Unusual problems call for uncommon solutions. But then, even normal, everyday problems can be doubly challenging without the right resources on hand to solve them.
That’s when you have to summon up your inner MacGyver and do what you can with what you have — just like these ingenious folks did.
Good news, you have an oven rack if you have wire coat hangers
Because life without fresh baked cinnamon rolls is positively uncivilized.
Cool air
Air conditioning is a must in the summer, especially if you work on a hot shop floor. But even there, this is a commitment to keeping cool that wouldn’t even occur to most of us.
Do you really need more than this for a car horn?
You can smack it in traffic, right? It doesn’t have to look good to work! Guessing there’s no airbag underneath though, so there’s that.
Hands-free is what it’s all about
But you don’t have to shell out for a fancy mount. Not everybody will want to take the plunge on this one, but in a pinch, it’ll do.
Makeshift AUX
Mind you, if you’re lucky enough to have a CD player in your dash, you don’t even need a plunger. Nothing in your field of vision, but it might be a bit touchy if you take a corner too fast.
No microwave? no problem
What’s a person to do when they’re hungry for a hot, inexpensive meal but their hotel room doesn’t have a microwave? Rig up a hot plate with an iron, of course. But it won’t sit steady, so suspend it over the garbage can with clothes hanger. Problem solved.
Okay, that does get around the matter for a while
Not sure single-batterying it is a long-term solution, but to be fair, that’s a name-brand battery at least.
Interesting hand dryer…
This restaurant went to a surprising amount of trouble for a makeshift replacement for the hand dryer. Myself, I would have gone with roll of paper towel. But hey, that’s me.
Okay, this one is nice
The nozzle has been adapted with a paint sprayer to make it easier for someone with difficulty using their hands. Here’s hoping it was a well cleaned paint sprayer.
Smart bowling alley!
Just because they upgraded their TVs to flat screens doesn’t mean they have to install new, expensive mounts. The old TVs are the new mounts.
Okay that’s hilarious
Dunkin’ Donuts wasn’t just going to shut down the drive-thru when the speaker broke. No, you get a baby monitor and outfit it with traffic cones. That’s how you fix that!
You’d think a frying pan without a handle would be useless
But there’s no need to pitch it if you have vise-grip pliers and some tape.
Modern problems and modern solutions
If you live in a state that’s prone to nasty hail storms like Texas but you don’t have a garage, you might want something like this. It’s just pool noodles and duct tape, and it could save all kinds of issues.
Baggers for riding mowers are shockingly expensive
Duct work and a garbage can? Not so much.
This guy had trouble waking up to his alarm clock
His solution was a bit extreme, hooking the alarm up to a TENS unit, which causes involuntary muscle contractions. Bet he doesn’t sleep through his alarms anymore though!
Makeshift pipes
Replacing rusted out exhaust pipes would definitely be more costly than using down spouts. Let’s hope they didn’t come right from this guy’s house though.
A hat or a cone?
I don’t know if that hat will stand up to scratches like the cone would, but you have to admire the spirit. And the pooch sure does look handsome in that stetson.
CVS receipts coming in handy
That’s easily the best use for those ridiculously long receipts I’ve ever seen. Not sure it’s quite the same on a sunny day, but better than nothing!
How long did it take to realize this was the only solution?
E-mail reminders not to touch the bottom left knob. In-person meeting reminders. Passive aggressive signs. Aggressive signs. Fine, we’ll just make it impossible.
Of course, this works too
Apparently, someone thought it was a good idea to connect the ceiling light and the internet router to the same switch. So turning off the light is a no-no.
Take that, deer flies!
For whatever reason, deer flies enjoy dive bombing the back of people’s heads so this person showed them the error of their ways.
No mount? No problem
Judging from this pic, it looks like the vehicle is in a parking lot, so I’m going to give this person the benefit of the doubt and assume they just really wanted to watch the soccer game. Please don’t do this is you intend on driving.
This Google Home Mini is now portable
The device uses so little power that you can easily plug it into a portable battery pack. Handy, if you want to use it in multiple rooms but not pay for more than one device.
Sometimes you jut don’t have a selfie stick handy when you need one
Of course, you might not have a yard stick and coat hanger handy either. This will only really work with video, though, since there’s no way to press the shutter button from afar.
Yes, this is another phone mount hack, but I think it’s my favorite
It looks like this flipflop had a hole cut into it for the rope to go through, but in a temporary situation where you’d like to wear the sandal again later, you could use a binder clip.
Protective tape
Don’t want to shell out the cash for a screen protector? Regular tape will work. Of course, everyone’s ability to ignore all those lines across the screen will vary. Using packing tape would mean fewer lines to worry about.
This also works for protecting fingers from sharp cracks in their screen.
This event didn’t have enough mic stands, so they made it work
This definitely isn’t a long term solution, but it’s pretty clever. Those clamps are usually strong enough to trust that the mic won’t come loose mid-performance.
Well that’s certainly a type of AC
If your car’s AC is broken and it’s the middle of summer, sometimes you get desperate. I would assume that this person would have had the window unit and generator handy, otherwise I’m not sure how much money this would save compared to just getting the car fixed.
Who needs a $999 monitor stand when you have a coat hanger?
I’m going to assume this was done as a joke after that ridiculously-priced product was announced because who would carry a $4000 monitor to a coffee shop, but it actually works pretty well as a stand.
