Hey ya’ll! Today I want to share with you mom hacks that are actually useful! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of mom hacks out there. So, today I am going to narrow it down for you and share some of my favorites. Which I personally use!
We have all heard the saying “work smarter, not harder”. And I am all for that! Mom’s have a million jobs on their plate everyday and they seem never ending, so there is no reason to make them harder than they need to be!
MOM HACKS for home
1. SMALL FOOD CONTAINERS WITH LIDS
So, I thought I’d start off with my FAVORITE mom hack. And probably the one I use most often! My favorite food containers are these mini ones from Dollar Tree. You get 10 for $1.
These amazing little containers have many uses. I personally use them for hair rubber bands and bobby pins. They are also fantastic at keeping colored beads for crafts separated, as well as storing twisters. Along with office supplies like, paper clips, rubber bands, and erasers.
They are also handy for their intended purpose- food! I use them to pack nuts or dried fruit in my kids lunchboxes. Or even some ranch to dip their carrots in!
These “must- haves” have endless uses! They come in handy for just about anything in every room!
2. Mesh garment bag for reusable face masks
Do you or anyone in your family use reusable masks? Then this hack is for you!
When I bought my first reusable mask I was excited that I had found a way to save money. But I was quickly deflated when I read “Hand Wash Only”. What mom has the time to hand wash multiple small clothing items a week? (NOT ME!) So, I decided to wash them on gentle cycle and air dry…it worked! However, they were quite the tangled mess. Then it dawned on me to use my mesh garment bag.
The garment bag gives the masks room to move and get clean. (As long as you don’t stuff it full.) And it keeps them from entangling themselves with shirts and pants!
3. A CLEANER WAY TO STORE TOOTHBRUSHES
I never gave much thought to leaving my toothbrush out on the counter (in a toothbrush holder of course) until I had kids! Then I realized how many germs float around and/or get flung all over the counter. Plus toothbrush holders are generally made for only 4 people. But when you have 5 people sharing a bathroom you have to get creative.
So, I started placing each toothbrush in a plastic travel toothbrush case and storing them in a drawer. This is MUCH cleaner, sanitary, and organized! Then when the holder starts getting icky, simply wash them with dish soap.
4. Hang hats on the back of the door
Ball caps are very popular in our house. My husband has at least 20 and now has our kids collecting them as well.
I have tried storing them in boxes or stacking them on shelves. However, they always ended up in a heap on the floor when a particular one was being searched for.
I found the perfect solution to keeping everyones favorite hats organized!
Simply add Command Hooks to the back of a door. Ours is on the back of the hall closet door, but you can add them to the bedroom door as well!
5. indoor clothes line that doesn’t waste space
I love air drying certain clothes. You have that cotton shirt that fits just right and you don’t want to take the chance of it shrinking in the dryer. However, the weather doesn’t always cooperate for putting clothes on the line. So, I decide to make an indoor clothes line that only takes up wall space…floor/walking space is not interrupted at all!
Check out my DIY Indoor Clothes Line here!
mom hacks specifically for kids
6. Utensil caddy for art supplies
My kids love art, especially my daughter. So, awhile back I looked for a way to organize the multitude of colored pencils, crayons, and stamps.
Plastic boxes filled too quickly and wouldn’t close. A small tote made a particular item hard to find, which resulted in them being dumped out everywhere. Then I found a utensil caddy that organized everything perfectly! There was enough space and compartments to keep all of the art supplies handy and visible.
To see how I created my kids an Art Station click here.
7. Clear storage bins for toys
If your kiddos are too young to read labels a GREAT solution is using clear storage bins! That way they can easily find what they are looking for without dumping it all out. However, if you already have solid colored storage bins and prefer to not buy anymore here’s another tip…add a sticker of the item that’s inside of the tote on the front of the bin! (eg.- a truck sticker on the toy truck bin/ a sticker of a cape or crown on the dress up bin.)
P.S.- I also used the sticker trick on my kids floor seats, or any identical chair we owned so I knew which chair belonged to which twin. My son was a little bigger than my daughter, so this prevented me from having to adjust the straps every time I sat them in a seat.
8. Use bed comforter bags for storage (mom hacks with multi purposes)
When we moved my twins into toddler beds we went on a shopping spree for comforter sets. Most comforters come in plastic zippered bags and these ones seemed too nice to throw away. There had to be something I could use them for!
I currently use them to store their endless amount of puzzles! I put each individual puzzle in a ziplock bag, with a cutout of the puzzle picture and store them all in the comforter bag. This prevents puzzle pieces from falling out into the drawer and helps the kids know who’s puzzles are who’s! However, you can use them to store shoes under the bed, pillows or blankets, seasonal clothing, or even craft supplies!
9. POPSICLE DRIP CATCHER
I am not entirely sure where I saw this hack, I have been using it for YEARS (I am sorry for not being able to give credit to whomever credit is due!). But using a cupcake liner to catch the quickly melting popsicle drips is GENIUS!! It saves your kiddos from having sticky fingers and stained shirts. Which means less mess for mom or dad later!
Instructions:
Poke a hole or cut a small slit in the bottom of the cupcake liner and slide the popsicle stick through! (Be sure the sides of the liner is facing up.)
Mom hacks for on the go
10. Collapsible bin for toys in the car
We have a third row seat SUV and two of our kids like to sit in that third row. And one of them happens to be our youngest (he’s a toddler).
Before he switched to a booster seat he couldn’t lean up far enough to reach the seat in front of him. Which made a backseat hanging organizer for his toys useless. He also couldn’t fit very many items, especially a book, in his cup holder/cubby.
So, I turned to another one of my favorite storage options- a collapsible fabric bin. I placed it on the seat between both kids. This keeps the toys and books in one place and within arms reach. Along with preventing a mess on the floor!
11. ON THE GO ENTERTAINMENT FOR KIDS
Do you ever have last minute plans and no time to pack “entertainment” for the kids? This hack has been a lifesaver for me! DIY Art Packets are easy to make and don’t take up a ton of space. However, they do require a little preplanning like, make them now so you have them for later. But they are well worth the extra effort!
Everything you need is wrapped up in a construction paper envelope and fits nicely in your purse!
12. Real life “mom” hacks for PACKing CLOTHES when TRAVELING (OR THE DIAPER BAG)
In case you didn’t know, I have a set of twins. Which means double of EVERYTHING at home and traveling! My diaper bag would be loaded down with extra clothes, because we all know how messy babies can be. But I was quickly running out of space as they got older and their clothing got bigger. So, to save space I would generally roll each clothing item or lay as flat as possible and put inside of a ziplock bag.
I have recently noticed that there are a lot of tutorials for “better packing techniques” but my mom actually used the “rolling technique” for as long as I can remember! She said it saved space and kept clothes from getting wrinkled. (Which is totally true by the way.) It is my go-to when I need to cram a lot of clothes in a little bag!
I hope these “mom hacks” have been helpful! We all know how valuable our time is, no need to spend it doing unnecessary steps or tasks!
Let me know if you tried any of these and how it worked out! Also, feel free to share some of your favorite hacks- I’m all about saving time!