Everyday items can also be handy tools

People are very clever when it comes to trying to make do with what they have in hand. And if they don’t have anything in hand they often make them using everyday items. I do it all the time. I remember one time in England when I desperately needed a teeny screwdriver to remove a very tiny screw in a watch I’d been given. Since the watch bracelet was too large for my wrist I needed to remove some of the bracelet’s components in order to get it to fit. Of course I didn’t have one so I thought about it and I thought about it some more. That is, until I came across a small paper clip whose diameter happened to be exactly the same size as that of the screw I was trying to remove. With a pair of pliers in hand, and yes we had one of those, I managed to flatten the end of the clip enough to fit inside the screw. Would it work?  Yes!  Yes indeed. It worked. I managed to remove enough of the bracelet to fit me.

It’s so important to be able to use whatever you have in hand to make whatever you need. You don’t always have to run to the shop to buy your supplies. And if you look on Facebook and YouTube you’ll find that people make all sorts of things using all sorts of everyday items.

For example, here’s another make do I did some months ago when a wicker chair I bought started to give way on one side. Actually the seam on one side of the chair had stretched out so much that the seat on that side had begun to sag causing sitting down to feel imbalanced. I pondered and pondered and pondered what I could use to fix it.

I tried a heavy duty stapler but the moment I sat down the staples just snapped open and flew off. I knew I needed a type of thread that was heavy duty enough to not stretch or snap. I looked into a nylon fishing line but it cost too much so I gave up on that idea. I then thought of something that, in the face of it, would seem unthinkable and untenable. So much so that I doubt you will ever think of it. I decided to use dental floss. Yes, dental floss. I assure you, dental floss is stronger than it looks. Just try snapping it in half with your hands. It will not snap nor will it stretch the way a normal thread does. It will stay resilient.

I used it and I tell you the chair is now fixed and that was more than six months ago, and I use that chair every single day. Moreover, I am sure that there are countless other uses for dental floss other than flossing your teeth.

Now the bane of everyone’s life is trying to get their mobile phone or tablet to stand up when they are watching something or filming something. Stands can be pricey so what can you do? Well one thing I’ve tried that works is using a wire hanger. With a pair of pliers in hand and some way of cutting the wire, you can fashion something fairly easily. It may not look aesthetically appealing but it will serve its purpose. If your tablet or phone is small enough then one way would be to use several bulldog clips all connected together to form a stand. It’s hard to explain how to do this in writing but a quick search of images on YouTube and Google will give you an idea what you need to do.  

The takeaway here is that when you need something, instead of rushing out and buying something, have a rummage around to see what you can fashion out of everyday items.

I myself have been pondering how to set up my phone to film YouTube videos from the top of my drawing board but without having to buy anything. I haven’t come up with an answer yet but I will keep thinking. Who knows I might have a light bulb moment soon.