Looking for some neat ideas/quality of life improvements aka lifehacks I guess
A Bidet has got to be the most life changing purchase ever. Not even expensive either.
I love mine
Do I go with the hand held sprayer thingy or the one that affixes underneath the seat?
You’ll want the one that attaches to the seat. Luxe makes really solid ones for very cheap; I’ve had mine for three or four years now, and it still works just fine. You can get some fancy ones with heated water, air dryer, etc but that’s all superfluous; The cold water alone isn’t bad after you experience it once and know what to expect. And the nozzle on Luxe brand bidets has a self-clean feature, so you can rinse the nozzle easily.
The number one thing to look for on the el cheapo ones is - does it look easy to clean. Where the Toilet Lid meets the Bowl and the bidet acts as a washer collects so much grime. It grosses me out so bad. You can’t clean any of it unless you take it all apart.
Under the seat.
You’ll want the one that attaches to the seat. Luxe makes really solid ones for very cheap; I’ve had mine for three or four years now, and it still works just fine. You can get some fancy ones with heated water, air dryer, etc but that’s all superfluous; The cold water alone isn’t bad after you experience it once and know what to expect. And the nozzle on Luxe brand bidets has a self-clean feature, so you can rinse the nozzle easily.
While in our family we hate them and we’ll get rid of them to make the space more efficient 😅
Usually in North America bidet refers to a modified insert or toilet seat that includes a sprayer and a lever to control. It doesn’t take up any space at all. Definitely a stand alone bidet takes up a lot of space but they’re visually non existent in North America, although I certainly would prefer that to the sprayers.
Indeed, I’ve only seen one standalone bidet ever in the US. It was in an old mansion. Far more awkward than the modern ones that attach to an existing toilet.
In that case, that sounds interesting.
Or a hand bidet that attaches to the side of the toilet with a thermostat to control water temp and pressure
Americans don’t historically have standalone bidets, so they’re almost certainly referring to the type that attaches to your toilet seat. It doesn’t take up any extra space.
The biggest hazard with those is simply kids/pets. Because if you have a toddler, they will inevitably think it‘s the funniest thing in the world to turn the bidet on and watch it spray across the room. If you’re lucky, they might even turn it off after laughing at it. And the dial is easy enough for a cat to accidentally turn when jumping up/down.
There’s one in my kids’ bathroom. Can’t wait to reno the room and get rid of rid. Especially as the tub got a shit half broken tap but for some reason the bidet has a fancy working one. According to my daughter it’s there to flood the parquet and transform the room in a giant pool for her mermaid Barbie.
I’d love to have one if I had the space. My toilet is roughly one square meter. For illustration purposes, that size, only less grungy. These are leftovers from how they used to plan apartment buildings in the late 19th century in Vienna.
There are bidet attachments to add to a regular toilet
Hey it’s me, ur attachment.
mine is smaller than a loaf of bread.
I got an e-bike! Well, an e-trike. I work like, maybe three miles from home, so it never made sense to drive.
A three meter long USB-C cable. It’s been a game changer.
A USB extension cable can be quite handy if you regularly need to plug and unplug USB devices (e.g. security keys) from your desktop PC, especially devices that aren’t properly supported on front USB ports (e.g. security keys on a keychain with keys). Just put the end on your desk near your keyboard.
I just read the last word as “charger”. Time for bed
What for? To stay plugged to your phone while it’s charging? Terrible idea
Not all wall sockets are right above the table, for example.
You may get a phone call with 2% of battery, for example.
Yes, you may want to use your phone while charging, it doesn’t transfom into a brick.
Oh I’ve got a really good one. If you’ve got a Dyson vacuum, eventually the battery will die. Don’t replace it with another Dyson battery! Instead get one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W2K4SVT
And get a couple Dewalt 20V batteries (20V is important, don’t use 18V batteries).
Boom, you’ve got an interchangeable battery system for your Dyson!
Brilliant
I just got one of these recently too. What a dream!!! No more half the house on a single charge nonsense. No more proprietary garbage. Just makes sense
Wow this is amazing.
