No matter how much we scrub, germs love to lurk in hidden crevices. That goes double for toilets!
Instagram star @Lauracleanholic, aka Laura Mountford, loves her steam cleaner for sanitizing every surface in her bathroom, especially the toilet. “A steam cleaner,” she says, “is a great way to hygienically clean your toilet, killing bacteria using water.”
Mountford says “under the rim of the toilet is an area that is often forgotten,” so get a steam cleaner with an angled nozzle to make things easier. The popular Bissell SteamShot works on toilets and other hard surfaces throughout your home. And at $36, it won’t break the bank.
Although I love the vibrant orange and red colors of fall, they don’t really coordinate with the rest of my home decor. That’s why I’m drawn to this neutral centerpiece from @ivorydfm.
The bouquet features amaranth, pampas grass, bleached ruscus, palm branches and a mixture of dried flowers. The different heights and textures make for a stunning arrangement.
Rust-Oleum’s RockSolid coating is about as durable as it gets, with a proprietary formula made to last. This best garage floor paint has a high-gloss finish that stands up to grease, dirt, drips and just about anything else you can throw (or spill) at it—and looks good doing it. A blend of polyurea, urethane and epoxy, this garage floor paint comes premixed, which makes painting a garage floor easier than some other coating kits. It comes in six colors; black, tan, mocha, gray, dark gray and modern “griege”—with decorative color chips that’ll give your floor a terrazzo feel.
DIYers of all skill levels will find it easy to use Rust-Oleum’s RockSolid coating. After cleaning the concrete, apply it in small sections using a paint roller. You’ll be able to walk on it eight hours later, and in 24, it’ll be safe to pull your car back into the garage. It’s a low-volatile organic compound (VOC) product, too, so you won’t be overcome with chemical fumes when painting your garage floor.
Pros
Outstandingly durable and long-lasting
Low-VOC formula
Self-leveling
Available in multiple colors
High gloss surface is easy to clean
Cons
Some customers say it doesn’t cover as many square feet as the box advertises
Imagine it’s a cozy Friday night at home, and you’re all settled in to binge-watch your favorite show. You’ve got your snacks lined up, your comfiest blanket at the ready and the perfect spot on the couch. There’s just one problem: Your Wi-Fi signal is dragging.
In this age of instant streaming and virtual meetings, all of us are way too familiar with that dreaded spinning wheel. But what if I told you there’s a science-approved tech tip that promises to put an end to your Wi-Fi woes, and the solution is a household staple that’s probably in your kitchen right now?
Yes, you read that right. Turns out, boosting your Wi-Fi signal is one of many fascinating aluminum foil uses you never knew about.
To get the inside scoop, I asked an expert to explain how this trick works, and even grabbed my lab coat (aka my pajamas) to test it out. Thanks to a strategically placed sheet of aluminum foil, you just may be one step closer to banishing sluggish internet connections for good.
How Can Aluminum Foil Boost a Wi-Fi Signal?
The way this hack works is shockingly simple. But first, you need a little background on Wi-Fi signals: They come from the antenna on your router, which creates the connection with your smartphone, computer and other internet-connected electronics.
To reach all the devices in your home, these signals behave like radio or light waves, spreading out to cover every available space. “Like a sprinkler head spraying water in all directions,” says tech expert James McQuiggan, a security awareness advocate at the online security platform KnowBe4.
Unfortunately, this also sends Wi-Fi signals to parts of your home where you don’t need it, leading to dead zones in certain areas and weakening the connection. That may be one of the reasons behind your slow internet. Large obstructions like walls or floors can block the signal as well.
By placing a curved sheet of aluminum foil around the router, you can shape the flow of the Wi-Fi signals more effectively. The shiny side of aluminum foil will reflect the beams coming from the antenna and point them at a specific place.
From there, adjust the direction of the curve of the foil to steer the signal toward the parts of your home where you need a better internet connection — like your living room, bedroom or office — or direct it away from spots where it would be wasted, like a window.
Does This Actually Work?
If you think this trick sounds too good to be true, we don’t blame you. But don’t just take our word for it — researchers at Dartmouth University vouch for it.
When they tried it out, they found a reflective, curved surface like a soda can or a piece of aluminum foil could strengthen Wi-Fi signals in some spaces and weaken it in others, maximizing the coverage’s overall efficiency.
Still skeptical? In their paper, the researchers reported their 3D-printed shape covered in aluminum foil, matching the specific Wi-Fi needs of the room, boosted wireless signals up to 55.1% in certain spots and reduced them up to 63.3% in others. So there you have it!
Are There Any Other Benefits?
Strengthening your Wi-Fi speed isn’t the only perk of this handy hack. It can also boost your online security, according to the Dartmouth researchers.
By limiting the reach of your Wi-Fi’s beams to the areas where you actually use it, you reduce the risk hackers will access the signal and attempt to steal your data.
