buying new ones every couple of weeks. Has anyone found a cleaning method that actually works and doesn't wreck the sponge?

Tried the 'freeze your wet shoes with newspaper' trick on a pair of leather boots

It was a rainy Tuesday in Portland, and my boots were soaked. I read online to stuff them with newspaper and put them in the freezer overnight to dry faster without cracking. Woke up to boots that were still damp but now smelled faintly of frozen ink and old lettuce. The paper just froze into a solid block inside, and pulling it out was a mess. Has anyone actually gotten this to work, or is it just a myth?

Just realized my 'quick fix' for a squeaky floor made it worse

I tried that old trick of sprinkling baby powder between the boards in my living room to stop the noise. It just turned into a gritty paste that ground into the finish and now the squeak is louder. Anyone know a real fix for oak floors?

Vent: I tried the 'freeze your wet sponge to kill germs' trick from a blog

I pulled my frozen sponge out of the freezer in my Chicago apartment, thawed it, and it smelled worse than before... like a weird, damp freezer smell mixed with old food. The blog said it would make it last longer, but it just got gross faster. Has anyone else had this happen, or is my freezer the problem?

Rant: My 'use a potato to unscrew a stripped bolt' hack ended with a trip to urgent care

I saw a video saying you could jam a raw russet potato onto a stripped Phillips head on a garbage disposal flange to get it out, so I gave it a shot in my kitchen yesterday. The potato split, the screwdriver slipped, and I needed three stitches on my knuckle from hitting the edge of the sink. Has anyone actually made a vegetable-based repair work, or is this just internet nonsense?

Tried using a rubber band to fix my wobbly ceiling fan and now it's making a clicking noise

I saw a video saying you could wrap a thick band around the base to stop the wobble, but after two days it started this annoying click every rotation. Anyone know a better way to fix this without taking the whole thing down?

My 'microwave to clean a sponge' hack made my kitchen smell like a swamp

I saw a tip online to nuke a wet sponge for two minutes to kill germs. The before was a normal sponge, the after was a hot, melted, stinky mess that stunk up my whole apartment for a day. Has anyone else had a cleaning hack backfire this badly?

Warning: the 'freeze your credit card in a block of ice' trick backfired on me in a big way

I tried it back in 2018 to stop impulse buys online, but then my car battery died in a Target parking lot and I needed a jump pack. I had to sit there for over an hour waiting for the ice to melt enough to chip the card out with my key. Has anyone actually made this work, or is it just a bad idea from the start?

Can we talk about the 'freeze your sponge' cleaning hack?

I saw a video saying to freeze your kitchen sponge overnight to kill germs. I tried it for a week. The sponge felt cold and damp in the morning, but after three days it started smelling worse than before. I think the cold just paused the germs, and they came back faster once it thawed. Some people swear by it, but others say microwaving it wet for a minute is better. Has anyone else tested both methods and got real results?

Question about using a dryer sheet to clean a keyboard

Saw a tip online to wipe down a dusty keyboard with a used dryer sheet. Tried it on my old laptop last month. The sheet left a weird waxy film on all the keys. Now they feel sticky and my fingers slip off. Anyone know how to get this gunk off without wrecking the keys?

Question about the 'use a binder clip for cable management' hack

I tried that for my home office setup and ended up with a tangled mess that actually yanked my laptop off the desk last Tuesday. What's a better way to keep cables from sliding off the back edge?

Tried the 'freeze your jeans to clean them' hack for a year and the before-and-after difference is just a pair of stiff, weird-smelling pants.

After 12 months of avoiding the wash, my favorite denim went from slightly worn to a frozen, crunchy science project that my roommate said 'smells like a damp basement' and now I need actual cleaning advice.

My buddy swore by using a potato to clean a clogged sink drain

He said to cut one up and run the garbage disposal with cold water, and it would sharpen the blades and clear junk out. I tried it in my apartment kitchen last month, and it just turned into a sticky paste that jammed the whole unit. Had to call the landlord, and he charged me $75 to fix it. Anyone know a real way to clean a disposal that doesn't make a huge mess?

My crewmate swore by using a heat gun to strip paint faster, so I let him try on a 1920s door in Pasadena.

He cranked it to max and held it in one spot, which scorched the wood and melted the old lead-based primer into a toxic, gummy mess. The cleanup and sanding took us three extra hours and we had to wear respirators the whole time. What's the dumbest 'time-saving' shortcut you've seen someone insist on that actually made more work?

Warning: using a potato to fix a broken phone charger is a terrible idea

I was in my kitchen last Thursday and my phone charger's plug snapped off inside the wall outlet, so I saw online that you could use a raw potato to pull it out safely. I shoved the potato onto the broken prong, it got stuck too, and then I had to call an electrician from Madison who charged me $120 to fix the whole mess. Has anyone actually had this 'hack' work, or is it just a joke that ruins your wall?

So I thought I could make my own reusable dryer sheets with vinegar and old cloths

I saw a video saying to soak cut up t shirts in a mix of white vinegar and water, then toss one in the dryer. I did it exactly, using a half cup of vinegar. The first load came out smelling like a salad dressing factory exploded, and the static was somehow worse than before! I think the vinegar smell just baked into the clothes instead of softening them. Has anyone else had a DIY laundry hack backfire this badly?

PSA: My 'use a binder clip for phone stand' hack just hit 7 broken clips.

They all snapped at the hinge after a week, leaving plastic shards everywhere. Anyone found a sturdier DIY stand that actually holds up?

TIL my 'freeze leftover coffee into ice cubes' hack just makes my next cup taste like freezer burn.

After comparing cubes from my Thursday brew to just using fresh cold brew concentrate for a week, the concentrate kept the flavor clean every single time, so what other tricks have you tried that ruined the drink instead of saving it?

PSA: The 'use a potato to remove a broken light bulb' trick is a total myth

Tried it on a fixture in my kitchen and just ended up with potato chunks stuck in the socket, had to call an electrician from Springfield to fix it. Has anyone actually gotten that one to work, or is it just internet nonsense?

Saw a video saying to freeze coffee in ice cube trays to avoid watering it down

My morning brew went from a normal cup to a weird, weak mess after a week. The cubes melted way slower than regular ice, so the coffee got cold before it even diluted properly. Anyone know a better way to keep iced coffee strong?

My attempt to use a binder clip as a phone stand ended with a cracked screen

I saw the hack online and tried it with a heavy phone, but the clip slipped off my desk after about 10 seconds. Anyone have a better DIY stand idea that actually works?