Fabric towels have become popular for good reason. Not having to replace them every time that you use them is a great benefit for multiple reasons. However, it’s easy to leave a towel hanging and forget to replace it.

After a while, it just isn’t as hygienic as when you first pulled it out of the linen closet. Especially if you dry off after a shower with them, that moisture can attract bacteria. Hang them to dry and wash them every few uses.

When you get out of the shower, the first thing that you probably do is dry yourself off before you get dressed. If you’re in a hurry, you might just dry off “enough.”

Despite how convenient this might seem, you’ll want to take the time to dry yourself thoroughly before getting dressed. It follows a pretty good rule of thumb: if you trap moisture, there’s a higher chance that you’ll invite bacteria, fungi, and more.

When you hop in the shower, you might have more than just your towel habit working against you. The way you shampoo can make a difference, too. In fact, it’s about how often you shampoo.

Yet, you don’t want to over-wash your hair either. It’s a great idea to do some research on the needs of your hair type to find the balance that works for you.

This seems like it should go without saying but it’s actually a more common hygiene mistake than you might think. After all, none of us are infallible.

Still, if you aren’t making sure you wash your whole person in the shower, you aren’t getting as clean as you possibly can. That means you should make sure to take your soapy washcloth to your hands, feet, and every other part of your body when you shower.

Once you’ve jumped out of the shower and toweled off your hair, you might reach for your hairbrush and start running it through to get rid of any tangles.

Don’t forget — your hairbrush needs a little TLC too. Of course, you need to start by pulling all that old hair out that gets caught in the bristles. To sanitize it a bit, you can stir a bowl of hot water and shampoo with your hairbrush for a deeper clean.

If you’re like most people, you probably brush your teeth twice a day. Usually, the ideal habit is to do this once in the morning and once at night.

However, also like many people, you might be cutting your brushing short. That means that you won’t get your teeth as clean as you could be. If you make sure to brush for two full minutes, you can dodge plaque, gingivitis, and other oral problems between dental visits.

When it comes to brushing your teeth, you might think the only thing to worry about is brushing too little. However, there’s another consideration to keep here.

When you brush your teeth, time and care win out over brute force. Believe it or not, a lot of people brush their teeth too hard! It might seem impossible but when you brush too hard, you can damage the enamel on your teeth and put your gums at risk.

This is one that many people forget and it can really create a haven for bacteria in your mouth. Not skipping this step is great for your oral health and your breath.

When you’re brushing your teeth, it’s important to make sure that you’re brushing your tongue as well. You can even get tongue scrapers for this and many toothbrushes have one on the back for your convenience. A thorough cleaning includes your tongue, too!

No matter where or how you store your toothbrushes, they aren’t going to last forever. You’re going to need to get a new one in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, it’s easy to keep your toothbrush around too long.

So, when should you really be replacing it at least every three to four months? On the other hand, if you notice that the bristles are starting to fan out or break down before then, it’s time for an early replacement.

There are some things that you’re used to hearing at the dentist. “Do you floss?” is one of the questions that patients probably tell a white lie about most.

Believe it or not, there’s an important reason that they ask that. Flossing helps clean your teeth more thoroughly and skipping it can leave stuff behind. As such, your teeth don’t get as clean if you use mouthwash and toothpaste but skip out on the floss.

Where you keep your toothbrush makes a difference, too. As you might have heard, you probably don’t want to keep your toothbrush close to the toilet.

This is because when you flush the toilet, you really don’t want to get those particles on your toothbrush as they go airborne. However, a cap on your toothbrush does create a dark, damp environment where bacteria can thrive. Closing your toilet when you flush can help a lot here.

Mouthwash is great at killing bacteria. However, it kills all bacteria, so you don’t want to overuse mouthwash and kill all the good bacteria you need in your mouth too.

Does this mean you should throw out the bottle of mouthwash sitting by your sink? No! All you need to do is to use it twice a day in most cases. If you’re directed differently by your dentist or you’re caring for a wound like an oral piercing, you may need to use it more than twice a day for a short period of time.

