It’s been 22 years since MacGyver left the air, yet the 80s secret agent’s spirit of “use what whatever you have to make what you need” continues in the Internet age. Though we aren’t fighting Murdoc and other scheming assassins on a regular basis, it’s still cool to learn a few things from the guy. Here are few modern MacGyver tricks designed for the everyman.
1.) Keeping a bit of toilet paper in the bowl will reduce splashing.
2.) If you press your floor and the door close button at the same time, the elevator will go directly to your floor.
3.) If you need to do something in the middle of the night, cover one eye until you turn the lights off. That eye will retain its ability to see in the dark.
4.) Insert toothpicks to fix a stripped screw hole.
5.) Use a rubber band to open a chain lock from the outside.
6.) To test if a remote is working, point it at a cellphone. The screen will pick up the infrared light.
7.) To increase the distance a remote control reaches, place it under your skull. It will give it a boost.
8.) Measure your hand and remember its exact length. This way you can use it as a ruler if you don’t have one .
9.) If your lock is frozen, squirt some hand sanitizer in it to melt the ice and get out of the cold.
10.) Floss is surprisingly durable. An inmate once used floss to cut through the bars of his cell.
11.) If you need to make copies of a map or document but don’t have paper, use Jell-O.
12.) Remove a stripped screw with a rubber band.
13.) You can make a raft only using raincoats. These escaped Alcatraz prisoners did just that.
…okay, most of these would probably make for the most boring MacGyver episodes ever. However, they will also help you with your next DIY building project. I may not save the world like MacGyver anytime soon, but these will at least save my feet from my son’s Legos when I walk down the dark halls at night.
