The next time you’re faced with a scattering of sequins or action figure accessories, try this vacuuming hack that makes picking up small items infinitely easier.

A Solution for Small Messes

This trick couldn’t be simpler and saves you a ton of time when you need to pick up small items quickly. First, grab a thin, stretchy sock or an old pair of pantyhose. Slide the sock over the vacuum hose and use your fingers to push the toe end into the opening, creating a pocket. A couple of inches of sock (the part that fits over your ankle) should remain on the outside of the hose, allowing you to secure it with a rubber band or hold it tightly with your fingers.

Turn the vacuum on and hover the hose over the small items to suck them into the sock’s pocket. When you’re done, flip the hose upright before turning off the machine to prevent anything from falling out. Remove the rubber band if necessary and carefully pull the sock out of the hose — the items should be contained inside it like a pouch, and you can return them to whatever container they came from.

This hack can be performed with any thin sock — a thicker one may not allow for adequate suction. Of course, the bigger the sock, the more things you can pick up, so we recommend using a crew sock over an ankle sock. If you’re dealing with a large mess, you might need to repeat the process a few times, filling up socks as you go. Hey, it’s still better than painstakingly picking up the items one by one.

It’s a Protect-Your-Back Hack

Even if you don’t have kids around, this hack effectively cleans up any small items you may have dropped (or maybe your pet knocked over), such as game pieces, coins, or medication. Not only does it save time, but you’ll protect your back from the strain of prolonged bending.

It’s also helpful if you’ve misplaced something, perhaps an earring back or a screw, and have a general idea of where it might be. You can safely vacuum that area, checking the sock periodically to see if you’ve collected it.

A Mildew-Fighting Hack

The mildew smell that often riddles towels can be hard to get rid of, so much so that you might consider throwing away the towel and starting fresh. Fortunately, that won’t be necessary, because there’s a simple and cost-effective laundry hack that requires only three ingredients — two of which you almost surely have at home.

The solution is straightforward: Run the towels through a hot-water rinse cycle with your regular detergent, adding one scoop of borax (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to the drum to enhance your machine’s cleaning power and fight odors.

Borax, aka sodium borate, is commonly used as a laundry booster and cleaning agent. You can purchase borax in powder or liquid form, but it’s usually sold as a powder for laundry purposes. Some detergents, such as Tide Free & Gentle and Persil Free & Sensitive, already contain sodium bicarbonate, as it contributes to their stain- and odor-fighting abilities. No matter which detergent you use, you can still benefit from an additional scoop of borax powder.

How To Prevent Smelly Towels

To prevent that mildew smell on your towels in the first place, consider using quick-drying or microfiber materials, or hanging them outside of the bathroom. When they’re hung in a well-ventilated area with low humidity, they have a better chance of drying thoroughly. However, laundering your towels regularly is the best preventative measure. You should wash your towels after three to five uses, or after each use if the mildew smell persists.

Summer is an especially important time to wash towels more frequently since humidity promotes mildew growth. A simple way to avoid smelly pool or beach towels is to lay them flat in the sun. The sunscreen smell is way more tolerable than mildew.