MacGyver Tricks Using Common Household Items And Secrets For Everyday Living
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MacGyver T.V. Series
Some may remember the Macgyver T.V. series back in the eighties where the star of the show only needed a stick of gum to build a bomb. Did you ever wonder if any of those crazy contraptions would work for everyday living? Can common household items be turned into another invention? Want to know how to turn an orange into an emergency candle? Does it even work? All these questions prevailed my curiosity to put them to the test to see if they really do work. Learn some cool Macgyver tricks using common household items as well as secrets for everyday living that can save a little money and time.
How To Use An Orange For A Candle
Picture yourself in a blackout situation with no source of light, looking around at all the chaos, you remain calm as you refer to this article and begin your inner Macgyver intuition to save the day.
The first of my experiments was to test out the orange candle theory. To do this, you will need an orange, cooking oil, sharp tool, and a lighter or other source of flame. Slice the orange in half horizontally and scoop out the flesh, reserving the stem, see picture. Of course offer the flesh to any hungry woman, child, or man child that is crying. Next the stem will need to be dry to be able to light, so gently use the blue part of the flame source to quickly dry out the wick. For the fuel, cooking oil of any kind will work, if that is not available then crisco or solid fat can do, fill the orange with the oil, leaving an 1/8th inch to light. Apply the flame to the orange wick and bam! A common household item has just saved the day.
Use A 9 Volt Battery For AAAA's as Backup
It has been said that it is unsafe to dismember a 9 Volt battery. That is not true although sticking your tongue on the outlet part for a shock is painfully true. If you are faced with only having a 9 Volt battery on hand but need AAAA's, you do have all you need. Using a pair of small nosed pliers and a metal nail file, remove the top and bottom of the 9 volt. Then carefully loosen the metal casing, as you see in the picture there are 6 AAAA batteries that power the 9 volt. You will need to carefully remove the metal attachment, and viola! Another common household item that can be used for everyday needs.
Home Remedy For A Frozen Lock
In the cold winter months it is quite common to find your car door lock frozen and with the electrical locks for newer cars pouring hot water may damage the car. Hmmmm, what would Macgyver do? Hand sanitizer comes to the rescue here by simply dipping the key into the solution and then into the lock. The alcohol in the hand sanitizer acts as a quick ice solvent that safely allows the key to open the door.
Create Air tight Seal On Baggies
If you are like me and tend to buy the cheaper brands of baggies and re use them you will love this super easy money saver trick. You will need a baggie, iron, and tin foil. Heat up the iron with steam, push all the air out, then fold the foil over the plastic bag. Iron over the tin foil a few times and allow the foil to sit a few minutes. You have just created an air tight seal out of a used zip lock bag!
Dirty Little Secrets To Use Outside The Home
These next savvy tricks may not be the most noble acts outside the home, but when you are tight for money or time, they will come in very handy and might even score some Macgyver points with the ladies.
Elevator Trick
Now this should be done with stealth and quickness, if you hate riding the elevator and want to get to your floor first no matter where the elevator's next stop is headed try this maneuver. When heading in to the elevator, hit the door close icon button at the same time as the number of your floor. This will bypass the next scheduled stop, it is important to have a dumbfounded expression when the elevator skips the stop, and ironically hits your floor. Don't make eye contact or try any small talk, if someone is on to your covert operation, pass some gas this will divert the situation.
Lost Your Phone Charger Again?
Could you benefit more from a punch card purchase for phone chargers rather than sandwiches? Well there are a few options here, although it will require smooth talking and swift call to action. Both hotels and car rental companies are known to have a plethora of forgotten chargers usually stored in a box. If you have once again lost, broken, or forgotten you own cell phone charger why not swing by a local hotel and state your silly little problem that you may have forgotten your charger. The concierge will politely smile, pull out the random box of all the forgotten chargers, and most likely leave you to your search and rescue.
Free Air At Gas Stations
Hey, why the heck should we have to deposit a whopping .75 cent just for "free" air? If you are in need of filling up your tire there is a trick to by pass paying. Shell gas stations tend to be the ones that work for this little dirty trick. Look on the side of the pump, there you should see a button, press it three times, and viola! Free air for everyone!
Why not find your inner Macgyver and go forth today with a mullet in one hand and a stick of gum in the other, aiding to the needs of those who require a little inventive help. Or at the next party, stage a black out and whip out your oranges to get the girl. And why not try the elevator trick the next time you need to go boom boom, if anyone begins to question the maneuver, throw in a line from the Macgyver T.V. series.
- List of problems solved by MacGyver - MacGyver Wiki
Got a problem? Let wiki macgyver solve it. Another site that shows cool tricks like uses two candlestick holders, a floor mat, and an electrical powercord as a makeshift defibrillator to revive a fallen comrade. - Be a macgyver: coolest fire making tricks « Baby Einstein
More cool tricks for everyday living that can make you go from zero to hero.
