10 Original Home Hacks Only Filipinos Do

Whenever a problem needs to be solved in the home, Filipinos have a knack for addressing it in an ingenious – and oftentimes very resourceful – way. To be Filipino, after all, is to have diskarte.

We have come up with a list of some of the most common home hacks Filipinos do:

1. Hoard loads of condiments for future emergencies.

2. Stinky cabinets? Just get uling (coal) to absorb the odors from a week’s worth of leftover ulam.

3. Have a pair of pants that are too long? Use a stapler to shorten your pants’ hem.

4. Who needs mouse traps when you can employ your cat? Unless, of course, the feline does not know that it’s supposed to be one of Nature’s pest control.

5. Don’t have a decent pitcher to store water in the fridge? In the Philippines, our soda bottles simply evolve, just like Pokemon, once they are fully consumed and went through a good soapy rinse in the dishwasher.

6. Do not ever get your hopes up when you see one carrying a branded paper bag. EVER.

7. When it rains in the Philippines, it really does pour. Chuck your umbrella instead and make a waterproof raincoat out of trash bags.

8. Leftover rice and have a letter to mail? Mash a couple of cooked grains into a sticky ball and voila, emergency sticky tape!

9. Exact digital karma on your freeloading roommate by brushing the pesky stain off your beloved shoe with a little laundry detergent and the latter’s toothbrush.

10. Our old shirts may have holes in them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find them a new purpose.

Want to know more diskarte hacks? Check out these 7 money-saving tips we got from a popular finance expert here.