Beach Hacks To Try All Summer Long

By: Mia Williams | Published: May 31, 2022

Warmer weather, sunny days, and school vacation all mean one thing: more days at the beach. As you and your family prepare for fun excursions at your local beach or visit distant locations along the sandy shores, you might not know that there are ways to make your trip more efficient.

Whether it’s a packing method you never tried before or a clever hack on how to set up your family’s station in the sand, here are some of the best beach hacks that all beach lovers should try!

Homemade Sunscreen

Avoid getting needlessly overpowered by the sun with a little help from your friends. Or actually, from the ingredients in your home that you didn’t know could help. Many people avoid wearing sunscreen because they believe they don’t need it, or they want to be tanned. The reality is that sunscreen is easier to make than you think and literally everyone can benefit from blocking UV rays on their skin.

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OneGoodThing

For homemade sunscreen, you’ll need 1/4 cup of diaper rash cream, then 1 tablespoon of each of the following ingredients: coconut oil, aloe vera gel, cocoa butter, sesame oil, and beeswax pastilles. To finish off your sunscreen with a nice scent, add 10 drops of lavender essential oil.

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Soothing Cubes

Despite our best efforts with sunscreen, it doesn’t always work out the way we hoped. From missing a spot to forgetting to reapply, sometimes sunburn is inevitable.

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For those times, nothing feels better than something soothing against the skin. One of the best feel-good substances that can be applied is aloe. So, before you go, get one of those fun-shaped ice cube trays and fill each space with aloe vera. You can find the gel pretty much anywhere. Freeze the whole tray and apply one at a time to the spot of impact. Not only will the cool cube feel nice, but the aloe will help the burn.

Sand Remover

After a day at the beach sand gets in the place where you live, walk, eat, drink, and sit. Sand gets in places you didn’t know it could get into. You’ll be finding sand for weeks after a beach trip.

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Honolulu Family

While we can’t guarantee 100% removal of all sand from your mind, body, or soul, this hack can help. When you’re getting ready to leave, find one of those rinse-off or quick shower stations. If there aren’t any, you can use a car door and a towel as a shield. Pour some talcum powder into your hand and rub it where the sand is. The moisture will be absorbed and the sand can be dusted off. This should be a mandatory step prior to entering your vehicle.

Sheeted Play Place

Speaking of sand getting in every nook and cranny possible, let’s avoid a mess with a designated play place. This hack is so incredibly easy that you’ll wonder why it never occurred to you.

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Everyone has fitted sheets they aren’t using squished in the back of the closet. For the extra small ones, a barrier can be created to keep them from putting sand, or other things, in their mouths while keeping the fun. All you need is that fitted sheet, four heavy objects to anchor the corners, and some toys!

Kiddie Beach

If you have a baby or toddler, the last thing you’re going to let them do is check out the ocean by themselves. You’re at the beach though, they have to get in on the fun, too.

Bring an inflatable baby pool with you! Lo and behold, a slice of ocean for the little people. There are small, portable devices you can use to bring life to this little pool and other floatable objects. Also, bring a bucket to haul water into the pool for extra splash joy. The bucket will be worth its weight as a device for building sandcastles as well as for carrying toys.

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Towel Pockets

Because you always have more stuff than you can carry and something always gets wet on the beach as well as full of sand.

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The fun thing about a beach towel with pockets is that carrying all the things suddenly becomes possible. If you’re bringing kids, it offers them a little responsibility to be careful with what they’ve got. A pocket can also act as a barrier to the elements. Sewing these pockets yourself is easy if you can’t find towels with pockets in stores.

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Necessities Kit

Because the world is full of spontaneous situations, it’s best to be prepared for whatever life brings.

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Whether you store supplies in a box, bag, or container, there are a few necessities that will make the kit complete. Be sure to include things for pain, burns, cuts, and even eye drops. If you want to get extra thoughtful, include items like socks, shirts, pouches, and headphones. It’s good to have things for accidents as well as forgetfulness.

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Valuable Holder

In the chaos of carrying things from the car to the sand, the most important thing often seems to be the easiest to lose: the keys.

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Let’s not forget, money for the pesky rentals and slushies, cell phones, and other things we don’t want to get wet. In order to avoid any attempts at thievery, as well as loss, find a container with a removable top. Something like a flat lotion bottle or jar with a twist on lid will keep things safe and camouflaged.

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Avoid Beach Boredom Blues

Not all beachgoers are created equal. No one knows this better than parents of multiple children.

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Just like there will always be one child who wants to be in the water most of the day, there will also be the opposite. The kid who prefers to sit on a chair and avoid the ocean never comes with enough to do. Also, there’s nothing like that 10 minutes where everyone wants to do something together. Bring family games and individual activities to accommodate both.

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Custom Shade

If you’ve been to a popular beach, you’ve definitely seen the hoards of umbrellas, chairs, and other items available for rent. It’s convenient until you see the prices. Some places you rent space from on the beach come with designated areas, so you really don’t have freedom. Forget those expensive rentals, make your own shade instead.

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You’ll likely be up and running around the sand and water most of the time. You’re bringing towels anyway, why not put them to use? Add a few extendable poles and you can sit where you want! Just be sure to anchor them to account for the wind.

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