30 People Expose Life Hacks That Just Don’t Work

Think all life hacks help? Some might just make life harder—or riskier!

Damjan

• Published in Community
• October 31, 2024

Life hacks are everywhere, offering quick solutions for everything from cleaning to cooking to organizing. A simple search for “best life hacks” brings up endless lists of tips and tricks, promising to make daily life a breeze.

While some hacks can be handy, not all live up to the hype. A few so-called “life savers” may even have the opposite effect, creating more hassle than they’re worth—or worse, posing risks to health and safety.

Identifying which hacks work and which ones to avoid can save you time, energy, and money. But not everyone takes the time to separate facts from fads.

A thought-provoking Reddit thread once asked users to share “commonly recommended life hacks that are wrong or bad.” The answers shed light on many popular hacks that don’t perform as promised or may even be harmful when tested.

For instance, some kitchen hacks encourage shortcuts that can affect food quality or safety, while others in health and fitness have little scientific backing. What seems like a clever trick could be wasted effort or worse.

Here, we’ll look at some of these overhyped hacks and why they may not be worth the trouble. Before you dive into the next “game-changing” tip, it might be worth considering if the advice holds up in real life.

Can hacks really help you live happily?

Don’t quit.

"Don’t quit, keep pushing no matter what. Sometimes in life you need to understand when to throw in the towel and walk away."

Coworkers are not friends.

"I always see people on reddit say that coworkers are not friends and to not develop friendships with them. Why? That's literally the worst advice I've seen parrotted here. Like don't be a degenerate in front of them but developing friendly relationships with the people you see for a 1/4 of your life is normal and not problematic."

A walk or working out to combat depression.

"When people suggest going for a walk or working out to combat depression because “you don’t NEED medication, you just need to clear your head. Depression and anxiety are all in your head.”B***h, no s**t it’s in my head. That’s why I take brain medicine."

"Opening bananas wrong."

"That b******t one about how we've all been "opening bananas wrong" because we don't do it upside down like chimps. It literally doesn't f*****g matter. The banana opens easily the way I do it and I'm going to keep doing it that way."

"Cleanse" diet.

"Any kind of "cleanse" diet or item. Your body already does that. Colonics, shakes, fasts, etc don't "cleanse" anything better than what your actual biology can do."

No Pain - No Gain.

"Pain is the body's way of telling you that you are damaged."

Sleeping less for success.

"The 'just sleep less' advice to be more productive is terrible. Lack of sleep affects health and focus, making you less efficient in the long run."

"Leave out of your comfort zone".

"Repeating constantly "Leave out of your comfort zone". Not everyone wants to leave it and some people work very hard to have a safe space and comfort.Some people just want to settle and it's fair."

Wake up at 5 AM.

"Just wake up at 5 AM and your life will be fixed!" Nah, I’ve tried it, and all I got was more tired and cranky 😂"

Do not put your toaster sideways.

"Do not put your toaster sideways to make cheese toast as some lifehacks suggest. It is a fire hazard."

Multitasking makes you more productive.

"Actually, multitasking tends to make you worse at everything you’re trying to do. You end up scattered, doing a mediocre job on each thing instead of really focusing and excelling at one task. If you need to get stuff done, block out distractions and tackle things one at a time."

A small balance on your credit card to build credit.

"Always carry a small balance on your credit card to build credit. No. Paying off your debts consistently builds credit."

If you are lost in an unfamiliar location...

"I saw one the other day that said if you are lost in an unfamiliar location needing rescue and your battery is about to die, change your voicemail to include your approximate location. Then people who call will be able to determine where you are after listening to the voicemail. Things that are very wrong with this advice:

* Many people can go days without getting a phone call.

* It you don’t answer the phone, most people probably won’t listen to the voicemail greeting.

What you should do, if possible, is send one of your contacts your approximate location. GPS coordinates work. And always call 911."

Lemon Water for Detox.