When you have tough, stuck-on stains on your dishes, you’re first line of defense is usually to let your dishes sit in soapy water for a while.

The problem with this is that, once again, a damp environment can really call bacteria right to it. So, if you do leave your dishes to soak, you want to make sure that you don’t only give them a sanitizing clean but your sink as well.

It’s important to keep your bedding clean but, if you’re like many people, it might slip your mind from time to time. Most people just aren’t washing their sheets enough.

For the cleanest room, you’ll want to make sure that you clean your sheets regularly. While some people wait up to a month to wash their sheets, it’s really best to throw them in the washer and run a cycle as a weekly chore.

Most people find themselves at their computers at some point during the day. That means your hands are on your keyboard quite a bit.

This means that it’s important to keep your keyboard clean if you want to stay as hygienic as possible. Many people wait until their keyboard is visibly dirty to clean it but it can still have bacteria and germs on it. Using a little disinfectant regularly will help keep your keys as clean as possible.

While you’re at it, there’s another part of your computer or laptop that you’ll want to keep clean. There are other parts that you’ll want to pay mind to.

Another part of your computer you touch just as often as the keyboard, if not more, is the mouse or trackpad you use to control your cursor. If you want to make sure your computer is as clean as possible, don’t miss this step when you’re disinfecting everything.

Speaking of things that you touch often but might not be clean enough, think about when you plop down on the couch in front of the TV at the end of the day. Like many, you might start your relaxation by grabbing the remote control.

That also means that your remote control can build up bacteria quickly. When you’re going through your monthly chores, take a disinfectant wipe to the remote. It’s best to hit it again if someone in your house has been dealing with contagious illnesses.

If you’re like most people, when you start to notice that your ears are getting a little waxy, you might reach for the cotton swabs in your bathroom cabinet.

If you read the package, though, these are not designed to go into your ear. Using them can not only hurt your ears but pack wax in rather than clean it out. It’s better to keep these tools for keeping the outer part of your ear clean, not the canal.

We all know the pain of trying to shave part of your body with a dull razor, whether you’re tackling leg hair or trimming your beard, they tend to pull and tug rather than cleanly cut. You might want to replace your razor before the blade dulls, though.

After all, every time you use your razor, it collects hair and skin cells you can’t completely wash out. Whether you use a single-blade razor or a disposable one, you’ll want to replace it when it starts to get grungy — not just when it stops working as well.

If you want your skin hydrated and soft, you’re going to have to make sure you keep a bottle of lotion around. However, you have to make sure you use it enough.

If you use too much moisturizer on the other hand, you might find that your skin isn’t in peak condition either. You’ll want to give your skin some time to breathe without lotion on it. The best thing to do is put on lotion in the morning and at night.

Laundry is a task that you have to do regularly and it can seem like one of those never-ending tasks. Odds are that by the end of the week, you will have another full hamper to clean.

This also means that there are plenty of bacteria and germs that transfer from your clothes to the basket as they sit in there. When you do a laundry day, you should make sure that you grab some disinfectant and wipe down the baskets or hampers you use.

When you do your laundry, your laundry machine does a lot of work to get your clothes clean. If you introduce something messy to the washer, that mess has to go somewhere right?

This is why you won’t want to skip out on cleaning your laundry machine too. The good news is that it isn’t as daunting of a task as it sounds. They make washing machine cleaner now that you can throw in like detergent and use a cycle to get your machine clean.

If there’s one place that you really touch all the time, it’s your phone. It probably comes with you everywhere too, meaning it can collect bacteria throughout the day too.

Since you also bring this phone to your face and touch it and then touch other things, you’ll want to make sure your phone is clean. Taking a few moments at the end of the day to use a disinfectant wipe that’s safe for your phone screen can go a long way toward hygiene.

This is one piece of advice we tend to hear around flu season or if you’re somewhere where there’s a bit of a cold or other sickness going around.

