The Top Tips for Fall

Audience Tips

Whiten Socks

Whiten socks by placing them in a pot of boiling water with several lemon slices. Boil for 15 minutes or so, and socks will look like fresh.

Use Olive Oil for Lip Balm

Don’t have any lip balm on hand? Use olive oil instead! Dab a bit on chapped lips and it will help moisturize and repair them.

Help with a Keyring

Make a keyring easy to open when you’re putting new keys on it by using a staple remover. Just insert the prongs from the staple remover in between the rings and they will easily separate. No losing a fingernail required!

Get Ready Outdoors

Keep Bulbs Safe

If you have flowers that you grew from bulbs that bloom in the summer, they won’t survive the winter! Carefully dig them up after the stems have shriveled up and store them in pantyhose. Place one bulb in the toe, then tie a knot above the bulb, add another bulb, and keep going. It separates the bulbs and keeps them fresh and aerated during the winter. (You can use this trick for onions, too!)

Keep Outdoor Items for Rusting

Rub petroleum jelly onto the corners of metal patio furniture so they don’t rust over the winter. While you’re at it, also rub up the threads of outdoor light bulbs (then put them back into their sockets) so they don’t rust.

Keep Leaves Out of Your Gutter

The best way to keep leaves out of your gutter is with a Slinky! Yes, the child’s toy. Fasten it to the ends of your gutter with binder clips, and it will work as a guard to keep leaves out.

Getting Rid of Fall Bugs

Yellow Jackets

Yellow jackets have been laying low all summer, they’re time to shine is the fall! Make a soda bottle trap in the same way you would make one for wasps.

Stink Bugs and Boxelder Bugs

To get rid of nasty stink bugs or boxelder bugs, you can use a wet/dry vac. Fill the canister ¼ of the way with water, add a squirt of dish soap. Then vacuum them up. They’ll drown in the soapy water. To keep them out of your house entirely, try wiping

Ladybugs

If you don’t want to kill ladybugs, you can put fruit scraps in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap with several holes poked in it. The smell will make them find their way into the bowl, but then they won’t be able to find their way out. Here are some more tips for keeping ladybugs out of your house.

Flies

Flies will also want to hibernate in your home this fall! Here are our best tips for getting rid of flies.

Making the Fall Clothing Switch

Turn Your Hangers Backwards

The key to cleaning out your closet, of course, is getting rid of clothes you don’t wear. Make it easier by turning your hangers backwards. After several months, you’ll have a clear picture of what you wear and what you don’t.

Begin in the (Bargain) Basement

How many times have you purchased an $80 sweater, only to find a nearly identical one for much less later? When you begin to look for clothes for the new season, always start at the least expensive store first. Since most clothing stores carry similar items each season, you’ll make sure to get each piece for the best price. You should also try to buy most of your basics—solid-color T-shirts, socks, and so forth—at the cheaper stores. Save the expensive stores for the uniquely designed and patterned clothes, where you can see the difference in quality.

These tips are even more fun when you listen to them on our podcast—which also includes a Lifehack Lightning Round and more! Check it out on iTunes or Stitcher. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook!

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