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Weird Hacks That Make Your Home Way Nicer

55 Weird Hacks That Make Your Home Way Nicer

Weird? Sure. Worth it? Definitely.

by Amanda Pellegrino
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Elite Daily
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Your home doesn’t need a full makeover or pricy renovation to look and feel nicer. Sometimes, it just needs a few unexpected touch-ups. From clever wall fixtures that hide clutter to peel-and-stick solutions that instantly revamp your decor, these hacks might seem weird at first but make a big impact when it comes to curating a cozy space. These products work to elevate your home without spending big bucks, making your space more comfortable, functional, and designer-worthy — all without a designer budget.

01Bring Appliances To Life With This Dishwasher Magnet Cover

If dated appliances are bringing down the look of your kitchen, check out this magnetic mosaic cover. Featuring an iridescent scale-like design, it clings to the outside of your dishwasher and won’t come off when you open and close it. It’s water resistant, easy to clean, easy to install, and looks so pretty.

02Transform Builder-Grade Mirrors & Baseboards With This Custom-Looking Trim

This decorative molding can help create a custom look, whether that’s transforming builder-grade mirrors into something that’s designer-worthy, or adding a touch of elegance to your baseboard or trim. It has a peel-and-stick design that’s so easy to install, it’s flexible around corners, and it can be cut to the perfect size.

03Revamp Your Walls Or Furniture With Moody Peel-&-Stick Wallpaper

This peel-and-stick wallpaper seriously looks designer and has a way of making your home feel so much more expensive. Stick it on every wall of the bathroom, an accent wall in the bedroom, or even old furniture. Featuring an abstract floral pattern with grass and petals, the layered design has natural jewel-tone colors that feel cozy and elevated.

04Create Distinct Spaces Around Your Home With These Hanging Divider Panels

If you’re looking to create some subtle division between rooms or areas around your home, these panels are so chic and expensive-looking. They hang from the ceiling and feature an organic, carved, floral-looking pattern with cutouts. This way, the rooms still feel connected but also distinct in their own way.

05Hide Tangled Wires With This Ultra-Thin Outlet Extender

This isn’t an ordinary extension cord. It plugs in and completely covers the outlet so it disappears into your wall. It comes with two 8-foot extension cords that you can easily tuck behind furniture or appliances, so you can power your devices while keeping things tidy. Each power strip has three grounded outlets. Plus, the whole thing sits flush against the wall so it fits behind furniture without bending.

06Customize Your Garden With This Wooden Pathway

This wooden pathway is such a charming way to add some customization to your garden or backyard without a renovation. It rolls out neatly straight or curved to fit perfectly around your plants and flowers. The wooden boards are connected with steel wires and are separated slightly to allow water to properly drain.

07Fill Awkward Kitchen Gaps With A Corner-Shaped Rug

Adding this angled rug to your kitchen is such an easy way to brighten up the space and make it feel so more homey while perfectly filling in tight corners. It has a nonslip bottom and can be easily cleaned with a vacuum — two important things for a rug in a high-traffic area. Plus it’s nice and thin so you don’t have to worry about it tripping you up underfoot.

08Spruce Up Your Baseboards With A Self-Adhesive Trim

If you want to elevate the look of your walls, look no further than this self-adhesive baseboard trim. It looks like expensive molding thanks to its angled bottom edge that prevents dust from accumulating in the corners. Made of vinyl, it’s way easier to wipe down than standard painted wood or drywall.

09Customize Your Mirrors With This Stick-On Wood Grain Border

One of the easiest ways to make your home feel nicer is to customize mirrors using this peel-and-stick border. Between the realistic wood grain and the easy application, it makes your mirrors look designer, not builder grade. It’s waterproof, easy to cut to the perfect custom size, and can be removed without leaving any sticky residue behind.

10Protect Your Furniture From Pets With This Plush, Grippy Cover

This genius find doesn’t look like a protective couch cover — it looks and feels like a bougie blanket. It has a grippy, nonslip backing to ensure it won’t slide around underneath you or your pets, and the fabric itself resists scratches from stubborn little claws. The most important part is that the whole thing is machine washable, so you can easily remove pet hair and stains to keep your couch looking brand new.

