If something looks and sounds stupid, but it really works, then it’s not actually stupid! Problems don’t always need to be solved with fancy, expensive, and high-tech approaches. All you really need is a bit of creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to test things out till they work.
Our team at Bored Panda has collected some of the most brilliant DIY solutions to mundane problems that people came up with, and they might just inspire you to think outside the box. Scroll down to load your brain up with some imaginative inspiration.
#1 Used A Leaf Blower And A Funnel To Inflate A Pool. Actually Worked Fairly Quickly
Image source: crazyanne
#2 To My Fellow Gardeners, If You Need Less “Chunky” Soil Use A Litter Scoop
Image source: redrumrea
#3 Daughter Wants To Work In The Garage With Dad. Needs Hair Pulled Back. Dad Hack 101
Image source: Pyrojodge
It doesn’t necessarily take a genius to solve a simple problem. And yet, an adventurous, curious, scientific mindset can really help when you’re up against unusual issues. People often have different specializations, talents, and ways of thinking. Some folks might be more likely to experiment with various solutions until they find something that works.
Or, in other words, many people have good ideas, but not everyone is willing to put them into practice and test them out.
Human intelligence is still difficult to get to grips with. Saying that you’re smart isn’t saying all that much because you might be amazing in some areas and lacking in others. And your IQ score might not accurately depict your full range of talents and abilities and how they interconnect.
#4 This Gentleman At Target Who Reversed His Hooded Sweatshirt To Make A Puppy Pocket
Image source: reddit.com
#5 A Whole Crap Load Of Amish Guys Moving A Barn
Image source: Habitual_Emigrant
#6 A Woman On My Timeline Has A “Remote Stick”, Because Her Family Loses The TV Remote So Often
Image source: Skytrip
According to a theory developed by psychologist Howard Gardner, individuals possess varying strengths across (at least) eight types of intelligence. These include: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, bodily-kinesthetic, and naturalistic intelligence. The ninth proposed type is so-called existential intelligence, Verywell Mind explains.
Though Gardner’s theory is popular in education, it’s also often criticized for being far too broad. Critics argue that these intelligences, proposed by Gardner, are simply talents, abilities, and personality traits. What’s more, the psychologist’s theory lacks strong supporting empirical research.
That being said, even if you don’t necessarily classify these abilities as types of intelligence, they are still individual areas of strength and excellence that are worth being aware of.
#7 Been Sick This Week, Taking A Lot Of Baths To Steam My Sinuses. Water Cools Down Too Fast And Never Enough Steam. With A $10 Vinyl Sheet, I Made A Steam Room
Image source: SarraBellumm
#8 Water Powered Sausage Rotisserie
Me and my brother-in-law made a water-powered sausage rotisserie yesterday in my backyard (we have a very small creek on the property) using a bike wheel, bike fork, coroplast sign, paint stirrers, zip ties, and a wheel (12 hot dog rotisserie for a grill from the 1950’s) I bought off eBay. Cooked up some Saugy Franks on potato rolls with French’s mustard.
Image source: pinkbikeralph
#9 Parenting Hack #2446
Image source: corginator23
For example, someone with good visual-spatial intelligence is great at things like working with and interpreting directions, maps, charts, videos, and photos. These individuals tend to be good at putting puzzles together, enjoy drawing, painting, and the visual arts, and recognize patterns easily. Career-wise, they would make great architects, artists, and engineers.
Meanwhile, someone who has awesome linguistic-verbal intelligence excels in writing stories, memorizing information, and reading. They’re good at debating or giving persuasive speeches, are adept at using humor when telling stories, and they make great writers, journalists, lawyers, and teachers.
#10 My Dad “Fixed” My Lawnmower
Image source: RphilRT
#11 Seamless Fix
Image source: reddit.com
#12 When You’ve Got Too Many Groceries For Your Reg Cab Pickup
Image source: CholasCholas91
Individuals with good logical-mathematical intelligence, on the other hand, are experts at analyzing problems and doing mathematical operations.
They are great at thinking about numbers, relationships, and patterns conceptually, enjoy thinking about abstract ideas, and like doing scientific experiments.
Naturally, they make great mathematicians, engineers, accountants, scientists, and computer programmers.
#13 Solo Couch Carry
Image source: muchhodl
#14 Found This Fork In My Brothers House And Asked Him Why He Had Done It…. Then He Ran Upstairs To Grab His iPad
Image source: projectolivine
#15 Use A Knife To Cool Down Your Crisp Toast So It Won’t Get Soggy! That’s Right! Not Just For Bagels!
Image source: moonmanchild
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence refers to being good at body movement, physical control, good hand-eye coordination, and dexterity. People who excel in this area tend to become dancers, crafstpeople, builders, sculptors, actors, or surgeons.