“Such physical confinement of wireless signals serves as a complementary method to existing network security measures, such as encryption, and hence raises the barrier for attackers,” the researchers wrote.
What You Need to Do
Step 1: Gather your materials
Find a roll of aluminum foil, and cut a sheet approximately one foot long and the height of your Wi-Fi router. If your router comes with an antenna extending from the top, make sure the foil reaches a few inches above it. This won’t matter for routers with an internal antenna.
Step 2: Fold the foil
Bend the foil to create a “C” shape, with the shiny side facing inside the curve. For routers with outer antennas, you might need to fold the top so it covers the antennas, too.
Step 3: Position the foil behind your router
Place the foil behind the router, with the curved portion facing toward the router and the target area where you want to boost the signal. You might need to fold the bottom part so the foil stands upright.
Step 4: Check your internet speed
Go to the targeted area, enter “Google speed test” into your phone or computer browser’s search bar and select the blue button that reads “run speed test.” The test will evaluate the upload and download speeds of your internet connection and deliver a brief report.
Can You Use Substitutes?
While aluminum foil is lightweight, flexible and widely available, it’s not the only item that can improve your Wi-Fi.
Other common household metals — steel or copper baking sheets, or soda and beer cans — could be equally effective for this hack, McQuiggan says. Just make sure to position them so the curved, reflective part faces toward the area in your home where you want to amplify the Wi-Fi.
Testing This Hack
I decided to put this aluminum-foil hack to the test from my porch, the one spot in my home with consistently a poor internet connection.
Before I started, I compared the internet speeds between my porch and living room, where the router is. The difference was massive: I got a download speed of only 30 Mbps from my porch versus 230 Mbps from my living room.
Now it was time to add the foil. After cutting a single sheet of aluminum foil, I folded it into a “C” shape, with the shiny side facing inward, and placed it beside my router, making sure the concave part faced toward my porch. Then I went outside and ran the speed test again.
The download speeds slightly improved, to 35 Mbps. Meanwhile, the download speeds in my living room dropped a little to 225 Mbps.
I beefed up the test by adding two sheets of foil instead of just one, as well as replacing the foil with a soda can, but no dice. The two additional tests seemed to make my Wi-Fi speeds worse. Trying to load a Netflix show took a little longer than before.
Next, I tried this trick from my bedroom. Without the foil, download speeds ran between 226 and 229 Mbps. One sheet of aluminum foil didn’t make any difference at all, and two sheets or the soda can seemed to drop speeds by a few Mbps.
I tried adjusting the angle the curved portion of the foil or can faced, as well as their locations beside the router, but I didn’t notice much of a difference with my internet speed when I tried to connect.
The verdict: Though it didn’t quite work for me, if you’re having internet connection problems, it can’t hurt to give this trick a shot before forking over significant cash for a Wi-Fi extender. After all, it worked for the Dartmouth researchers.
I would guess this hack might be more effective at improving your internet speeds depending on the size of your space, the number and type of obstructions between your router and device, and your internet plan.
Mark Kobriger has a certain nostalgia for the smell of paint thinner. It reminds him of his grandfather’s basement.
His grandfather painted warships in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin during World War II, then ran his own painting business after the war. Though Kobriger says he doesn’t really remember his grandfather that well — he passed away when he was eight — that basement smell stuck with him.
So did a piece of advice from his father, who emphasized learning a trade.
“It’s important to have something to fall back on whether you work on cars or you work on houses,” says Kobriger. “You never know when you need that kind of experience, and I’ve fallen back on my painting through my whole life.”
Now a professional painter, Kobriger runs his own business. He lives in Door County, Wisconsin with his wife and five kids.
Learning to Be a Pro Painter
Kobriger got a summer job painting at age 16. However, after months of mostly grunt work like scraping ceilings, it wasn’t something he wanted to pursue.
But a couple of years later, he moved to Colorado for a seasonal gig at a ski resort. In the off-season, he worked at a bank. When a pro painter offered him a job, he jumped at the chance. He realized he could paint in the summer and work for the ski industry in the winter, so that’s what Kobriger did for the next seven years.
As a painter, Kobriger learned how to improve his craft and bid on jobs. He also began making environmentally sustainable choices like using VOC free paint, a new product at the time that put the health of his clients and coworkers first.
Building a Reputation
When Kobriger later moved to Madison, Wisconsin and started his own business, those values were key to his success. With positive word of mouth, his business grew quickly.
“I take pride in being able to accomplish tasks,” says Kobriger. “I take pride in taking responsibility for my actions and taking responsibility in general so that people know that they can count on me.” While balancing work, family and his other interests, Kobriger says, “I will probably paint the rest of my life and run a business.”