11Hang A Dish Towel Holder On Your Over Railing

You’ll never worry about your dish towels falling on the floor of your kitchen again, thanks to this hanging dish towel hook that slips over the bars of your oven or dishwasher handle. The crochet-inspired woven design is pretty and ends in wooden rings for a neutral look. Just slip your dish towel through the loops.

12Put Out Faux Greenery That Looks Realistic

Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can still enjoy the look of plants in your space. This 12-piece plant bunch looks beautiful tucked into an indoor or outdoor planter, with six different species of plants in total. The UV-resistant and frost-resistant plants work outdoors just as well as they do inside.

13Protect Your Stove From Scratches With This Silicone Mat

This silicone mat covers your glass stovetop, not only protecting it from everyday scratches and scrapes, but giving you so much more counter space for meal prepping and drying dishes. It’s heat resistant and dishwasher safe and the whole thing rolls up to easily store it in a cabinet or drawer when you’re not using it.

14Soak Up Puddles At The Sink With This Absorbent Faucet Mat

This mat comes in two separate panels that neatly secure around your faucet to give you the perfect go-to spot to store your brushes, sponges, soaps, and more. Made of diatomite stone, it absorbs water and dries in just 60 seconds, so it doubles as a way to keep water from pooling on your countertop. Plus, the grooved design looks so chic.

15Hide Your Cable Router With This Rustic Wooden Cover

Routers and modems, while totally necessary, can be such an eyesore in your living room or office. That’s where this cover comes in. Featuring a classic wooden design, it can sit on a surface or be mounted to a wall, giving you a nice-looking spot to store your ugly technology. It even doubles as a shelf for decor and pictures.

16Add Privacy Without Blocking Natural Light With Stained-Glass Film

This window film looks like high-end stained glass but it’s actually installed on ordinary windows with just water and static cling. It’s a great way to bring some eye-catching detail to your space, add privacy from the outdoors, and keep natural light streaming in during the day. It can be cut to size and has a three-dimensional texture that looks so expensive.

17Swap Out Ordinary Lighting For These Bulbs That Look Like Flickering Flames

Upgrade your outdoor lighting and swap out ordinary bulbs for these flame-like lightbulbs. They have a short, wide design with several different modes depending on the mood you’re setting, including flickering and breathing options. They can even detect gravity to change the direction of the flame depending on whether the light is screwed in right-side up or upside down.

18Stack Your Sheets Like Books On A Shelf With These Linen Organizers

If you’re always pulling out the wrong set of sheets from the linen closet, you need to upgrade your storage with these organizers. They hold one full set of sheets and feature a both a label for the size and a transparent window so you can see the pattern at a glance. Plus, the rigid design protects your linens and lets you stack them upright to save space.

19Charge Devices Next To The Outlet With This Built-In Shelf

Charging your devices can be way more convenient when you install a few of these outlet shelves around your home. They mount over a traditional outlet, giving you a shelf above the power source to hold your phone, headphones, toothbrush, speaker, and more while you’re charging them. Despite its small size, it can hold up to 10 pounds.

20Tuck Wires & Cords Into The Wall With This Recessed Outlet Box

What’s amazing about this recessed outlet box is that it allows you to plug things in and then hide all the cables and wires behind the wall to keep your space looking neat and tidy. Easy to install, it routes power through the wall using a 9.8-foot extension cord. Then you install the recessed outlet exactly where you need it to conseal wires and make it generally more convenient.

21Accent Your Decor With Spotlights For A Museum-Worthy Look

One way to instantly elevate the vibe in your home is to highlight your artwork, plants, or other decor with these lights. They can sit on a surface or mount on a wall and feature an adjustable bulb so you can focus the brightness exactly where you want it. They’re remote controlled, they can be dimmed, and they have automatic timer settings for 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes.

22Clean Your Toothbrush & Declutter The Counter With This Wall-Mounted Holder

Not only does this wall-mounted toothbrush holder declutter your bathroom countertop, but it also has built-in UV lights to clean your toothbrushes between uses. It works on manual and electric brushes, removing surface dirt and reaching deep into bristles to eliminate 99.9% of contaminants. And thanks to the digital display, you can keep track of how far along you are in every cleaning cycle.

