Lifehacker

Allergies are, quite literally, irritating. They turn what’s supposed to be your serene outdoor space into a sneeze-inducing hellscape. In the United States, approximately 19.2 million adults and 5.2 million children have allergic rhinitis—better known as hay fever, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of…Read more...

Unless your job involves a lot of shipping, it can be hard to know which service best suits your needs—and your budget. Maybe UPS is cheaper in some parts of the country than others for the type of package you need to send. Or perhaps FedEx has better rates on overnight shipping to your destination.

Now that we’re out and about again, we may be spending less time on home improvement projects—especially compared to the past year-and-a-half. Being stuck at home all the time with very few socialization options gave us the time to devote to our living spaces, and get some of those tasks that had been hanging over our…Read more...

Different pots have different uses for your home plants and planters. Plants behave differently in plastic containers than they do in glazed ceramic pots, and each pot has its own set of care instructions. So what is the difference between these various pots and planters? It comes down to breathability and moisture…Read more...

You probably know what it’s like to have a bad boss. You might even know what it’s like to be one. Certainly at work (and if life) nobody likes a micromanager, but a boss who can’t be bothered to actually lead the team or check-in with their direct reports is just as bad.

The point of lifting weights is to challenge your body, such that your body rises to the challenge by building muscle. The more you lift, the stronger you get. And yet, too many people get talked out of ever putting some fucking weight on the bar.Read more...

Not many people first think of the United States when it comes to planning a relaxing island getaway—the thought of an island vacation might instead conjure images of a tropical beach in the Caribbean or the south of France. That’s fair; but there are several island destinations right here in the United States worth…Read more...

A couple of weeks ago, I picked a flat of Hood strawberries. Hoods are sweet, delicate, and prone to going bad before you can process them all. So I utilized my usual strategy of drinking through my berry haul.Read more...

Where do you go to find surprising true facts from history, backed up by solid sources and told with nuance? You may be shocked to hear the answer is: Reddit. The sub called r/AskHistorians specializes in exactly this, with experts writing in-depth answers to questions about any area of history.Read more...

There are few things more disappointing in the height of summer than pulling a lukewarm beer or spoiled food out of your cooler. Truly keeping food and beverages cold in very hot weather may seem like an impossible task, but it can be done if you pack your cooler strategically. Here’s how to do it.

This past spring, I set out to design and maintain a sustainable garden in my backyard—and a big part of that project has involved using chickens to fertilize my soil and help process my compost pile. All of their pecking, scratching, and depleting the backyard of its resources can be redirected and contained to one…Read more...

If I had to pick a favorite BBQ appetizer, it would probably be deviled eggs. They are savory, the perfect size, and have a decidedly retro feel that I find incredibly charming. They’re also an incredibly easy dish, but one that is riddled with pitfalls, especially if you’ve never been “in charge” of the deviled eggs…Read more...

Apple’s Safari browser will get a visual overhaul as part of the upcoming macOS 12 Monterey update launching later this year, and there are a couple of ways to try out the new browser ahead of the macOS 12 update, including a way to get it now on macOS 11.

After a breakup, you might find yourself compelled to look at your ex’s Instagram (or Facebook or Venmo or LinkedIn…). Ideally, you’ll see them doing badly and you might feel victorious, although you know that’s not true: Most people don’t post their low moments online.Read more...

This week covers the whole spectrum of kid-internet-culture, from Britney Spears stuck in a conservatorship, to a movie about family stuck next to the ultimate Karen, to a TikTok lady who got stuck in her own chair. Let’s dive in—here’s what you need to know.

With all of the celestial events coming this summer, we can safely rebrand the next few months Big Planet Season. All of this year’s supermoons have come and gone, but the cosmic gifts dotting the calendar are a bit more mysterious and striking than the moon: Some of the solar system’s biggest and most distant planets…Read more...

It takes a rare sort of artistic genius to create a masterpiece on your first try. Whatever type of art we’re talking about, there is of course nothing wrong with fumbling around in the dark in search of greatness. Certainly the cinema is no different—the careers of many of history’s most revered film directors…Read more...