He plans to encourage his children to learn a trade, just like his dad encouraged him. It can be a career or something to fall back on. “Make lawn furniture,” he says. “Do something that you enjoy doing that you could make money doing.”
Meanwhile, the legacy of basements and paint thinner lives on, reminding Kobriger of family and love.
How many times have you wandered out to the backyard only to find a poor, helpless animal who went for a swim or fell in your in-ground orabove-ground pooland couldn’t get out? To prevent that from happening, get the FrogLog. This floating escape ramp helps small creatures find their way to safety.
You might not be able to keep animals out of your pool, but you can provide a way for them to get out. If you’ve ever had to fish a dead frog or squirrel out of the water, you know it’s not a pleasant job. This smart product keepsyour pool clean, reduces maintenance and saves critters from drowning.
What is a FrogLog?
TheSwimline FrogLogis a flotation device with a ramp that helps small animals—including frogs, chipmunks, lizards, ducklings, mice, squirrels, snakes, bats, birds and frogs—escape from your pool. It’s made with durable ultraviolet (UV)-resistant denier nylon, and features a mesh ramp. It comes with a weighted sandbag to keep it secured to the side of the pool. The 18-inch-by-18-inch inflatable landing pad has a mesh skirt and floats in the water so that small animals (up to 1 pound) can climb out safely.
This clever critter-saving escape ramp is designed and tested by wildlife biologists for maximum effectiveness. It’s a must-havepool accessory, so you won’t have to deal with the nasty job of coroner.
FrogLog is an inflatable ramp that helps small animals escape drowning in your pool.
How to Use a FrogLog
Whether you have anabove-ground or in-ground pool, this critter saver does its job. When animals are stranded, they’ll swim around the edge of the pool looking for an escape route. When they bump into theFrogLog, they’ll intuitively hop on top and use the ramp to climb to safety.
Setting up the FrogLog is simple. Blow up the floating landing pad with air, then fill the sandbag with enough rocks or sand (not included) to ballast it to the side of your pool. Place the FrogLog upstream from the skimmers. That’s it!
Depending on the size of your pool and the number of skimmer intakes, you may need more than one FrogLog. For instance, a 25-foot-by-50-foot pool could benefit from up to four FrogLogs, especially if the pump and filter run at night. Since dusk is when most critters find their way to your pool, the manufacturer suggests turning the pump off at night to reduce the chance of animals being pulled into the skimmer and drowning before they find the FrogLog.
Even if you have a pool cover, critters can find a way to take a swim in your pool, so it’s not a bad idea to place the FrogLog under or above pool covers for peace of mind.
The Best Amazon User Reviews
With over 6,700 five-star ratings just on Amazon alone, it’s clear that shoppers are relieved to have found a solution to animals drowning in their pools.
Grayson Newland, a five-star reviewer, writes, “I have an older in-ground pool with no steps, just ladders. We also live right on the edge of the woods—bad combination for animals. The years before I bought this, I had a dead mouse, frog or chipmunk at least two times per month in the pool. It was nasty. Since I bought this, I have not had a single one in two summers of use. I’ve placed it downstream of the main jet, and I’ve seen multiple animals climb on this thing and climb out. If you are tired of fetching dead animals out of your pool, this is the thing for you.”
“Very pleased with the quality of these little critter savers,” shares Scott M, a verified purchaser. “We live in the country, and every day I would find at least two and usually more dead frogs in the pool skimmers before I purchased these. I would say these are 95% effective in reducing dead critters. Currently, I am using one by each skimmer in a very large pool.”
“Every night, I find the toads/frogs resting on this, and they immediately jump into the pool. This allows such easy entry/exit for them,” writes another five-star reviewer, J Benson. “This is my second one, and in two years, I have not had to deal with a dead animal in the skimmer in that entire time. The easy exit means that they are done swimming and gone before I even get up in the morning. On the rare afternoons that one is present, they are able to hide on the pad (under the netting) from the harsh sun.”
FrogLog escape ramp helps small critters get out of the pool instead of drowning.
Why wouldn’t you add this under-$20 accessory to your pool?The life-saving FrogLog is available online through Walmart and Amazon.Not only will the FrogLog save time and money with pool cleaning and maintenance, but Mother Nature would be proud that you did your part to save the animals.
Fresh Air Screens 3-Zipper Roll-Up Garage Door Screen
With zippers on both sides as well as the center, this Fresh Air Screens garage door screen provides a reliable seal against bugs and leaves, as well as the option to raise half the screen if desired. This versatile three-zipper design allows for quick access to your garage without rolling up the entire screen. This is especially useful for those with frequent vehicle traffic.
It’s also great when using the garage as a functional workshop. This screen uses a sturdy hook-and-loop attachment system for installation and is available in two different colors to better match your garage. You can also purchase a rope and pull kit separately, providing a convenient pulley system for raising and securing the screen in place.
