Rasoi
Rolling pin as a pav bhaji masher
No masher at home? The flat end of a belan, pressed straight down, does an honest job on boiled potatoes and bhaji. Slower than a masher, better than a fork.
Jugaads for “tool”
13 results
GharRubber band on a stripped screw
Screw head gone round and the screwdriver just spins? Lay a wide rubber band flat over the head, press the screwdriver into it hard, and turn slowly. The rubber fills the chewed grooves and gives the bit something to bite.
Bijli
Charger ki taar tootne se pehle spring
Purane pen ki spring nikaal ke charger ki gardan par chadha do. Wahi jagah sabse pehle tootti hai — spring mudne nahi deti.
Ghar
Deewar par nail hole? Toothpaste
Safed toothpaste hole mein bharo, finger se seedha karo, sookhne do. Safed deewar par bilkul nahi dikhta. Rangeen deewar par pehle kone mein try karna.
Ghar
Old toothbrush for tap and tile joints
Keep one retired toothbrush per bathroom. Nothing else reaches the ring where the tap meets the basin or the grout between tiles. Mark it so it never goes back near a mouth.
Ghar
Toothpaste on a scratched screen? No — use it on the wall
White toothpaste on a dry cloth lifts pencil, crayon and scuff marks off a painted wall without taking the paint with it. Test one corner first on a dark wall. It does not fix scratched screens, whatever the internet says.
GharToothpaste over a nail hole
Moving out and the wall has picture nails all over it? White toothpaste, pressed in with a finger and wiped flat, fills small holes convincingly on white walls. Let it dry fully before the landlord walks in.
Bijli
Torch through a water-filled bottle for the whole room
Any torch pressed against the side of a filled transparent bottle turns a beam into a lamp. Works with the emergency light too, when its own diffuser has yellowed.
Rasoi
Save the aloo, add raw potato to salty curry
Over-salted the sabzi? Drop in two thick raw potato slices and simmer ten minutes, then remove them. They pull out a surprising amount of salt. A spoon of curd or besan works on gravies too.
Ghar
Bathroom ki tiles par baking soda
Baking soda aur sirke ka paste tiles ke joint par lagao, das minute chhodo, purane toothbrush se ragdo. Bazaar ke cleaner se sasta aur utna hi asardaar.
Bijli
Phone charging slowly? Clean the port
Years of pocket lint pack into the charging port and stop the cable seating fully. Switch the phone off and pick it out gently with a wooden toothpick. Never metal — you will short the contacts.
Rasoi
Onion in the fridge, not on the counter
Fifteen minutes in the fridge before cutting and the onion barely makes you cry — cold slows down the compound that stings. Keeps the pieces firmer too.
Rasoi
Curd sets faster in a warm vessel
In winter, rinse the setting vessel with hot water first and wrap it in a towel inside a closed casserole. Milk that took all night sets in five hours. Do not disturb it while it sets — a shaken pot gives you watery dahi.
That is all 13 of them. बस, इतना ही।