There has been a lot of talk about the healing power of nature—between forest bathing, fresh air, and all kinds of “wellness” retreats—but people with hay fever may have a slightly different take on the great outdoors. Namely: It can be difficult to really appreciate nature when so much of it makes your eyes water…Read more...

Snapchat users have bombarded with repeated, unexpected two-factor authentication (2FA) text messages this week, but it’s unclear whether the cause is due to a glitch on Snapchat’s end, or due to hackers attempting to break into unsecured Snapchat accounts en masse. Either way, it’s not a bad idea to update your…Read more...

Not all advice need be professional. Sometimes your problems merit a bit of unvarnished honesty from a dude equipped with nothing more than a computer and a conscience. Luckily for you, I’m that guy. Welcome back to Tough Love. (If you’d like to seek my advice, email me at sblum@lifehacker.com)

Homes built before the 1960s had different electrical regulations than we do now—including the fact that two-prong outlets were standard, rather than the average three-prong ones we typically see today. The third hole in our outlets basically helps protect against electrical surges and shock, and while two-pronged…Read more...

Summer 2021 is shaping up to be a lot better than summer 2020, vaccines be praised (yay science!), but you’ll be forgiven if you’re not ready to head back to theaters to catch a splashy summer blockbuster. Speaking of which, they’re in short supply anyway—outside of a few delayed tentpoles from last year (including …Read more...

A thing that’s not fun to do when you’re a parent is take your young children to the pediatrician’s office. There are endless reasons why the doctor’s office isn’t fun—it means your kid is hurt, sick, or has some freaky-looking rash; it’s an annual check-up, which might mean shots are in their future; your kid will…Read more...

Between vegans and people with egg allergies, chicken eggs aren’t an option for everyone, and that’s where plant-based egg products comes in. But if you happen to have some in your fridge, it’s a good idea to check the label, because there’s been a large voluntary recall of foods made with the vegan egg-flavored…Read more...

Cooking croutons in your air fryer is kind of a no-brainer, although I don’t know that we can fairly call it “cooking.” “Aggressively toasting” is probably the most accurate description, though “making” also works. Whichever verb you use to describe the process of turning bread into croutons, you should use the air…Read more...

With the news that Britney Spears’s conservatorship team refused to allow her to get her IUD removed, several people have pointed out that it’s possible to remove your own IUD—you just grab the strings and pull. If this sounds like a tempting option for the rest of us, you should know that doctors say it’s safest to…Read more...

A presumptuous houseguest is a houseguest that is unlikely to be invited back. No one wants the type of guest who assumes they have free rein to use appliances and household wares without limits. Sure, everyone needs access to certain amenities in the home, but you can be a better guest by bringing a few of these…Read more...

Everyone loves to joke that time is a flat circle, but rebooting a circa mid-aughts show about the decadent lives of ultra-wealthy Manhattan prep school kids while the nation is still entrenched in another fiscal crisis (if one of a very different sort than the 2008 crash) is a bit... on the nose, shall we say.

“Leaves of three, let it be” is a classic rhyme about poison ivy, and it’s accurate: The plant’s triple leaflets are a reliable characteristic. But if you want to know more about this itch-inducing plant, you need to learn a few more things.Read more...

Bidets have long been a common bathroom fixture in many parts of the world, but they finally found their moment to shine in the United States at the start of the pandemic, when toilet paper was hard to come by. We’ve already talked about the benefits of a bidet and how to use the different styles, but what about…Read more...

Fruit liqueurs don’t have the best reputation. As with flavored vodkas, most options available for purchase taste cloying and artificial. But homemade fruit liqueur can be a wondrous thing—all you need is fruit, vodka, and simple syrup.Read more...

Google is testing a new feature for Chrome on iPhone and iPad that lets you lock incognito tabs with facial ID when they’re left open in the background. (Unfortunately, the feature is not available on Android—at least not yet).

