Human development has allowed us to build skyscrapers and land rovers on Mars. But for everyday problems—like needing an adapter for your speakers, fixing a broken lawnmower wheel, or stopping a door from slamming shut—we don’t need the help of billion-dollar industries. Oftentimes, a little creativity is enough.

People who come up with these clever fixes proudly share them on the subreddit r/LowTechBrilliance, alongside with others’ ingenious solutions they’ve spotted out in the wild. So, as a reminder that we regular folks are often far more resourceful than we give ourselves credit for, we compiled some of the best examples below.

#1 Lost Finger Can‘T Stop A Gamer

#2 No Adapter Needed

#3 This Low Maintenance Reversible Bench

#4 “My Dad “”Fixed”” My Lawnmower”

#5 The Real Hydrohomies

#6 A Stack Of Cups That You Can Turn To Indicate When Coffee Was Brewed

#7 For Remote Teaching Without A Document Camera

#8 Six People Can Have Their Own Lock And Each One Can Open The Gate!

#9 Old Dude In The Seat Next To Me On My Flight Used A Partially Inflated Baggy As A Phone Stand… Brilliant

#10 Just Found This Sub, This Was A Functioning Lawnmower I Saw While In Bulgaria, Great Use Of Limited Resources

#11 Painting The Ceiling Brilliance

#12 No Funnel, No Problem

#13 Successfully Used String To Direct AC Unit Condensation Down Into A Pitcher

#14 Cool Mechanical Hand Sanitizer Dispenser W Foot Pedal, No Batteries Or Hand Sensor Needed

#15 Combination Beer Cooler BBQ Grill

#16 No Stop Sign? No Problem

#17 Attractive And Humane Mousetrap Vase Made By Aakash Dewan In India

#18 Can’t Have Lower Tech Than A Sundial (Slightly Cheating To Be Made With 3D Printer Tho)

#19 Made Floaties For My Avocado Seeds So I Don’t Have To Remember To Add Water To Them

#20 How To Stop The Remote From Going Missing

#21 Need A Level?

#22 Ingenious Doorstop

#23 We Needed To Disassemble A Shelf In An Office And We Didn’t Have A Mallet. Rubber Bands + Hammer = Mallet

#24 My Brother Got Tired Of Holding His iPad Up

#25 Switch Remote Control

#26 Set Up A Siphon Out Of Old Pipe To Drain The Kid’s Paddling Pool Quicker, And With Less Mess, Than The Drain Plug. (Or Watering The Plants, Which I Also Did)

#27 My Puzzle Came With A Stand For The Box

#28 Teacher’s Solution To Cheating

#29 It Is A Rain Boot

#30 Low Tech Cooling

#31 Just A Branch And A Marker Will Do

#32 How To Link Up Multiple Barrels For Rainwater Collection

#33 Bent Mirrored Steel Turns One Candle Into Four

#34 No Air? Just Use A Pvc Elbow

#35 Turned An Old Trampoline Into A Greenhouse!!

Not totally done yet but I’m already brainstorming what to grow in here. I’m in CT USA. any advice on what vegis I can grow overwinter in it? I’m thinking cold crops might have a chance of survival through most of the winter but I’ve never had a greenhouse before. The plastic isn’t as clear as I thought it would be but I’m reading that might be beneficial heat-wise anyway so I’m Leaving it as is for now.

#36 Foot Operated Hand Wash Station I Built For My Wife. Clean Water In Bottom; Waste Water Collected Above

#37 Face Shield – Cut Plastic, Punch Wholes, Attach To Glasses (Image Via The Inventor – Tokujin Yoshioka, Japanese Olympic Torch Designer)

#38 Years Ago I Needed To Prop A Camera Pi Up On A Tripod. The 1/4-20-Thread-To-USB-A-Male Adapter Was Born

#39 Defrosting The Freezer Mess-Free With Nothing But A Hose, A Bucket, And Some Duct Tape

#40 Vertical Gardening Using Plastic Bottles And A Drip Irrigation System (Bottle On Top Is Upside Down With A Small Hole In The Bottle Cap Allowing A Slow Water Drip), Project For And With Refugees And People Living In Poverty

People Are Sharing Their Proudest Low-Tech Solutions, And These 47 Are Awesome