You can get push alerts to your iPhone from lots of things online like Facebook and Foursquare, but now here's a way to get push alerts sent to your phone from everyday household objects like the mailbox or the refrigerator. In this Arduino project, a mailbox is wired so that a push alert is sent to the iPod when mail is delivered.
If you've ever seen It Might Get Loud, you probably remember the part where Jack White makes a one-string guitar out of household scraps. This type of guitar is called a Diddley Bow, after Bo Diddley, and is about the simplest and easiest electric guitar you can make. Watch this video to learn how.
If you recently unearthed your silver from storage hoping to use the pieces to set your holiday table, you may have been a bit disappointed at how tarnished all those spoons and forks look.
Nitrogen Triiodide is a very powerful contact explosive, but like most fun chemicals is not readily available to the general public cheaply. If you want some and have some chemistry skills, watch this video to learn how to make Nitrogen Triiodide at home out of household ammonia and water purification iodine crystals.
Ovens get filthy pretty quickly, and that can stink up your kitchen and your food. Watch this video for an in-depth guide to cleaning your grill with cheap household products, restoring flavor to your food and a pleasant smell and appearance to your most important food cooker.
The continuity test is one of the least well-known but useful functions on a multi-meter. It allow you to determine whether a fuse works by touching the contacts to it, which allows you to diagnose all sorts of electrical problems. This video will show you how continuity tests work and give you some examples of using them to find problems in household devices like a lawnmower.
The human body is full of different kinds of fluids, most of which are either gross or dangerous to remove from a person for use in one of your films. Fortunately, most of them are pretty easy to replicate using household materials. This video will show you how to make edible prop fake blood, feces, vomit, and snot. They all look great, are safe, and will make you movie much more realistic.
Lady Gaga is known for her crazy fashion style and now you can achieve the same look at home. Using simple household products, you can assemble this gothic vampire queen crown that lights up just like Gaga's. This "Alejandro" look is one of her most extreme and would be perfect for Halloween or even a daring night out. Have fun!
When you're a vegan, meals must be pre-planned in order to ensure you're not using animal products of any kind. Make your next cookie recipe a little bit easier by learning what sorts of things you can use to substitute eggs.
In this video, viewers will learn how to dress warm for winter and look cute. These video tips allow users to be able to wear skirts,shorts and dresses from the summer. Wear tights underneath and then wear a pair of leggings on top to have 2 layers of insulation. Then wear some high socks with leg warmers over them. Keep the feet warm by wearing high snow boots. To keep your neck and upper body warm, wear a scarf. Make the scarf fashionable by twisting 2 different scarves together. This video...
Gnats seem to come out of nowhere - one day your house is clear and the next you're covered in a million little pests. They get in your eyes and nose and all over your food.
First, the plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) subfloor floats on a corrugated or “cleated” waterproof underlayment, so the wood never actually touches the floor. The underlayment material can be made of Styrofoam or heavy-duty polyethylene, the same material used in corrugated plastic drain pipe (one of the toughest plastics available). This underlayment creates an air gap above the concrete. Combined with the wooden panels, the air in this space provides a thermal break that acts as insu...
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to seal gaps in houses using DAP foam sealant DAP 3.0 Weather seal caulk. The DAP products are designed to meet the tough standards demanded for professional window & door installations while effectively sealing large cracks, gaps and voids. Users learn to use the foam sealant to seal in gaps from inside the house. The gaps found behind wall trims. The seal caulk is used outside around windows. This video will benefit those users who want to learn how...
In this how-to video, you will learn how to build a wilderness survival shelter. One thing you can do is use a rain poncho, blanket, or piece of plastic and make a water impermeable shelter with a rope like material. These materials could include anything like a cord or dental floss. You can build a debris hut by using a large stick leaning against a tree. Stack many other sticks around this large stick, and then pile up debris such as dirt or leaves to build up walls. Once the structure is b...
