- A hole in your sole
Temporarily fix shoe soles using gaffer tape; the backing is waterproof, so your repair might hold up through a couple of downpours. If a broken shoelace is slowing you down, cut off a strip of tape that’s about as long as your lace, roll it tightly (lengthways) with the sticky side in and thread your new ‘lace’ through the holes.
- Tape a broken car hose
You can use gaffer tape to fix petrol-powered locomotion, too: tear off a strip to make a quick repair to your car’s broken water hose — but don’t rely on your handiwork to get you any further than the nearest garage.
- Damp umbrella holders
Hate carrying around a wet umbrella? Make sure that you always have a plastic supermarket bag with you; simply stuff the closed umbrella into the bag, roll it tightly like a sausage, then stow it in your bag or pocket.
- Plastic bag ‘galoshes’
Rain can really dampen your enthusiasm for walking or hiking — but you needn’t let bad weather get in the way of your fun. After pulling on your boots, wrap each foot in a sturdy plastic bag. Your feet are more likely to stay dry and you can put your wet footwear into one of the bags when it’s time to pack and move on.
- Wick water from wet shoes
To speed up air-drying, stuff water-soaked shoes and boots with crumpled newspaper to wick out the moisture. Speed the drying by placing shoes or boots on their sides, turning over from time to time and replacing damp newspaper.
- Freshen car air
When the air in your car is getting a bit stale, and one of those scented cardboard shapes dangling from the rear-view mirror isn’t what you have in mind as a solution, plan ahead and bring a plastic bag filled with cotton wool balls soaked in pure vanilla extract, tea-tree oil or eucalyptus oil. Take out a couple, put them in the car’s ashtray or cup holder and enjoy a natural scent that’s far subtler than most overly perfumed commercial products.
Credit: Reader’s Digest
Picture Credit: Google