When you want to avoid how many germs you introduce yourself to, try to break the habit of touching your face too much. From scratching an itch to stroking a beard or even just resting your face on your hands, touching your face so much can lead to the introduction of a lot of germs.

If you want to stay hydrated and make a bit of an eco-friendly decision, you might take a reusable water bottle with you when you head out.

Of course, the only way that these are reusable is because you can wash them and use them again. However, just because it only has water in it doesn’t mean you should clean the bottle less. If you use your reusable water bottle daily, you need to wash it daily too.

If you work at an office outside of your home, the company you work for might have a janitorial or custodial staff that’s in charge of keeping things tidy.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t little things you can do around your office that might get otherwise missed. For instance, cleaning out your keyboard as we talked about earlier. Taking a few moments to disinfect your desk or mouse can also go a long way toward staying hygienic.

When you do your makeup, you probably rely on a set of makeup brushes to get the final touches right. However, these brushes work by collecting makeup.

As you use them every time you do your makeup, the makeup, oils from your skin, and bacteria that these brushes pick up aren’t great as far as hygiene goes. Once a week, use some warm water and shampoo or brush cleaner to give them a refresh.

Sponges are a great tool to help get your dishes and more clean. However, the fact that they absorb anything they come into contact with can be a problem.

Using soap and hot water between uses can help sanitize your sponge a bit — some people rely on methods like using the microwave to kill bacteria. This only works for so long, though. While this will make your sponge stay hygienic for longer, you’ll still need to replace your sponges regularly.

Everyone has a length at that they like to keep their nails. If you notice them getting a little bit longer, you can just reach for your nail clippers and set things right.

If your nail clippers rust, you clearly have to switch them out. To avoid this, though, you can clean them after every use with a disinfectant and make sure they’re dry before you put them away.

Bras are one of those types of clothing that usually see more than one year before they land inside (the delicate cycle) of your washer. That’s okay, too.

This doesn’t mean that you have to wash them every time you take them off but you won’t want to wait a month either. This type of clothing can collect in them and cause quite a mess. Throw them in the wash after two or three wears for the best result.

You’ve probably heard the term, the “five-second rule” before. If you haven’t, it’s the idea that you have five seconds to pick up food off the ground while it’s still safe.

The truth is that this isn’t actually based on science. There’s no magical barrier or forcefield that keeps bacteria and germs away from your food for those first five seconds. They’ll jump on the food right away as soon as it hits the ground.

If you have lash extensions as part of your makeup routine, odds are that you might use them more than once. That’s not the problem here.

What you need to make sure you’re doing is treating those lashes hygienically between uses. If you don’t take the time to use a lash cleaner on them and remove the glue, you could easily introduce bacteria to your eyes, leading to a reaction you just won’t want to fight with.

When you’re cooking in the kitchen, do you reach for one cutting board for the whole process? It’s a great way to skip out on a few dishes!

On the other hand, if you’re handling raw meat, hygienic safety wins out over ease when you’re doing the dishes later. The rule of thumb when you’re handling raw meat is to avoid cross-contamination by any means possible. That means the raw meat gets its own cutting board to be extra cautious and sanitary.

This one isn’t completely a problem. After all, exfoliating can really help clean your skin, open your pores, and get rid of dead skin cells.

On the contrary, exfoliating too much will overdo it and hurt your skin. It can even strip the oils you need alongside everything you’re trying to get rid of. Try to keep it under three times a week and only limit it to once a week for sensitive skin.

When you cough, you expel a lot of germs. That’s why it’s so important to cover your cough or your sneeze to avoid spreading those germs too much.

The best choice is to use the inside of your arm or a tissue rather than in your hands. At that point, you’ve only transferred those germs to everything you touch after that. If you do it without thinking, it’s a good idea to go wash your hands.

You want to eat your food off of clean plates and with clean silverware. If you want to save it, you probably make sure you grab a clean piece of Tupperware.

So, when you’re putting your food away at the end of the night, that means you want to put it in a clean fridge too. When most people think of cleaning their fridge, they think about clearing out old food but don’t forget to wipe down surfaces like shelves with disinfectant as well.