As crazy as it sounds I wish there was also a kit to add a cord to the thing. Love the vacuum hate the ewaste.
I mean if you like to tinker with electronics it should be fairly doable with an external power supply
I believe 18V and 20V lithium batteries are two ways of talking about the same thing (5 lithium cells in series, making up the battery). One refers to the nominal voltage of the pack, and the other refers to the maximum voltage of the pack. I think certain manufacturers (DeWalt, and possibly others) started using the max voltage as a marketing tactic.
Some of the reviews say that the 18V batteries can’t sustain the max suction mode, so I would be wary to use them. The Dyson’s battery is 21.6 volts.
Thanks that’s good to know. I’ve got a Dyson V8 and I also have a fair sized collection of Bosch blue 18V stuff. But my point was really that DeWalt 20V and Bosch 18V (for example) is the same number of cells and same pack voltage at different points in the charge cycle. It’s just that one is marketed differently.
Fucking amazing
An airfryer. I won’t say it’s changed my life, but it’s changed the way I cook. On nights I’m too tired to do a real meal, I can throw in some chicken wings and potato gems and put some mixed veggies in the microwave steamer. 20 minutes later it beeps and there’s food ready.
Open ear bone conduction headphones. Light, affordable, waterproof and safe to bike with. Also good in the office as you can still hear what’s going on whilst listening. Only drawback is they’re pretty quiet and easily defeated by heavy traffic/loud kids etc.
Also not recent but as someone who suffers from tinnitus, a Bluetooth audio sleep mask has improved my quality of life more than any other minor purchase I’ve ever made.
I love my bone conduction headphones. I love listening to podcasts and books whilst communicating. Agree with them getting drowned out by traffic sometimes though I guess that’s sort of the idea.
If you are in a noisy environment, you can use earplugs with your bone conduction headphones. That’s what I do on the treadmill and while mowing the grass.
I just tried this and it works really well!
Mine actually came with earplugs and have an onboard EQ setting for this specific use case. Check your manual and see if there’s something similar.
It does have this! Amazing, thanks!
which sleep mask did you get?
I had to go to Amazon for it, it’s the only thing I will buy from there because I haven’t seen them elsewhere. The brand is Musicozy, cheap and made in China. I’ve had three and they’ve all broken because I’m only spending about 20 quid at a time. But it’s worth it for the sleep!
ok thanks im hoping to find one that isnt so likely to break
If you find a good one, and you remember, please let me know. I’d love to find one that lasted more than a few years.
costco has a fancy one and they have an amazing return policy: https://www.costco.com/smartgoggles-by-therabody.product.4000206073.html
or you can get cheap chinese stuff for $6 at temu.com https://www.google.com/search?q=temu.com+wireless+sleep+mask
or i found this
That’s a lot of money for something that looks un-cleanable and sitting on your face for 8 hours - it will contribute to acne if you ain’t clean it.
Thank you!
E: they’re not available in the UK! Dammit, the search continues…
I absolutly love open ear bone conduction headphones. Really help getting to your surrounding without any audio leak from your headphones. Too bad that i never found one who didn’t broke. Shockz ones broke the neck security thing and the left ear headphone. JBL ones can’t be recharged anymore onto the right one, as it seems that the earphone doesn’t connect fine with the pins in the charging case anymore. And i even tried a cabled one, hoping this one would break as easily. The cable broke connection and it only work if you hold the cable at a specific angle (unusuable in most usages)
Worried now as I only got mine last week from a no-brand seller
I mean, it could also just be me too. I forgot the ticket for the shokz. Bought it “reconditioned” by Amazon for the JBL (and not possible to be repaired by JBL in that case). I would suggest you one tip from those with a back ring security thing, don’t lay on the back with it. Even if you rotate it to the entire back of your neck. I didn’t broke it there for those that obviously, but i feel it may have loosened it.
