Being a Mom is an incredibly fun yet complex job. It’s a never-ending marathon of doing things for yourself and your loved ones. These brilliant mom hacks are here to help you out!
While all of it is fun and rewarding, a lot of it is very time-consuming. So instead of running from sun up to sun down, try some of these hacks!
Below, I have 21 tricks, tips, and DIYs that may not free up your entire day but will save you some precious moments. The best part of this post–all of these ideas are cost-effective, budget-friendly, and some are even free!
As always, if you have any tips of your own that you’d like to share, please do! Without further ado, onto our Mom Hacks, You Need to Know.
One more thing before my post!
Make sure to check out my YouTube page for the same video: 21 Incredible Mom Hacks You Need to Know for further visual directives for these DIYs.
1. Toast More Slices of Bread
Any morning breakfast can be quite the production–time management, kid management, and setting the table. One of the trickiest time consumers is one of the simplest parts of breakfast, making toast.
Cut out the wait time on toast, and use your oven as an oversized toaster! Slip a pan or other oven-safe support in the slot below and toast.
2. Make Your Wardrobe Fresher
Keeping clothes fresh and a little cleaner is a feat in this house. Try adding baking soda and cinnamon (powder, sticks, or other warming spices) to a coffee filter like this.
Secure the filter with any tie you have at home and sit them in your drawers. We don’t worry about freshening any piece on the go now.
3. Keep Your Avocado From Turning Brown
Preserving avocados from turning brown once they’ve gotten sliced seems impossible. Grab a slice of lemon and rub the inside down to combat this occurrence.
Once the innards of the avocado get covered with lemon, saran wrap the halves individually. The combination of lemon juice and the little air will slow the browning process.
4. Easily Remove Labels From Jars
We love to reuse jars in our house, but dealing with the sticky label aftermath stinks. A great way to remove that mess is to grab some of this baking soda and olive oil.
Combine the two ingredients, paint them onto the area, and add a splash of water. Rub the area and rinse with more water to reveal a smooth surface.
Repeat the process. I like to batch this process to block out enough dedicated time for this DIY.
5. Enjoy Lemon Water Anytime
This hack is more so for you, probably. Batch make lemon ice cubes to throw into your water on the go.
Simply grab an ice tray of your choosing; I like this one. Cut up a lemon, place them in each cell, and fill it with water like normal.
Throw cubes into your cup of water and have immediate lemon water ready. Experiment with your favorite water ingredients–mint, cucumber, lime, etc.
These other kitchen hacks will blow your mind!
6. Soften Butter Without Melting It
Stop putting your butter in the microwave to soften it–it always ends up slightly too melted. Take a drinking glass and fill it with warm water–let it sit–glass or something that retains heat is best.
Dump the water out once the glass is warm, and cover your butter with it. The heat from the cup will slightly warm your butter to the perfect temp.
7. Protect Your Drink From Bugs
Now that we’re entering the summer months and outside more, this trick is always a favorite. You only need a pack of muffin liners and a straw.
Place a paper liner over the top of your cup and poke the straw through. Voila, you have an easy lid to deter bugs for the whole family.
8. Keep Brown Sugar From Drying Out
However you keep brown sugar, it always gets slightly clumpy. To deter this from happening, all you need is a peel of orange zest.
The peel acts as an absorbent to any moisture in the environment and keeps your sugar dry. The orange should not infringe on the taste of the sugar, either.
9. Use Sandpaper To Sharpen Scissors
Have old scissors that are beginning to dull and harder to cut with? Grab some scraps of sandpaper or this little pack and get to cutting.
Cutting through sandpaper will naturally sharpen the blades of your pairs of scissors. Craft Time will be less of a hassle with fresh blades–just make sure kids are careful!
10. Freeze Fresh Herbs With Olive Oil For Later Use
As we all know, dinner prep can be a very tedious part of our day. If you like cooking with herbs, try batching them out in ice trays with your choice of oil.
Pop a cube or two into whatever you make when dinner rolls around. This hack saves you the run to the market for fresh herbs or prepping them for the recipe.
11. Use A Lint Roller To Clean Up A Glittery Mess
By now, I believe you all know that I am a big believer in glitter. Glitter clean-up, though, is a whole other story.
I’ve found that by using a lint roller, the cleanup is a complete lifesaver. Just roll the surface of where the glitter is, and it’s done!
It works for spot-cleaning glitter in a snap!
You might also enjoy these mind-blowing toilet paper roll hacks!
12. Keep Apple Slices From Turning Brown
Like cut avocados, cut apples are prone to browning because of air exposure. A way to combat this for apples is to add salt.
Throw both salt and the cut apple into a bag for later. Before eating the apple, rinse salts clean off the surface.
13. Keep Plastic Wrap Taut
Always seem to be fighting with the Saran Wrap? Throw it in the fridge next time – it’s more likely to keep its tension when cold.
The wrap also adheres to containers or food items better when slightly cool. Storing it out of the box helps, too.
You will also find these handy aluminum foil hacks very useful!
14. Remove Shoe Odor With Tea Bags
Have some stinky shoes lying around? Add tea bags to any offensive-smelling shoe to wick the odors away.
The tea leaves will eat any residual moisture or stench because of their dry nature.
This practical life hack will stay with you for a long time!
15. Get Organized With An Ice Tray
As you can see, I’m a big believer in ice trays! In all seriousness, though, these trays come in handy in all sorts of ways, even for small organizational needs.
Whether for arts and crafts or kids’ school supplies, it’s a great way to keep small things easy to find.
16. Peel Easily Hard-Cooked Eggs
Hard-cooked eggs are a great all-around thing to have prepped for the week, but the prep time can get tedious. A way to cut down on the overall process makes this a go-to in our house.
Add your hard-boiled eggs to a container with water and shake. Once satisfied, open the container to peel away the shells quickly and en masse.
No more timely egg peeling is necessary.
17. Use Dental Floss To Cut Soft Food
An interesting idea, but hear me out! Softer foods are prone to stick to a knife more often.
I have no time to mess around with that, so I’ve found dental floss cuts through those softer items without any trouble.
18. Cut Sticky Tape Easily With Baby Wipes
Gunk up your scissors while cutting tape for your kids? Wipe down the scissors with baby wipes, like these, before cutting into anything sticky like tape.
The cleaner on the wipe will lubricate the shears and prevent any stick from sticking to any pair of scissors.
19. Use Band-Aids To Cover Outlets While Traveling
Make sure to save this one for your next trip! I like to grab a variety-sized pack of bandaids before we leave for a trip, regardless, but you’ll need this hack with little ones.
Use the bigger-sized bandaids to cover outlets while traveling if they aren’t covered. All while giving you peace of mind and your kiddos freedom to play.
20. Peel Lemons Easily By Heating Them In The Microwave
Do you come across stiff lemons when trying to zest them? The next time it happens, toss it into the microwave for a couple of seconds to soften the fruit.
The warmness of the citrus makes the peel easier to zest, making the whole process less painful and time-consuming!
If I have the time, I like to batch zest and freeze it all so it’s ready to go when needed.
21. Eggs Are Fresh If They Do Not Float
Eggs are a staple in this household, as you can see from the few tricks I have about them. Dropping it into water is a great way to tell if an egg is still fresh.
If the egg sinks, it’s still usable and good to eat! If it is floating, you may want to check for any off odors or signs of age.