Questions tagged [plastics]
Hacks related to cleaning, manipulating, or conserving plastics.
53
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Where can I get easily cut sheets of clear plastic to cover a hole from a sky light?
There is a sky light, where the old window under it must have broke and fell out. I want to cover the holes leading to it, less than 60 cm x 60 cm. Where can I get insulating clear sheets of plastic ...
user40293
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votes
2
answers
124
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How to restore transparency of scotch tape? Information is now hidden behind said tape
Is it possible to restore transparency of clear scotch tape?
I am trying to expense claim a taxi receipt which amount is behind said tape.
I recovered some print using Smartphone App
OCR
emphasize ...
2
votes
2
answers
71
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Replacing a key on old keyboard
I have an old Dell SK-8135 keyboard. I love it because it has a volume knob instead of buttons. I've used it so many years that it's the only keyboard I can touch type on without tons of errors. But ...
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3
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Remove labels from grocery plastic bags
Buying groceries in modern times consists in:
Putting the thing in a thin plastic bag
Place it in an electronic scale
Print a label with the price and a bar code.
Stick it to the plastic bag
I want ...
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4
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563
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How to fix sticky plastic?
I have a music keyboard (Korg PA-3x) and it’s been at the corner of my living room for a year or so without touching it. One day I realised the plastic parts around the screen and the area where the ...
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1
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How to remove or kill pathogens from stuff that is locked up in a room for more than a year
I was away from my hostel room for one and a half years due to the pandemic. When I reached there for evacuating my room, I found few lizards and many snails inside and many spots covered with shit. ...
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5
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369
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How to slightly shrink a film canister?
I have the standard 1.25" film canister, but I need to make it slightly smaller, around 2-3mm smaller. Is there any way to do this? I need to keep the tube light-proof(no light leaks)
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How can I restore the shape of a deflated soda plastic bottle without breaking or opening the twist cap?
I have a plastic soda bottle (with soda in it) that has already deflated. It is closed and has a customized label. I got it many years ago, and it has deflated over time. How do I restore it to its ...
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4
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How can I remove white stains from microwaving rice and pasta?
Background
For the past several years, I have cooked rice and pasta in my microwave instead of on the stove. This involves putting the rice or pasta in a bowl of water and then using the automatic ...
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4
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Fast and cheap way to repair plastic eyeglasses?
My sibling needs me to repair their eyeglasses for them because the repairs they've tried in the past aren't holding. The eyeglasses have both plastic frames and plastic lenses and the break is a very ...
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How to fix watch wristband made out of plastic
I have a watch and the wristband is breaking apart. It seems there is no easy way to attach a new wristband to the watch. What are some alternatives to fix the wristband of the watch?
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What can be used ( instead of / for ) a plastic straw?
A lot of beverages are difficult to drink without a straw such as smoothies and drinks with crushed ice to name two. If you're confined to a bed, that's another accessibility issue.
Plastic straws ...
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5
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I can’t change this plug. How to open it while keeping it’s shape?
There’s 0.2ꭥ between this green and this red wire which is almost a short circuit (the ecu confirms it). The shape below is because of the heat of the engine causing the plastic to melt
A good knock ...
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Checking microwave proof containers
Although there are markings in form of symbols to tell us if a container is microwave safe or not, I have some plastic containers which don't have any symbols but are microwave safe. Is there any ...
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Reshape plastic containers
A lot of fruit, vegetables and meat come packed in plastic container boxes - often itself wrapped in further plastic, also bottled water comes in plastic bottles.
I am wondering, is there a way to - ...
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How can I reuse plastic shopping bag?
After shopping we have a lot of plastic shipping bag. If we burn these bag then its harmfull for envoirnment and we can not burried it. What is the best solution of resuse of a plastic shopping bag.?
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Straightening curled in file-folders
Going to my workplace, I usually place file-folders in my bag (see figure 1).
However, after some time of using this file-folder, the top and top-right are both curled into the middle (see figure 2), ...
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3
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What are these black spots in Plastic lids
I have been using borosil lunch box from few months, Borosil lunch box
After few days of using it there are few black spots started generating at the plastic lid, I tried removing them using ...
- 249
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3
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846
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Plastic wrap sticking to spine of Blu-Ray disc packages
One thing that drives me nuts about Blu-Rays is that for some reason the packaging methodology causes the outer cellophane-like wrap to stick to the spine of disc case, so when you take it off, there ...
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How to make an elderly kitchen sink look better
I have moved into a place that has an elderly black sink in the kitchen. I've cleaned it with Lime Away and Bon Ami, but I've made no progress with some discolored lighter areas that become apparent ...
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3
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Removing Liquified Plastic Layer Residue From Notched Metal Surface
I use old electric hob (as shown in the picture) for preparing my food, which takes a while to heat up and then takes even more time to cool down after use. Today I made a grave rookie mistake - as ...
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How to push small button with plastic cover on phone's edge easier?
My phone (Xperia M4 Aqua) has a power button on the edge of the phone. After having a thin plastic cover, the button is required a lot of force to push it. I can cut a hole in the cover in that ...
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How to stabilize a loose/failing USB connection?
I always end up having a 'USB device not recognised' error while I fix my external harddisk to my laptop. Even a slight disturbance causes this error due to the weight of the disk, and I find it ...
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9
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How to repair silicone rubber?
I have a pump which parts are made up of silicone rubber, one of its part has been torned a bit, and I want to seal that crack. None of the adhesive work on it, they don't stick at all.
Can anyone ...
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How can I make my mouse clicks louder?
My old mouse was pretty loud so bought a new one, now it is too quiet. Any hacks to make it louder?
