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Life Hacks | Pad Patter 10.16.16

bellbird

bellbird

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So in Rae's the storm is coming chatty post she talked about wanting to capture the storm but not risk her camera (and life and limb!). Both totally understandable for the photographer/memorykeeper in me and probably most of us.

I bought a 'raincoat' for my DSLR off ebay ages ago (when you travel internationally, you can't let rain get in the way of once in a lifetime photo opportunities!). It turned out to be nothing more than a $2 store emergency plastic poncho - and though it was new, already had a hole in it. Anyway, according to various posts, a ziplock bag (clip lock bag? or click clock bag as my son calls them but you hopefully know what i mean) is the best and cheapest waterproofing for a camera! I haven't got to the point of trying it (has anyone here?)

Any life hacks you have come across that you love? ETA: Not just for cameras...
 
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snort, thru the window!! lol, under an umbrella? I have a cheap p&s. I tried the big camera and it overwhelmed me...but the price..would make me keep it safe and clean inside.
 
I use other Life Hacks at home - the first one that comes to mind (it was life changing!) is using a dryer sheet to clean dust off skirting boards andalmost anything - it's like magic! And i have no idea how i lived without that before! (well - i lived with a lot more dust! :giggle
 
Me too....I bought camera rain covers before and one had a hole in it. What a waste of my money. I don't worry so much about my P&S but the problem is half the time the battery is not charged and ready LOL. But...if it is ready to use, a bread bag is good too to cover b/c you can cut one end off and put arm through and then pull it over your hand with camera.
 
I used a Ziploc for my phone when at a friend's pool. While it worked, the next day I bought a waterproof bag with a spot for a lanyard because I want to attach a "floatie" (like a floating keychain for a boat/jet ski) so that my phone won't sink if it accidentally ends up IN the pool or, worse, the lake and floated away. I worried after I stood at the edge of the pool to take pics. What if it fell out of my hands (totally likely!) and then sunk where I couldn't find it, or the bag ripped on the suction-thingy at the bottom of the pool?
@bellbird I also like dryer sheets for dusting! DH thought I was crazy when I started stockpiling used dryer sheets, but then I told him why. He was just happy that I was even thinking about dusting that he left me alone. :) I give DS a sheet and he "helps" me dust the chair rail/trim while I do tables. The sheets help repel dust, which means less dusting, which makes me even more happy! Oh, another dryer sheet hack is to place a fresh one in your dresser drawers. It helps keep your clothes fresh without making them smell like potpourri (I'm sensitive to fragrances).
I mentioned this in another thread, but I vacuum my floors instead of sweeping them with a broom. It's faster and it's supposed to be better for the floors (a broom can push dirt into the floor, causing little scratches that can dull the finish). Anything that is "better" and also faster cleaning is a win in my book!
 
jesskab said:
Life hacks! I came home one day to my husband using my hot glue gun to put dots all over my hangers. Apparently they keep clothes from slipping off. He loves watching a YouTube guy called the Crazy Russian Hacker.
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that, to me, is not time wasted ;) i would call it Edu-tainment!
 
Tree City said:
@bellbird DH thought I was crazy when I started stockpiling used dryer sheets, but then I told him why. He was just happy that I was even thinking about dusting that he left me alone. :) I give DS a sheet and he "helps" me dust the chair rail/trim while I do tables.
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You sound like the queen of life hacks! I had to go out and buy dryer sheets just to try this (we don't really use the dryer unless it's torrential for a few weeks) and I didn't even know dryer sheets existed before reading about dusting with them!
 
jesskab said:
Life hacks! I came home one day to my husband using my hot glue gun to put dots all over my hangers. Apparently they keep clothes from slipping off. He loves watching a YouTube guy called the Crazy Russian Hacker.
Click to expand...

My husband loves him, too, but weird he hasn't shared any hacks with me haha. I love that one though, I think I'm going to have to give it a try!!

