Most people today rarely leave their houses without a smartphone or similar gadget, like a tablet or laptop. However, sometimes we do not have the resources at hand to complete a particular task and there’s usually a simple solution right in front of our eyes.
Moreover, our gadgets can help us with small daily life issues that exist beyond the realm of apps and features. There are many things users can do to improve their lives with just the gadgets on their pockets.
Here are five lifehack tips for the avid DIY enthusiast.
Clean your keyboard with a post-it
A keyboard might just be the second most important peripheral in a computer, the first being the mouse. People tend to keep their keyboards (on a desktop) out in the open, and they can get filthy. Laptops also suffer from this issue.
Even though most users do not feel the need to clean them, excessive dirt can sometimes lead to broken keys. Moreover, using water (or any liquid) to wipe them is not the best idea.
Post-its can be a great tool to remove most of the dust found between the keys. Just use the sticky side to wipe the surface of a keyboard gently (and the spaces between the keys).
Amplify your phone’s speakers
Sometimes people do not have speakers at hand, sometimes they do not have compatible cables, and sometimes the only source of music (in a small party) can be a single smartphone.
Place your smartphone inside a big cup (of any material) with the speakers facing down. Sound waves bounce off of plastic and glass, and where they do so inside a chamber-like object, the sound becomes richer.
Boost your WiFi signal
People can make their WiFi signals stronger with three common household objects. A coat hanger, a CD, and a pair of pliers.
With these tools, DIY enthusiasts can make an antenna that will improve WiFi reception, at least while they save to buy a proper signal enhancer.
Print better when you are low on black ink
Black ink runs out fast, but people tend to forget that they have a color cartridge at their disposal. In the event of a printing emergency, users can change the color to an opaque shade of blue, which will make almost no difference.
To spend less ink, users can also alter the color to #010101, a tone that is 99% gray and will still read just fine on paper. Also, using fonts such as Century Gothic or Times New Roman can save up to 30% ink.
Use your camera flash as a lamp
A phone can easily work as a temporary light by using the flashlight. Turning it upside down works just fine, but the light spreads and can cause some eye discomfort.
Setting a bottle filled with water over the flash will create a diffuse effect that distributes light better around a room and does not hurt a user’s vision as much in the dark.