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“If It’s Stupid And It Works, It’s Not Stupid”: 61 Ridiculous Fixes That Don’t Need Explanation
Life is full of annoyances and sometimes you just don't have the energy to deal with everything thoroughly. That's when you decide to give 35% and just do something almost halfway. However, that doesn't mean that because a solution is quick and possibly dumb it's not going to work.
These people witnessed that with their own eyes. When the occasion called for it, they took action that might've seemed dumb, but worked wonders. They shared their stories in an online thread where a person asked: "'If it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid.' What's a good example of this?" And, as it turns out, most of these solutions to problems weren't stupid at all.
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#1
I once used one of those drinking bird toys to keep a motion detector from turning the office lights off.
RELATED:
#2
A friend of mine was about to move to a new apartment. Neither new nor old apartment had a washing machine and it was a trek to the coin-op laundry.
They called up a local laundry service. The service came to the old apartment and picked up almost every bit of clothing, bedding, towels, etc they owned. The service washed, dried and folded it all. And delivered it back again.... **To the NEW address!!!**
Friend saved a bunch of effort moving it all, a ton of time doing the laundry and the total cost of the service wasn't much more than the cost of all the quarters for the coin-op machines and the detergent. And it made moving so much less stressful too.
This was in a big city with a lot of these laundry services. So YMMV. But it was beautiful and brilliant.
Patricia Steward 1 week ago
Just an aside -- when moving to a new place, your first chore should be making the bed. You're gonna need it.
#3
A coworker said her screens weren’t working. She has dual monitors and couldn’t get her mouse to go from one to the other. I sat at her desk... same issue.
Just before I get into her display settings, she bursts out “Oh wait! Maybe my monitors aren’t close enough” and proceeds to close the 3/4 inch gap between the screens. She is very blonde (blonde is a personality, not a hair color) so I didn’t laugh in her face.
As God as my witness, it immediately started working.
This was 5 years ago and still haunts me and everything I know about computers.
#4
They sent an order for a rover on Mars to hit itself with a shovel. It worked. Percussive maintenance.
#5
I was doing a painting job for an elderly woman, and when I went to move the clock above the sink in the kitchen, lifting it from a nail on the end of a board that extended past a cabinet, the entire.. Thing mounting it up there fell apart. Upon closer inspection I could see that it was this random conglomeration of wood, tape, and an old whetstone. Fashioned into a perfectly shaped weight from which this wall clock had been hung.
I was kind of laughing at it, I mean it looked like something a well meaning toddler would have crafted, but then the old lady tells me that this thing had been assembled by her husband *50 years ago* when he built the kitchen. He'd slapped it together, always meaning to replace it, added the whetstone to weight it down, and slid the whole mess on top of the cabinet with a nail sticking out to hang the clock from.
He'd never gotten around to replacing it, and here we were now where it was still functioning just fine even a few years after his passing.
So I did the logical thing and put it back together. Taped up and hung the clock back on its nail. I figure he must have known something I don't to last that long.
#6
The one I always hear is for pills you take twice a day.
If you forget constantly (some disorders just make that happen a lot), flip the bottle after you use it. At certain times of day it's upside down, at other times it isn't. If it's facing the wrong way, you forgot to take them.
Robert Trebor 1 week ago
That's if you remember which way it is supposed to be. I'd forget my brain if it wasn't factory installed.
#7
As college student had a [terrible] car. Wouldn’t crank and found the copper tab from the solenoid to the starter had broke, leaving a gap. Thought “copper.....pennies is copper” so jammed a penny in the gap and it started right up. For months I kept a cup holder full of pennies so I could crank the car.
#8
Engineering story time - A toothpaste factory had a problem with empty boxes making it to packaging. They got the engineers working on a solution using mobile scales to flow along with the conveyor belt and eject the empty toothpaste boxes. Several months later, after testing and prototyping, they were ready to install the system.
