Baking soda

Since my childhood, I haven’t seen a more multi-purpose ingredient (except for water, maybe) than baking soda. It’s as long-lasting as useful: there’s a common joke that a person only needs to buy it once in a lifetime.

Firstly, as the name suggests, it’s a common ingredient in cooking. For yeast-free recipes like pancakes, cupcakes, or biscuits, one tablespoon of baking soda mixed with vinegar will help the dough to leaven. Secondly, it neutralizes odors. For example, you can add some to the washing machine to refresh your bedding!

In my family, baking soda was one of the top cleaning products. It can serve as an alternative to dish soap when cleaning heavily stained cups and greasy pans, restore shine to silver jewelry, or make white sneakers white again. Even living on my own, I still rely on these life hacks. – Elizaveta

Sock darning with a lightbulb

If you want to repair your favorite pair of socks but have no fancy equipment to ease the chore, you can use a simple lightbulb, just as our grandmas used to do. They are an excellent, though a bit hazardous, sock-darning aid. Among the bulbs available, LEDs are a much safer choice. Once you stretch your sock over a bulb, it helps keep its shape, making it easier for you to fix the hole – and make them as good as new again. – Marina

Gardening hacks

When I was little, I was most fascinated by all the things growing at my grandparents’ dacha by the ministrations of the very same grandparents. There, everything had its use and even the “waste” could be turned into something good: for instance, crushed eggshells soaked in water served as a top-notch fertilizer. And even when I visited my grandparents recently, I spotted a giant mason jar with eggshells in it – a sure sign that the gardening season is nearly here. 

Used tights, however weird that may sound, were also in great demand. They might not be tear-proof when you wear them, but if you decide to turn them into little ropes to support heavy stems laden with tomatoes or peppers, they last incredibly long. Though I haven’t tried it myself, I suppose they could come in handy whenever you need to wrap something securely – for instance, a box when you are moving house. – Catherine

Easter eggs and nylon 

There’s another peculiar way to make use of tights. Plant leaves, eggs, onion skin, and nylon stocking may sound like an absurd combination, but actually they can help you create wonderful patterns if you want to decorate eggs for Orthodox Easter. It’s celebrated on May 5 this year, so there’s enough time to prepare: to get inspired by the end results and find out how to do it right, check out this story. – Kseniia

Looking for more life tips? Check out our students' top tips for first-years and the list of must-have apps for anyone traveling – or moving – to Russia.