Weekly Roundup: Ten 3D Printable Life Hacks

The internet tells me that this is a life hack, so I don’t want any whining about using life hack for this list, the internet is never wrong.

I can already hear the outrage over using “life hack” here, because none of these are technically life hacks. And so many people already hate the word ‘hack’ being used in this context, so I’m anticipating some annoyance. But there really is no other way to classify these great 3D printable gizmos and gadgets, other than as gizmos and gadgets, so I went with life hack because it Googles better, so just give me a pass here.

Besides, a life hack is something simple that solves an annoying problem and makes your life easier, and honestly everything on this list does exactly that. This all started with my desire to find a way to hang up a kitchen towel without having to stick one end of it in a drawer or thread it through a pull handle, and it led to this. Because 3D printing isn’t affected by the economy of scale, it’s the perfect tool to build exactly what you need for whatever problem you may need solved in your home. Especially problems that are relatively unique to you and don’t have mass market solutions.

Thankfully there were so many that I had plenty of these to choose from, most of them things that I actually intend to 3D print and use, or things that I will lament about not having available to me in the past.

So without using any more words to pad the length of this article, here they are, Ten 3D Printable Life Hacks.

KEY CONDENSING CLIP

Key Condenser by Blaine Costello

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

This is a great alternative to a standard key chain, especially if you only have a handful of standard keys to keep track of. Think of it like a Swiss Army Knife but with keys instead of various blades that you know have specific uses but you just don’t know what they are.

HANGING TOWEL CLIP

Towel Holder by Weedaily

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This is the life hack that started it all, I stumbled on it while looking for a way to hang up a hand towel in the kitchen that didn’t involve a hook. And they work great by the way. I have one on each side of my stove and I can easily hang a towel up without having to use the drawer and watch the towel fall on the ground every time I open it up. I think they actually sell things like these in stores, but for the sake of this article I’m going to pretend that there was no mass market option for me.

BATHROOM WALL OUTLET SHELF

Outlet Shelf by teichelberger

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This is something that i wish I had in my first apartment, which had the world’s smallest bathroom. I’m almost convinced that it wasn’t even legally a bathroom but actually just a small closet that had a tiny, little person-sized toilet and a pedestal sink squished inside of it. There was literally no storage for anything beyond a bar of soap on the side of the sink, so there was nowhere to stick anything that you needed. I ended up using a TV tray that I had to set up every morning as I got ready, so I really could have used this.

EGG CRACKING GADGET

Turtle Breaker Eggs by Gabriel Martini

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

Yes, I know, I’m going to defend the use of an egg-cracking gadget. But really, I hate eggs so much. Not because they’re not delicious and useful in all manner of foods, but they are just a pain in the butt to crack. No matter how carefully I crack them, I always end up either hitting it against the counter too hard or not hard enough, and at least 25% of the time I end up with a mess on my hands. I realize that it’s not normal for a grown man to be incapable of consistent egg-cracking, but here I am anyways. I’m like an infomercial come to life, you should see me trying to open a carton of milk.

Take a look at how it works and stop judging me:

CABLE STORAGE HIVE

Cable Management Hive by Juanfly

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

I have a drawer in my office that i call my e-tumbleweed storage container, because it consists of the various charging cords and headphones that I have for the many devices that I use. It’s worth keeping my phone charging cord out all the time because I use it every day, but I have to charge my e-reader like once a month, and I only use my headphones when I travel, which is typically when people die. So most of the various cords I have, while occasionally useful, need somewhere to be stored regularly and this cord hive is a great solution. It could also be a cool pencil cup!

ELEPHANT SILVERWARE DRAINER

Jumbo Elephant Cutlery Drainer by aleiovanevcp

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

While I do have a dishwasher, I often find myself annoyed when I use a spoon or a knife for something quick and simple that really only requires a quick rinse. But I don’t have a dish rack of any kind in my kitchen because the counters are too small. So there is really nowhere for me to put these easily reused spoons other than in the dishwasher, which seems to be a waste, or back in the drawer, which I hate to do while it’s wet. And this is totally a ridiculous problem to have, I realize, but it bugs me. A cup that has a draining spout in it is a perfect solution, and the fact that it looks like an adorable elephant only makes it better.

CABLE CORNER MANAGEMENT

Cable Corner by muzz64

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Despite most of our devices, helpfully, going wireless, cable management is still a huge part of keeping your home looking nice. You typically have two options: just leave the cables hanging loose and hope that you or your guests don’t trip on them and die, or use those annoying clips that stick against the wall and don’t do much for corners. These great clips keep everything nice and tidy, can hold up to three cords and require a lot less time to install.

Sorry that I don’t have a joke here, but seriously, these look super useful.

UNIVERSAL BOTTLE OPENER

UBO The Universal Bottle Opener by In3Designs

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This is one of those things that you never really think you need until you turn your hand red trying to open that one, stubborn bottle that refuses to cooperate. I’ve actually torn skin off trying to open a soda bottle once, it was ridiculous. I think I gave up soda for a week specifically because I was so bitter about the sore, whatever that part of your hard is that gets sore when you try to open stubborn bottles. The part between your finger and thumb. Thumbpit?

Here is some video of UBO in action:

WALL OUTLET SMARTPHONE HOLDER AND DOCK

Wall Outlet Plate Smartphone Dock by rubb3rtoe

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

More cord management. All the cord managements! I hate trying to manage all the various cords that we have to use for all of our devices, wireless charging can’t come soon enough. I have a pretty decent set-up for my phone charger now, but I really could have used this a few years ago. I guess the only drawback is that most outlets are down at the base of the wall, not typically up high enough to use for your phone every day. Unless you’re not a lazy dork like me who doesn’t mind bending down once a day or something.

Don’t judge me, I’m tired and old, and unless it’s a dollar bill or a Skittle that i’ve dropped on the floor bending is just a waste of valuable not-bending time.

LONG CABLE MANAGEMENT DISC

The Cable Eater by Anthony

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

I have a pair of headphone that has what I believe to be the world’s longest and most unnecessary cord on it. I don’t have any official measurements, but I’d guestimate that it was about twenty-seven feet long or something. The cord is constantly getting caught under the wheels of my chair, getting snagged on something or just generally getting in the way. I’ve taken to shortening the cord with a twist tie, which is great until I actually need it to be twenty-seven feet long, then it’s a pain in the butt. The Cable Eater would totally solve the length problem, and the few times that I need to unwind it all the way out it’s easy enough to do without having to figure out which way I wrapped the twist tie. Because you always start twisting the wrong way, the paper bits start coming off and you have a mess on your hands.

Wow, this entire article makes me sound completely inept at adulting. And …I really can’t argue with my lack of ability to adult. Join me, won’t you?

And as always, I love to get pictures of you guys 3D printing the models that I post, so if you hack your life with any of these go ahead and Tweet me @SJGrunewald or drop me one of those new fangled electronic mail things at scott@3dprint.com.