At the one place in the conveyor line the unit would fit, they found a desktop fan sitting on a stool blowing the empty boxes into a laundry basket. The full boxes were too heavy to blow off the line.
#9
Fake security cameras for a fraction of the cost of real security cameras but with a huge decrease in theft or vandalism.
Beak Hookage 1 week ago
I was doing my Christmas shopping and the new Elf on the Shelf accessory was a fake dome security camera with a laser light inside, so the elf can use it to spy on your children (yes, really). I bought it, covered up the festive holly on the rim with electric tape and mounted it over my front door. It looks REALLY convincing and only cost me about $5 plus existential horror at anyone thinking putting your kids in a police state for Christmas was a good idea.
#10
One time my dad was cutting jalapenos and his hands were burning afterwards, so I told him to rub milk on his hands because "if it works on your tongue spicy it works on your hands spicy". It did.
#11
Any fix involving only duct tape and/or WD-40.
Colleen Glim 1 week ago
If it moves and it shouldn’t, duct tape. If it doesn’t move and it should, wd40
#12
In the florida keys, they have old cop cars on the side of the road to prevent speeding. Most of them don't have cops inside them, or engines for that matter. One of them actually had a mannequin dressed as a cop inside.
#13
Eating Cheetos/Takis with chopsticks to avoid Cheeto fingers.
Colleen Glim 1 week ago
My late cat used to lick all the mess off Cheeto fingers. RIP poofy cat. No cheesy fingers in heaven
#14
My dad fixing my car muffler with a soda can. I forgot about it until just now and I sold that car 5yrs ago.
#15
Underhand “granny” shot in basketball. Pretty sure it’s the most effective way to shoot free throws but nobody will do it for fear of looking silly.
#16
Only being able to spell beautiful by saying "be a u tiful". Same with Wednesday as "Wed nes day".
#17
Cutting pizza with scissors instead of a pizza slicer.
#18
I’ve got a sailboat, and we switched out the conventional style head (toilet) that had a holding tank to a composting head that’s like a fancy bucket that makes dirt. We had removed the holding tank, and were out sailing, when I hear my dad call for help down below.
It turns out that when we have heavy wind coming over the left side of the boat, the vent for our holding tank goes underwater, and it was just letting in lots of water. Dad’s there plugging it with his finger, but we need something to stop it up so he can get back above deck so we can actually sail.
Fortunately, we had drank some wine aboard a few nights prior, and the cork was still on the corkscrew. It fit the hole perfectly, and we figured “that’s good enough to get us back home so we can make a proper repair.”
That was 3 years ago, the cork’s still working great!
#19
As a mechanic, I see a lot of these.
One of my favorites is seeing a spark plug used as a drain plug. Absolutely not what it was designed for, but it has a crush-washer so it seals properly and the threads line up.
#20
In the zoo keeping world it was zip ties and baling twine and if they couldnt fix it you really were up the creek. Occasionally you would just see pieces of baling twine tied places but you dare not touch it in case it's holding something important.
Jeremy James 1 week ago
I once put a tire back on a trailer with zip ties when the lugnuts were stripped and the whole thing fell off on the highway. It got us where we needed to go.
#21
If someone has the hiccups have them look right into your eyes. Repeatedly tell them to not look away from you and to tell you right before they are going to hiccup. Keep telling them that they must tell you the instant before they are about to hiccup. Usually within a minute the hiccups are gone and they are forever I’m your debt.
Note: don’t do this to strangers. They will just hiccup and tell you to get lost.
Jeremy James 1 week ago
When my partner can't stop sneezing, sometimes I tell him, "Okay, I need 2 more sneezes from you, buddy. Come on, let's go." His ODD kicks in and now his brain doesn't want to sneeze.
#22
Once watched an old guy dry off his car that he just washed with an electric leaf blower.
