Category: Life Hack

Cat bowls

On By CarynIn Life Hack
Sophie enjoying dinner from a salsa bowl

I thought today I would share my cat bowl hack. Our grocery store carries plastic salsa bowls for $1 each (this may be a southern thing). These make awesome cat food bowls because the feet raise up the food a little for the cats, they are dishwasher safe, and if they drop, they don’t shatter. They are heavier than regular plastic bowls, so don’t move as much as the cats lick the last bits from the bottom. And the cats love them. So much so that Izzy (the inside calico), refuses to eat from the other bowls we have.

DIY bathtub drying rack

On By CarynIn Life Hack

I needed a flat space to dry wet items, so I made this drying rack that sits on top of the bathtub. When I’m not using it, it can be disassembled and stored!

Bathtub drying rack

I purchased 1/2 inch PVC pipe and four 90 degree elbows (always make sure all your elbows fit your tubing before purchasing!) I measured the clear area on the tub and cut lengths of pipe to fit. My area was 41×30, and my PVC elbows were 1.5 inches, so I cut two pipes at 38 inches (41-3), and two at 27 inches (30-3). I used a compound miter saw, but PVC cuts easily with hand saws as well. I assembled the frame with the PVC elbows. I did NOT use glue.

I had some nylon mesh in my fabric stash, and sewed a long, wide tube out of the fabric as wide as the PVC frame, then slipped the tube over the frame. If you have a mesh laundry bag, you could make the frame to fit the laundry bag for a similar effect.

Drying rack with shirt

Mind the gap

On By CarynIn Life Hack

at the top of the bottles before you freeze them.

Water in jugs and bottles with a good air gap

Two of my water jugs developed leaks because the expansion of the ice popped the seams on the bottom. I learned the hard way to leave a sufficient air gap when filling them with water so the ice has room to expand. So I am now doing an experiment with different plastic drinking bottles to see which ones hold up to freezing. (It just happened that I am out of water jugs, and I had a variety of plastic bottles in the car. This is not really a planned experiment, but we will make the most of what we have.)

I like freezing the gallon jugs because the ice lasts a long time, even in the Texas heat. The smaller drinking bottles won’t be frozen as long, but they will last longer than regular sized ice cubes.

Another use of the red Solo cup

On By CarynIn Life Hack
Red Solo cup chick grit holder

It is not sophisticated, but it works. I cut off the bottom two inches or so of a red Solo cup, punched two holes with a paper punch, and used poly twine to tie it to the leg of the work bench. It works.

When I find the right fancy bottle (ok, when I empty the right fancy bottle), I’ll try making a grit dispenser like Lisa’s, but until then, this works.