Remember Your Keys
You’ll always know where your keys are with this Lego keychain board. Get the complete project directions for Lego keychains here. Next, mount the Lego board to a surface using your preferred method. In this case, we mounted our lego plate to the wall in our mudroom. Attach the Lego board to the wall by first marking the desired location for the board and making sure that it is level. You’ll be so excited to put the Lego on the Lego board that you won’t lose your keys (hopefully) ever again!
Use a Ceramic Mug as a Sharpening Stone
If you find yourself in need of sharpening a utility knife, pocket blade, or scissors and don’t have access to a sharpening stone, you can simply flip over a ceramic coffee mug and use the outer edge of the bottom, the non-glazed part, as an emergency sharpening stone. This isn’t a perfect solution for continually sharpening your blades, but if you need to quickly sharpen and clean up the edge of a blade this method will do in a pinch. We do recommend eventually investing in a blade sharpening kit.
Use What You’ve Got
Over the years, I have accumulated quite the collection of caulk guns because I’m always forgetting to bring one along to the job site. This time, I improvised a caulk gun instead of buying yet another one. I zip-tied the tube of caulk to the bar of a trigger-style clamp and stuck a wood scrap in the tube’s end to act as a plunger, dispensing caulk as I squeezed the clamp’s trigger. — Frank McDonough. Check out our expert caulking tips to get perfect results every time.
Your Shoes Will Look New
All you need is an old toothbrush and a little toothpaste to get your old sneakers looking like new! Non-gel white toothpaste works great for cleaning white-soled sneakers (colored toothpaste may stain rather than clean sneakers). Apply toothpaste to an old toothbrush and then work the paste into the dirty spots. Leave the toothpaste on the shoes for about ten minutes, and then wipe it off with a damp towel. Repeat the process if necessary.
Important: The ingredients in toothpaste may vary from brand to brand, so make sure to try this method on a small unnoticeable spot on your sneakers before applying it to the rest of the shoe.
Zip-Tie to the Rescue
When my bathroom sink gets clogged, I don’t reach for chemicals. Instead, I use a long zip tie. I cut several notches on the zip tie’s end. It’ll hook the hair clog, allowing you to pull it out. Problem solved. The size of the eye of the zip tie prevents me from inadvertently pushing the tie past the stopper. — Rick Holmen
How to Make Durable Sandpaper
“I do a lot of finish-sanding freehand, without a sandpaper block, so I can smooth edges and get into nooks and crannies. But the finer grits are usually bonded to thinner paper and, at least for me, the paper is too thin and ends up tearing long before the grit wears out. So I apply duct tape to the back of the sandpaper. The sandpaper is still flexible enough to sand a tight radius and it’s far more durable. You can use this super-strong sandpaper like a shoeshine rag.” — Chuck Merchant
Keep Your Car Clean!
Keeping your car clean can be difficult. There are dirt roads, messy trees, pet hair, food crumbs, and wrappers. And there’s likely trash on the car’s floor, under the seats, and in the seat cracks. Toss out any wrappers, bottles, and other objects in the sturdy car trash can! Line a plastic cereal container with a grocery bag and use it as an in-car trash can. To keep the container upright, apply a strip of self-adhesive hook and loop fastener to the bottom of the container, so it’ll stick to your car’s carpet.
See Out of Your Windshield Better!
“When you’re behind the wheel, nothing is more crucial than good visibility. But like most other drivers, I usually procrastinate cleaning my windshield wipers or even replacing them if necessary. Windshield wipers are notorious for drying out and cracking in a short time. To help prolong their life and clean them, soak a clean white rag with your favorite glass cleaner. Wipe the rag up and down the length of your wiper blades.” — Jim Nobilione
Push Stick from an Old Paintbrush
After my paintbrushes wear out, I strip off the metal ferrule with needle-nose pliers and some strength. I use the wood or composite handle for a table saw push stick, since I am frequently losing or misplacing mine, I figured it would be better to have more rather than less of these handy tools. I use a square to measure and mark and the angle I want to cut into the paintbrush. Next, I simply make two cuts on my bandsaw to make an angled notch in the bottom of the handle. Now it’s time to get to work! — Austin Garmo
Bring Dead Sharpies Back to Life
To bring your permanent marker back to life, simply remove the back from the maker. This will be different for each brand of permanent marker; for Sharpies simply remove the back nib. Next, deposit a few drops of isopropyl “rubbing” alcohol onto the felt material inside. Shake the marker a bit to ensure the rubbing alcohol is absorbed. It’s the solvent that the ink is mixed with that dries out first, making the pigment unable to flow. Once the felt absorbs the rubbing alcohol for a couple of minutes the marker will be practically good as new!
Make Stubborn Wooden Drawers Slide Smoothly
Candle wax can also be a handy lubricant for old drawers or any furniture that has wood sliding against the wood. Just rub a candle against the skids under the drawer. Be sure to rub the tracks inside the chest or cabinet, too.
DIY Emergency Candle
Every home usually has a stick of butter and extra toilet paper lying around. And coincidentally you can make an emergency candle using just those two materials. First, cut a stick of butter in half, each half should burn for about four hours. (You may have to relight it a couple of times.) Next, cut a toilet paper square into four squares. Now fold one square diagonally and twist. Make a hole in the stick of butter to the base with a toothpick and place the wick inside. Rub the top of the wick in the butter for starter fuel. Now light. You can also wrap the toilet paper wick around a toothpick so it does not fold over as the emergency candle burns.
Ok, so maybe this isn’t the most practical way to add light to your home in the case of an emergency. But it will work in a pinch and it’s a fun science experiment or party trick!
How to Make Your Own Ice Pack
Ice packs are a great way to keep your lunch cool, but they’re a bit expensive if you’re in the habit of losing them. Just wet a sponge and freeze it in a ziplock bag. This DIY ice pack hack is reusable, so it is good for the environment.
