DIY (Page 30)

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

Latest in DIY

Find out just how fast your phone is

Night sky photography

Cold weather is the best time to look at—and photograph—the night sky

By Stan Horaczek

Fomes fomentarius fungus

The two types of fungi you want in your fire-starting kit

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Two friends taking a selfie.

Make your own Instagram filters

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Vintage looking chromed headphones on a table.

How to hit pause on your music streaming subscriptions

Bearded man wearing a surgical mask on the street

5 must-know tips for safely wearing a mask over facial hair

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Person on the floor browsing YouTube videos on a smartphone.

Learn to use picture-in-picture on all your devices

A person using a pen to write in a paper notebook, with a phone on the table next to them for storing digital notes.

Turn your handwritten documents into searchable digital notes

Green camping tent in the middle of a snowy mountain

How to stay warm while sleeping in the frigid outdoors

By Alisha McDarris

A person spraying a can of WD40 in a garage.

20 ingenious uses for WD-40

By Bill Heavey/Field & Stream

A man in a gray t-shirt removing or putting on a surgical face mask by only touching the ear loops.

Why you shouldn’t ever wear your mask around your neck

By Erin Fennessy

Person filling up water bottle at kitchen sink with tap water.

Simple, at-home tests can check your air and water for contaminants

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Make your own maple syrup without harming the trees

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

snowball slingshot

Make a snowball slingshot and rule your neighborhood with an icy fist

By William Gurstelle

Turn that old bread into pizza in less than 30 minutes

Turn that old bread into pizza in less than 30 minutes

By Farideh Sadeghin/Saveur

Badly edited photo of a pier during sunset

How to use advanced editing tools without ruining your photos

By Harry Guinness

A person wearing glasses and laying on a bed while reading a book.

Keep your brain in shape by reading more books

Fog billowing off a misty mountain forest.

How to survive three days in the wild

By Keith McCafferty/Field & Stream

US Senator Bernie Sanders edited into a vintage Popular Science magazine cover to look like he's driving an experimental single-wheel motorcycle.

How to make a legendary meme

By John Kennedy

Person walking in forest in the middle of a snow storm.

Dress like an Alaskan to weather the winter cold

By Tyler Freel/ Outdoor Life

A line of protesters with signs standing in a street, just feet from a line of police with riot shields.

How to save important photos and video from the web

By John Kennedy

A man sleeping in a bed on a pillow with a white blanket.

Take the best naps, with science

By John Kennedy

Black mouse and keyboard sitting side by side on a wooden desk.

How to completely customize the way you control Windows

A person holding a smartphone in front of them inside a white room in a house.

How to fix spotty cell service in your home

By Whitson Gordon

An apple on the ground in the forest, surrounded by fallen leaves.

Once you know what happens to food you leave outdoors, you’ll stop doing it

By Alisha McDarris

Hand holding iPhone indoors against modern paintings.

Your phone’s home screen can hold more than just apps. Here’s what else you should add.

People dancing at house party at night

These apps bring the magic of a house party online

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

A bookshelf made out of a reclaimed wood pallet, full of books, with a chalkboard panel.

Turn an old pallet into a handy—and free—bookshelf

By Jose Mendoza

An Apple macOS laptop, desktop computer, tablet, and iOS iPhone on a wooden desk.

How to keep people from stealing your Wi-Fi

Person sleeping peacefully in bed

Skip the wearables and track your sleep with these 5 apps

How to build snowshoes on the fly—and 4 other tips for surviving deep snow

How to build snowshoes on the fly—and 4 other tips for surviving deep snow

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Person with headphones playing audio on smartphone

How to convert text articles into audio (and why you might want to)

A man sitting on a couch while using a laptop on a table and holding his chin thoughtfully.

5 easy fixes for common computer problems

a woman lays back in a bath tub while looking relaxed

To take the most relaxing bath ever, add some healthy tips

By Rachel Feltman

Parents and two kids on New Year's in party hats and sparklers

Make your own New Year’s ball, and 4 other family party ideas

By Purbita Saha

Hand holding a fire work in the dark

2020 stunk. Here’s how to start 2021 with a fresh mindset

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

6 tricks for avoiding a hangover

a wooden three-legged stool on a brick patio

13 tips, tricks, and projects to start 2021 off right

By John Kennedy

gingerbread house

How to build a gingerbread house that won’t fall apart

By Sara Chodosh

Instant hot cocoa is a starchy disaster. Here’s how to make your own.

Instant hot cocoa is a starchy disaster. Here’s how to make your own.

By Sara Chodosh

a photo of wrapping paper and a Christmas gift shaped like a cylinder

Tips for wrapping gifts of any shape

By Whitson Gordon

wickiup survival shelter

Winter survival shelters you should know how to build

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Bare hand holding heart-shaped snow ball.

Five tips for taking care of your over-washed hands

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

a photo of Dasht-e Kavir, the Great Salt Desert, in Iran

Use Google Earth and Street View to explore the planet from your couch

Person with their feet up watching Netflix in a big screen TV.

How to get a true 4K experience on Netflix

Maple snow candy is the easiest—and most delicious—winter treat

Maple snow candy is the easiest—and most delicious—winter treat

By Rachel Feltman

two children sledding downhill

How to speed up your sled with scientific tricks

By Sophie Bushwick

scraping ice and snow off a car windshield

The right and wrong ways to clear ice and snow from your car

Get rid of the remote controls you don’t need. Here’s how.

By Whitson Gordon

Pin hole beer can photo

Creating this photo of sun trails took eight years and a beer can

By Stan Horaczek

an Apple iPhone with the Google search engine up on the screen

Your guide to every Google app’s privacy settings

magic starter kit

Six magic accessories every beginner needs

By Stan Horaczek

Person at computer with cat

Find the perfect internet speed for you

By Whitson Gordon

a TV with a family video chatting on it over a video call

How to put video calls on your TV

Rescue dried-out cheese with this simple trick

Rescue dried-out cheese with this simple trick

By Benjamin Kember/Saveur

Person laughing at computer

Emojis and reaction GIFs make Slack better. Here’s how to create them.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

a campfire in a designated fire area

How to build and extinguish a campfire without sparking a catastrophe

By Alisha McDarris

A beginner’s guide to buying your first drone

Mix your own delicious herbal tea using leftover spices

By Kristy Mucci/Saveur

Turn soap bubbles into magical frozen orbs

By Sarah Keartes

Person looking at mirror

Mask up without breaking out. Here’s how to prevent pandemic acne.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

winter survival plants you can eat

13 edible plants you can still find in the winter

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Laptop with neon

How to stop websites from tracking you

a person holding LED lights in their hands while wearing a white sweater

Make your own light-up holiday sweater

By Barry Abrams