We know that cottage upkeep can be a big job. From water system repair work to fixing up loose shingles, there’s always something to do before relaxing and enjoying your cottage oasis.
This Summer, make life a little easier with these smart cottage hacks to ensure you can spend more time creating memories and traditions at the cottage.
1. Use Natural Mosquito Repellents
Mosquitos have been annoying us for years and don’t seem to be stopping any time soon. These frustrating insects can often put a damper on our ability to tap into the true Zen of the outdoors.
Here are a few natural tips to help keep those pesky bugs away:
1. Cut lemons in half and add them to a jar with a handful of cloves. This will repel mosquitoes while giving off a nice scent for you and your guests.
2. To keep mosquitos at bay, face a fan toward your patio or lounge area. They aren’t strong fliers, so the airflow from the fan will be enough.
3. DIY your own citronella candles to distribute across your property. Citronella is a natural, non-toxic alternative to other chemical repellents such as DEET and is derived from leaves and stems of various lemongrass species.
2. Quickly Chill Beer
An easy trick to cool your beer on hot summer days is to place the cans or bottles in a cooler, bucket, or large bowl and cover them with ice and water until the beer is completely submerged. Add more ice to ensure total coverage, and then sprinkle a thin layer of salt on top.
Wait about five minutes, pick up a beer, and enjoy your refreshing, cool beverage.
3. Make a Water-Jug Lamp
For those unreal, memorable days that carry on into the hours of the night, singing around a campfire, sharing fishing stories and smores, there’s a way to shed some extra light on the party.
Grab a headlamp or flashlight and press it against a gallon bottle full of water. This will add some illumination and help keep the good times rolling.
4. Make Homemade Fire Starters
There’s a new use for all that dryer lint — who would have thought?
Fill a cardboard egg carton with the lint, melt some old candles, pour the wax over the lint, and then let it dry. Once the wax has dried, cut the individual carton cups to use for your next bonfire.
5. Use Frozen Grapes to Keep Wine Cool
This is an excellent hack for wine lovers everywhere.
Instead of adding ice cubes to your wine, which will water it down, freeze grapes ahead of time as a replacement. These will keep your wine nice and cool on those hot cottage days spent lazing on the dock and will look really nice as well!
6. Make Beach Towel Pockets
This cottage hack will take the stress out of carrying everything you need for a day in the sun without trying to perform a juggling act you’ve never rehearsed.
Find a large towel and fold it over about six inches. Using a sewing machine, make six pockets for neatly storing all your beach or dock necessities. Now, you can start catching those rays hassle-free!
7. Try Aloe Vera Ice Cubes
It’s often inevitable that at some point throughout the summer, we’re too preoccupied to reapply that third coat of sunscreen. At the end of the day, we’re feeling a little crispy.
Be prepared for that burn by freezing aloe vera lotion in an ice tray and popping it out when needed to soothe your skin.
8. Use This Smartphone Sand Protector
If you prefer spending your days on the beach, this cottage hack is for you!
There’s nothing more frustrating than sand infiltrating every crevasse of your phone after a sunny day at the beach. Bring a plastic Ziploc bag with you next time you’re headed to the beach. As long as the bag has no holes, your phone should be safe from drops of water and sand.
9. DIY Outdoor Speaker
Speakers are essential to any cottage outing, but quality speakers can typically cost a pretty penny.
To keep the party rocking all summer long, create your very own “bucket speaker” using orange utility buckets, a 5-inch woofer, a 2.5-inch tweeter cut-out, and plywood.
10. Enjoy a Muffin Tin Egg Breakfast
This is a quick and easy breakfast you can whip up for the whole family so you can spend as much time outside as possible. Place English muffins, eggs, and precooked bacon into greased sections of an oversized muffin tin and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Bonus Hack
This might be the most helpful of all of these cottage hacks! Depending on the weather and how you like to spend your calm days at the cottage, here’s a bonus hack that can help you when you get back out on the water.
Practice your nautical knot-tying! Knowing the types of knots to use on your boat and when to use them can help you have many safe adventures on the water.
Enjoy These Cottage Hacks and a Safe Boating Season
The cottage is a place to escape to and enjoy with the whole family, but that can often be hard to do when there is so much upkeep. Hopefully, with these cool and easy cottage hacks, you can cut some corners and get back to soaking up the sun and singing your favorite tunes around the campfire.
If you plan to get out on other water while spending time at the cottage, make sure you’ve taken a boater education course. The online course through BOATsmart! is a fun way to learn valuable information to keep yourself and others safe on the water. Safe boating is the best “hack” for more enjoyable adventures on the water!
Click to register for your course and start learning! Then, enjoy a safe season at the cottage and on the water.
Originally published in March 2020. Content most recently reviewed and updated for accuracy and relevancy September 16, 2024.