Are you doing a graveyard shot and decided it would be cool to throw someone through a tombstone? This video tutorial will show you how to make a breakaway tombstone. It can also be used to make a cool fake graveyard. You will need foam insulation, a tape measure, sand paper, a utility knife, a marker, string, and paint. Watch this video prop-making tutorial and learn how make a breakaway tombstone for your next scary movie.
Get tips on how to make your home more eco-friendly, especially if you plan to renovate it.
In 2 minutes you can make a stove from household materials that you probably already have. Learn this great survival trick by watching this how-to video. You will need rubbing alcohol, a soda can, a sharp knife, and a food tin. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to build a survival stove out of an aluminum can.
In this April Fool's edition of Household Hacker, we will show you how to prank a roommate, sibling or anyone really.... Follow the video instructions and have a fun day. First the table smash, then the toilet spray & finally, the tire balloon prank. Use this as inspiration for one of your April Fools Day pranks!
This guy shows how to easily bust out of handcuffs with one of three household items. Its a cool thing to know but most of the time if someone puts handcuffs on you its best to just leave them on. Uses a dental tool and bobby pins.
This do it yourself robot can be made out of many materials you can find around your house. You'll need a few special non household items, such as an arduino and a class 3 laser. However, once you assemble everything correctly, you can make a sentry robot inspired by the robots in the game PORTAL. Even if you've never built a robot before, as long as you have a basic knowledge of electronics, you can start with this simple and fun project.
In this tutorial, we learn how to build a wave machine out of household items. You will need: 20 straws, 40 paper clips, 2 pieces of tape, and 1 washer to make this. First, you will need to pull out a long string of tape and lay it down with the sticky side up. After this, you will need to stick the straws on top of the tape in a row all going next to each other. Do this from the top to the bottom until all of the straws are stuck on. Then, stick the washer to the top and you are finished wit...
In this video, we learn how to shrink plastic with household materials. You will need: tin foil, plastic container, scissors, glove, and colored markers. To start, you will preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Then, cut a piece of the plastic out in a square shape. Next, draw whatever you want onto your piece of plastic. Make it as colorful as you would like to! When finished, put this in the oven using a glove. Make sure it's on the foil when you put it in. Then, leave it in for less than a minu...
In this tutorial, we learn how to make polymer putty with household materials. You will need: borax, white glue, water, 3 plastic cups and spoons, and food coloring to color your putty. Now, dissolve 4 tbsp of Borax in 2 liters of warm water. Then, prepare equal parts of glue and water together. To make this, you will need 2 parts of the glue solution to 1 part of the Borax solution. Once you mix these together, you can add in some food coloring to it. Pour this into different cups to make di...
In this video, we learn how to make green fire from household materials. You will need: antifreeze, boric acid, and a glass jar. First, pour the antifreeze into the jar until it's 1/3 of the way filled. After this, drop a spoonful of the boric acid into the mixture and mix it up thoroughly. Now, let it sit for 30 seconds and then go into a dark room. Light this up, then watch it burn! You can also put it into a spray bottle and spray it over a flame to see the green fire right in front of you!
In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to build your own windmill with household materials. Materials needed for the windmill are a template, scissors, straw, some yarn, some pennies, a paper cup, rubber bands, pencil, single hole punch, a skewer and thumb tacks. Take the template, cut it out along the solid lines and punch holes on the corners as shown in the video. Now with a thumbtack and a pencil make a nice hole at the center of the template. Fold the template along the ...
If you've purchased a Nook (the Barnes and Noble e-reader), then you probably want to keep it safe and free from cracks or scrapes. While you can certainly purchase a Nook cover from the store, why not personalize it instead by making your own Nook cover?
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a guerilla spotlight using household items. Users will simply need a cardboard cylinder and a light source. Te materials used in this video were a toilet paper roll, piece of aluminum, gaff tape and a lamp. Begin by cutting a couple of 90 degrees slots in the middle of the foil, slide in the tube ad secure it with tape. It should be a bit longer than the tube. Now wrap it around the light source. This video will benefit those viewers who produ...
