10 popular life hacks that don't really work

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

But this did not stop them from spreading on YouTube and social networks.

1. Food must be sent to the frying pan through the hole in the kitchen board

Do you think that this gap in the cutting board is needed to hang it on the wall? Nothing like this! Through it you need to send food to the frying pan. It's much more convenient this way, and you definitely won't miss.

What really is. This does not make any sense: you have to work hard to get the food into the hole, and not past it. If you don't believe it, try it. Pour greens and vegetables from the edge, and you're done.

2. The easiest way to remove strawberry stems is with a straw

If you want to remove sepals from strawberries, pierce the berries through with a thin cocktail straw. It's quick and easy.

What really is. In general, the method is relatively working, since strawberry tails are really regularly removed with a straw. Another question is how rational it is - after all, you at the same time deprive the berry of a significant part of its pulp, which remains sticking out in the tube. It is not clear what prevents you from simply picking up and tearing off the stalk with your hands, in the old fashioned way.

3. You can choose the right size of jeans by wrapping them around your neck

When you need to try on new pants, and there is no time to change clothes - take them and wrap the belt around your neck, under the chin. Something like this. If the edges come together, the jeans will be just right for you.

What really is. This may work, but only for people with an ideal mass index. Keep in mind that a person may well have a little belly fat and still have a slender neck. Therefore, it is very risky to pick up pants in this way.

4. Batteries should be stored in the refrigerator to extend their lifespan

At low temperatures, batteries are more efficient at conserving power because they slow down redox reactions. Just science, friends.

What really is. This is a fairly common misconception. For example, according to Panasonic guidelines, batteries should be stored at room temperature in a dry place. Heat or cold will spoil them and shorten their lifespan. Condensation that will inevitably appear in the refrigerator will also cause corrosion.

This myth may have arisen from the properties of old nickel-metal hydride batteries, which really made sense to cool. But for modern lithium-ion and alkaline batteries, the cold is bad.

5. To quickly cut cherry tomatoes, press them between two plates

Cooking salad and chopping small cherries one at a time too long? Place a few tomatoes on a plate, top with another plate, and cut them in half with a knife, all at once!

What really is. "Lifehack" looks feasible only in theory. Once the representatives of the Mental Floss edition checked this trick - and it turned out that it would not be possible to cut the tomatoes exactly that way. And to transfer half of them is quite simple as shelling pears.

6. You need to put a spoon on the pan to prevent boiling water from escaping

If you have to leave a boiling pot of soup, milk or water unattended, place a spoon on top of it (only a wooden one, this is important!). And the liquid won't run away.

What really is. It just doesn't work. A spoon is not able to stop the boiled liquid in any way. What was the one who invented this counting on?

7. You can amplify the sound of your smartphone using a toilet paper roll

Quite popular on the Internet "life hack", which for a long time regularly pops up in various collections on YouTube. Let's say you want to watch a movie on your smartphone, but the acoustics lack volume. What if you don't feel like buying an external speaker? Cut a slit in the cardboard toilet paper sleeve and stick the device in there!

What really is. Cardboard muffles the sound well, as one foreign experimenter once found out, so the sleeve will only get in the way.

An ordinary bowl will give a slightly better result. Put your smartphone in it and the sound will become louder. However, insignificantly. Although, in general, putting not the cleanest gadget in the dishes for food is a bad idea.

8. To burn more fat during your workout, you should wrap yourself in plastic

In the movie "My Boyfriend is Crazy", the protagonist, going out for a run, put on a trash bag with slots for his hands. He did this to burn calories faster. Indeed, in a bag, people are not very efficient at transferring heat to the environment and therefore sweat more. This means that they lose weight faster!

What really is. Running in a bag (or a down jacket if you want hardcore) will really sweat more intensely. But this does not mean that you will burn more fat. The wrapped runner loses weight faster with the water leaving the body. But when he drinks after training, the numbers will return to their previous values.

So putting on a bag or a sauna suit before a run is pointless. And even harmful, because it is more likely to lead to dehydration.

9. During cooking, place a spoon in the hole on the handle of the pot

Place a spoon in this hole in the handle of a frying pan or saucepan - liquid from it will drain back into the dish. This will keep your kitchen clean.

What really is. This hole is needed to hang the dishes on the nail. And the spatula or scoop with which you mixed the contents of the saucepan, it is better to just put it on a plate or a special "dirty spoon". Because if you unsuccessfully fix the culinary inventory in the way indicated in the "life hack", then it will fall and spray will fly in all directions.

10. You can remove scratches on the smartphone screen with an eraser or toothpaste

Dropped your smartphone? No problem. There are a couple of ways to remove cracks from the screen. The first is to rub the scratches on the glass with toothpaste. The second is to go over them with an eraser. These gizmos will remove all subtle damage from your smartphone. You can also try vegetable oil, egg white, or car body scratch removers.

What really is. The above methods do not work. At best, they will not do anything about the scratch, and at worst, they will make it even more conspicuous. The only way to fix the situation is to replace the glass.

Perhaps the toothpaste trick would have made the crack less noticeable on older smartphones. But in modern devices, the glasses have become thinner and more susceptible to damage.