If you like to cook a lot of meat, odds are you also create a lot of grease. However, you can’t just pour a pan full of grease down the drain without risking a lot of trouble.

This leads many people who have cooking grease to precariously keep it in a cup until it solidifies again or dump it outside. You don’t have to do this, though! If you want something a little easier, use some powder made to solidify oil.

Doormats are more than just a quirky way to welcome in your guests they do a lot more than just make your entryway look a bit homier. There’s more to these doormats than that, though!

You’ve probably noticed that they tend to have a thicker, coarser texture than a throw rug or the rug you unrolled in your living room. This is because they’re designed to capture any dampness or muck on your shoes.

When you finish washing your clothes, you probably shift them into the dryer to take care of the rest of the work that you have ahead of you. If you want to keep your towels absorbent, you won’t want to throw a dryer sheet in with that load.

The waxy material you feel on a dryer sheet transfers to your clothes which usually helps just not for towels. For that matter, fabric softener will make your towels less absorbent as well.

There are plenty of people out there that don’t opt to deal with a washcloth in the shower. Instead, they might reach for a loofah that you keep in the shower.

Loofahs are great but you can’t wash them the same way you wash washcloths and their design traps a lot of water. This means you’ll want to make sure that you switch your loofah out every so often to make up for this.

If you have pets, odds are you have a nasty mess to clean up from time to time whether it’s an accident in training or your pup just wasn’t feeling great one night.

If you clean the mess up on the surface, you might not get it all. Even worse, this can make your pets more prone to accidents in that area in many cases. The best thing to do is to pick up a pet cleaner made to tackle this problem.

There are some things that you do in your home that aren’t necessarily unsanitary or not hygienic. On the other hand, these practices just aren’t best for the surface you’re cleaning.

When you’re mopping, you’ll want to greatly cut back on the amount of moisture in your mop. If possible, skip the mop entirely and rely on a vacuum or cleaner made for wood floors. After all, excessive moisture will cause damage to your wooden floor.

When you spill something on your carpet, you might have a moment of panic. After all, no one wants to look at a stain on their carpet until they can afford to replace it.

In your panic, it’s often your first instinct to start trying to scrub the stain away. However, this is the last thing you should do! Rubbing a stain is more likely to drive it into the carpet further. It’ll work much better if you blot at the stain.

When you do your laundry and dry it in the dryer, there’s some evidence that your clothes were once there. You just have to look in your lint trap.

As time goes on, this lint can really build up if you forget to remove it. For one, this might make your dryer start to dry your clothes less effectively. More concerningly, though, this lint buildup can create quite a fire hazard over time.

When you finish cooking, you have to make sure that your pans get clean before you can use them again. It can be tempting to dunk them right into the sink. This can actually damage your pans.

By not letting them cool down before you use them, you can actually damage them while you’re cleaning. The sudden change in temperature is likely to warp the metal in your pans, so let your pans cool down a bit before running water over them.

When you’re cleaning your house, it’s easy to miss some of the spots where dust and mess can build up. It’s not out of laziness — you just honestly might not notice!

When you clean anything in your home, you’ll want to make sure that you clean out all the crevices and corners too. Since these spots are smaller and less noticeable, they often build up grime over time. Keeping a small cleaning tool around like a toothbrush is really handy here!

Life hacks are all the rage because who wouldn’t want to make everyday tasks just a bit simpler? That being said, life as a woman can be a bit different — for better and worse. Women have more concerns in regards to their safety, they tend to dabble more with makeup, and their bodies require a lot of care. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 40+ life hacks, specifically for women!

Many people think that they can’t give themselves a professional-looking manicure because they’re maybe not the best with a brush. However, you don’t need to have a manicurist’s finesse in order to get flawless French tips.

Simply slide a rubber band over your nail and get to applying your polish! Just make sure you wait for the nail polish to dry before removing the band so that you don’t mess up your perfect manicure.

