Life hack' videos are becoming popular. Their purpose is to offer smarter methods to do things around the house. More than a thousand hack videos are around on the Net. Bengalureans find the tips they give useful.
Ankita Kemkar, architect, has tried a couple of ideas. "These hacks are about organising things properly. I like to see everything in order."
A video about getting computer cables together and arranging them with the help of paper clips was one of the things she found useful.
Food hacks also interest Ankita. "I love the video about making hotdog spaghetti. One has to put sausages through the raw spaghetti and then cook. It is a quick meal in itself."
She has tried make-up hacks too. Her favourite: Using lipstick as a colour corrector. She looks out for: Instagram and YouTube for hack videos.
Sara Samuel, procurement officer at a retail company, loved the hack that taught her to separate an egg yolk from the white.
She says, "I have tried it at home. It took me some time to get it right but it was worth it." There is another hack that comes in useful when she is travelling. "I roll my clothes while packing. This gives me ample space to fit in a lot of clothes and bring back more things," she says.
End up spilling milk or pasta water while boiling? Pay attention. According to a video Sara saw, placing a wooden spoon at the centre of the vessel helps you avoid the mess.
Her favourite hack: Rolling up her clothes while packing.
She looks out for: Facebook pages - 'Tasty', 'Crafty' and '5-Minute Crafts'
Dashami Poonacha, pursuing a bachelor's course in speech and hearing, says hack videos break the monotony of how one looks at life. Her interest lies in watching food, craft and clothing hacks.
"Art and craft was always my fascination," she says. Dashami watches food hack videos almost every day.
"And I even try them at home. I have learnt to make cakes, pastries and puffs watching these videos," she explains. She likes how hack videos encourage her to reuse old things. She has created workout tops and scarves using old tethered T-shirts.
Dashami has also used her ideas to make pen stands and gifted them to her friends.
"I love doing these DIY crafts. I use milkshake bottles and paint them. They serve as excellent home decoration," she says. She plans to buy a glue gun, something hack videos show a lot.
Her favourite hack: Turning a whisk into a scalp massager.
She looks out for: Instagram pages 'So Yummy', 'Tip', 'Gobble Gram', 'Lifehack' and 'Feed Delicious'.