Have you ever tried to brush your car headlights with toothpaste? Trust us — it works better than any professional cleaner you can buy in the shops. Some things have more than one everyday function, and life can be made so much easier in unexpected ways if you think outside of the box.

We collected a few simple hacks that fit into this category perfectly.

You can store as well as transport a pair of shoes very easily using a shower cap.

A magnet will help you keep all your small metallic things in one place.

You can easily open a tight jar cover with a tablespoon.

If you need to carry stale clothes in your suitcase, use a bar of soap to get rid of the unpleasant smell.

To easily find the end of sticky tape, just stick a paper clip on it.

An egg carton can become a great home for Christmas toys when they’re not hanging on the tree.

You can easily do a French manicure using a rubber band.

Use a file holder to store cans and save space in the kitchen.

To quickly sharpen your scissors, make a few cuts in some aluminium foil.

You can shine your car headlights with toothpaste.

Use towel hooks to fix your tablet on the wall. Now you can wash the dishes and watch your favorite shows at the same time!

Cut off the top of a package and use it to tie the remainder together to keep it closed.

An ordinary cheese grater is a great solution for storing jewelry.

You can remove small stains from suede shoes using a simple nail file.

Use aluminum foil to cover things while painting, and also to clean glassware.

Use a pencil as a stylus

The pencil ’lead’ is made mostly of conductive graphite and therefore can conduct the small amounts of electricity required to activate the capacitive sensors in the touch screen. When you place your finger in the groove you made, the electricity from your body is conducted through the exposed graphite and activates the touch screen.

 So if you’re still not convinced or if you’re having trouble getting it to work, take these points into consideration:

• Make sure the pencil is free from oil. There may be a thin layer of glue on the lead that prevents contact, so just scribble on a piece of paper to get rid of that.
• Make sure your pencil is made from graphite and not another composite or recycled materials (green/eco pencils)
• Make the groove closer to the tip to improve contact.