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Yes you found me out....I am envious you see him strolling around, you should throw a stick of gum at him and see what he does...(with the mask on)
I did not know the vacuum trick that is AWESOME. I will have to try that.
Great hub. I loved watching MacGyver. Thanks for the memories and tips.
If this doesn't make Hub of The Day, then my name's not McGyver!!
Fantastic tips, nice tongue in cheek style, loved it!
Forget Ricky Dean A. You should pitch a new format, forget the stories, just give us the tips. Hit the new age 'I can do it better than a man can' independent woman target. Call it MsGyver... (don't groan, it ain't *that* bad!).
Re the tip about frozen car door locks. There is another way, time-honoured and one of the few left that only men can do.
Concentrate now:)
You know how certain fluid wastes are passed from the body? How they tend to be warm, and provide a reasonably sustained stream? How men stand up, do it differently to women?
Voila.
The only risk, and it's a terrifying one, is when the piece of equipment from which the warm fluid streams, makes contact with the frozen lock *before* the stream commences. (Have you ever put your finger onto something frozen? Got stuck?....)
BTW, I always liked the real McGyver too.
I'm with writeronline. HOTD, or I'll know the system's rigged!
I've only been here a short time, but I smell a rat already. Too many examples recently of stuff being awarded HOTD, in areas where I see other writers (I'm following Mark Ewbie and writeronline, but have read several other hubbers too) doing superb first person work that HP says 'doesn't fit the criteria for HOTD'; ie the ability to draw large volumes of traffic.
Yet two days ago the HOTD was a personal story. It was lovely. But so what,in terms of The HOTD Standards?
Is it really just another case of 'not what you write, but who knows you?' I'm keen to know, because I want to make Hub Pages work for me.
Meantime... I'm serious about this piece you've written. Gotta be a contender. Shit, it's even got a vid!
I'll be watching.
(And following you as well)
What a great hub, I must say I don't know this McGyver as we get different channels. But I will bookmark and also search for him on the web.
Thanks a lot, I like the orange candle and the batteries are awsome.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Lisa,
How the nostalgia came back when I wrote this, how I miss this series.
That is quite an angel, (Ms. Macgyver) I could do this all day, for I do it around my house on the daily. Flying wasp in the house, quick thinking taught me to use hair spray for a non toxic paralyzer...
I am now laughing my ass off to the other part of your comment, for a visual of this is epic. I am sure there is a picture on the internet of that somewhere.
How about an electric wire, ever see that trick?
Thank you wol.
askandanswered,
I am deeply flattered by your comment, and I personally think is it the who not the what....
I think I know how all this ticks then boom, back to square one, as you navigate around you will see what I mean.
You can make HubPages work for you, if you know what you want out of it....And by your comment and writing style I think you can, thank you for the follow, I am headed your way....
As it would be nice to be recognized by HubPages for HOTD, just the heart felt comments are enough for me.
Oh, when you find him, you are in for a treat. Just keep in mind it was made in the 80's so there is some cheesy bits but that is part of the fun.
The batteries were my personal favorite for these little suckers are expensive and hard to find. As a mom, they are a prominent source for toys and a quick fix to solve the "dead" or "sleeping" toy.
Thanks again!
Great hub! Useful and quite hilarious. I have to try that elevator trick some time.
It works on Otis for sure, eh em, so I had heard.
Thanks Deb!
Haha, love that hairspray trick. The wasp dies, excruciatingly slowly, but looks stylish doing it...
If you want to see that other routine I mentioned, check out this Renault ad for their hands-free card,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94MyR3aQo4I
Now McGyver wouldn't have made that mistake.
The title alone caught my attention. Everything you mention is so simple but effective. Great hub.
Oh my god, that is some funny stuff!! I can see someone doing that here, "You might be a red neck if"....
Hi Sangre,
Thanks for checking it out, yes it they are quite easy to execute, I have a fun time trying them out.
I think my favorite out of this extremely useful list of things to do in a MacGyver moment, has to be the 'lift maneuver'. I literally cracked up.
So sneaky and yet ingenious. Those poor bewildered other passengers ha ha.
Great hub Jen and really useful ideas.
Voted up and every button pressed, shared on Google+
Hiya Mike!
Thanks so much, it is pretty cool. Glad I could make you smile. They are pretty nifty. Still working on the gum-bomb theory.
I loved watching MacGyver and wondered about those neat little tricks. Great hub. Voted funny and up.