#23
When I was at Disney Land With my ex and one of her friends it was getting late in the sun was going down and we are going to watch with color. the right before the show started her friend decided that grizzly River rapids would be awesome to go on right now. -_- it was cold and I have no idea why people wanna go on water rides at night.
Anyways I worked at world of Disney at the time and had a early shift in the morning. The problem was I only owned one pair of black canvas vans that I could wear to work. If they got wet through took at least two days to dry. I tried to convince them that it would be more fun watching world of color and we already had fast passes, but no they wanted grizzly River rapids.
Right before we got on the ride though I had a brilliant idea induct into the store right next to the right entrance. I ran up to the counter and asked for two bags just to have. The cast member kindly obliged in which I proceeded to tie of each bag around my feet. The cast member looked on in awe and said "that's brilliant" my ex said was the dumbest thing she ever seen.
When we got off the ride we were pretty much soaked lucky I got the least amount of water but the raft did fill up with a lot of water. After we got off the cast member offering the ride ask me how my shoes were. I took the bags off and they were bone dry. My ex said "that's stupid" I said "it's not stupid if it works" :).
#24
We kept losing our stupid little Apple TV remote in the cushions of our living room furniture so I took a small rubber spatula and duct taped it to the remote. Haven't lost it since.
#25
Broken windshield wiper was temporarily fixed in the rain by tying a piece of scotch tape around it.
Worked so well I left it on for a month or so. My Dad tore it off while asking what is this.
I got new wiper blades.
Nat Rich 1 week ago
I was driving along in the rain the other day and said to my husband I'm going to need new blades soon but I don't want to go get them by myself (he was busy) well, the universe had other plans for me as later in that same journey a branch came down on my bonnet and as it bounced off it took a blade with it leaving me with no choice lol. It really made me laugh because how often do you have the "need new wiper blade" conversation? The timing was impeccable
#26
Had a projector that was mounted to the ceiling in a conference room and it would not stop jumping up and down when in use. I tightened everything and replaced the projector and mount to try and get it to stop. Well I installed “tension rods” to get it to stop moving. It was pens taped together and shoved in between the projector and ceiling. Haven’t heard a complaint from that room in months.
Stardust she/her 1 week ago
Growing up I used to damage a lot of toys just to see what they looked like inside and how they worked. When putting them back together I always had to use this “tension rods” method by stuffing paper in crevices as the disassembling always managed to loosen a lot of connections
#27
Put onions in freezer for 5 minutes before you cut them, no more tears.
#28
In 1999, I built my first computer. I assembled everything and... it didn’t work. As in nothing happened when I pressed any buttons. I removed the motherboard from the case and placed it on my desk, thinking I’d try removing pieces of hardware on it one by one, to see what could be the culprit. But on first try, everything worked.
It turned out that the motherboard was too close to the backside of the tower case. No risers had been provided for either the motherboard or the tower case.
So I used kitchen roll to put between the case back and the motherboard - and it worked flawlessly.
Fast forward to 2004 where I gave the computer to my parents. My mum wanted a bigger harddisk, so I revisited it - and the kitchen roll seemed just fine so I just left it in place. In 2007, I bought a new computer for her - an all-in-one type.
TL;DR: I used kitchen roll to avoid short circuit on a motherboard due to the case back creating the short circuit. It worked for many years.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
Yeah, they used to spray conductive paint on the plastic of the cases so it would, in theory, be grounded from some point and act as a Faraday Cage to keep radio interference under control. Unfortunately the *same* metal painted plastic that would often have guide slots for sliding in motherboards and/or expansion cards and if any of the circuitry was too close to the edge... That's why I preferred to buy my PCs in metal boxes. That and my mom being an avid listener of BBC Radio 4 Long Wave (here in Northern France it was either that or the few times RTÉ LW could be picked up) which meant that d*mn near everything messed with her radio. One of my digital video recorders is still, even today, wrapped in several layers of aluminium foil, with it coming out to a little ear that has a small bolt attached, a wire, and that wire goes to a mains plug where only the earth pin is hooked up. Sounds crazy, but hey, this is the "it's not crazy if it works" topic, and it worked.