It can be frustrating when you feel like you’ve got the perfect outfit picked out but then realize that you’ve got deodorant marks all over it. As it turns out, those are relatively easy to remove, so you can still sport your look of choice!

Rub a dryer sheet on the deodorant mark until it disappears. If you don’t have any dryer sheets nearby, you can rub the item’s fabric on itself. However, this should be a last resort, as it can stretch or wrinkle the material.

If a piece of jewelry falls into the sink, don’t try to catch it. Instead, cover the drain with your hand. The truth is that unless you’ve got the reflexes of Serena Williams, you probably won’t catch the falling jewelry.

Those of us who aren’t the quickest will have a much better chance of covering the drain before our jewelry gets into the pipes. We also recommend covering your drain with netting, so that water can still get through but your precious items cannot.

Certain products simply work better and are cheaper if you buy the men’s versions. For example, men’s razors are cheaper than women’s — the only difference is they aren’t pink. Deodorant is also better when purchased from the men’s section.

Women’s deodorant comes in scents like ‘Lily’ and ‘Morning Dew,’ which is nice and all. Still, it doesn’t exactly get the job done the way that men’s antiperspirant does.

Baby oil is a cheaper and more moisturizing alternative to shaving cream. It can also be used to clean your razor’s blades, as it’s quite gentle and will help your razor last longer. Simply soak your razor in baby oil between uses.

If you’re not a fan of baby oil, you can also use conditioner as a shaving cream substitute. It’ll give you that same glide and still leave your skin feeling soft.

While wearing a long poofy dress may make you look like a princess, it’ll make you feel more like a court jester when it’s time to use the restroom. In order to avoid things going where they shouldn’t, sit on the toilet backward — facing the cistern.

This way, you can see exactly what’s going on with the back of your dress, rather than trying to feel around behind yourself, hoping for the best.

We get wanting to have a cold drink on a hot day but ice cubes tend to water down even the best beverages. In order to keep your drinks cool but without losing the flavor, simply pour the drink itself into an ice tray and freeze it!

For example, you can make iced coffee with frozen coffee cubes. When it comes to adult beverages, you can put frozen grapes into your drink. Bonus points if you eat the grapes afterward!

Scrunchies are making a serious comeback right now and for good reason! They don’t tug at the hair as elastic ponytail holders do, so scrunchie-wearers don’t run the risk of getting their hair pulled out.

Furthermore, since a ponytail done with a scrunchie doesn’t have such a tight hold, it’ll minimize ponytail bumps and create a sleeker hairstyle. Velvet, specifically, is great for all hair types since it’s so soft — making velvet scrunchies the best possible option.

Just because your favorite candle has burned down to the wick doesn’t mean that you have to go without using it. No, we’re not suggesting that you hurt your fingers either — there’s a far more simple solution to get any candle lit.

Use a piece of uncooked spaghetti as a very long match to reach those trickier candles. Another option is to light a piece of paper and use that. Although, we suggest using caution with that method as the fire will spread through the paper quickly.

Using the bathroom straightaway after certain activities is crucial for a woman’s health. One of these instances is after intimacy, in order to flush out any bacteria and avoid infection. Another scenario in which one should use the restroom is after a bath.

This is particularly true if you like to use bubbles or oils in the tub. The general rule of thumb is to use the bathroom within 30 minutes after completing these activities — but the sooner, the better.

No matter how poised and graceful you are, there’s no avoiding that dreaded run in one’s tights. While we can’t prevent ripped tights altogether, we can certainly minimize the probability of it happening.

Simply spray some hairspray on your tights, after you’ve put them on. This will reinforce the fibers and make them just a bit less likely to tear. If your tights have already torn and you don’t want the hole to get bigger, simply apply clear nail polish to the other side of the rip.

We all face a major problem when dealing with foods such as garlic or onions. On the one hand, we want those foods in our meals. On the other hand, we’re well aware that it’ll mean spending the rest of the day reeking.