23Brighten Up Hard-To-Reach Spots With Motion-Activated Lights

What makes these lights so practical is that they last for up to 20 days on a single charge. This way, you can put them in dark spots that might not have easy access to an outlet (think closets, stairwells, under cabinets) without constantly powering them up. They even have a motion-activated mode so they’ll only turn on when you’re there and off when you’re not.

24Transform Your Bathroom Into A Chic Hotel Spa With A Bidet Attachment

Bidets instantly make your bathroom experience feel bougie and spa-like, and now you can have one in your own home. This attachment has a front and back wash and an adjustable water pressure depending on your needs. It uses self-cleaning technology and is so easy to install yourself. On top of that, it sits flush against the toilet seat so you’ll barely know it’s there.

25Add A Subtle Glow With This Wooden, Flower-Shaped Night-Light

This wooden night-light is such a chic way to illuminate your path to the bathroom in the dark. It has a subtle floral pattern carved into the walnut, adding some dimension and style. And it has a backlit design to keep the lighting manageable so as not to wake you up any more than necessary in the middle of the night.

26Close The Gap Between Your Mattress & Headboard With This Pillow

Sometimes making your home nicer is just about making it work for you. That’s what this pillow does. With a wedge design, it fits neatly into the gap between your headboard and mattress, preventing your phone, eye mask, or remote from falling underneath the bed. It even has a pocket on the side to keep your nighttime essentials close.

27Elevate Your Lighting Choices With Matching Bird-Shaped Sconces

Who says lights have to be boring or standard? This set of wall lights looks like perched birds and can be mounted anywhere on the wall — they’re rechargeable so they don’t have to be married to an outlet. They have three color temperatures depending on the time of day and they’re totally cordless to maintain a sleek, seamless look.

28Organize The Black Hole Under Your Sink With A 2-Tier Shelf

This two-tier shelf is designed specifically to neaten up the area underneath your sink. The top shelf is half the size of the bottom, allowing you to maneuver it around pipes and drainage. Plus, the bottom shelf pulls out like a drawer so you have easy access to your cleaning supplies and toiletries all the way in the back.

29Keep Your Countertop Mess-Free With A Self-Draining Sponge Caddy

A sink caddy is one of the most convenient ways to elevate your space and make your countertop feel more intentional. This wired version holds brushes, sponges, and soaps just like you’d expect, but takes things one step further with a weird but clever design. It features a self-draining spout that directs any excess water directly back into the sink to prevent liquid from pooling on your countertop.

30Stop Reusing A Dirty Toilet Brush & Get These Disposable Ones Instead

Throw out your reusable toilet bowl brush and use this set instead. With 30 disposable brush heads, it’s way more sanitary than using — and storing — the same one over and over again. The handle is nice and long so you don’t have to get close to the toilet and it comes with a concealed wall-mounted caddy for easy storage.

31Arrange Your Dishwasher Essentials In This Cabinet Door Holder

This cabinet door accessory is the perfect way to store all your dishwasher necessities in one convenient spot. There’s a drawer designed to hold dishwasher pods and a shelf on top for sponges, cleaning brushes, rinse aids, and more. Plus it hangs off the cabinet door so it saves you a ton of space underneath the kitchen sink.

32Use An Automatic Key Light For Easier Entry On Dark Nights

This tiny door-mounted light makes sure when you get home at night you can actually see the key going into the keyhole. It automatically turns on when it detects motion and then it turns off 20 seconds later to save the battery. This tiny-but-mighty light can work for up to 15 days on a single charge.

33Hang Coats On Retractable Hooks That Sit Flush Against The Wall

The best part about these hooks isn’t the gold finish or the modern, rounded design: It’s that when you’re not using them, they fold up into the wall for a seamless, polished look. When the hook is out, it has ridges to keep up to 40 pounds of purses, jackets, umbrellas, towels — you name it — nice and secure.

34Chop & Dice On This Cutting Board That Hooks Onto Your Countertop

This cutting board features a waterfall lip that grabs the edge of the countertop to keep it in place while you’re chopping and meal prepping. This BPA-free, food-safe accessory comes in clear and black so it can blend in or stand out depending on your style. And because it’s sleek, thin, and flat, you can leave it out your counter all day long as a stylish decor element.

