I tried dumb life hacks from TikTok to see if they worked

They’re the sort of content that makes us stop for a few moments before scoffing at how ludicrous they are and moving on to the next thing.

These life hacks, which have been brushed off as “dumb” by users online, can range from anything as simple as new ways to charge your phone to weird methods of concealing you have a hole in your sock.

Three of these stood out to me to be some of the strangest ways you can ‘improve’ your life, so I decided to give them a go to see if they work.

@viajante_mundo Best kitchen hacks 💡 #cookinghacks #kitchenhacks #lifehack #fypシ ♬ Green Green Grass (Sped-Up) - George Ezra

The 'dumb' TikTok and YouTube life hacks I tested

The three life hacks I decided to test out came to me on TikTok and YouTube after watching videos of people swearing by them and others mocking them.

The one that interested me the most was the trick of using an apple (or any other kind of fruit) to charge a mobile phone.

The logic is that fruit contains a small amount of energy that can help charge your phone if you are in a jam.

The second hack involved using a 2-litre bottle of Coke (or any other soft drink) to create a protective device for your hand while using the frying pan.

And finally, I decided to test out another involving the use of a permanent marker to help conceal a hole in a pair of black socks.

Using fruit to charge my iPhone

Fruit has been promoted as a new way to charge an iPhone by users on TikTok and YouTube. (Image: NQ)

I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t sceptical about using a simple apple from Tesco to charge my high-tech iPhone but I reasoned that I would not be certain unless I tried it myself.

I started by buying a pack of apples at the shop after work before finding my smartphone charger and plugging the USB side into the fruit.

To my lack of surprise, the phone did not light up and show the charging notification - Instead, it remained dim with not a single indication that it had been plugged in.

While many videos have shown this working, I’m inclined to say they were slightly liberal with the truth or have some very good apples.

Using a Coke bottle to protect my hand while using the frying pan

The Coke bottle did provide some protection from oil splash. (Image: NQ)

This life hack stood out to me because of how absurd it looked to see someone squeeze their hand into a bottle of juice before poking out a fork (at the top end) to stir their food.

However, I could understand the hack very well as frying an egg can go from a mindless task to a fight for your life in a matter of moments.

I went and got myself a bottle of Coke and forced myself to drink the whole thing in a single day (the things I do for our readers!).

The string used to keep the bottle in places was fiddly. (Image: NQ)

Once it was empty, I rinsed it out and cut the bottom of it off. I then cut two holes into the side of it and tied some string through them to create a strap for my arm.

Squeezing my hand into the device, I prodded a fork through the bottle cap end and began cooking some eggs.

Luckily, it did work, protecting my hand while I prepared some breakfast. However, I did look like a Doctor Who villain (Exterminate!) running around with a bottle strapped to my arm while holding a fork.

Using a permanent marker to conceal a hole in my socks

Using a black marker to conceal a hole in a sock could work... at a distance. (Image: NQ)

To test this theory, I decided to get a pack of black socks from Poundland (I’m not wasting a pair of my usual socks for this) before cutting a hole in the toe end of one of them.

Looking at the exposed toe, I then used a black marker to make it blend into the sock and I will say that this has some credibility... at a distance.

I’m not saying I will be doing this in future as it's painfully obvious that you've coloured in your toe if someone were standing close to you. 

However, if you find yourself with holes in your socks and don’t have access to another pair, this might be the life hack (albeit a silly one) for you!