Luckily, there’s a very simple solution — when you’ve finished chopping onions and garlic, rub your hands on some stainless steel. This could be your sink, your faucet, whatever works! The odor will cling to the stainless steel, removing the smell from your hands.

Even if you don’t own a cat, we highly recommend that you buy a bag of kitty litter and keep it in your car. If your tires get stuck in the snow, kitty litter will provide the traction needed to get them unstuck.

Furthermore, kitty litter can also be used to un-fog car windows. Simply fill a sock with it, put said sock on the dashboard, and allow it to absorb all the moisture. Given that you’ll now buy kitty litter anyway, maybe get a cat too?

If your mascara is getting clumpy or dried up, simply dip the tube in a cup of hot water and let it soak for a few minutes. If you want to clean the brush altogether, leave it in hot water for around 15 minutes.

While we’re at it, ignore the overused beauty advice of pumping your mascara in the tube before application. That actually creates clumps rather than gets rid of them! Instead, twirl your mascara in the tube before applying it to your lashes.

If you feel like none of your hair products are working on reducing your frizz or flyaways, maybe it’s time to turn to your laundry products instead. Dryer sheets work absolute miracles on frizzy hair!

Place a dryer sheet onto your hairbrush and comb it through in order to smooth any static or flyaways. Dryer sheets are positively charged, while hair is negatively charged, so the result is a smoothed-down and tame mane.

Even if your clothes are wrinkled and you don’t have an iron, that doesn’t mean that you have to give up on wearing a certain outfit. Instead, put the clothes into the dryer along with two to four ice cubes and turn the machine on for about 10 minutes.

The ice cubes will melt in the dryer, creating an effect similar to that of a steamer. Bonus points for the fact that, with this method, you won’t have to worry about iron marks!

Trying to put on a bracelet alone can feel like a dog chasing its tail, as the chain just goes around and around your wrist, seemingly impossible to catch. For those who don’t have someone at home to help them put their bracelet on, or if you simply want to demonstrate your independence, use tape to hold your jewelry in place while you work the clasp.

This way, you’ll always leave the house fully accessorized but without the frustration of fighting with your bracelet all morning.

We highly suggest coating costume jewelry with clear nail polish. The nail polish will act as a protective layer, preventing your jewelry from getting discolored and chipped.

Also, if you’re one of those people whose skin turns green from the metals in costume jewelry, then the nail polish will help out with that as well. It’ll act as a shield between the jewelry and your skin, so you don’t wind up looking like a well-accessorized version of the Hulk.

If you’re buying just a simple t-shirt, there’s absolutely no reason to pay the extra price that comes with being a woman. Men’s clothing is often cheaper than women’s clothes and when it comes to a basic t-shirt, there’s really no difference between those meant for males or females.

Trust us, no one will be able to tell if your top came from the men’s section of the store. No one except your wallet, of course.

Not everyone likes the idea of carrying around pepper spray and, more to the point, the product isn’t legal everywhere. However, you probably carry deodorant in your purse for freshening up on a hot day.

Simply switch stick or roll-on deodorant for a spray and you’ll be able to use it as a substitute for pepper spray in an emergency situation. Hopefully, the only emergency you’ll actually need deodorant for is sweat marks.

A jammed zipper can make even the calmest person start to panic. It’s hard not to imagine needing to cut yourself out of your clothes the moment your zipper gets stuck. But, before you reach for the scissors, grab a bar of soap instead.

Rubbing soap over the zipper should create enough lubrication to get it unstuck. If you’re on the go, use ChapStick instead. The waxy substance will have the same effect as a soap bar. No outfits need to be harmed in this process.

No, you’re not imagining things, nail polish really is the answer to many of life’s problems. Yet another use for this product is to avoid rust rings around the house. Anyone who has a lot of toiletries in their bathroom has dealt with those dreaded rust rings.

Next time, simply coat the bottom of the can or bottle in nail polish and that’ll act as a shield between the toiletry and the bathroom’s surfaces.

