Paani
Tap aerator, cleaned not replaced
When the tap sputters, unscrew the mesh at the tip, soak it in vinegar for an hour, and brush it clean. Almost every tap declared broken by a household is actually just a blocked aerator.
Jugaads for “flow”
15 resultsPaani
Hear the tank overflow before it starts
Tie the overflow pipe so it discharges onto a steel sheet or an upturned bucket instead of straight down the wall. The clatter tells the whole house the motor needs switching off, and it costs nothing.
Ghar
Talcum powder into a squeaky floorboard
Work talcum powder into the joint of a squeaking wooden floorboard with a dry brush and sweep off the rest. It stops the two edges rubbing. Lasts a few months, then repeat.
Bijli
Keep the router off the floor
A router on the floor sprays half its signal into the slab below. Anything that gets it to chest height and out of a cupboard helps more than changing the plan.
Rasoi
Roast the atta for a nutty smell
Dry-roast wheat flour on a low flame for a few minutes before kneading if the atta smells flat. It also keeps a little longer in humid weather. Stop the moment it turns the colour of sand.
GharBalcony rope pulley for deliveries
A rope and a cloth bag lowered from the third-floor balcony collects milk, vegetables and post without four flights of stairs. Standard equipment in Kolkata and Mumbai chawls for decades.
PaaniWhistle in the overhead tank pipe
Fit a cheap plastic whistle into the tank's overflow pipe. The moment the tank fills, the escaping water blows the whistle and you hear it from inside the house. Saves hundreds of litres a month and no motor gets burnt.
Ghar
Turn the mattress every Diwali
Rotate the mattress end to end twice a year and pick a date you will actually remember. It stops the hollow forming where you sleep, and a mattress lasts years longer for two minutes of work.
Rasoi
Tea strainer as a tiny sieve
For sifting a small quantity of maida, cocoa or icing sugar, the tea chalni is the right size and already in the drawer. Tap the rim rather than pressing the powder through.
Rasoi
Steel glass as a cookie cutter
The rim of a steel glass cuts perfect rounds out of rolled dough, and the katori does bigger ones. Dip the rim in dry flour between cuts so the dough lets go cleanly.
Paisa
Refill, not repurchase
Handwash, detergent, floor cleaner and hair oil all sell refill pouches at a fraction of the bottled price. One bottle, refilled for years, is less money and much less plastic.
Rasoi
Keep coriander alive in a glass of water
Stand the dhaniya stems in a glass with an inch of water, like flowers, and put a loose cover over the leaves in the fridge. Ten days instead of three. Change the water when it clouds.
Paani
Drip catcher under the RO
Slide a shallow tray under the RO unit. A slow leak announces itself as a puddle in the tray weeks before it announces itself as a swollen cabinet floor.
Ghar
Doormat on both sides of the door
One mat outside catches the grit, one inside catches what the first one missed. Two cheap mats cut how often you mop more than any single expensive one.
GharChappal under the wobbly table leg
Fold a rubber slipper, cut it to thickness, wedge it under the short leg. It grips the floor better than folded paper and does not compress over time. The most-deployed jugaad in India.
That is all 15 of them. बस, इतना ही।