Simple Hacks For The Next Time You Lose A Screw On The Floor

You're in the middle of your weekend DIY home project and things are going well, until you reach over to grab the next nail or screw and knock it off the table by accident. Now it's fallen into the abyss, and there's no telling if or when it will ever return to the land of the living again. When this oh-so-familiar scene unfolds for the umpteenth time, as long as you've got your flashlight, we'll show you how that's all you'll need to find those errant screws, once and for all.

Instead of grabbing the flashlight and embarking on a treasure hunt that might as well be located in the Bermuda Triangle, try this clever trick. Set the flashlight down on the ground in one spot. Lay it sideways, so that the light is just barely skimming the surface of the floor. Slowly rotate the flashlight and watch the shapes of the shadows on the wall. You'll likely be able to easily see the shadow of the screw or other small part you dropped, which will guide you to the item itself.

Ready for another great idea for finding those teeny-tiny screws, the backs (or fronts) of earrings, or generally anything-shiny-but-might-as-well-be-invisible-on-your-carpeting kind of thing? It's quite simple to DIY this project, and you'll be so glad you did every time you use it. All you need is a part of a broom handle or other pole or stick of some kind, a piece of wood 2 X 4 inches and one inch deep, and some magnetic strips. What you're doing is basically making a magnetic broom, and you can use it to quite effectively scan small areas for hardware or anything made of metal.

Attach the handle to the piece of wood at about a 45-degree angle using an angle-cutting guide, so that one side of the wood is flat on the floor and you can push it like a broom. Cut the magnetic strips to the right length of the piece of wood. You'll apply the strips to the side of the wood that will lie flat on the floor with some adhesive or strong glue and clamp it until completely dry. Now you can run it across any floor surface and lost hardware will stick to the bottom! As previously alluded to, you will never be accused of having a screw loose –- or of losing one -– again.

The best thing about this next clever trick is it works whether you drop one screw, or, worse, all your screws at once! In fact, if you happen to drop a bunch of screws, this method will be your savior. You just need a large magnet and a plastic sandwich baggie. Place the magnet inside the sandwich baggie and rub it along the ground where you dropped the hardware. Incidentally, this works for nails or any other small bits of hardware you may have dropped.

Once you have the screws attached to the outside of the baggie, simply turn it inside out and now you have them in the bag. Works like a charm. So, don't freak out the next time you drop a jar full of screws on the floor. You can also use this trick for finding errant screws in thick shag carpeting. Of course, in a dire screw emergency, you could go old-school and pull the metal detector out of the garage. Remember, though, these methods will not work for lost marbles.