Readers offer their best tips for replacing broken zipper pulls, renewing and protecting the mag stripes on debit and credit cards and freshening up your house with a quick DIY air freshener.
Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons — maybe they’re a bit too niche, maybe we couldn’t find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn’t fit it in — the tip didn’t make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favourites for your buffet-style consumption. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments, email it to tips at lifehacker.com, or share it over at our user-run blog, Hackerspace.
Replace a Broken Zipper Pull with Sugru
Fei shares a way to replace a broken zipper pull using Sugru:
I found a great use for Sugru: replacing a broken zipper pull. It’s easy to smooth into the shape you want and you can get colours to match pretty much any garment.
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Renew and Protect Mag Stripes with Clear Nail Polish
Steve discovers a clever way to fix mag stripes on credit and debit cards that don’t swipe well anymore:
Like most men, I carry my cards in my wallet and sit on them all day! This, plus regular use, tends to scratch the mag stripe so that it won’t read on POS terminals.
I had a debit card that got so bad it wouldn’t read at all. I ordered a replacement but had not activated it yet. I had seen cashiers wrap a plastic bag over the card and then run them through and it usually worked.
I decided to try an experiment on my old card. I painted the mag stripe with clear nail polish. The next day, I went to a couple of stores and it worked like a brand new card! It also worked in the ATM. Now, I paint my new cards to help protect them as well!
Photo by StockMonkeys.com.
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Clean Phone Camera Lenses with Tape and a Pen
Kevin sent us this quick tip for cleaning dusty lenses on phone cameras:
If the camera lens on your phone or tablet is dusty, but recessed, use some tape and a pen to get a quick cleaning.
We’d recommend using the blunt end of the pen (or maybe a cotton swab) to prevent scratching the lens and tape that doesn’t leave residue.
Photo by warrenski.
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Create a DIY Air Freshener with Cotton Balls and Mouthwash
Jenny shares a clever tip for creating a simple air freshener:
I really don’t like the way most air fresheners smell. They are either too chemical-laden or have some awful fake scent. Instead, I soak cotton balls in mouthwash and tuck them away in small dishes. It’s subtle and won’t cover up a really smelly room, of course, but it does add a nice fresh odor. I love the smell of mint, but you could always use whatever you like.
Photo by Ross Elliott.
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