I was scanning the new hubs in my feed and saw the word MacGyver, and immediately came to see what it was all about. i confess to having a major crush on RDA. heck my grandparents approved wholeheartedly, they figured it was better for me to have a crush on a smart man that taught a lot of good things (and coincidentally was quite out of reach) than to be getting into trouble with the local boys. even when i spent the summer in yellowstone, where there was no tv to watch, my grandma faithfully sent tv guide clippings of him to me (probably to remind me i had a crush and so keep me out of trouble, lol).
did you know that all of those little tricks on the show, RDA thought of most of them and they were tried out at the University there. the ones that worked were put on the show.
i remember whenever i would do something that took using things that were around my grandfather would say "thats my MacGyver"...i always felt so proud and smart when he would say that. a few months ago i was watching MacGyver on Netflix instant streaming. in one episode he and a young girl were out in the desert, and they needed a battery for their radio. i wondered if they would use the juice of the nearby cactus's (you know like using a potato ). i was delighted when they did just that. made me feel positively genius lol.
totally awesome hub, i learned a lot today. thank you.
Thank you for finding it funny, it was pretty entertaining to try these little tricks with common stuff around the house.
timcgaa,
What a great back story! I am glad you could reminisce with this hub, and kudos to you for knowing some Macgyver moves.
I did not know that he thought up these cool tricks now I am even more of a fan. Here is to your inner macgyver.
some highlights to RDA's early years, especially with the show MacGyver, is when the different shows were having their annual christmas party, RDA came home late one night to discover he had locked himself out of his house. after thinking about it, he took a swiss army bench a friend had given him and tossed it through a window...then had to explain to the cops he owned the house.
if you remember several of the shows had him skating on ice. He loves ice hockey, but never made it into the big leagues, because he broke both arms and legs in his efforts to play it.
He also loved trains and when he had the opportunity to try it (the cast were on a train) he asked the engineer if he could try it and he promptly killed the train.
he also wanted a daughter but shied away from marriage...needed his privacy to much but he finally found a woman who was ok with that and now he has a beautiful daughter that he dotes on.
and that for some RDA trivia
Nice info! I never knew he was a private person, many in the spot light are quite the opposite and it is nice to know he is (or sounds like) he is down to earth. This TV series brings me such nostalgia back when I was a kid. I remember my poor brother getting grounded about 15 minutes after the show aired that night,due to his Macgyver queries.
Just came back for another read,(from writeronline's hub where he mentions you, and this one. I don't think he intended to upset you BTW, didn't read that way to me, anyway).
But, what I really wanted to say was how much I enjoyed reading all this extra personal / back story stuff from tlmcgaa70. Very interesting, and rounds out your hub even more.
HOTD quality for sure. And if not, why not?!(Give em a week, then I'll give em a call). lol.
You are very sweet askedandanswered,
I think if I went back and fine combed the grammar, which I should do to all of my writing but never do....maybe, but then again if I got to meet fellow hubbers and made some friends that in itself is 10 fold any type of award.
And yes I also enjoyed the little bio from tlm, it was pretty cool to learn that Macgyver/Dean tried a lot of these inventive stunts.
Great hub with lots of info, I can't think about a 9 volt battery without thinking about sticking it to my tongue! Voted up and useful!
I know what you mean. It took all my might to not try this while disassembling the battery. Not to say I haven't done it in the past. Thanks for checking it out!
Great I love cheesy bits.
Then be sure to check out the theme song :) It will be stuck in your head for weeks.
Hi Jen, this is a great hub and I really enjoyed reading it. So funny and the things we can do with household items is amazing. SHARING
Hey thanks so much Mike,
I was going for informative with a sense of humor, for it you were to imagine me sifting through my house looking for my inner Macgyver. It took every last bit of self control not to lick the battery for the jolt test.
Thank you for sharing as well!
Wow, you're extremely resourceful! I love the orange candle and tight seal ideas. Thanks for sharing these tips. What a helpful hub!
Oh thanks Om,
It was a lot of fun trying out all of these nifty and thrifty tricks. I see a part two here in the future!
HA! Clever stuff. Voted up and shared!
Macgyver had a swiss army knife in the 80s imagine now he could be using a Leatherman Multi-tool........ Great tricks thanks for the information..
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you, hope you try some of these savvy innovations.
Aurelio,
Should we the fans protest for a Macgyver come back series? Think of all the new situations he could wiggle out of with all the new technologies to master.
Maybe leatherman has him in the works for your idea.
Free air at gas stations should be free. If your tires really need pressure or air and you don't have any money on you, it's ridiculous that you'd have to pay!
Very cool. Loved Macgyver. Enjoyed this hub! Good work.
I agree Mandy, does anyone really carry change anymore?
Hey-o onthegrind!
