A dedicated tool created to cut through cardboard boxes, roughly $20-30. When you have gigantic boxes to break down, using a straightedge or knife isn't going to "cut" it. Saves a LOT of time for me as it's significantly faster to use. Using cooking vinegar in place of liquid softener in the clothes washer to remove moldy / gym sock smell from the drum and clothes. Only need to apply once every few washes and is less…
Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
231–240 of 428 posts
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#232A dedicated tool created to cut through cardboard boxes, roughly $20-30. When you have gigantic boxes to break down, using a straightedge or knife isn't going to "cut" it. Saves a LOT of time for me as it's significantly faster to use. Using cooking vinegar in place of liquid softener in the clothes washer to remove moldy / gym sock smell from the drum and clothes. Only need to apply once every few washes and is less…
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#233What a great question! * A very long USB-C cable from an Apple store. I get jealous looks when I break it out to charge my phone. * Scented candles from Aldi. It's such a quality of life boost to have the place smelling nice. They last ages and cost nothing. * A creme brulee hand blowtorch. Surprisingly useful! Excellent for lighting aforementioned candles instantly, without burning your knuckles. * A real P3 respira…
> A creme brulee hand blowtorch. Seconded. It's absurdly nice to have a focused torch when you need one. And most are refillable, making them better than most lighters.
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#234They are very comfortable and supporting shoes with metal studs so that you don’t slip on that black ice patch ever again.
Not exactly cheap but totally worth the price.
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#235Cheap Panasonic Ergofit earbuds. They fit my ears well and isolate me from a good bit of noise. With a Lightning adapter and some sleep sounds / music, they usually get me through any night noises. My Airpods Pro are much better for this but the battery can't get through the night.
I got a 45-watt Nekteck USB-C car charger which helps top off my laptops or iPad when I'm out roaming and working from different places. Had previously used an inverter and the normal charger but this is small and easy.
Little nondo USB-C to USB-A adapters. I'm up to either 6 or 8 of these now. It's just handy to keep them on USB-A devices and no noticeable 2.4GHz interference like other brands.
I got lucky on a $99 black friday deal on a Dell color laser a couple years ago. It's been almost perfect. No more dried out ink. We just finished the last original toner cartridge and can probably get 2+ years out of a $24 knockoff set and that's with a teacher and high schooler in the house.
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#236Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#237A bottle of isopropyl alcohol. I did not own any until I was well into adulthood, and am continually amazed by how well alcohol cleans almost everything. (Barkeeper's Friend and copper scrubbing pads are a close second, for kitchen cleaning duties.) For woodworking -- a pocket hole jig. Around $50, with only that, a drill, a saw, and (optionally) wood glue, you can make a ton of useful and sturdy stuff, with minimal…
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#238Eye Mask - I sleep so much better and longer with one on. I recommend one that doesn't sit on your eyes directly (has a bit of concavity).
I strongly recommend the Manta Sleep mask (no affiliation, just really like them). Adjustable non-contact eye cups, plus you can get different eye cup "mods" like cool (keep in freezer) or warm (microwave) cups that feel amazing. Amazon, or mantasleep.com.
The only nitpick is that if you're a side sleeper (I am) it can be a little uncomfortable depending on what kind of pillow you use. I use shredded memory foam pillows and they're pretty firm.
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#239App "Scanner Pro" - feels like a professional scanner, always available on the go and auto-uploads to GDrive. Use it extensively. Google Voice (until it stopped working well) - I could not have lived overseas for 3yrs w/o Google Voice. An absolute lifesaver while I was making 12-15 transnational trips a year doing both business and grad school at the same time. Google Fi would have been great, but the overall system…
Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?
#240Earlier quoted context omitted.
Brushing after breakfast, rather than before, is recommended for maximum cleanness. If you only brush once a day, brush last thing before bed.
I remember hearing a long time ago that brushing before eating is better. Sugar reacts with plaque to form acids and brushing temporarily removes plaque. So eating straight after brushing doesn't really do anything.
If you brush before eating, there will still be some plaque left and once you eat there should be copious amounts of sugar and food for it to snack on and quickly multiply + produce acid.