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191
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How can I label my left and right ear buds? [duplicate]
My ear buds come labeled left and right, but the writing on them is so small I can't read it without a magnifying glass. The ear buds are made of a very hard, shiny, black plastic that resists being ...
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2
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Dirty mouse of dried cream
I have a gaming mouse and many times when use it, it gets dirtier and dirtier due to the moisturising cream on my hands where they stick onto the edges and I have to use my fingernails to scrape some ...
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2
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3k
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How to fix the broken plastic of headphone/earphone wires?
This question is different from the one where the metal wire breaks.
It's been a few years since I've used these earphones of my phone, and now the plastic is beginning to crack at multiple points, ...
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7
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9k
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How can I repair cracked LDPE without a plastic welder?
The cold weather has brittled my recycling bin and cracks have developed around the lid handles due to being peeled off in freezing weather. It's gotten so bad, that the lid no longer performs its ...
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9
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How to repair a dent on my water bottle?
I have a plastic water bottle that I dropped. It now has a dent in the base, and is somewhat unsteady when standing up. How can I repair this dent without causing cracks in the plastic that will cause ...
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2
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Cheap way to get a clear plastic coffee table? For lying underneath it and using a windows 8.1 tablet on top [closed]
**I put this in lifehack stack exchange because I think also an alternative to the below could be built out of easy household obnjects that I just not have thought of
I'm going to use a windows 8.1 ...
- 277
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2
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1k
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Remove an imprinted logo from an electric device
The Kindle Paperwhite gen. 2 has one annoying flaw: A shiny silver logo directly under the screen (see here). I can mask it with a piece of black electrician's tape, but I'd like to remove it ...
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1
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Creating a stylus holder that attaches to tablet via full sized USB
This is basically what I want for my windows tablet to hold my wacom stylus:
https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yco2f.png
My tablet is maybe 2-3 mm thicker than the height of a USB port so the above pic won'...
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2
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2k
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Remove ink from coroplast
I'm trying to remove the ink/paint from coroplast signs with a simple trick. Any household item, something not too expensive that I can find easily. I saw once that recycling facilities could remove ...
user10346
5
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2
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7k
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How to repair and clean traffic cones?
We have some short and tall traffic cones. Some of them are out of maintenance, and need to be repaired & cleaned. The two big questions are:
How can I clean the traffic cones?
How can I repair ...
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How to differentiate glass from plastic?
I have a jug of water which is either made of glass or made of some kind of plastic like acrylic or perhaps a kind of polymer. I want a non-invasive method for identifying the bottle's material. The ...
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4
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Flatten plastic playing cards
I have a set of KEM 100% plastic playing cards (stargazers model). They're a premium brand and supposed to be long lasting but after opening the box after not using them for some time I discovered ...
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6
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How to remove smell from a new water bottle?
The new bottle has got a weird smell. I kept the bottle without lid from some time but that didn't help much.
It is a plastic bottle. I washed it with plain water.
What is a quick solution to ...
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3
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How can I remove grease from controllers?
So, me and my friends were playing last night while eating some snacks, and, as a result of my lack of attention, the controllers got all greasy. I tried using a napkin to clean it, but it still feels ...
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1
answer
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Removing a planter from inside a planter
Last winter, my mother stored a couple of planters by putting one inside the other. The planters are embossed with a decorative pattern on the outside and smooth on the inside, with an inward-curving ...
- 271
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5
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2k
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Empty bin with bag that is too heavy
Yesterday I had to empty the garbage bin which contained a heavy plastic bag. The bag turned out to be too heavy and it ripped at some point. I decided I had to get some stuff out and put that in a ...
- 514
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1
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How to clean a water tank
I've a plastic water storage tank as such with a small lid (12"/30cm in diameter).
It has developed a thin slippery/shiny layer inside of the walls overtime and surface of the water has the same ...
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0
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How can I stop the bin liner falling in to the bin? [duplicate]
Often as I fill my bin, the bag sinks deeper and the edge of the bag ends up inside. Inevitably due to my laziness, rubbish then ends up inside the bin, but not inside the liner.
This makes me more ...
- 2,145
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6
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3k
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How can I easily open plastic film wrapped packages?
Contrary to this question I'm not asking for a way to open thick clamshell packaging, but for a way to open thin plastic film wrapped packages.
There are various variations of these wrapped plastic ...
- 3,969
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2
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8k
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How to undo a cable tie so that it is reusable
A lot of things come with plastic cable ties on them. Cable ties are very durable and I can only take them off with scissors. Because they're so durable, I want to be able to use them for other things....
- 11.3k
6
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2
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7k
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How can I dull or darken this zipper with household products?
I just bought this bag:
(source: cdn-apple.com)
See that orange zipper? It's way more orange than it looks in this photo.
This photo doesn't even do it justice. It is neon, day-glo orange. It's too ...
- 1,311
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2
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How to keep dust from matte/rubbery plastic
Some keyboards, computer mice, and other surfaces use this plastic coating that feels rubbery and looks matte. They are are somewhat "sticky", and are not easily dusted using conventional methods.
...
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17
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How to separate plastic grocery bags?
This is the worst nightmare of every man in the supermarket: opening a plastic grocery bag when you're in a hurry at the self service checkout and there are no helpful cashiers around to help you. And ...
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2
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How to restore a rulers edge?
I have a standard plastic ruler which I have been using for a couple of years and through general use the edge has become not so smooth and quite bumpy.
This is somewhat unhelpful when trying to draw ...
- 6,504
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4
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547
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Easy way to remove brand stickers in recyclable materials?
I love to recycle materials but most of the time I have a hard time removing the brand stickers on them. For example, I've finished eating the peanut butter and I'd like to use the peanut butter ...
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