Thanks so much! I had a great time testing these out and working on a part two, just trying to get my mullet do jussttt right.
This was interesting and some great tips and tricks too, I would have never of thought of turning an orange into a candle, that’s just genius and I will remember that one, great Hub voted up!
Thanks Mark!
I had a great time working on them, and in the middle of part two...
What a great hub to vote up and bookmark;here's to so many more to share on ehre.
Take care and enjoy your day.
Eddy.
Hi ya Eddy,
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. This is my new favorite thing to do around the house, what would Macgyver do? I just stay away anything that might explode.
I found myself humming the theme song as I read this. Fun!
I know right?!! I did the same as I performed the tricks. it was so much fun there will be a part two, soon.
Some awesome suggestions. The lift idea made me laugh!
Socially sharing, up and definitely useful.
You have to try it! It works and the look on the faces of the other passengers is priceless. Remember to whistle mindlessly as you step off, with a flashy Macgyver smile.
I loved wathing the show. I had so much fun reading this. What a great hub. Well written, entertaining and full of useful information. Up, useful, interesting, funny, and awesome.
Thanks KoffeKlatch Gals!!
Such good memories from the show and I am glad you enjoyed learning the Macgyver tricks! There are more to come, I have turned my in and outdoors into the official test lab.
Stealing Air what a concept!
Here is a concept on the baggie trick, seal the baggie almost all the way so there is a tiny opening then just suck all the air out of it, old drug dealer trick to keep your marijuana fresh.
Interesting Hub!
Thanks Somethgblue!! You had me rolling on the baggie trick for those of "us" who have had dry contents in a past life, would greatly benefit from your suggestion:)
The air trick was awesome, again why the heck do we have to pay for air?? Yes i know the machine isn't cheap but come on...
I can remember when all the air hoses were free, of course I can remember when the cool thing about cable TV was no ads. The internet was free, of course that wasn't that long ago.
Now you have to pay for everything
Lol, that is awesome and well put somethgblue. I too remember when things were free or pretty damn cheap like gas being .89 cents a gallon or a candy bar being .39 cents. What has happened??
Greed has happened, I read an interesting article on Divine Cosmos about how over a 100 countries are banning together to return currency back to when it will be backed by gold or not at all.
All current money will be honored but the goal is to put the Fed out of business and that the real bailout figure was in excess of 26 Trillion dollars.
The Fed is now lending money they don't have and charging interest on it, what a scam an we the people are sucking it up!
Time for a new Hub, as a matter of fact I'm going to challenge all my followers to write a Hub about greed . . . and their experience with it!
Look for it in the next question I ask . . . !
Saweet! Where do I find that? I think that I receive it via email but that is not so hot these days and I have not a clue as to why I am not getting notifications. Are you? I am trying to write up some serious hubs this month so I will take you that challenge!
Go to Profile then Email Settings, answer the security question (I think it is Who the Greatest Hub writer Known to mankind is, you should know that one) and then go into the list and check always on all of the choices.
Mine got switched on me also, I think they switched everything when the went to the new format, 'cause for a while there you couldn't add links in the content and I sent an email about it and they took care of it right away.
I haven't posed the challenge yet but will soon as I may do it in the form of a Hub and then let those that want to write the next chapter do so with their own Hub, it could be cool!
LOL, Ah, okay thank you. Sounds awesome, include me in!
That sounds a good idea, I may attempt it. That will be a laugh in itself. Count me in.
No doubt Gloshei!!
Loved all of your tips, will have to try the elevator trick now. :)
I know it works on Otis brands...Oh it's a trip for sure, let me know!!
Thanks for commenting!
Ah Macgyver, such fond memories of that show. One of my favorites was when he made a blow torch out of a Schwinn! I’ve been known to channel my inner Macgyver from time to time too.
In fact, one of my Macgyver moments and the man himself gets a mention in my Hub called How to live alone and mean it. Complete with pictures of the endeavor.
These are great ideas, and the hub was quite amusing. Thank you for sharing; now I’m going to go pull up some Macgyver reruns and reminisce.
Hi GypsyFootedWoman, love your author name by the way! Thank you for checking out the hub and yes I am a Macgyver fan and loved, loved trying out these tricks. I am headed over to you to check out that hub sounds awesome. I think there are many of us that do little Macgyver tricks everyday and not even realize it.
Take care.
Arlene V. Poma 4 months ago
You had me laughing with this one! You have given yourself away and revealed your thang for MacGyver. You know, I do see Richard Dean Anderson at times, but how much he has aged! Oh, well. It happens. Anyway, I did not know most of these MacGyver tricks except pushing a button and getting free vacuum time at the car wash. I can only think of dude who could get out of those nasty situations with a little know-how. Voted up for the laughter, and everything else.