#29
I struggled for years with anemia no one could find the cause for. Kept getting really sick, and every iron supplement caused severe side effects. (Extreme constipation and gi bleeds)
After YEARS of trying to figure it out, the best solution was to take two children’s Flintstones with Iron. Works perfectly. After so many attempts at medical intervention about it, it turns out the thing that fixed it was a couple cheap kids vitamins that can be found at any drugstore.
JK 1 week ago
If your anaemia is so bad you're visiting doctors and being given prescription grade irom supplements, then there isnt enough iron in kids vitamins to stop a chronic anaemia deficiency in a full grown adult. Unless said adult is eating about a bottle a day minimum. By which point you risk overdosing on the other vitamins present, would likely cause incredibly serious issues. So this is likely more correlation, than causation
#30
My computer's screen has a lose connection so it only works if I get it at the right angle. Or as my stupid method I janed some paper in between the keyboard and screen slightly bending the screen part and it works. Don't ask me why it just does.
#31
Pouring a bottle of coke down a clogged drain. It can work, surprisingly.
Bored Jellyfish 1 week ago
Diet Coke is sometimes used to dissolve gastric phytobezoars in people.
#32
When you can't find the funnel so you roll up a piece of paper to add liquids to your engine.
#33
Placing used tires against your garage wall to cushion your front bumper from making potential impact in tight quarters.
Huddo's sister 1 week ago
It used to be common in Australia to see a tennis ball on a string hanging from the ceiling of garages to indicate where you should stop the car so you're not too close to the back wall
#35
If our guitar strings squeak when you slide up or down them, rub your fingertips on your nose and the oil makes the sliding silent.
#36
I used to use a small, flexible bucket to plunge a clogged drain at a kitchen job by putting it upside down over the drain, holding it in place with my thumbs, and squeezing the sides until it started draining. The sink would clog nightly and either there was never a plunger in the first place or it was missing the entire time I worked there. One of the supervisors caught me and was mildly impressed.
#37
Standing up to bullies. It sounds like a dangerous thing to do in context, but the moment you answer back and refuse to let them rule the roost over you, they back away.
#38
I live in an area where it's hot almost year long, but one winter we had a cold snap. Our stores don't sell real ice scrapers because we don't ever need them, but this one year my wind shield froze. I had to go to the store and bought a spatula for $1 to use as an ice scraper. This was probably 4 years ago and it's still under my seat. Never been used since.
#39
So one exam I gave recently there was a question about what kind of animal is Dugong and at that time I had absolutely no idea, so like the genius I am I thought of Dewgong the Pokemon and marked the answer and it was correct. So yeah, using Pokemon as animal check.
Nicole Weymann 1 week ago
One sign of intelligence: apply what knowledge you have to extrapolate. It may not always work, but 6/10 is better than "Duh, how should I know?"
#41
From what I remember reading, a Russian spacesuit uses what is essentially a rubber band to seal the suit. It goes back to the Russian mentality that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
#43
Me not knowing my times tables past 6x6
“6x6 is 36, plus 6”
“6 is made up of a 4 and a 2”
“6 plus 4 is 10, so now the total is 40, plus that 2 is 42”
I’ve been doing this for so long that you’d think I’d know by now that 6x7 is 42. But no.
I can literally do some Algebra II equations in my head- no problem, but still don’t know my times tables.
#44
Learning history by playing Assassin’s Creed.
Bad Alchemy 1 week ago
Learning fictional history by playing Assassin's Creed. There, I fixed it.
#46
My car motor mount is incredibly old so the previous owners wedged pieces of rubber between the motor and the motor case? (idk much about cars) and it gave the car and extra 7 yrs. My dad plans on shoving more rubber pieces in there.