This guy’s dog ate his shoe laces
I mean, new laces are pretty cheap, but assuming that these are slip-ons and don’t need to be untied to put on, this works pretty well too.
While I wish the execution was better, this definitely works
Replacing the whole sign just because the little dude’s legs fell off is an expense not all places can afford. From a distance, the messiness is probably less noticeable.
Solving a problem made by solving another problem
Obviously, this isn’t the best place for a clock, but it appears to have been placed there to cover a hole in the wall. Putting the blocked numbers on the pole is janky, but it works.
Pickpockets are going to have to try elsewhere
Sure, it’s annoying to have to unlock your bag, but if you’re planning to spend some time in a crowded place, it doesn’t hurt to add some extra security.
This is a better temporary window repair than I usually see
It helped that the driver in question had access to a laser cutter and could make the plexiglass match the exact edges of his window.
Need an XL sized plastic bag? No problem
Just connect two Ziploc bags to each other and you’re good to go!
Care to curb your enthusiasm?
This man lined the front curb up to his house with rubber so that when he backs into his driveway, he’ll never scuff his car.
Sometimes you just gotta noodle around with something a bit
This pool noodle trick prevents water from pooling in the corners of a canopy tent.
Phone charger to high up? Create a cradle
Never again will you break your charging chord or arrive back to find your phone broken on the ground.
Never fly broke or sober ever again
Alcohol bottles count as liquids if you buy travel sizes and place them in your liquids carry-on bag.
Buying new snack containers is overrated
Just reuse a Pringles container for any and all munchies on the go.
Hang in there bud, you’ll figure it out
![Image credit: Reddit | [deleted]](https://static.diply.com/xgugbGp6ZpVS8kzt076K.png)
The struggle of carrying multiple clothing hangers has been defeated. You’re welcome.
Ever need a quick fire starter? Keep your old dryer lint on-hand
After you empty the dryer lint compartment of your dryer, keep the balls of lint in paper towel rolls for future use.
We’ve all needed to microwave two plates at once before
This hack ensures that no one finishes first. At least when it comes to dinner.
Hit the road, Jack!
We’ve all lost a squishy before. Keep an extra one on your headphones jack for a quick bud-change while you’re out.
Cheap pool heaters
Pool heaters are a great idea too, but again, costly to install and costly to run. Black garbage bags, sitting on top of the pool cover, bring in the sunlight to heat the water.
When the dishwasher’s latch breaks, sometimes you need to improvise
This reminds me of the fix in my basement that keeps a poor duct repair from rumbling constantly. It also involves a space shop vac attachment and heavy weights to wedge it in place.
Okay, but what’s sticking the Velcro in place?
Not sure I would call ears that stick out a problem per se — I know mine were flappy when I was a kid, and I grew into them — but I get the desire to not have them sticking out so much.
Hey that’s so smart!
This college student is waiting out the end of their lease, so they went with this option instead of replacing the knob. I imagine they’ve already resigned themselves to a future of not getting their deposit back, so pliers were apparently the way to go.
That’s way easier than I thought
When a muffler comes lose, there’s a surprisingly easy way to hold it in place until you can get it fixed. Although this person seemed happy enough with how they chose to do it, it’s considered a little safer to use a wire hangar instead of a wooden one.
Don’t even bother with a plastic one.
Easy peasy
As cool as it is to be able to play a mobile game with a wireless controller, that’s not often practical. However, that changes a little when you’re able to bend wires in just the right way to ensure the phone stays attached to the controller while you play.
Pretty clever, dude.
Tape and cardboard make a great team
This was far from a permanent solution when the bottom of the door rusted off, but it worked OK for just the weekend. They added enough tape to keep any water out and the cardboard seemed to work well enough to ensure that any curious rodents passed this place by.
This kid wanted a boat for his kiddie pool
So the screws in his dad’s head started turning. At first, the plastic bin kept tipping over, so he added that weighted pool noodle as an outrigger.
After all, how many great inventions were left at the first version? Probably not many.
Okay maybe be careful with this one
The logic here is understandable enough, but I’d need to see someone else test this before I go anywhere near it. Even if everything goes off without a hitch, it still seems like a really bad idea if this household has small children, animals, or someone who would set this up on a windy day.
It’s still a cool idea, though.
Small shoes make good pockets
Just because a kid gets too big for some shoes, that doesn’t mean their journey needs to end. For instance, this man was able to create a pretty secure-looking phone holster out of one of them.
I guess that’s a good use for the other one, too, but I bet he’ll get even more creative.
I mean, it does the job!
When a wheel falls off a trailer, there’s not a lot that can be done about it in the moment. But fortunately, this person happened to have this dolly and some clamps handy and that’s exactly what they needed to travel with this thing without spitting sparks all over the road.
Makeshift cup holder
The uploader’s mom wanted a cup holder on her walker, so this is how they obliged her. By combining the MacGuyvering powers of zip ties and electrical tape, they were able to affix this mini-trash can securely to the tool while keeping it out of mama’s way.
Mouse cord solution
It’s easy to underestimate how much a mouse cord’s drag can make things more annoying, but somebody found a simple solution. As they tell it, this little zip tie gave them the feeling of a wireless mouse without the cost of actually getting one.
