DIY (Page 21)

PopSci's curated collection of life skills, tech tips, and hands-on projects we think you'll love.

Latest in DIY

phone and tablet showing google news

Get your phone to send you the breaking news alerts you want

A green plastic dome treehouse in a forest.

How to rent out your spare room and be an excellent host

By Jose Mendoza, Mary Kearl

the start of the cooperative board game, Pandemic

Two-player games that won’t turn you and your friend into enemies

By Harry Guinness

How to keep ‘chub rub’ from chafing your skin and ruining your summer

How to keep ‘chub rub’ from chafing your skin and ruining your summer

By Rachel Feltman

Bee-pollinating-purple-flower

Build a garden that’ll have pollinators buzzin’

By Jennifer Ball

bees-drinking-nectar-from-feeder

5 ways to keep bees buzzing that don’t require a hive

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

hand holding a cicada against the sky

The Brood X cicadas are coming, and you should eat them. Here’s how.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

3 ways to use your hot glue gun for more than just sticking things together

3 ways to use your hot glue gun for more than just sticking things together

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Half-Popped Popcorn Kernels

Popcorn Too Fluffy? Try Half-Popping Popcorn At Home

By Ryan F. Mandelbaum

DIY film developing

You should develop your own black-and-white film. Here’s how.

By Stan Horaczek

a child wearing large comfortable headphones

Want more comfortable headphones? Try these 5 fixes.

By Whitson Gordon

A woman using an Apple laptop on a white bed while a golden retriever dog sleeps in the foreground.

How to get internet to every corner of your home

LED strip lights behind a computer desk, adding a purple glow to the room.

5 great spots for LED strip lights around your home

By Nadia Bajuelo

A person holding a phone horizontally and filming a video.

Simple tools for creating stop-motion movies on your phone

bananas in cast iron pan

How to season a cast iron pan

By Sara Chodosh

The user interface for Netflix on a computer in a browser window.

How to find where your favorite movies and shows are streaming

A cracked wooden table at a restaurant, with a glass of white wine and a white plate with salmon and greens on it.

2 ways to rescue cracked wooden furniture

By Jean Levasseur

A woman in orange workout leggings and a gray sleeveless workout top doing a lunge squat with a barbell in a gym.

Enhance your workouts with ‘invisible exercise’ and brain training

By David Robson

A man sitting on an airplane at sunset and looking into his backpack.

An experienced backpacker’s guide for flying with camping gear

By Alisha McDarris

A Windows laptop left open next to another Windows device on a wooden table.

Secure your Microsoft account so it’s hard to get into

old woman and girl play chess inside the house

Teach your kids how to play chess—even if you don’t know how to

By Jean Levasseur

Person working on pc opening safe mode

Microsoft Office’s standalone safe mode can save your butt from bugs

a candle in the darkness

Four things to do long before you lose power

By Rachael Zisk

An iron pot on a spit above a cooking fire.

How to build the best cooking fire right on the ground

By John Kennedy

worried man looking at laptop screen

All Wordled out? Here are 17 spin-offs to play instead.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Pink Chromecast dangling from a Tv

Outsmart your Chromecast and stream anything you want

Phone recording.

The best ways to record audio on your phone

Dried roses and other preserved flowers

How to preserve flowers in 4 easy ways

By Sophie Bushwick

These photo tips will help you get top dollar for the stuff you sell online

These photo tips will help you get top dollar for the stuff you sell online

By Harry Guinness

A person holding up their phone in front of a cityscape at night to take a photo for an Instagram Story.

Perfect your aesthetic by choosing your own Instagram Story background

By John Kennedy

A person wearing a white buttondown shirt tapping on their smartphone.

It’s time to finally organize your contact lists

Your computer’s graphics card isn’t just for gaming. Here’s how to upgrade it.

how to set up a second monitor on your work desk

How to set up a second monitor for your computer

A beginner’s guide to building your own PC

Man opening a trash can.

Build a killer gaming PC for $100

By Whitson Gordon

A cup of tea with a cinnamon stick in it

Get old tea and coffee stains off your mugs

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

a man using his phone on the New York City subway, while other passengers also use their phones

Your smartphone is gross. Learn how to clean it properly.

Legs in a hammock

Can’t get waxed? Remove your hair with sugar at home.

By Rachel Feltman

kid holding their moms hand wearing kn95 mask

Young kids should also wear better masks to protect against COVID. Here’s what to consider.

By Alexandra Frost

Hand holding Samsung Galaxy

Tweak your Samsung Galaxy to give it that stock Android look

By Whitson Gordon

Hands aligning frame on the wall

How to print and frame a photo that deserves more than Instagram

By Harry Guinness

A homemade DIY e-bike parked in front of a snow-covered evergreen grove.

Your new e-bike could already be sitting in your garage

By William Elcock

A blonde woman in a white shirt sitting in front of a laptop and a smartphone, editing a photo in a photo editing program.

How to convert HEIC files—or prevent them altogether

By John Kennedy

Person-doing-heart-hand-gesture-at-concert

Streaming hardly ever gets artists paid. Here’s how to support musicians you love.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

A laptop on a white table with the DuckDuckGo search engine on the screen.

7 ways DuckDuckGo can help you find exactly what you need

An iPhone with Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Twitter apps visible.

How to make your social media posts truly private

person-workilooking at phone and typing on laptop

Protect all of your accounts with two-factor authentication

A red gasoline can in a garage or shed next to a large gas-powered leafblower.

The safest ways to store gasoline

By Natalie Wallington

A person with their hand on their face while they look at their phone in a dimly lit room.

A comprehensive guide to using social media when your safety’s at risk

By John Kennedy, Sandra Gutierrez G.

person-looking-at-mirror-applying-face-cream

The lowest-effort skincare routine that will still make your skin glow

By Sofia Quaglia

phone on desk charging wirelessly

Is a wireless charger better? Here’s how to decide.

A child standing in front of a TV, watching a show or a movie.

How to stream your personal video collection to any device

Person wearing headset

7 tips to help you get more out of Discord

A person using a Macbook laptop on a wooden table with an iPhone next to them.

It’s time to let your computer and phone hook up

There’s a secret way to browse the web from your Apple Watch

person holding bouquet of peonies

How to make cut flowers last longer

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

A woman with red lipstick on standing very close to a TV screen that's playing black and white static, as she gently touches the screen with her hand.

How to clean a TV screen

By John Kennedy

A woman looking at her phone while sitting at the window bar inside a Starbucks.

7 useful tasks your phone can handle automatically

mechanical keyboard with rbg

A beginner’s guide to the world of custom mechanical keyboards

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

A woman cheering while sitting on a brown couch and watching a hockey game on a large flat-screen TV

How to watch TV with friends—even when you can’t be together

An Amazon Echo Dot on top of some books.

Simplify your life by creating routines for Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant

10 excellent extensions to enjoy Instagram on the web

A man in a white t-shirt and black pants sitting in a chair talking to a therapist while they both sit in front of large windows with white curtains.

Finding a therapist can be overwhelming, but these tips can help

By Alexandra Frost

A burger with bacon, lettuce, and cheese on a white plate with two plastic containers of condiments and some French fries next to it.

Your food could be better if you salted it at the right time

By Maggie Galloway