''Drinking Lemon Water for Detox. While lemon water can be refreshing, the body already has efficient detoxification systems (like the liver)."

Food hack.

"Any food hack that wants you to get sugar boiling hot and then spin it with a whisk in the air to make strings or says it'll turn into fairy floss or some such.

You will burn yourself, and getting it off your skin is difficult because it's sugar. And they always aim it at gd teenagers.

Howtocookthat on youtube has a lot of the food related ones and explains why they're dangerous or don't work."

"Putting your phone in rice."

"Dressing like security or maintenance to gain access to restricted areas of events and venues. This could endanger the safety of others if an actual emergency occurred."

To "do it anyway" or "do it scared".

"Sometimes you do need to get yourself together/calm down before you do something. Like driving."

Bicarb soda down a drain will unblock it.

"That putting bicarb soda down your drain will unblock it. It doesn't do s**t. Source: I'm a plumber and I'll charge you more as it makes it harder to clear the waste or drain."

Cod liver oil to induce labour.

"Drinking cod liver oil to induce labour is never a good idea. It can make the baby poop inutero. 'I did it and it worked for me.' Good for you. You are lucky. A percentage of babies aren't so lucky and they inhale the poop and get very sick or worse."

Asking for an itemized receipt.

"The advice I see on Reddit about asking for an itemized receipt is incomplete.

Asking for an itemized receipt does not automatically drop the total cost. Instead, asking for an itemized receipt allows you to identify line items that don't make sense, don't apply to you, or weren't rendered.

For instance, I was charged a materials delivery fee as part of a home renovation project, even though I transported all the materials to my home myself. Since the service was not rendered, I got that cost stricken from my total, but I had to first identify it manually and draw attention to it--it didn't just automatically go away when I asked for the itemized receipt."

"Vinegar and baking soda is not a cleanser."

"Freeze a wet sponge for an ice pack that won't drip."

"The whole "freeze a wet sponge for an ice pack that won't drip" is wrong on every level. If the sponge is saturated, it will absolutely drip as it melts. If it was only damp, it won't drip so much, but it also won't have much thermal mass and thus won't delivery much cold. Either way, it will be a stiff rectangle that won't conform to the body part you need chilled. So many things make much better ice packs, including the classic of ice cubes in a plastic bag."

The harder the mattress, the better.

"I used to sell mattresses and commonly had customers who believed that the harder their mattress, the better it was for them.

Untrue. If you lay down and you're comfortable, then it's a good mattress. You don't need to sleep on a slab of stone for health benefits.

Also, it's a pain, but turning your mattress every now and them is good for it's long term health."

Freezing hard drives.

'Freezing hard drives: Risky. Better to use professional services. Lemon juice as sunscreen: Bad idea. Use real sunscreen. Coffee to sober up: Just a myth. Only time works."

"Using Dawn dish soap on kittens to kill fleas. It doesn’t work. It’s a hoax. Even Dawn said it doesn’t kill fleas."

The most effective cleaner.

"Mix vinegar and bicarb in a spray bottle for the most effective cleaner - enjoy cleaning with salt water. The effective part is the reaction of mixing the two, not the resultant solution."

"The saying "it will come when you least expect it" means that you have to look and fight for what you want."

It's ok to wipe your eye glasses with your shirt.

"TP or paper towels. No that s**t can still scratch the lenses and you should use the cloth that came with your glasses instead."

Stop applying lemon on your face!

"Stop applying lemon on your face thinking its gonna heal your acne and pigmentation! and for gods sake putting random food in your hair!! It's better to just eat that food instead."

Life hacks are meant to make life easier, but not all of them work as well as they claim. Some might be harmless but don’t help, while others could be risky. Trying these quick fixes is tempting, but it’s usually wiser to be careful.

The best approach is to examine each tip closely, especially if it involves your health or safety. Stick with hacks that come from trustworthy sources and skip the ones that seem questionable. This way, you’ll avoid unnecessary problems and find tips that make a positive difference.

Damjan