35Fake A Headboard With An Extra-Large Wedge-Shaped Pillow

Reading in bed can be as comfortable as sleeping in bed when you have this luxurious pillow. With an oversized design and a wedge shape, the pillow supports your back, neck, and shoulders so you can sit up and enjoy your book without lingering pain afterwords. It can even replace a headboard. The outer fabric is buttery soft and removable so you can easily wash it, too.

36Accent A Doorway With A Long Beaded Curtain

If you want to add an eye-catching accent to an archway or doorway, check out this lovely beaded curtain. It hangs from the top of the door and can be cut to the perfect length, whether you want it all the way to the floor or hitting just above your head. The beads are delicate and expensive-looking for a finishing touch on any room.

37Elevate Stairs With Decorative Riser Decals

If you want to elevate the look of your stairwell without an expensive renovation, these decals really punch above their weight. Peel and stick, they can be cut to the perfect size to decorate your risers in a way that’s instantly eye-catching. The repeated pattern feels classic and expensive, installing in just minutes.

38Hang Fairy Lights To Add An Ethereal Touch

These fairy lights hang from a wall or curtain rod, adding an eye-catching light-scape to your room that feels ethereal and whimsical. The lights and vines are pre-assembled so they don’t tangle or warp when you try to install them. Controlled with a remote, they have eight modes — from twinkling to fading — and can be dimmed to four different levels.

39Bring New Life To Old Upholstered Chairs With Velvet Seat Covers

The easiest way to transform old, dated, or damaged upholstery without spending big bucks is to add these velvet covers. They have an elastic edge that stretches to fit the size and shape of your seat, giving furniture new life while also protecting the original fabric from even more damage. Plus they’re buttery soft, so they’re comfortable for lounging.

40Refresh Countertops & Surfaces With This Realistic Wood Contact Paper

With a realistic wood grain, a waterproof surface, and a self-adhesive backing, this contact paper instantly refreshes any countertop or surface on a budget. It can be cut to the perfect size to make your space look and feel so much more expensive. It’s made of high-quality vinyl too, so it’s really durable and great for high-traffic spaces.

41Support Large Plants So They Thrive With Organic Moss Poles

If you have tall plants around your space, you want to make sure you’re setting them up to thrive with these moss poles. They stake directly into the soil and have a malleable design that allows them to move and bend as your plants grow. They’re ideal for climbing plants and feature natural fibers derived from coconut shells.

42Reduce Tripping Hazards & Add Lights To The Stairs

Because these stair lights are rechargeable, they don’t require an outlet or any messy wires. This way, you can put them in places like your stairwells to elevate and illuminate the space. They’re motion activated so they automatically turn on when you need them and off when you don’t. Better yet, they have a down-lit design that feels expensive.

43Decorate Your Windows With A Draped & Beaded Valance

This beaded valance instantly invigorates the look of your windows with very little effort on your part. It has a draped design that’s so elegant and elevated, and the beads balance that out with a touch of whimsy that’s purely delightful. They’re designed to be expanded or contracted from 25 to 40 inches wide, depending on how draped you want the look to be.

44Hang These Bulb Planters & Decorate Your Walls With Greenery

Perfect for cuttings, greenery, and small bud flowers, these round planters hang on the wall to decorate your space. They’re completely clear so they make a great propagation station to show off all your favorite plants. They even come with a cleaning brush to help you keep them looking good as new between flowers.

45Entertain Furry Friends While You Work With This Cat Desk Bed

If your furry friends love hanging out with you while you work, create the perfect space for them with this cat bed. It mounts to the side of your desk to create a plush and cozy spot for your cats to nap, relax, and stretch that’s close enough to you to be content, but not necessarily on top of your keyboard or mouse.

46Keep The Air Fresh With These Air Purifying Pads

These air purifier pads stick to the top of your ceiling fan so they’re basically invisible. Made with activated coconut shell carbon, they remove dust, odor, allergens, and other things from the air. They have a self-adhesive backing, they install in seconds, and they last for about three months before they have to be replaced.

