Adulting is hard! Naturally, I’m always trying to find ways to make life a little easier.

Sometimes, it’s enjoying a simple pleasure, like a nice glass of wine.

Other times, it means using life hacks to make things easier.

Why not both?

I’ve gathered up some simple life hacks for everyday use that you can accomplish with the wine you’ve already got around.

Fly Catcher

We all know how annoying fruit flies are.

They come seemingly out of nowhere, but flies can come from potted plants, moldy pipes, or, as their name suggests, fruits.

It’s fairly easy for flies to get in your house, but getting them out can be hard. They start laying eggs within 24 hours.

You can get banish these little pests for good using leftover, or inexpensive, red wine.

Flies love fruit and red wine is made of fermented fruit. Perfect!

This life hack solved my fly problem within 10 days.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Large wine glass or small bowl
• Red wine
• Soap (optional)
• Plastic wrap
• Toothpick
• Tape

Here’s what to do:

1. Get your wine glass (or bowl) and fill it three-quarters of the way up with the red wine. I used a Cabernet Sauvignon I was gifted.
2. Add 2-3 drops of dish soap. This creates a thin, sticky layer at the top and acts as a glue to trap the flies. This is optional, but I found this hack works much better with soap.
3. Cut a piece of plastic wrap, and use it to seal the glass (or bowl).
4. Get a piece of tape, around 1-3 feet depending on which container you use. You want the plastic wrap to be airtight on the top. Use the tape to secure the plastic wrap.
5. With the toothpick, poke some small holes through the surface. Be sure that the holes are big enough for flies to enter through, but not so big they can escape.
6. Place container in the areas where you see flies most often. For me, it was by my pet’s food and where I kept fruit.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 as needed to have traps throughout the house.

Pro Tip: Do not make any holes along the rim. That’s where the flies tend to climb up from.

Red Wine Stain Remover

I’ve stained my shirts one too many times with red wine.

Call it an effect of talking with my hands.

One fateful day, my mind was blown when a friend came to the rescue with white wine.

Turns out that white wine can neutralize the red stain that darker wines leave behind.  

The faster you move to get rid of a stain, the better your odds.

Here’s what you need:

• White wine
• Towel or linen napkin

Here’s what to do:

1. Take off stained item of clothing as soon as possible.
2. With a napkin (or towel) blot the spilled area until it’s lighter and drier than before.
3. Lightly soak the other end of the napkin (or towel) with white wine and blot the stained area again, this time with the white wine. Do this for 2-3 minutes until you see the color fade from the stain.
4. Throw stained item into the wash and it should come out as good as new!

Ice It

Ice Hack #1

It’s not out of the ordinary to water down a strong whiskey, but your wine should never be watery.

It’s practically criminal to take away the depth and body of the wines you drink.

If you want to chill some wine fast, what do you do?

Keep some frozen wine aside to use as ice cubes.  

Here’s what you need:

• 1-2 bottles of your favorite wine (red or white)
• Ice cube tray
• Freezer

Here’s what to do:

1. Fill your ice tray with the same wine you’re going to drink. In a pinch you can use a similar wine. Chardonnay with Chardonnay, for example, will work, even if it’s not the same brand.
2. Place ice tray into your freezer and leave it there overnight, or until frozen solid. The earlier you do this the better.
3. Chill your wine with your new wine ice cubes and enjoy!

Ice Hack #2

Use frozen fruit instead of ice to cool your wine!

The cool (no pun intended) thing about this hack is that it will look pretty while also enhancing the flavors of the wine you’re drinking.

Many people like to use grapes, but I prefer to freeze berries to pair with a Riesling or Moscato.

Whatever works best for you!

Here’s what you need:

• Small fruits like grapes, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
• Freezer

Here’s what to do:

1. Rinse the fruits. Do not dispose of the container they came in.
2. Place the fruit back into its container. Rinse the container if you feel it needs it.
3. Place fruit container in the freezer overnight, or until needed. When stored properly, berries can last up to 10 months in the freezer.
4. When you’re ready, add the frozen fruit to your wine to keep it chilled. Eat wine-infused fruits after you finish your glass. This is the hack that keeps on giving.

Chip Clip

I don’t know about you, but I’m always losing, or breaking my chips clip. When that happens, I used to turn to my handy dandy paperclips. But those never seem to last in my house either.

I was so happy when my roommate taught me this trick!

Use a wine cork to seal your open chips bag. I love this hack. It’s genius, and pretty much free.

Here’s what you need:

• Wine cork
• Sharp knife (kitchen or utility)

Here’s what to do:

1. Get a cork, and carefully slice it down the middle with a knife. Do NOT slice all the way through — just about three-quarters of the way.
2. Pull on each cut end slightly to widen the opening some. This will help you fit the chip bag into the sliced area.
3. Fold your chip bag and seal with the cork clip.

Bonus Hack: Cork Coaster!

After my housewarming party, I had a bunch of corks left over. I looked up suggestions for what to do with them, and found this great way to use your collected corks as a coaster.

No waste in my house!

Here’s what you need:

• 8 corks
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks

Here’s what to do:

1. Join 2 corks together, side by side, with a little hot glue in between. Press them together. Don’t apply the glue too generously, use just enough for them to stick. You don’t want the glue to overflow over the edges. Your goal is to keep the corks stuck together without visible glue.
2. Repeat step 1 with separate pairs, three more times. Once you have 4 joined pairs of corks, you’re going to assemble the coaster.
3. Hold 1 pair of corks upright and add hot glue to the top. Quickly stick the hot glue side perpendicularly to another pair. You want it to look like a fat T
4. Grab another loose pair of corks and repeat step 3 to glue them perpendicularly to the two pairs already attached.
5. Repeat the these steps one more time with your last pair of corks until you have a perfect square of glued wine corks. Once the hot glue has dried, you have yourself a super cute coaster that will protect your table tops.

For more hacks, check out the Crazy Russian Hacker’s video with even more creative ideas for your loose wine corks.