If you’re an iOS user, you no longer have to go through the tedious process of taking a screenshot of a tweet in your Twitter app, switching over to Instagram, and uploading them separately to your Instagram Stories. Twitter now lets you do this directly with its new Instagram Stories share option.

Some things make it into the washer and never make it out, and it can feel like house elves are stealing your things when you swore you put an even number of socks in the machine, only to be left with an odd number. The truth is, your washer really does eat your clothes sometimes. The washer housing might be holding…Read more...

As part of its sweeping product update last month, Airbnb announced a change to its cancelation policy. The change, which was partly inspired by industry-wide ripple effects wrought by the pandemic, intends to make cancelations more flexible for both hosts and guests.

Yesterday the IRS launched a new portal to help you manage advance payments on the recently expanded Child Tax Credit, worth up to $3,600 per child. The tax credit is complicated—as it’s based on your estimated income for 2021—so you’ll want to use the portal to update your income and child dependent status (or opt…Read more...

One benefit of an Amazon smart speaker is that anyone can ask Alexa to play music, or set a timer, or perform any number of basic functions—regardless of whose Amazon account was used to set up the device.

The public beta for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 starts sometime in July, but users can get their hands on Apple’s new mobile operating systems even earlier by installing the developer builds. These versions are less stable than the eventual public beta, and there are several requirements you’ll need to meet, but it’s the…Read more...

Plant-based protein powders are hugely popular right now, and not just among vegans. Whey protein can be hard to digest, which means even omnivores may prefer to supplement their diets with vegan protein.Read more...

I don’t trust people who claim to not like pasta salad. Pasta is good, and so is mayonnaise. Often there are other ingredients involved that are not pasta or mayonnaise, and they are also good. Sometimes it’s just too hot to eat a steaming bowl of spaghetti, but what am I going to do? Stop eating pasta from the end of…Read more...

Do you know how to clean your blinds? Or do you just leave them until they’re so coated in filth that you have to throw them out and buy new window treatments? That’s gross, don’t do that.

Exercising in the morning can make you feel great for the rest of the day, and we have tips on how to motivate yourself to want to exercise in the morning. But then you have to deal with the practical obstacles: Do you go straight from the gym to the office? What do you do with your stinky clothes, and how do you pack…Read more...

It can be hard to find good plants for the low-light, high-humidity climate of your bathroom, but it’s worth the search. Plants and flowers look great everywhere, including—or maybe especially—in bathrooms, and ones that originate in the tropics, like philodendron and ficus plants, love hot and humid weather. Here’s…Read more...

As a child of the 1980s, I was obsessed with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe—I have a vivid memory of being three years old and arguing with my mom about whether or not Eternia’s greatest hero wore pajamas to bed (luckily the dude did wear a diaper).

There’s a certain type of person in the workplace who often carries a loathsome reputation: the colleague who succeeds in big ways despite not being all that good at their job. These people have “failed upwards,” meaning they’ve attained undue success, sometimes from sheer luck, or maybe thanks to a savvy networking…Read more...

A brand new, tiny little being shouldn’t come with so much stuff. But when a baby moves into your home, they bring with them a crib, stroller, car seat, bath tub, breast pump, bottles, playpen, clothing, and on and on. And each one of those comes with a cost that can really add up over time.Read more...

If student loans have held you back from getting a FHA mortgage, there’s some good news: the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is relaxing the rules on how it assesses student loan debt, which will increase your chances of qualifying for a loan if you’re on a repayment plan.

Whether you’re making meatballs, meatloaf, or some other food that requires seasoning a mass of raw ground meat, it can be hard to predict the flavor outcome, especially if you’re working with a new recipe, a vague recipe, or a recipe that you developed all by yourself.Read more...

It can be difficult to work in silence, but finding music that won’t distract you from high-concentration tasks—like writing—is also a challenge. But it turns out that video game tunes could be the perfect background music when you need to focus. No, seriously.

The virus that causes COVID-19 has been a successful one from an evolutionary perspective, getting to see the world and expanding its little family tree. (Its been successful from its point of view; not so much from ours.) This means that variants of the virus have popped up in several different locations, and some…Read more...