Thanks for the tip. I was sitting on a train today and I hit the back security ring against the headrest and the whole headset nearly came off. I was wondering how sturdy it might be. Now I know, thanks!
The new ones are made out of titanium. They are difficult to break. The old ones… yeah…thats why they switched.
I own 3 different pairs. Between a hobby for running/biking and having a toddler - these are the only headphones I can use anymore.
I picked up some open ear headphones recently (Soundcore Aerofit) and I love them. I hate how buds feel in my ears, and the open ear headphones are super comfortable.
in the office … you can still hear what’s going on whilst listening
That sounds like an anti-feature. In the office I use my headphones because I don’t want to hear the noise around me.
A spray bottle for oil to easily coat a pan or food in oil without using huge amounts of it.
Okay this sounds like a great idea.
be sure to get one of those metal/opaque ones specifically made for oil, as it degrades when exposed to sunlight (btw, that’s why oil bottles are coloured and not transparent)
It won’t make you sick of you dont, but exposure to light will get rid of its health benefits
I did not know that, thanks!
Too bad they clog easily.
Use a plastic squeeze container like a ketchup bottle. Lots of pizza places and others use them when you buy bulk ranch or other sauces. Ours are from Jets pizza and they rock
Not a bad idea honestly.
We just have a regular ceramic oil contained with pour spout. Just takes a bit getting used to how much to pour.
This one has worked great… https://www.amazon.ca/FLAIROSOL-Dressings-Continuous-Professional-Technology/dp/B0BLHJSPHW
Maybe if you are using the aerosol cans with lecithin in them. I’ve never had just plain oil clog up a pump sprayer
Every olive oil pump sprayer I’ve used has …
I use a little dish and a silicone brush. I think whether or not it will clog will depend on the oil a lot.
Under cabinet manual jar opener. It’s flat and mounts under your cabinet of choice. Easy to use, but also easy to forget it’s there! I sometime find myself jar in hand and half-way to wherever my husband is before I remember that I no longer need his skills.
Electric candle lighter. Rechargeable lighter with long neck. Eliminates the need for matches or standard lighters. The noise it makes does scare one of the cats, though. I haven’t tried it on campfires yet, but I think that was something the ad said it could do.
Whoa, hey, don’t tell people about that first one! Us husbands won’t be needed anymore!
If by “electric candle lighter” you mean one of those “plasma” or arcing ones, they’re awesome, but cannot light anything that won’t fit between the two ends of the arc. I love mine for candles, but have yet to successfully start my charcoal grill with them. I imagine a campfire would suffer similar issues.
Hopefully you have better luck!
You can bend the prongs apart quite a bit but it is still limited.
I keep a pill bottle of dryer lint in my backpack as a firestarter. Readily available floofy tinder for big fires when needed. The little arc lighters have no trouble it it, either.
Those electric lighters are like a torture device to my ears. If you haven’t lost your high pitch hearing, don’t get one
It is the equivalent of nails scratching on blackboard for me. My mom uses one and I have to get away whenever she is about to use it because it makes my ears and teeth hurt like a mofo.
Yeah, I feel it in the base of my skull and my spine more than my ears
If you kill your own spiders, he ought to be sweating.
Not really bought but I was gifted a used 3D printer (Ender 3 pro) from a print farm. Great starter printer and it’s solid and totally upgradable. It’s like a manual Jeep Wrangler from the in line six days and before. I can print anything to improve my life.
First great functional print was a wall socket cover plate with a HomePod mini shelf above it to get it off our kitchen counter. Projects sound much better since it’s no longer surrounded by stuff.
My wife then wanted a handle for a 20oz Yeti tumbler. Printed that and she loves it.
Little things, printed a tool holder for my 3D printer tools that fits on it and keeps them neat and out of the way.
Recently printed a computer monitor stand VESA mount to lift it up (I only have a short monitor stand). Spent $2.63 on the filament to print that. It’s freaking awesome.
Easily the best gift I’ve received in decades.
