These days, it feels like our social media feeds are overwhelmed with more and more tips, tricks, and ‘five-minute’ hacks that guarantee to make our lives easier, cheaper, and more enjoyable.
But, as this post in r/AskReddit reveals, not all life hacks are created equally—though that doesn’t stop some people from swearing by them. OP u/HumbleMajor2123 asked Redditors, “What’s the most useless ‘life hack’ you’ve ever seen someone take seriously?”, to which they received over 1.9K likes and 1.4K comments.
From swapping tires and stealing hotel phone chargers to opening a banana backwards, we rounded up some of the most unusual so you can decide just how terrible they truly are—and if any are worth trying—for yourself.
1. Ask an undercover cop if they’re a cop, because they’re legally obliged to tell you
The best way to find out whether someone is an undercover cop, apparently, is just to ask them.
“‘You’re not a cop, right? Because by law, you have to tell me if you are’ …Yeah, that doesn’t work in any way.” —u/ClownfishSoup
“I’m pretty sure cops started that rumor.” —u/Ravenlok
“It definitely sounds like something undercover cops would want us to believe.” —u/ladythunderfunk
2. Inhale the back of a cigarette
Smokers had some interesting ideas on ways to prevent lung damage that didn’t involve quitting cigarettes. My brother, whom I love very dearly, blows on the butt end of his cigarettes and has for years. Why?, you ask.
Because he was once told that the filter is made of some form of fiberglass. And when they cut it, there are sharp ends left in it, and when you first inhale, they can cause damage to your lungs.
So he blows on the ends of his cigarettes before he smokes them. To protect his lungs.” —u/Shaidyn.
“Haha, I knew a couple smokers who thought this in college.” —u/justsomechickyo
“Similarly, my old coworker told me about his roommate at the time… Huuuge chain smoker, but absolutely refused to light a cigarette with a lighter. Apparently, the butane that you inhale is what actually gets you…” —u/Uncle-est_Iroh
3. Demagnetize water before drinking
Make sure to demagnetize your water so it’s safe for drinking.
“A friend’s mom did not let us drink the water before it was properly ‘demagnetized. Meaning sticking a bottle between two permanent magnets and let it sit for an appropriate time. We were guests in her house. So I just nodded and went along with it.” —u/LordTengil
“Fun fact, placing a ferromagnetic material in a magnetic field turns the material into a magnet, it does not demagnetise it. While water does not have this quality, if it were a material such as iron, this person would be doing the opposite of what they intend.” —u/Bro0183
4. Protect children from the microwave
More pushback against electromagnetism, this time from the microwave.
“Back in my childhood, I spent a lot of time at a friend’s house. Whenever they used the microwave, everyone except the oldest person had to leave the kitchen. The one who stayed would hold some kind of radiometer at arm’s length, pointing it toward the oven. We kids would watch from outside the doorway. The needle always stayed in the green zone, and we were all relieved. Was fun telling my brothers at home.” —u/leroyhobo
“Was this a ‘sacrifice the elderly’ thing or was the idea that the oldest person was the most responsible to hold the thingy?” —u/Popplevee
5. Question the jurisdiction of court cases
If you question a court case, apparently, it will just go away.
“You can make court cases go away by questioning jurisdiction.” —u/Imaginary-Scale9514
“I’m actually sitting in small claims right now. The guy I’m suing didn’t pick up the certified letter that was sent to him. I bet he thinks this will all go away because of some technicality. It won’t. I’m stubborn as hell.” —u/Driveonacid
“Don’t forget that if you point out the fringes on a flag in the courtroom, it means it’s a military tribunal and therefore they can’t get you!” —u/NerdTalkDan
6. Rent a car and swap its new tires for your old ones
No money for a new car? No problem, just rent one and secretly swap bits out like the Ship of Theseus.
“Renting the same car [as your own] that you have to swap the tires. They caught him in the dealership and called the police for Robbery and fraud, I think.” —u/Tyxon42
“Yeah, that’s a terrible idea. Rental companies are very aware of this problem, and tires have identifying info on them. So if they check, they will know.” —u/FauxReal
“I’ve heard about people renting U-Hauls for a weekend and swapping the engine with their trucks.” —u/Well_thats_obvious
“Why just the tires, when you can just swap the whole car?” —u/MagicPistol
7. Split toilet paper in half to save money
This one is just extreme.
