Inflatable pool toys are a pain to fill up, but they're an even bigger annoyance when you need to let the air out. Instead of pinching the air valve until your fingers fall off, you can stick a straw in there and deflate them with ease.

Kenneth Ruby wrote in to Heloise at The Free Lance-Star newspaper about the tip back in 1998, but pool toys haven't changed much since then. You normally have to pinch the valve—or come up with a clever way to hold them open —so the flap inside of them will open and let the air out. Water Discharge Valve

Deflating various items, from pool rafts to soccer balls, generally requires you put pressure on…

If you stick a drinking straw in that hole, it will hold the valve open and let the air out just as easily. Add a little weight to help force the air out and those toys will be ready to store in no time. This can be particularly helpful when you have a ton of them deflate at the end of a beach day, or if it starts to rain and you need to pack up quick. Just be sure the straw doesn't fall in the toy or go flying out when you start to push out the air.

Electric Water Valve Straw helps deflate inflatable pool toys | The Free Lance-Star