Musical intelligence means that a person excels in thinking about patterns, rhythms, and sounds. Not surprisingly, these individuals make great musicians, singers, composers, conductors, and music teachers.
#16 I Use My Fan To Vent The Fumes Away From Me When Onion Chopping
Image source: MrSelfDestrucct
#17 Use Letter Trays As Additional Freezer Shelves
Image source: MichaelChinigo
#18 Ran Out Of Clothesline Space, House-Help Hacked A Clothesline
Image source: naman1901
Someone who is good at interpersonal intelligence is wonderful at understanding and interacting with other people. They’re great at assessing other individuals’ emotions, motivations, desires, and intentions, Verywell Mind explains.
They’re skilled at nonverbal communication, empathy, and conflict resolution, and they make good psychologists, counselors, politicians, salespeople, and philosophers.
#19 Impressive Ngl
Image source: ActBest217
#20 Feast Your Eyes… My Brother’s Gaming Chair
Image source: YoungBeef03
#21 Anti Frost Devices
Image source: tipric
On the flip side, someone with intrapersonal (not to be confused with interpersonal) intelligence excels at introspection and self-reflection, understanding their own emotional states, feelings, and motivations, and enjoys self-analysis. They understand their motivations and personal strengths and make great writers, theorists, philosophers, and scientists.
#22 The Snacklebox, Perfect For A Day Trip
Image source: D1ckRepellent
#23 Guy On The Plane Put His Boarding Pass In His Phone Case, Holding It Up With The Tray Table Latch
Image source: Jhawk2k
#24 Door Bell Backup
I was expecting the gas company to come by today to change out my propane tank, and they said that they rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door, and when I tried to call them, they just went to voicemail. I don’t know what was wrong with the phone, but it turns out my doorbell and pick malfunctioned at that time. I need a tank changeout bad, so I came up with the emergency backup doorbell.
Image source: Henderson2026
Meanwhile, naturalistic intelligence refers to an individual’s ability to find patterns and relationships in nature. It means that someone is more in tune with nature, exploring their environment, and learning about other species. These people can make good biologists, gardeners, conservationists, and farmers. However, this part of Gartner’s theory has been met with more resistance by other researchers.
Existential intelligence, the ninth type of intelligence proposed as an addition to Gardner’s original theory, revolves around a person’s ability to delve into the deeper questions about life and existence. Individuals who excel here potentially make good philosophers, theologians, and pastors.
#25 Redneck Anti-Theft. It Was The Same On Both Sides
Image source: LC6X
#26 That Is Something That Was Ever Found In A House Floor
Seventy-odd years ago, someone blocked a mouse hole in the barn granary by nailing a corncob into it. Today, I found it in the floor of my master bedroom. I’d say it wouldn’t work, but it apparently did, since the mice never chewed it back out.
Image source: CSRR-the-OELN-writer
#27 Automotive Excellence
Image source: onestrandofspaghetti
Which of these out-of-the-box, DIY, bizarrely brilliant life hacks impressed you the most, dear Pandas? What’s the weirdest, dumb-looking yet effective solution that you’ve ever come up with for a basic problem in your life? Would you say that you’re willing to experiment with unusual and novel approaches in life, or do you prefer doing what’s already tried and tested?
#28 I Call It The Madness Mobile
Essentially a Coleman cooler on wheels. Does about 45 mph and gets a lot of “wtf” looks.
Image source: reddit.com
#29 Bucket Is Full Detector
The heater is leaking. I put a bucket under the leak. Put the sensor in the bucket. Home Assistant tells me when I have to change the bucket.
Image source: East_Nefariousness75
#30 Roommate Accidentally Bought Paper Towels Instead Of Toilet Paper, So This Was His Solution
Image source: ApprehensiveFig2578
#31 I Hit Something Sharp And It Ripped Them Open. Fixed My Pants With Zip Ties
Image source: XLfreeze
#32 Soap Holder At My Friend’s House
Image source: muchos-memes
#33 My 12 Year Old Son Modified His Bike With Carpet For Barefoot Riding
Image source: flaglerite
#34 I Think This Qualifies?
Image source: Low_Adhesiveness_763
#35 Redneck Repurposing Of Kids’ Recreational Toys
Image source: Cautious-Damage7575
#36 My Gas Cap Stopped Closing Properly, So I Came Up With A Solution
Image source: reddit.com
#37 Safe Way To Run With Keys: Thread The Aglet Through Your Car Keys And Then Put The Aglet Through Eyelet With The Key Firmly Attached In The Middle
Image source: Team-CCP
#38 Use A Plastic Egg Carton If You Don’t Have A Module Tray For Planting Seeds. Cut Holes In The Top And Bottom With A Razor Blade And Fill With Potting Mix
Image source: mbobrow
#39 Uh Huh
Image source: makeshiftlightbox221
#40 My Razor Blade Scissors
Image source: notathrowaway549264
#41 Who’s Laughing Now?