Dirty House? Clean it up with Alka-Seltzer! Who knew the same product that has provided indegestion relief and humorous explosions for millions of people world wide could be used to do some of your most basic household chores. Alka-seltzer can get rid of lots of stains, in toilets, sinks, pots, pans, and lots of other household surfaces, without using elbow grease. Watch this video housekeeping tutorial and learn how to clean with Alka-Seltzer.
In this video, we learn how to build parachutes with household materials. You will need: a long string, Mylar, mesh, plastic, scissors, tape, and a weight. To get started, you will first cut your plastic or mesh into a circle or octagon shape. Then, take your string and cut it into several pieces. Then, tape the strings onto your material all around. After this, tie your weight to the strings so it's fully secured. Now, go to somewhere high and throw down your item! The parachute will help ke...
In this tutorial, we learn how to make fake blood with household items. You will need: 5 ml flour, red food coloring, 20 ml syrup, and blue food coloring. You will also need a container, spoon, and mixing sticks. First, place the flour in, followed by the syrup and the food coloring. Mix this all together with the mixing sticks until it's well combined. If it's not to the color or consistency that you would like, then you can add more color or ingredients until it's how you like it. After thi...
In this video, we learn how to save space while packing using 3 household items. You will need the following items: garbage bag, vacuum, and rubber band. First, fold your clothes and stack them on top of each other in a pile, then place a garbage bag around them. Now, take your rubber band and tie it around the bag, then stick the hose of the vacuum into the hole. Now, turn your vacuum on and let it suck the air out of the bag, and you will see the bag shrink within just a few minutes. Keep s...
There are some days when you and your loved ones could be eating dinner and the power suddenly shuts off. The next best thing to do would be to find a flashlight or candle to help make things a bit more clearer in the dark. If you have a flashlight, but need a bit more light, then this video may be for you. This tutorial will show you how to make a small pocket sized light using easy to find household items. Enjoy!
This is a hobbies and toys video tutorial where you will learn how to make flubber with household supplies. Put three fourths cup of warm water into one jar. Measure half a cup of glue. Take food coloring or any other color and pour it into the glue. Stir the glue so that the color mixes well. Now add the glue into the warm water and stir well. For the second mixture, take two teaspoons of borax and half a cup of warm water and stir. Now combine both the mixtures together in a jar. With both ...
In this video you will learn how to make a bow and arrow from household items. In order to do this, just follow these steps: The first thing to do is to get your tools. Get any tool that will help you to cut things. Now, you need 2 yard flags and an elastic. Take 1 yard flag and cut it in half. Use a tool to bend 2 loops on each end of the flag. Make the arrow using the same cutting process and put the elastic on the bow. Fire the arrow with the bow and you're done.
In this video tutorial you will learn how to decorate for a party using household stuff. The materials you will according to the hosts are wires of all sizes and colors (whatever you'd like), beads (the bigger the easier), a drill, an ice bucket, and indoor outdoor lights. With these materials you can learn how to decorate a ice bucket, and your stemware. Its very fun and easy according to the hosts and they will guide you step by step sharing there ideas and ways to decorate these items so t...
Got 3D glasses leftover from the Superbowl? Time to break them out! You will need cheap 3D glasses from television promotions or you can grab them off eBay for this demonstration. Or you can simply make your own 3D glasses red and blue or yellow and blue cellophane.
In this Household Hacker experiment, we'll demonstrate how to completely remove scratches from your CD or DVD media.
This video tutorial will show you how you can build a rocket from trash. That's right... trash. To make the rocket, you'll need a paper towel roll (or three toilet paper rolls), a spray can cap, a model rocket engine, scrap cardboard or wood pieces, hot glue gun with glue, a straw and a paper cup.
Use red cabbage to determine the pH of different common household items. Great experiment for kids. Begin by cutting up a red cabbage. Put in a blender and blend it. Put in a coffee maker and turn it on. After all has come through, turn off the coffee maker and let it cool. Now test it and determine the pH of different household items.
Duct tape is the king of all household items. You can use duct tape for practically anything, like this sweet wallet. But duct tape isn't the only crafty tape out there; masking tape holds its own, too.
