Which Life Hacks Actually Work? 30 Tested by John Green

TL;DR

John Green tests 30 popular life hacks to determine their effectiveness. Successful hacks include making a cupcake sandwich, using a pizza cutter for slicing meats, and amplifying phone sound with household items. However, many hacks like submerging halved fruit to remove seeds and using a comb to hold nails fail to deliver.

Transcript

Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to Mental Floss, it's time for another Life Hacks video. These are my favorite, so we're going to start with a cupcake so that I can celebrate. We're going to cut it in half, and then the internet tells me that if I make a cupcake sandwich, it will be delicious. And it is! That's a pass. Solid life hack. The first of man... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥪 Cupcake sandwiches are a delicious life hack, according to John Green.
• 🍦 Buying an ice cream sandwich is easier and less expensive than making one from scratch.
• 🤗 Opening a banana from the bottom is the easy way to do it.
• 💦 Removing seeds from a halved fruit by submerging it in water does not work effectively.
• 🍖 Using a pizza cutter to slice up meats for omelettes is a successful life hack.
• 🪺 Old eggs do not float while new eggs sink.
• 💨 Using Kool-Aid instead of traditional dye is a unique way to dye eggs.
• 🪺 Storing headphones in a whisk makes them easily retrievable when dying eggs.
• 🧭 Cleaning a computer keyboard with a post-it note is a marginal pass.
• 🧻 Amplifying phone sound with college kid alcohol cups and a toilet paper roll is a successful life hack.
• 🧍 Legos can be used as a stand for an iPhone.
• ⏳ Sticking a straw in a glass ketchup bottle does speed up the flow.
• 🍖 Twisting bones around when eating certain meats does not make it easier to eat.
• 🖌️ Using a rubber band around a paint brush can result in a smoother brushing experience.
• 👿 Placing aluminum foil under a roller pan makes for easy cleanup.
• 🥹 Using a comb to hold a nail does not work effectively.
• ❓ Hand sanitizer does not effectively remove sharpie from clothing.
• 🔋 New batteries bounce less than old batteries.
• 🍽️ Cutting bread with a dull knife upside down does not make it easier.
• 🍼 A post-it note cannot effectively be used as a bottle opener.
• 🙊 Using the top of a bag of peas as a tie is a functional life hack.
• 🧊 The life hack of making chocolate covered strawberries in an ice cube tray fails.
• 💝 Lime-A-Rita popsicles made in the same tray as the chocolate covered strawberries pass.
• ❓ Microwaving limes does not make them juicier.
• 🍦 Keeping ice cream in a zip lock bag does not keep it softer than without the bag.
• 🧻 Toilet paper rolls containing dryer lint make excellent kindling.

Questions & Answers

Q: Do cupcake sandwiches taste good when made according to the life hack?

Yes, according to John Green, making a cupcake sandwich is a solid life hack and the result is delicious.

Q: Does using a pizza cutter make slicing meats for omelettes easier?

Yes, John Green confirms that using a pizza cutter rather than a knife is indeed easier and a successful life hack.

Q: Do old eggs float while new eggs sink?

No, both old and new eggs sink, debunking the life hack that old eggs will float.

Q: Can you open a banana easily by starting from the bottom?

Yes, according to John Green, opening a banana from the bottom is the easy way to do it and this life hack is a pass.

Q: Does using a post-it note effectively clean a computer keyboard?

While it did remove some dirt, the post-it note cleaning hack for keyboards is only a marginal pass according to John Green.

Q: Does amplifying phone sound with college kid alcohol cups and a toilet paper roll work?

Yes, John Green confirms that this life hack is a success and significantly amplifies the sound from a phone.

Q: Can Legos be used as a stand for an iPhone?

Yes, Legos can be used as a stand for an iPhone and this life hack is a pass according to John Green.

Q: Does sticking a straw in a glass ketchup bottle speed up the flow?

While using a chili sauce instead of ketchup, sticking a straw in the bottle did speed up the flow slightly, making this a pass.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Green tests various life hacks, including making a cupcake sandwich (pass), making an ice cream sandwich (technically a pass, but easier to buy one), and opening a banana from the bottom (pass).

• He also tests other hacks such as removing seeds from a halved fruit (fail), using a pizza cutter to slice up meats (pass), and determining if old eggs float while new eggs sink (both sink).

• John also tries out hacks for dying eggs using Kool-Aid (pass), storing headphones in a whisk (double pass), cleaning a computer keyboard with a post-it note (marginal pass), and amplifying phone sound with household items (pass).