20 awesome ways the internet has made life easier

| March 27th, 2017

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Life is already challenging, stressful and difficult. Thankfully, there are helpful people all over the internet, and right here at Clark.com, who want to make your life a little easier.

20 ways the internet has made life easier

1. Use a fork to hang a painting

2. Use two 2-liter bottles to create a pair of bellows

(source: Imgur)

3. Create an index by marking the sides of pages

If you have a personalized recipe book or notebook for school, this indexing life hack could make finding the exact page you want super simple.

(source: High Five HQ)

4. How to test the age of an egg

This hack is pretty simple: place your egg in a bowl of water and then test the age of your egg by looking at the description or image below.

Fresh (prepare in any style): Egg is laying on its side at the bottom of your bowl
Going Stale (probably best to prepare as hard-boiled): Egg is standing completely upright or slightly leaning
Stale: If your egg floats, it’s best to toss and buy some new ones.

Here’s a helpful diagram (source: Imgur)

5. How to erase (or minimize) your digital footprint

News and stories about data leaks and private corporations/government monitoring practices are becoming extremely commonplace. Here’s how to minimize the impact the ever-increasing digitization of the world:

6. How to test the remaining charge in a battery

Note: Princeton University released a study proving that the bounce test does indicate a discharging battery, but the group found that batteries with charges ranging from 0%-50% reached roughly the same height after their initial bounce. So, just because a battery bounces, it doesn’t mean you should immediately throw it away.

7. Use a slinky to keep squirrels away from your bird feeder

Got an old Slinky around the house? Use one to help deter those pesky squirrels from stealing your bird food!

8. Remove permanent marker from anything

Although permanent markers have their name for a reason, Sharpie stains don’t actually have to be permanent! Here’s a list of more ways to remove Sharpie stains around the house!

I dare you to use milk on your furniture!

9. Best way to hang an item with exact measurements

(source: Imgur)

10. Create drip-free ice packs from sponges

This great life hack, courtesy of My Kitchen Escapades, keeps lunch boxes free from water and your food nice and cold!

(source: TheChicSite.com)

11. Use an analog watch to find direction

(source: Primer Magazine)

12. Estimate remaining daylight with your fingers

Don’t get stuck out in the woods or wandering the streets without checking out this cool trick!

According to the image below, each finger is about 15 minutes of daylight (not an exact science). That means that each hand-width measurement equals about one hour of daylight. Again, this isn’t an exact science — it’s directionally-close — so give yourself extra time if you’re using this method to calculate the remaining daylight.

(source: Groovy Matter)

13. Create an instant life jacket with your pants

If you ever find yourself in a body of water and you are in a life-or-death situation, take a look at the video below for a quick and helpful floating tip.

Or if you just want to float…

14. Use a light to see the exact line on a paper cutter

I don’t have the best aim — that’s not great when cutting things with sharp objects in my hand. Now, thanks to redditor (chordnine), I can safely and accurately use a paper cutter!

(source: Imgur)

15. Make your own Swiffer pads

Thanks to our own Mike Timmerman for this super helpful hack. Mike writes, ‘After following these three steps, you may never have to buy those refills again.’

See how his dollar store hack can save you big bucks on Swiffer pads!

16. Fold a t-shirt in 2 seconds

Mike Timmerman is at it again. This time, he’s showing you how to professionally fold your t-shirts in 2 seconds.

17. Styrofoam phone stand

Thanks to reddit user LillyPip, we can all rest a little easier while watching our phones at the hospital!

18. Keep your kids safe

Thanks to the Clovis Police Department, we now have a way to keep our kids safer in crowded areas!

Here’s more on how it works!

19. Tie a knot at the end of power cords to keep them in place

Every time I have to use my outdoor blower, I at least three extension cords to reach my whole yard. Before I found out about this trick, I also needed to make three-to-four trips back to connections points after my cords came unplugged.

20. Seal a bag of chips without clips

If you didn’t eat the entire bag of chips in one sitting (I’ve definitely eaten entire bags — a few times) then you’ll want to save some for later. While you could buy some chip clips or reuse binder clips, those are not the cheapest method. Click the link above to watch a gif of a very neat trick.