I've used the one that's floated around online that shows putting pancake batter in a ketchup bottle. It worked great!
I've never tried the dyer sheets, but I will now! And I always take ziploc baggies when we visit the amusement park to put phones and cameras in when we go on water rides.
 
bellbird said:
Anyway, according to various posts, a ziplock bag (clip lock bag? or click clock bag as my son calls them but you hopefully know what i mean) is the best and cheapest waterproofing for a camera!
Click to expand...
I have done this. I used a big gallon zip bag at Niagara Falls so I could get some photos, but not get my camera wet. I also have a waterproof bag I bought at a camping supply store. It's thick, and seals tight.

Tree City said:
I vacuum my floors instead of sweeping them with a broom. It's faster and it's supposed to be better for the floors (a broom can push dirt into the floor, causing little scratches that can dull the finish).
Click to expand...
I didn't know this! Would it be the same for tile? I have one of those cloth brooms that acts more like a duster than a broom.

My life tip is when I photograph a new place, I take a photo with my phone and the GPS on. Then use my DSLR. That way, I can see where I was easily.
 
I've done this too and it saves me seconds finding the mailbox key but it's an everyday thing so i figure over my lifetime it may save me a few minutes - :whoopdedooseemed like a good idea at the time - but it's easier to tell the kids 'it's the purple key' if they want to check the mailbox
 
bellbird said:
You sound like the queen of life hacks! I had to go out and buy dryer sheets just to try this (we don't really use the dryer unless it's torrential for a few weeks) and I didn't even know dryer sheets existed before reading about dusting with them!
Click to expand...
I don't dry my clothes (I'm too tall to risk losing any type of length!) but I dry DH's work clothes because I'm too cheap to pay to have them dry-cleaned. Thankfully our dryer has a "wrinkle-free" setting so if the cycle turns off it still keeps tumbling the clothes. :)
Anyway, I do try different hacks. I'm happy to reuse/save where I can, especially if it makes life easier!
(re vacuuming vs sweeping):
bestcee said:
I didn't know this! Would it be the same for tile? I have one of those cloth brooms that acts more like a duster than a broom.
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Umm, IDK. :think I vacuum our tile but I also sweep it lol. I'm more concerned with the wood simply because I don't want to replace it anytime soon, but I DO want to replace the tile and the vinyl--if all goes well, we should have new floors by this time next year. Having said that, we had to replace the fridge in August, and the garage door spring AND my car's battery last week... so, who knows how "well" things are going to go? :backing
 
Here are a few that I've learned over time...

Use the foam that comes with any dry-cleaning to remove any white deodorant that you might get on your shirts or dresses.

Wooden spoons laying over a boiling pot will stop it from boiling over.

Bread clips/ties for the bottom of flip flops. (Saved a few flip flops this way!)


I love dryer sheets! Super easy dusting! :giggle
 
bellbird said:
So in Rae's the storm is coming chatty post she talked about wanting to capture the storm but not risk her camera (and life and limb!). Both totally understandable for the photographer/memorykeeper in me and probably most of us.

I bought a 'raincoat' for my DSLR off ebay ages ago (when you travel internationally, you can't let rain get in the way of once in a lifetime photo opportunities!). It turned out to be nothing more than a $2 store emergency plastic poncho - and though it was new, already had a hole in it. Anyway, according to various posts, a ziplock bag (clip lock bag? or click clock bag as my son calls them but you hopefully know what i mean) is the best and cheapest waterproofing for a camera! I haven't got to the point of trying it (has anyone here?)

Any life hacks you have come across that you love? ETA: Not just for cameras...
Click to expand...
I use the big ziplock bags anytime I take my DSLR out in potentially bad weather and at the beach. I keep the camera completely sealed in it. And each lens gets a ziplock bag too. I have one that I cut a whole in the bottom for the lens to peek out and then just slip the camera in with the ziplock seal part open to work the controls. I never read any articles about it so no idea if there is a better way, but for me ...it covers most of the camera, keeps water and blowing sand at bay fairly well.
 
bellbird said:
so i've read this one too and was a bit skeptical - does it make you sound like you're tap dancing everywhere?!
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I didn't notice any extra sounds... it was summer, at the beach. The tabs that we have are a plastic kind, and not metal. :)
 
So many great tips. Hmmm. We don;t even get dryer sheets here, it seems to be more common on the other side of the pond. I have used clear nail varnish over buttons so the threads don't loosen and the buttons fall off.
 
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