“I remember watching a show on people who went to extremes to save money. The one thing that stuck with me was someone who would buy the cheapest two-ply toilet paper they could get, then take the time to unroll it and split it into one ply since it was two rolls in one.” —u/Strongit
“Then you end up using twice as much every trip to the bathroom.” —u/Kustombypook
“The key is to start using both sides of the toilet paper. Instant 50% savings!” —u/Not_suddenly_satire
“This! I also get four days out of my underwear: Regular Inside inside out Backwards Backwards and inside out. Works a charm”. —u/Justynrr
8. Throw spaghetti at the wall
An age-old hack that will ruin your kitchen.
“I had an ex-girlfriend insist on throwing spaghetti at the wall to judge when it was cooked. If it sticks, it’s supposedly cooked. So many variables.. Such a waste of time..” —u/Agsjenabhsduma
“I am not a good cook, but I tend to just bite a piece of the spaghetti and see how it’s doing that way” —u/theladythunderfunk
“My partner swore by this hack. Until they had to repaint the kitchen cause the noodles dried and took the paint off.” —u/Pinkynarfnarf
“Phil, is that you?” —u/trashpandavv
9. Make pasta out of…pasta
More pasta this time… and more, and more.
“Grinding dry pasta, then adding water to “make pasta” —u/RedHuey
“I saw a video of a guy making food out of itself. Pasta was one of them! He also did stuff like smashing up a donut and rolling it out again to a ring and deep frying it.” —u/BucktoothWookiee
“Boredom has gone too far.” —u/NewLeave2007
10. Pretend you’ve left your charger in your hotel room to get a new one
Just remember your alter ego, or you’ll end up with the wrong kind of charge.
“I tried the one where you go into a hotel, and tell ‘em you left a phone charger in your room (to get a spare). They asked me what my name was and what room I was in and I had to backtrack.” —u/SnailsRoamFree
“I never heard of this. I was a bartender at a hotel. Whenever someone forgot something in a room, they labeled it with the room number and the name on the reservation. They didn’t just throw it in a big lost and find bin.” —u/Esoteric_enigma
11. The pull-out method.
Self-explanatory.
“Pulling out as a means of birth control. He now has 3 daughters.” —u/Shadow_Integration
“I’m told that the medical name for people who use the pull-out method is ‘Parents’.” —u/Newtonbase
“So he used the hack that failed them 2 more times? Wow.” —u/_Jay-Garage-A-Roo_
12. Use soap to repel mice
If there’s one thing mice really hate, it’s baths.
“Putting Irish Spring or dryer sheets somewhere (like an RV) to repel mice. Spoiler: they do not repel mice. The mice will eat the soap and make bedding out of the dryer sheets. But you will have fluffy, cling-free, lovely-smelling mice with green poop.” —u/Puzzleheaded_Age6550
“I saw someone recommend once that a person plant mint to deter rodents. Last year, we had a six-pack of baby rabbits in our planter overrun with mint. (with the appendage: Well, it has been pointed out to me that rabbits aren’t rodents).” —u/IAmGoingToF–kThat
“This is true. About every five posts in r/RVLiving were this last winter. Heard all sorts of old wives tales, I’d answer “Trap, not the sticky kind because it tortures the animal” every time.” —u/Everheart1955
13. Make your own laundry detergent
A cautionary tale against using the wrong recipe.
“A few years back, my gf spent a week at my mom’s house. We were completely out of clean clothes, since we got snowed in and had to stay longer than anticipated. Well, the day of our departure coincided with my mom’s decision to replace her normal laundry detergent with some homemade all-natural “detergent” she had seen on Instagram.
Long story short, all our clothes were ruined. There were enormous, greasy spots on everything, and they smelled terrible. We had to go make the 8-hour drive home wearing borrowed clothes from my parents: My dad’s 48/30 pants (I wear 36/34), and my petite gf had to wear one of my mom’s rather large house dresses.