Image source: jhovudu1
#42 Steering Wheel Broke, Needed To Finish The Yard. Thankfully I Know How To Drive A Stick
Image source: reddit.com
#43 Home Made Smoker From FB
Image source: spook30
#44 Signal Booster
Seen at a rental place I was doing work at.
Image source: Cmaclia
#45 Keep Your Toddler Safely In The Grocery Cart Seat (And Prevent Abductions) With A Carabiner
Image source: 5_Frog_Margin
#46 My 13yo Daughter Invented A Way To Clean Hair Brushes
Just use a fork and swirl it like spaghetti.
Image source: twichy1983
#47 Spray Bottle Storage
With only two of us living in the house now with extra towel holders. I found this to be quite effective.
Image source: mostirreverent
#48 Slowish Leak On Water Pipe, No Plumber Available Today. 10 Layers Of Paint And 2 Burlap Bags Cut In Strips
Image source: Big_Preparation4982
#49 Who Would Ever Pay For One Of Them Fancy Projector Mounts? Courtesy Of My Local Dive Bar
Image source: Rasadrah
#50 Didn’t Feel Like Having Company Today
Image source: reddit.com
#51 Half Price Two Room A/C Installation
Image source: Fluffy-Seesaw336
#52 Show Me You’re In Florida With One Picture
Image source: reddit.com
#53 My Christmas Themed Repair
Image source: Random_silly_name
#54 The Mark Of An Expert Dishwasher Installer
Image source: TallCedarRoad
#55 Clothes Pegs Fit Nicely Between Brick To Hold Lights
Image source: reddit.com
#56 I’m Basically A Mechanic. Glovebox Won’t Work? $5 And Some Superglue For A Fix
Image source: iplayrssometimes
#57 Spotted This Beauty At A Walmart
Image source: turbocharged_autism
#58 Heavy Duty Office Chair
Image source: reddit.com
#59 Drill A Bunch Of Holes In A 5 Gal Bucket And Use That To Collect Your Fruits/Vegetables And Wash Them All At Once
Image source: 5_Frog_Margin
#60 Putting A Hair Tie Over Your Wrist With Box Dye Gloves Makes Them Almost Useful
Image source: shmerika00
#61 So If You Want To Reheat Pizza Without It Getting Soggy. Put It In The Toaster
Image source: Mygreaseisyourgrease
#62 If You Run Out Of Aa Batteries For Anything, AAA Batteries And A Small Crumbled-Up Ball Of Aluminum Foil Will Make A Good Replacement
Image source: poppypuppypippy
#63 How Can I Improve This?
Image source: OdellBeckhamSr
#64 Somebody Was Proud Of Their Custom Antenna For The Garage TV
For $50, you too could get a garage TV mount and a “sweet custom made antenna”.
Image source: berdulf
#65 Found That On A German Sub, Text Means “Emergency Stop”
Image source: Benlastend
#66 Cut A Pool Noodle In Half To Make A Comfortable Armrest For The Truck. From Australia
Image source: goobly_goo
#67 Master Lock 100
Image source: reddit.com
#68 The Temporary Fix Has Become A Permanent Fix
The temporary bucket has been sitting on the floor for months collecting a leak. It was recently upgraded to a permanent fix with a drain hose plumbed into a pipe that leads to a nearby sink.
Image source: Jvinsnes
#69 High Chair For Inconveniently Tall Deck Railing
My hunting mentor brought me to a friend’s ranch to wait for some hogs that kept digging up his yard. The problem was his deck railing was too tall for just sitting in a normal chair to rest a rifle and have a clean shot down into his yard. So this was my solution. I had conduit on hand and picked up a cheap steel chair. Ended up being the perfect height, too bad the hogs didn’t show up again… lol
Image source: cobalt1227
#70 Homie Thinks Duck Tape Structural
Bro literally hung a 24in monitor and Xbox up with duck tape bc land lord said not holes in da wall.
Image source: BookAdministrative78
#71 Broken Toilet Handle Fix
Image source: Rugrin
#72 Saw An Amazing Mailbox Today
Image source: Combat_Taxi
#73 Why Use Nuts When Wood Doesn’t Rust?
Snapped off a rusted bolt and couldn’t get the rest out. Ground the nut hanger thing off and ran a screw into a piece of hardwood until I can get a replacement. The most permanent fix is a temporary one.
Image source: gnarlyteen
#74 Damp Fabric And Cold Drink In Front Of The Stupid Fan With The Window Open Better Cooling
Image source: ConfusionVisible
#75 Kitchen Counter/Stairs Hybrid
Image source: ShadowsGirl9
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