47Take Advantage Of Over-The-Door Storage With This Cleaning Supply Rack

If you need some extra-clever storage for your cleaning supplies that’s easy to access and non-bulky, check out this behind-the-door rack. The top shelf is perfect for soaps, detergents, and cleaning solutions, while the bottom has four spring-loaded holders for brooms and mops. As an added bonus, it also features three hooks for brushes, gloves, towels, and more.

48Cover Grout Lines With This White Pen So They Look Good As New

This white pen completely invigorates the look of your grout, covering over discolored, old, and ugly grout until it looks brand new. One pen covers up to 150 feet of grout and the nontoxic, water-based colorant offers a bright and clean look in your bathroom or kitchen on the floor, walls, or ceiling.

49Clean Wet & Dry Spills With This Squeegee-Like Broom

What makes this broom unique is that it has a silicone panel that has an almost squeegee-like effect, cleaning up dry or wet spills in an instant. The handle is adjustable from 36 inches to 55 inches and has an ergonomically angled end that allows you to mop up without bending over all day.

50Store Your Papers In A Designated Organizer

Free up some space in your junk drawer or desk with this storage organizer box that is perfect for organizing greeting cards, important receipts, or other papers. The clear design features tabs that you can label yourself to separate sections and make it easy to find what you need.

51Slide A Slim Laundry Hamper Into Tight Spaces

The key to keeping your dirty laundry from landing everywhere? Always having a laundry hamper nearby for dirty clothes. This slim one fits into nooks and crannies so you can have a designated drop spot for clothes you’re taking off. The reinforced handles make it easy to transport to the laundry room and back.

52Fill Cracks In The Driveway With This Cement Filler

Stop staring at the cracks in your driveway or path and wishing they would disappear. This liquid cement filler is easy to pour into those cracks and dries gray to blend into your cement. Not only does it make your driveway look better, but it also prevents water from seeping in and creating damage or instability to your paved areas.

53Cover Messy Transitions Between Flooring Or Rooms

For messy transitions between flooring types or rooms, this transition strip is perfect. Its adhesive design sticks securely over the gaps in your floors and comes in a bunch of wood tones to match your existing wood floors. It can be trimmed to size easily, too.

54Hang Plants Vertically On This Rope Plant Shelf

These shelves are so versatile. The wood and rope design looks pretty but is still neutral enough to blend into your space. The shelf hangs off of three hooks that can be hung from railings, curtain rods, or the included wall mounts. Stack plants or books and trinkets on the shelves to create a unique display.

55Store Your Salt In This Elegant Glass Cellar

Want to make an everyday seasoning feel fancier? Simply switch from your standard table shaker to this pretty salt cellar. Made of translucent glass that comes in several striking colors, it has a 10-ounce size that lets each refill last you for quite a while (depending on how heavy-handed you are with your salt). And the glass lid keeps things fresh while looking nice, too.

56Use Clear Edge Guards To Protect Cabinets & Drawers

Even when you think you’re being gentle on your cabinets and drawers, somehow the finish always seems to chip and wear away. But these clear edge guards help protect the part that seems most likely to get beat up. They’re made of durable PVC material that can be cut to size, and they’re designed to slip onto edges without needing any adhesive to stay put, so you don’t have to worry about causing damage if you remove them.

57Use Tiered Racks To Double Your Cabinet Space

Don’t ignore wasted cabinet and counter space. This shelf set has a versatile tiered design, so you can stack the pieces together or stagger them, depending on your needs. And it comes in so many modern designs, including striking two-tone options, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to find one that complements your existing aesthetic instead of competing with it.

58Give Your Toilet A Glow Up With A Pretty Floral Decal

Didn’t think your toilet could add to the overall aesthetic of your bathroom? This pretty decal is here to change your mind. Available in a lovely floral design, it’s the perfect fit for most standard toilet tanks, adding an earthy flourish in an unexpected spot. And, if you want to mix things up again in the future, the brand notes that it’s easy to remove.