We looked like circus clowns.” —u/onefellswoop70
“Damn, what detergent concoction did she try?” —u/Mst3k_42
“Our clothes smelled very much like salad dressing, and my opinion is that my mom, who has never been very good with technology, was looking at her saved notes on her phone and somehow mistook a food recipe she had previously written down as the recipe for homemade laundry detergent.” —u/Onefellswoop70
“Does she also put beef, peas, and sautéed onions into the English Trifle?” —u/Shakeamutt
14. Eat raw garlic to fight Wifi waves
Because demagnetizing water isn’t enough.
“Eating garlic raw to fight wifi waves.” —u/Ulostinvelvet
“It does work as mosquito repellent.” —u/Fearlessleader85
“Human repellent, too.” —u/PhreeBeer
15. Go to the ER in an ambulance to save money
Skip the long waiting times, and lose respect while you’re at it.
“Going to the hospital by ambulance will get you seen faster.
No, all you’re doing is tying up an ambulance. If your complaint is routine and non-emergent, you’re still going to the waiting room, but at least you get to ride on the stretcher till they find a wheelchair!” —u/FlipZer0
“My wife works in an ER and complains about this all the time. Calling the ambulance for a non-emergency just gets you a ride to the waiting room. It doesn’t even really get you there faster, because they’re not going lights and sirens if it’s not actually an emergency.” —u/DieHardAmerican95
“And the ambulance ride comes with an $8000 price tag. Neato!” —u/Figgy_Puddin_Taine
16. Ice cubes for milk
For those scorching days when milk is just too warm.
“Making ice cubes out of milk for cereal” —u/ybunnyflicks
“But for what purpose?” —u/GoatCovfefe
“Yeah, I love cereal but there’s never been a time where I thought, “Ya know…I wish this cereal was colder.” —u/Bythog
17. Toothpaste for pimples
What your great-great-great-grandmother probably did in the 1800s.
“Putting toothpaste on pimples. Congratulations, now you have acne and chemical burns.” —u/io-psychologist
“I think the idea is to dry out the pimples. My suspicion is that this was popular advice for teens pre-internet, and before there were a ton of easily accessible skincare products at affordable prices. I think a lot of these DIY “hacks” or old wives’ tales come from a lack of access to something better.” —u/Isthispassionpit
“Yes, it was! Younger people probably don’t realize this, but the mainstream “cure” for acne and oily skin up until very recently was thought to be drying the sh*t out of it. So many of us were actually scared of moisturizers because it was supposed to be “clogging up pores”. And we were partly right, most moisturizers were variants of Nivea heavy cream.” —u/mouthfullofpebbles
18. Open bananas backwards
Complete monkey business.
“Opening the banana on the other side. Like.. Why the f–k is the original side (whichever that is) worse? Eat your damn banana and stfu about your smartness.” —u/Youre_your_wrong
“Oh I heard you’re supposed to do this to reduce the amount of strings on the bananas. I do it and I think it works, I’m almost never picking the gross banana skin strings out of my mouth now” —u/Its_Curse
“I’m gonna be honest, ever since someone told me the banana thing, I open it that way and haven’t looked back. It does take a tiny time less to open now lol” —u/Geesearetheworstt
19. Put Vicks on your feet to clear congestion
Walked so TikTok hacks could run.
“Putting Vicks on your feet for congestion. Like sure it might help soothe a sore foot muscle, but it won’t do diddly squat for a stuffy nose.” —u/alphaturducken
“Thank you for unlocking a memory of my late Mother-in-law. She tried this a few years ago, she was squelching around laughing hysterically saying “I don’t think this is working!”. Never tried it again.” —u/Zerbey
“A friend of mine did this and kept the Vicks on with socks, went to sleep, and apparently had the wildest and most vivid dreams he’d ever had. I think he’s managed to do it more than once now, too.” —u/NetworkSingularity
“It stops my coughing, though, or is that just in my head?” —u/Mpcrazy
20. Put something else… somewhere else… to prevent moustache growth
I’ll take the Vicks, thanks.
“Rubbing chicken s–t on the upper lip will help a teenagers mustache come in fuller. My old neighbor was full of good advice like this.” —u/West-Country-9888
“The one I heard (also a neighbor, haha) was that it was a good cure for chapped lips. He said it won’t fix chapped lips, but it’ll stop you from licking them.” —u/TrenchardsRedemption
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