Finding a safe place to keep your money can be difficult, especially if you’re traveling. The best way to ensure pickpockets won’t come after your cash is by storing it somewhere completely unexpected. For example, inside a ChapStick tube!

No one will find it odd that you have some ChapStick in your purse and they’re certainly not going to bother stealing it. We do warn you, though, that there’s a risk of forgetting and trying to moisturize your lips with a 20.

Like socks in a dryer, bobby pins seem to have a magical way of disappearing from one’s dresser. It feels like no matter what you do, bobby pins are always getting lost and then magically turning up in random places.

In order to keep these hair accessories from wandering around the house, stick them to a magnet! That way, your bobby pins will stay put and be readily available when you need them.

Nobody wants to be that person who ends up with spots of hair dye all over their face after DIYing a new look. In order to avoid this hair faux pas, rub a thick layer of vaseline onto the skin around your hairline (including your ears and neck) before starting to dye.

This way, any wayward hair dye will go onto the vaseline, which is easy to wash off, rather than getting absorbed into your skin.

If you have a lot of food allergies or sensitivities to medication, it’s worthwhile to create a “business card” that lists those items, in the event that something happens while you’re out and about.

This is particularly helpful if you carry around any sort of emergency medication and want people to know to look for it in your bag. You can also write down on your card who to call in case of emergency or what passersby can do to help.

If you’re struggling to squeeze out that last bit of toothpaste or shampoo, simply cut the container in half and scoop the rest out. Some companies will purposely play tricks with their packaging so that you end up needing to replace the product sooner.

For example, makeup companies that make the mascara wand too short to reach the bottom of the tube. Cutting a container in half will ensure that you won’t waste your money and you’ll get to use every last drop of each product.

There are a lot of methods for opening tightly closed jars but this is probably the best one. Rather than banging the jar on the table, which rarely works and can result in breakage, grab a knife instead.

Slide the knife into the lid of the jar and push it upward, you’ll hear the lid give a slight ‘pop’ and that’s when you can open it easily. But be warned — this method does pose a risk to the egos of any fragile men who may be nearby.

We’re all guilty of not having our bag on us sometimes. However, we’re yet to meet the person who’ll go out without their phone. If you store some money between your phone and its case, you’ll always have some emergency cash.

This trick is useful when making an unplanned purchase if you don’t have your wallet on you. It also helps if your back was stolen, at least this way you can call someone and you’ll have some cash (literally) on hand.

If you find yourself in a bind in which your clothes are wrinkled but you don’t have a clothes iron, you can use a hair iron instead. This is particularly useful while traveling, as you likely won’t want to pack both.

Even if you do have a clothes iron available, you may want to opt for a hair iron anyway when it comes to smaller areas of the clothing, like a shirt collar or an embellished piece.

One of the many challenges of packing a suitcase is figuring out how to pack your shoes without them dirtying up your clothes. Luckily, most hotels give away free shower caps! Simply wrap your shoes up in the shower caps and they’ll be ready to be packed.

If you don’t have any shower caps, you can use a plastic bag instead. Now, there’s just the issue of how to make all your shoes fit into one suitcase!

If you ever find yourself a victim of the cliche of getting gum stuck in your hair, don’t worry that you’ll have to cut your locks. Instead, you can use ice cubes to freeze the gum, making it much easier to remove.

Just hold some ice on the gum for 5-15 minutes, until it hardens. There’s also, of course, the peanut butter trick too. But, we can probably all agree that ice cubes are a lot less messy.

Any kind of mom, be it a mom to humans or pets, should carry around a “home alone” emergency card.

In the event that something happens to you, this card will let people know that there’s someone at your house who can’t fend for themselves and is relying on you to come back. Just write down on the card who to call that can go take care of your child until you get home.

Gone are the days when you need to brace yourself for pain while you break in a new pair of shoes. Instead, break them in before you ever wear them! Put on some thin socks and put the new shoes over them, then blow dry the shoes for several minutes.

When you’re done, allow the shoes to cool off and they’ll be molded to your feet. That definitely beats walking around all day in pain!

