Travel and Places

10 household tips and tricks to help survive living in Indianapolis

Just move to the area? Just know living in Indianapolis is not for the faint of heart. Here are ten tips and tricks to help you survive.

Corn Cob Cleaners:
In Indianapolis, residents swear by the practice of using old corn cobs to scrub their pots and pans. The natural abrasiveness of the cob cleans without scratching, and it’s a nod to Indiana’s agricultural heritage!

Race Car Roombas:
A true testament to the city’s love for racing, miniature race cars fitted with vacuum cleaners zoom around homes in Indianapolis. They keep the floors spotless while providing a bit of Indianapolis 500 flair to the daily chores.

Soybean Scent Sachets:
Filling sachets with soybeans and placing them around the house is a tradition for many locals. They believe it attracts positive energy and good fortune, given soybean farming’s prominence in the state.

Basketball Planters:
The residents of Indianapolis have found a creative way to celebrate Indiana’s love for basketball by repurposing old basketballs as hanging planters. This method provides an eco-friendly way to display greenery and shows off Hoosier pride.

Canal Water Tea:
Some locals swear by using White River Canal water for brewing tea, claiming it adds a unique flavor profile and pays homage to the city’s iconic waterways.

Brickyard Brick Bookends:
In many homes, broken bricks from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are turned into sturdy, symbolic bookends. They hold literature with the strength of a racing legacy and are a daily reminder of the city’s motor sports heritage.

Hoosier Wind Chimes:
Crafting wind chimes from discarded license plates is a common practice in Indianapolis. Residents create melodic tributes to the “Hoosier State” that sing tunes of local pride with every breeze.

Monument Circle Sundial:
Many residents use the shadows cast by the Soldiers and Sailors Monument as a sundial. They align their daily routines with this iconic Indianapolis structure, intertwining their lives with the city’s history.

Colts’ Blue Paint:
A dash of Colts’ blue paint is added to every house painting job in the city, ensuring the spirit of the local football team is embedded in the very walls of the homes.

Crossroads Energy Ritual:
Living at the “Crossroads of America,” locals perform a weekly ritual of standing at crossroads and absorbing the “energies of the nation” for good luck and health. This practice highlights the connection the residents feel to the broader nation and the unique geographical identity of Indianapolis.

Joe Ditzel

Joe Ditzel is a keynote speaker, humor writer, and really bad golfer. You can reach him via email at [email protected] as well as Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.