I’m still rocking a super old monoprice mini select. It’s been so heavily modifier and repaired at this point I probably should have gotten a better one. Small print area, no magnetic build plate, no auto leveling. It feels like a geo metro with manual everything.
Was so sick of electric toothbrush heads and how to store them without a manky mess; even the manufacturer’s holder was a mould trap.
Simplest but most effective fuckin thing I’ve ever seen -
I just have the toothbrush head installed while charging. what’s the big deal?
Probably multiple people having different heads
Yep
That’s pretty clever. I bought 3 for my family living in the same house…
For oral b ones you are meant to remove the head while not using it so water doesn’t get trapped which could cause mold
I just dry mine’s head after brushing
Same
Nice - what are those called? I need one!
I just searched for silicone toothbrush holder
I think they’re the same thing as cable holders/organizers
A small pocket knife. I was surprised at how often I’ve found a need for it, and it makes me feel a bit safer when running or out doing errands late by myself.
I got a Leatherman Skeletool like 11 years ago and use it almost every day. It’s probably the best bang for my buck from any purchase I’ve ever made.
About a year ago I finally gave in and bought a Leatherman Wave+. Man, that was a good purchase.
That is a heavy duty tool, not a pocket knife. I do not think 240 grams makes any sense to wield as one.
I agree, a good pocket knife is a great purchase!
One thing for readers to keep in mind is that unless you know how to fight with a knife (and know that the assailant doesn’t have a firearm), then it’s a very bad idea to brandish a knife even as a threat. If the assailant is able to disarm you, then you’ll be in a much worse situation than if you didn’t have the knife at all.
I have a victorinox card thingie and have used it many more times than I care to admit. Got it as a stocking stuffer a couple of years ago.
Lol I have a pocket knife for every corner of my house. Sometimes people ask why but honestly it’s so useful.
While I couldn’t live without my knife either, I’d never use it in self defense. Instead I recommend personally and use personally both a good firearm (if possible depending on laws and self reflection, is big responsibility) and a good OC spray. I use POM oc spray myself, it’s good shit. “Both” because they’re for different levels of threat.
Sorry this isn’t real life, but in Space Engineers I made a rover with wheels so big I can’t even get in it. So I made a platform that lowers down on a piston, to scoop the passenger up.
(Also I had no source of water and hence couldn’t power my jetpack to just fly up onto the rover)
It feels so cool every time I use it.
Space engineers is so underated. Too bad I’m too stupid to play it. But I watch playthrough on YT every day, drooling over crazy builds and admire people’s creativity.
I was able to afford meat twice this week!
We have a new recycling system brought in by the council so we have 2 massive sacks to store somewhere. I bought some large hooks from Screwfix and mounted them to the garage wall so they’re off the ground and out of the way. Fun fact: we now have 6 different bins!
Six? That sounds excessive, even compared to some of Germany‘s complicated recycling systems.
Metal, glass, paper, plastic, compost and other?
German recycling isn’t complex, it could be way more complex, for example with including different plastic types.
Yeah saw that in South Korea. Separate bins for clear foil, coloured foil, clear hard plastic, coloured hard plastic, tins, and so on. Really made me appreciate the yellow bag in Germany.
Paper & cardboard, plastic & metal, glass, food, garden, everything else black bag
I think my parents in Chelmsford had 7 at one point. Cardboard was separated from paper.
what’s the difference between food and garden?
Things in the garden bin haven’t been on a plate
In Japan, I have 7 bins plus cardboard. Burnables, nonburnables, plastic, paper, cans, pet bottles, glass bottles.
France slashed this to two, on account of people doing it wrong or not doing it at all: glass / everything else.
At least my area, it’s privatized and competitive bidding. I just don’t believe in it in this context.
A fluffy blanket
An electric blanket. Fuck utilities costs, eats next to nothing and so, so comfy.
Electric blankets are peak-cozy. Like a warm shower but dry.
I have one too but you have to put it on your matras because it’s quite rigid. Do you have one in an actual blanket form?
Yeah I have this one
aw heyo yee fluffy blanket