One can always go out and buy a fabric razor to renew pilled clothing, however, they can be quite expensive and you probably have another product at home that’ll work just as well.

A disposable razor, like the one you use to shave your legs, will get the job done just like an expensive fabric razor. Simply pull the fabric taught and use a razor to shave the pilled bits off your clothing.

For those who like to wear a lot of jewelry, packing for a trip can pose a serious challenge. Sometimes, it seems like no matter what you do, all of your jewelry chains get tangled with each other, and you’re left unpacking a huge mess.

When preparing for your next vacation, thread your chains through straws and then close the clasp. This way, your jewelry won’t get all tangled with each other and unpacking will be a lot less frustrating!

If you have a lifestyle in which you’re unable to go home during the day, then keeping a spare set of clothes in the car can be a game-changer. You never know when a messy accident will occur and the last thing you need is to spend all your meetings wearing the morning coffee you spilled.

Or maybe the weather forecast was off and you’ll be outside all day. Whatever the situation, the option to change clothes is always a good thing.

We all know that dreaded race against time and gravity when trying to get out of the shower while you’re on your period. Luckily, there’s an easier way than frantically trying to get your pad sticking to your underwear, and then onto your body, in time.

Instead, attach your pad to your underwear before you start showering, and leave it on the countertop for when you’re done. This way, your pad and underwear combo will be ready to go as soon as you’re out of the shower!

There’s no need to pay a professional tons of money to clean your jewelry, the truth is that you can DIY the same results at home! Mix one teaspoon of dishwashing soap with warm water, put your jewelry into the solution, and let it soak for about five minutes.

Then, scrub it with a soft toothbrush. For hard-to-reach spots, you can use a toothpick to get the dirt out. Lastly, dry your jewelry on a paper towel or soft cloth, and it’ll be good as new!

We’ve all been in this situation at some point — we can’t remember which key is for the lock we need, so we try every single one. Somehow, none of them work, so we try them all again. Then, it’s always the first one we chose, which we swear didn’t work the first time.

In order to avoid this frustrating scenario, differentiate your keys with different colored nail polish! Not only will it make your life easier but it’ll add some flair to your keyring, too.

One of the best pieces of anti-aging advice out there is — moisturize. Your skin and hair need proper moisture in order to stay healthy. We recommend moisturizing one’s skin (face and body) at least once a day, every single day, and hair at least twice a week.

When it comes to skin and hair care, it’s important to remember that you won’t see results right away. But trust us, getting into the habit of moisturizing now is something you’ll be grateful for when you’re older.

Clothes shopping can be an extremely frustrating experience, especially because sizes vary widely between brands as size tags are unregulated. That being said, you can make the process a bit easier by knowing your measurements.

Measure all of the relevant parts of your body and log the information into your phone before your next trip to the mall. This won’t completely replace trying stuff on but it’ll definitely narrow down your choices, saving you a lot of time and exasperation.

You never know when you’re going to need an emergency makeup touch-up, or when you’ll be stuck somewhere overnight — not to mention that you may get an unscheduled visit from Aunt Flo!

Having a toiletry bag in your car will give you peace of mind throughout the day, even if you never have to actually use it. There’s something about knowing you have quick access to all your essentials that makes this life hack worth trying.

Whether you’re married or not, it’s worth wearing a wedding ring while traveling. Of course, it doesn’t have to be expensive, just something to give off the vibe that you’re not single and touring alone.

Unfortunately, some places are dangerous for solo female travelers and a wedding band can send the message that your husband is going to come join you any minute. It’s a sad but true reality that a toxic man will respect an imaginary man more than the woman right in front of him.

Tailored pants can truly make all the difference in a person’s appearance. That same pair of jeans can make you look either chic or frumpy, depending on how well they fit you.

If money’s tight, just buy a few cheaper pairs of basic pants and invest the money on tailoring those – rather than spending a lot of cash on several pairs of expensive pants. Trust us, those cheaper jeans will end up looking like they’re designer – if they fit you just right!