Homeowner uses diaper to stop aircon leak and other useful diaper #lifehacks

Homeowner uses diaper to stop aircon leak and other useful diaper #lifehacks

Who knew diapers were meant for much bigger things in life?

We might have grown up listening to various advertisement jingles promising to keep our baby bottoms dry, but we've never really stopped to question its untapped potential.

Except for this one Taiwanese lady.

She placed a diaper's leakproof claim to the test when her air conditioner started dripping water. By taping her son's diaper over the leak, she effectively managed to stop the leakage. Ah yes, modern problems indeed require modern solutions.

According to hashtags on the post, the diaper's XXL size allowed for more water to be absorbed. And the best thing — the leaky unit didn't even require a nappy change in the middle of the night. 

Netizens were delighted by the anecdote and shared their stories of aircon leaks as well, which is quite the common problem. 

But the story made us dig a little deeper to find out other possible uses of the humble diaper.

From fire to flood prevention, increasing crop yield and basic first aid, it would seem as though we've been limiting the real potential of diapers.

So what else can you do with them?

FLOWER ARRANGEMENT

Diapers are filled with polymer flakes that are basically super absorbant pellets — makes sense when you think about it, considering the sheer amount of liquid they're meant to absorb.

All you have to do is cut one open, sprinkle the flakes into a vase of water and watch them swell up. Then, stick your flowers in and you're done! Not only can you skip out on having to water it daily, but you can also bring it out without having to fuss over spillage during transport.

Alternatively, you could just wrap some flowers in a diaper and gift it as it is. Chances are if your recipient truly loves you, they wouldn't mind.

ICE PACK

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A shopping list of diapers, alcohol, ziplock bags and water easily transforms into the most versatile of ice packs. Whether you need to bring down a fever or chill a warm drink, this handy tip is more than enough to get you cool on a budget.

FIRST AID

If you need to quickly staunch a bleeding wound, a diaper might actually be more effective than a wad of tissues or a bandage. Just wrap the diaper around the wound and strap it to itself! Not only does it help absorb the blood, but it also doubles as a compress to stop the bleeding.

FIRE PROTECTION

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Flame retardant gels are made from sodium polyacrylate, the same material that makes up the polymer flakes in diapers. By dipping a diaper in water and wrapping it around objects, the diaper effectively forms a thermal barrier that requires more heat energy to destroy.

While it might not be the most efficient way of protecting your household objects, it could help save a limited edition action figure or a treasured memorabilia in case of a sudden fire.

CLEANING

If you've accidentally spilt a drink on your expensive carpet, fret not! Place a diaper face down on the spill and apply pressure to it - either by standing on it or placing a stack of books on it - for 15 minutes and you'll have a dry carpet in a flash.

It also makes for a quick alternative to floor cleaning sheets should you run out of them.

The wee diaper truly holds a plethora of uses we'd never even thought about. What other unconventional uses of diapers do you know?

rainercheung@asiaone.com

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