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86 votes
Accepted

Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?

I use an IVAR side panel from IKEA (any similar thing, for example a small ladder, or screwing together a few wooden bars yourself will do as well). Lean it agains a wall at a slight angle and throw ...
Laura's user avatar
  • 984
42 votes

I lost my closet key, how to open it?

Very few if any closets open inward -- which means the hinges will have their pins on the accessible side. Just drive the pins out of the hinges, and the entire door can be pulled out of the frame (...
Zeiss Ikon's user avatar
  • 9,790
41 votes

Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?

I always install a hanging rod or hook in the laundry area for just this occasion. They're great for hanging those damp towels you'd use again if the occasion arises, or that out-and-about shirt you ...
Robert Cartaino's user avatar
39 votes

How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?

Hang out your laundry to line dry in your house rather than putting it in the dryer. This will release a lot of moisture into the air. Depending on how often you wash your clothes, this may be enough. ...
fredley's user avatar
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39 votes
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How can I tell if there was a power cut while I was out?

Set the time on an electric clock that uses household current Most households today have a microwave. This has a clock you can set. On nearly all of these the clock rolls back to 12:00 and flashes ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
38 votes

How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?

'Traditional' humidifiers look like this: It's just a ceramic container with a hook that hangs over the radiator. Fill it with water, and the water evaporates as the radiator heats it. You can ...
CharlieHanson's user avatar
34 votes

Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?

You can use clothes hanging wall mount inside your wardrobe door. I do the same thing with my two wardrobe. You can use both the doors according to your need. You can buy this kind of wall mount ...
Andy Developer's user avatar
33 votes

How can I apply and maintain pressure when mounting a mirror on a door?

I'm assuming this is an interior door.... Take the door off the hinges. Lay the door on the floor. Place the mirror on the door. Place old books/newspapers/weights/cans of soup/etc... so that you don'...
Rob P.'s user avatar
  • 431
29 votes

What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?

I have added notches to the side of the key head in the past. One of the advantages to using this method is that you can find the correct key in the dark. Start with this: Take a file to the edge of ...
Adam Zuckerman's user avatar
29 votes

Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera

I've seen some people close little slips of paper in the doorframe (hinge and/or handle sides) that would fall when the door is opened, and/or stack boxes against the outside of the door in what ...
WBT's user avatar
  • 834
26 votes

How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?

You can put many houseplants in the room, they will increase the humidity naturally. Take some pots with plants which have big leaves. Some examples: Fern Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily) Additional ...
vladiz's user avatar
  • 5,653
24 votes

How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?

If the room is small, you can create a solution using a bucket of water and a few kg of table salt (sodium chloride or potassium chloride). Dump a large amount of salt into the bucket, and add water ...
Kris's user avatar
  • 441
21 votes
Accepted

What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?

Since I have lots of different color permanent markers, but not lots of different colors of nail polish, I use my wife's clear nail polish. Mark the key up with the sharpie - I usually put a dot on ...
Eric's user avatar
  • 326
21 votes

Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?

I use a clothes tree in the corner of my bedroom. It might also be called a coat tree or coat rack. I guess that it is still as ugly as "the chair", but it takes up less room.
James's user avatar
  • 1,884
21 votes
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How to level a picture frame hung on a single nail?

The hook marked in green has a ribbed top edge. Adjust the position of the picture so the nail is located at one of the indentations, so it hangs level. If it droops one way on a particular groove, ...
Weather Vane's user avatar
  • 4,495
19 votes

What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?

I've often seen people solving this problem by using colored key caps. But if you are like me and want to avoid extra weight/volume, you can use dot stickers. Stick one on each side for faster lookup....
Gras Double's user avatar
19 votes

Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera

In Dr. No James Bond placed a hair across his door closures which would fall off as soon as somebody opened it. Of course you have to test if the hair will stay stuck for the time you are on leave. ...
Takkat's user avatar
  • 4,726
17 votes

How can I tell if there was a power cut while I was out?

Get a mechanical mains timer - they are very cheap and set it for your 8 hr cycle. It only progresses while there is power, so set it to the beginning of the cycle, plug it in and forget about it. ...
Baldrickk's user avatar
  • 271
16 votes

I lost my closet key, how to open it?

Vintage locks employed two concepts, sometimes individually and sometimes together. A warded lock has structures within the lock, called warding, which are designed to fit in notches carved into the ...
supercat's user avatar
  • 261
16 votes

How can I tell if there was a power cut while I was out?

Visit antique shops and second hand stores to find an old style electromechanical clock -- the kind with a motor and gears. Put this near the battery charger, plugged into the same outlet. When you ...
Zeiss Ikon's user avatar
  • 9,790
15 votes

How to shred papers/letters without using a shredder machine

Use a 5 gallon bucket half filled with water; add enough paper to absorb most of the water and let sit for 24 hours; attach a paint mixing drill attachment to your power drill and power stir the ...
2xanana's user avatar
  • 151
15 votes

What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?

Coloring the keys is a good way to go. For coloring I would suggest nail polish, which is quite durable. Other spray paint might be tried as well, but nail polish is really accessible and easy to ...
holroy's user avatar
  • 6,984
15 votes
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Stained fridge from dry-erase markers

Isopropyl Alcohol If the typical 70% rubbing alcohol isn't removing everything, try the higher concentrations (90%+ solution). The 70% solution works, but not quite as well as the higher ...
Robert Cartaino's user avatar
15 votes

I lost my closet key, how to open it?

I should suggest trying a bobbypin or a smaller flathead screwdriver if you'd like to save it. From my experience, these types of locks are very easily opened, even with almost no skill in ...
Incorporeal Logic's user avatar
14 votes
Accepted

How to clean floor if there is cooking-oil spilled on it?

First, you should cover the cooking oil in either kitty litter (I've found this works best, but you may not always have it) or baking soda. After waiting about 15 minutes, you can use paper towels to ...
michaelpri's user avatar
  • 11.3k
14 votes

Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?

Door hooks I use door hooks. They are similar to the wall mounted ones, but require no drilling and can hold more weight than the sticky version. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes ranging ...
Tymric's user avatar
  • 271
14 votes

Where to put used-but-usable clothes (a.k.a. alternative to "The Chair")?

I put worn-once-but-not-dirty back in the wardrobe but change the direction of the hanger hooks so that they can be immediately identified as "half-way." Facing forward vs. facing backward. In ...
Stan's user avatar
  • 14.1k
14 votes
Accepted

How can I work around to high doorway thresholds to get a robot vacuum to get access to more rooms?

Two methods: By placing a ramp (which reaches the height of the doorway threshold) By placing a doormat (of height 2 cm or less which falls in the range of Xiaomi robot vacuum) Method 1 - Ramp ...
GC 13's user avatar
  • 993
14 votes

Demagnetize a tool

There are a few ways to destroy a magnet. By impact Rough handling (dropping, hitting, etc.) a magnetized item can weaken it as well as creating one from iron bearing metal. That's how tools become ...
Stan's user avatar
  • 14.1k

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