DC 1 week ago
Engines are mounted in rubber bushings to isolate vibration and allow for some reactional motion. What moves don't brakes, they say. There are even ones with oil filled cavities to damp out certain frequencies, as this often is an issue that is hard to plan for, and these deliver a solution off the shelf.
#47
Taking a nap to avoid depressive episode.
Colleen Glim 1 week ago
Naps are seriously underrated. When I’m on the verge of a depressive episode, all I want to do is sleep. If I listen to my body/brain I spend the best part of three or four days sleeping but when I wake up, all is right with my world again. If I ignore it, things get ugly
#48
Google “Toilet Seat Plate” and hit images.
Makes a good tray for a TV Dinner.
#49
Ever wonder how tiny amounts of solid are measured out? I did until my PI handed me a pen cap. I laughed at first but honestly I still can't think of another way to measure 0.01 grams.
#50
Fix a leaking pipe with a pool noodle (cut a slit down the middle) and duck tape.
#51
If the code works, don't refactor it or you'll get like a week of extra work just trying to make it work again.
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago (edited)
If the code works, DOCUMENT IT. That way, when it needs changing, it will be clear how it works. Code comments were invented for exactly this reason.
#52
The pythagorean theorem. It’s just stupid math, but somehow it works
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
it’s like something a five year old would come up with.
#53
I saw a video of a man who was wearing a chain necklace sitting at a rest stop off of the interstate. Basically, something (im not smart car-wise)at the bottom side of his car fell off on one side. It was barely hanging on. he then asked the rest stop attendant if they had any rope- they didn't. He then crawled under his car and used his necklace to secure the part in place.
TL DR- "always carry the lock to your chain in your car".
#54
My friend owns an early 2000s F-150. We were driving around one night with only one headlight. Well it blew and we were driving around blind in the dark. So naturally, we got two 300ish lumen flashlights and duct taped them to the hood of the truck.
We drove around like that for another hour without any problems. His girlfriend bout had a fit when we got back. Freaking hilarious night.
#55
Depending on the vehicle, the dynex spring on the starter can snag up too. My old man took a hammer to the starter on his old Cadillac, first time he impressed my mum's dad.
Geoffrey Scott 1 week ago
Can't do that with the newer ones though. And I will probably jinx myself, but haven't had a starter go out for a LONG time.
#56
I used an old Happy Meal toy as a box knife once.
#57
My husband Jedi mind tricked me into staying the night our first date. I called him up to invite him to my law school’s casino night. Tickets came with drink tickets but he lived in LA and my school was in Orange County. Knowing this he invited me to drive to his place and he would be the DD. In my head I thought “great! DD!” So immediately agreed. However, after I hung up I realized I had just agreed to stay the night at his place (this was before Uber plus I lived 50 miles away from LA).
My husband points out this isn’t stupid. It was a simple mind trick but it totally worked.
#58
Watch hairsprings are notoriously difficult to manufacture, you have to take a wire and thin it down to a coiled blade thinner than a human hair: Once coiled they are difficult to separate without destroying them, Schwarz Etiennes solution was the tap the tube containing them, has a lower failure rate than any other way including vibrating them apart.
#59
Instead of eating spaghetti with a fork and spoon, I use a fork and scissors.
Much quicker to just cut off the hanging spaghetti than twirl it up.
Surly Scot 1 week ago
There's these awesome pearly scissor-like things already sitting in your jaw exactly for this purpose.
#61
Wrapping a food in foil very well and cooking/steaming it in the dishwasher. I did it with a couple chicken breasts and it turned out great.
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Cindy Brick 1 week ago
These are GREAT. More please, BP! (And please consider getting rid of the overlapping ads. It's almost impossible to read the entries and/or comment on them. Even now.)
Cindy Brick 1 week ago
These are GREAT. More please, BP! (And please consider getting rid of the overlapping ads. It's almost impossible to read the entries and/or comment on them. Even now.)
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