I wish I'd thought of that, or real-life cheat codes

Happy Friday (look at me, posting on time for once!)

Everyone's got them. From adding a pinch of dry mustard to vinaigrette in order to make it emulsify better to putting chapstick on your feet where sandal straps rub, the world is full of small but significant tips that make life easier. Once you've learned them, you forget that you ever didn't know them: I was amazed the first time someone pointed out to me that if you click on the top-left-hand corner of an Excel spreadsheet, it will highlight the whole sheet the way ctrl-A highlights a whole frame or page, and now I can't imagine not using that little feature every day.

Some of mine (and some of these I only discovered recently, although a lot of people probably knew them already) include:

--On a Mac, page down = spacebar and page up = shift + spacebar

--Everyone knows ctrl-a, ctrl-v, ctrl-c, ctrl-p, and ctrl-s, but Windows key + L locks your computer instantly without having to ctrl-alt-delete and select "lock" from the dialogue box. Also, alt + tab switches between open windows without having to click on the taskbar.

--Alcohol-based hand sanitizer cleans glasses lenses just as well as lens cleaner.

--Superglue/nail glue (cyanoacrylate) is an incredibly handy thing to have and can be used in an emergency to close cuts (after disinfecting, of course). Like it claims, it bonds skin instantly.

--Removing nail polish without nail polish remover: apply a thick layer of clear polish over the color, let it sit for a little while, and then wipe the whole lot off with a tissue. You might have to do this two or three times to get all the color off, but it works.

--Squirting fruitflies with air freshener (Lysol is best) makes it far easier to squash them. If you don't have air freshener, spraying them with hairspray will make their wings sticky and they won't be able to fly. (Also, rinse out anything that's contained fruit or vegetables, fruit juice, or alcohol: otherwise the fruitfly will spontaneously generate.)

--Scrub cast iron pans with kosher salt to clean them, never soap.

--Put salad ingredients and dressing into a Gladware box, seal the lid on, and shake vigorously. Tossed salad with no mess.

--Easy exfoliation tip: when getting out of the shower, towel-dry your hair, and then rub your face briskly with the damp towel.

And finally--this one is so basic that it puzzles me when I see people not using it: the handbrake in your car can be used for other actions than parking. If you drive a manual and you are stopped on a hill in traffic, you do not have to do a complicated heel-toe dance with the brake and gas to stop yourself rolling backward into the guy behind you. If you have a functioning handbrake, all you have to do is put the car in first, pull the handbrake on with your foot still on the brake pedal, and then when the light turns and you have to start up the hill you take your foot off the brake and hold the handbrake on while you rev the engine and let the clutch in. As soon as the clutch is engaged and the engine is trying to pull you up the hill, let off the handbrake and move the car forward. The handbrake mechanically actuates the rear brakes via a cable and ratchet, and should be capable of holding the car on a hill without it rolling: if your car's handbrake isn't doing this, have someone look at it and make sure the cable is sound and the connection to the rear brake mechanism isn't broken or jammed.

What are some of your tips that make everyday tasks easier?