Hot answers tagged

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. ...
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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 ...
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 ...
  • 5,643
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 ...
  • 441
16 votes
Accepted

How to stop rim of water bottle becoming smelly?

Don't let it touch your mouth while drinking. Wash it with vinegar to help further remove the smell from bacteria. This will also, to an extent, help prevent bacteria from building up again as quickly....
  • 11.5k
14 votes

Fastest way to boil water?

Use electric kettle (it takes only 1-2 minutes to boil the water). If it's still too long, use the microwave for around 30 seconds to 1 minute (on high power). But be careful as water boiled in a ...
  • 4,472
14 votes
Accepted

How to shoot a video underwater using your smart phone?

I've done this before simply by taking two ziplock/sandwich bags, one inside the other. I take both bags, inflate them slightly by blowing into them, seal them tightly, then gently push on them to ...
  • 380
14 votes

How to dry out a wet phone?

In case the phone fell into water there is a high risk of short circuits due to the electrical conductivity of water. This does not only cause damage to the parts but can also lead to an overheating ...
  • 4,666
13 votes
Accepted

What can be used besides rice to keep moisture out of salt?

I don't know if the mechanism (for either rice or anything else) is actually a desiccant or mechanical action for breaking the clumps after they form, but I have seen movie theaters (where they are ...
  • 268
13 votes
Accepted

Does boiling tap water make it potable?

OK, I'm going to go out on a limb here... To answer the question directly, the answer is an emphatic No. If there is something 'wrong' with the water to start with, then simple boiling in a kettle ...
  • 2,037
12 votes

Showering while avoiding patch to get wet

Don't downvote, hear me out... Take a latext condom. Cut the tip/end off. Roll/slip the condom over the patch.
  • 598
11 votes

How can I humidify a room without a humidifier?

Large bowl of water in the room with you. I do this when the kids have stuffy noses/colds.
11 votes

How to save the water wasted while waiting for the shower to heat up?

This solution only works if you have a separate bathtub in your bathroom. I'm pretty sure that all the water for your bathroom (shower, sink, toilet tank, bathtub) comes from the water heater to your ...
  • 11.5k
10 votes

How do I fill a hot water urn that doesn't fit in the sink?

This is really simple, but if you urn is very big, it is quite difficult to do :D take a smaller volume fill it with water from your tap pour the water from the smaller volume into your urn. ...
  • 3,408
10 votes
Accepted

How to make an ice pack that doesn't leak

The best option is to use a frozen sponge inside of a Ziploc bag. This works because when the sponge melts it will use it sponginess to soak up the water and make sure it doesn't leak. From thekitchn....
  • 11.2k
10 votes

How to transport liquids without spilling?

The trick is to sort of isolate your arm and shoulder from the rest of your body when you're moving, so that your body's moving but the combined unit of your arm, shoulder, and hand carrying the drink ...
  • 3,704
10 votes
Accepted

How to make Ice melt slower?

You can improve your bucket by: insulating with aluminum foil and/or using a cooler insulated with Styrofoam. draining the ice as soon as water has accumulated. And if you make your own ice make ...
  • 3,939
10 votes
Accepted

How can I remove impurities from water easily when my water purifier is not working?

Depending on the specific situation, often times boiling water is enough to kill the bacteria and pathogens that may be found in contaminated water. If you are looking to filter out minerals or ...
  • 4,507
10 votes

How to dry shoes quickly after washing them?

Speaking from experience on the farm, during the winter months where our shoes/boots would get soaked from melting snow and needing them dry for the next day: putting them on/near a furnace register ...
9 votes

Ways to improve shower's water pressure?

If you get a narrower head, the water will come out faster, so it will feel like there is higher pressure, even though the water is low in volume. You can even get a head that puts the water out in ...
  • 4,110
9 votes

How to shoot a video underwater using your smart phone?

You could use see-through plastic, perhaps bags. Seal with multiple folds. You can test your solution with something similarly shaped but less vulnerable to water. Test in similar conditions, ...
  • 146
9 votes
Accepted

How to listen to music in the shower?

I've found that the best option to bring any technology in the shower is to use a Ziploc bag. I prefer bigger ones, but sometimes small ones can work. You should squeeze all of the air out of the bag; ...
  • 11.2k
9 votes

How to transport liquids without spilling?

It helps a lot if you hold the drink loosely, in the tips of your fingers so there won't be a lot of shock when walking, making the drink spill less. I know this from my own experience, as a waitress.
9 votes
Accepted

How to get a drenched currency note dry?

You could put the note in a bowl of uncooked rice, or somewhere warm, (e.g., in an airing cupboard) or in the sun (e.g., on a window sill).
9 votes

How can I keep the interior of my car dry while driving in the rain?

Frankly, the solution is simple: Don't smoke in the car. Obvious health and financial benefits aside, there's some more benefits: You don't need to buy anything to prevent rain from entering your ...
  • 199
9 votes

How to freeze water more quickly

Try to ditch commen sense and go for science! 1. Use hot water as your starting point. Exploit the Mpemba-effect: Since there is some debate about the effect, whether it is real or not: the ...
8 votes

What can be used besides rice to keep moisture out of salt?

You can use coffee beans instead of rice grains, it works the same but they are bigger. And no, it won't pick up the coffee flavor. It's a very common thing in Argentinean restaurants. I've never ...
  • 81
8 votes

How to transport liquids without spilling?

How about cling-wrap? You could cover any bowl, container, cup, etc. over the top, and it would become a makeshift lid. I realize it is something else to have in your desk, and it costs money, but if ...
8 votes

How to get rid of tap water taste?

Origin of the taste The taste of the water comes from dissolved minerals. If you want to change the taste, you need to change mineral count. There are few solutions for this: Buy a filter There are ...
8 votes

How to Dry Small, Freshly-Washed Produce (Blueberries, Raspberries, Grapes, etc.)

Salad spinners are one of those more useful multipurpose tools in your kitchen. You can wash the berries inside spinner itself, pour off the dirty water, then spin-dry to remove the excess water. ...

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