59Repair Tears In Door & Window Screens With This Mesh Tape

If you’ve been ignoring small tears or holes in your screens because you didn’t think there was an easy fix, this mesh repair tape is exactly what you need. It’s available in several different roll dimensions and can be cut to size to better fit the area that needs patching up. It has adhesive backing that holds tight, making this so effortless to install, you’ll wish you had used it sooner.

60Window Sill Trim That Offers Protections From Paws

Often, when you have a pet, the state of your window sills is a dead giveaway. But this adhesive trim is such an easy way to protect what can be an unexpectedly high-traffic surface. It has adhesive backing and a folding design, so you can able to along edges to cover both sides. And it comes in your choice of four lengths and two colors — plus it can be cut to size for a perfect fit.

61Use A Striking Bath Mat To Create Visual Interest

No one actively sets out to choose an unattractive bath mat — but this particular bath mat has a bold look that will make it an instant a focal piece of your bathroom. The contrasting waffle-weave design makes it look like it costs three times as much as it does, while also making it incredibly absorbent. And it comes in a range of sophisticated colors as well as several sizes.

62Protect Hardwood Floors By Adding A Clear Chair Mat

Hardwood floors deserve to be shown off — and this clear mat lets you continue to do just that while still protecting them from rogue desk chairs. The durable PVC material is designed to resist warping and cracking, and it has a grippy underside to help it stay put. Plus it comes in so many dimensions, making it easy to find exactly what you need.

63Help Your Fresh Flowers Thrive With This Copper Water Insert

Made of 100% copper, this small, heart-shaped charm goes inside your vase of fresh flowers and helps keep the water from getting gross, gunky, and goopy. Not only does it help your flowers last as long as possible, but clean vase water just simply looks better on your kitchen table, side table, or nightstand.

64Wash & Dry In Style With These Waffle Kitchen Towels

It’s time to swap out your old, tattered, and ugly kitchen towels with these waffle-knit cloths that allow you to wash and dry your dishes in style. The set of two comes in contrasting styles for a mixed-and-matched vibe that feels effortlessly chic. They’re ultra absorbent and made from recycled plastic bottles so you can feel good about your environmental impact.

65Freshen Up Cabinets With These Colorful Bird Knobs

One of the easiest ways to refresh your kitchen or bathroom is to swap out old or dated knobs with new ones. These bird-shaped pulls come in a ton of fun and vibrant colors, they’re easy to install, and they give your room new life without a pricy renovation. Made from sleek ceramic, they come with five different length screws to fit basically any cabinet need.

66Hide Wires In The Wall With This Easy-To-Install Kit

This kit is absolutely ingenious when it comes to decluttering your space and removing tangles of ugly wires from behind your entertainment console, bookshelf, or nightstand. It comes with a drilling accessory that cuts the perfect hole in the wall where you install the pass-throughs. Then, just move all your cables behind the wall to keep your space neat and tidy.

67Banish Smells From Your Washing Machine Using These Tablets

Keeping your home nice isn’t just about the visible stuff; it’s also about the invisible stuff like making sure your washing machine is in tip-top shape with these cleaner tablets. Simply add a pod to an empty machine, run it with hot water, and then wipe down any leftover residue. It cleans, deodorizes, refreshes the machine while also ensuring your clothes look and smell their best.

68Create A Hotel-Worthy Bathroom With This Toilet Paper Stamp

If you want your bathroom to feel like a boutique hotel, one of the simplest touches is adding one of those classic stamps to the toilet paper roll when you’re expecting guests. This set comes with a press that attaches to your faucet, allowing a small amount of water to stamp a pattern on your toilet paper roll for a totally custom look.

69Bring Bling To Your Bathroom With These Sparkly Curtain Hooks

These pretty shower curtain hooks add the perfect amount of subtle bling to your bathroom. Each one has an extra-durable S-shaped hook with a circular beaded head that instantly elevates the look of your bathroom. They’re heavy-duty and rust-proof to support weighty fabric and plastic curtains alike, making your bathroom look amazing.

70Brighten Your Entryway With This Hanging Door Light

This wooden light hangs from your doorknob to give you light when you need it. It has a motion-sensor design to automatically turn on when you’re close and a smooth white surface that you can actually write little memos on with dry-erase markers. It even has a rechargeable battery so you don’t need to me married to an outlet to use it.

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