This person lost their rear view mirror, and decided to repair it by replacing it with a Disney princess mirror. Technically, this repair probably works. As long as they can see oncoming traffic in the mirror, this repair is actually a success. However, it doesn’t look very good. And there’s no telling how well it will hold up after facing a lot of rain and snow storms as time goes on. Hopefully they can come up with the money to properly fix it one day.
When this person lost their headlights, they decided not to get them replaced. Instead, the makeshift repair they chose was to put huge flashlights duct taped to the top of the hood. Will this shine bright enough in the dark to illuminate the road? Probably not. We wonder how long it took the cops to notice before pulling them over for “failure to repair”.
Mysteriously, half of this clock just up and disappeared! Some clever people decided to repair it by drawing the rest of the clock on a piece of paper, and taping it next to the damaged item. I have so many questions. First of all, how did the clock get damaged in such a strange way? Where’s the rest of the clock? Secondly, could they not be bothered to at least cut out the paper so that it’s in the shape of a circle? It wouldn’t have been that difficult to make it look a bit more realistic.
This young man was faced with a problem. The bathroom mirror in his apartment wasn’t tall enough to see his face in the morning. So he added an extra hand mirror on top of the existing one to give it more height. Now, he can see his entire torso when he looks in the mirror in the morning. This repair is clever, and it’s only temporary, since he can remove the mirror at any time if he wanted to.
Most people would use a phone stand in their car to hold up a GPS, but this person decided to use a plastic bag instead. Technically, it works, but it must swing back and forth as the car is moving. This might give them a headache by the end of the trip.
Sometimes, you can’t find a chip clip to close your bag of chips. This person decided to use several forks instead. Whatever works, right? This isn’t exactly a repair. It’s more like a creative way to solve a problem that’s in front of you. But as long as this bag of Veggie Straws remains closed, crisp, and free of bugs trying to get inside, we can’t exactly called this a fail. It’s just redneck engineering.
When this sink started to fall off of the wall, the homeowner didn’t decide to repair it by calling the plumber. They used a chair and a stack of books, intead. Technically, it’s working, but it probably won’t last for long. This is especially true if there is any kind of leak being caused by the leaning sink. It may cause water damage, mold, and other serious issues that the homeowner will have to deal with later on.
When this man’s truck tire blew, he clearly didn’t have a spare on-hand. Instead of going to the store to buy a new tire, he used a cart with wheels and attached it directly to the rim. From what we can see in the photos, the DIY repair is actually working. At least, for now. This should be fixed by a professional as soon as possible. Let’s hope they only did this to drive themselves to the mechanic, and that’s it.
If you have a perfume collection, the odds are that you’ve experienced at least one top breaking in your lifetime. Instead of wasting the nearly full bottle of Dolce & Gabbana perfume, this person got a spray bottle from a cleaning product instead. This won’t spray a fine mist like most perfume toppers, but at least it will help get the product out of the bottle.
On Reddit, it said, “Roommate punched a hole in his door. I fixed it.” For those of you who don’t know, that’s a photo of Jack Nicholson in The Shining where he is going crazy, about to kill his wife with an axe. He peeks through the hole that he chopped into a door and says “Here’s Johnny!” So it only makes sense that he would place of a photo of Jack into the door. It’s actually very funny. But hopefully they will repair the door soon, especially before the landlord finds out.
I’m honestly not sure how putting a fork into a fan is helping anything. Maybe the buttons on the fan needed to be pressed at all times in order to work, and the fork is holding the button in place? Who knows. But it has still made its way to several lists of funny inventions and repair fails.
When this was originally posted on Reddit, they said, “You need to keep that laptop cool somehow :)”. The idea here is that the bag will fill up with air, and it funnels through to the laptop itself. And the clear plastic saran wrap is being used to keep it all together. Who knows how well it actually works, but this person was clearly proud enough of their creation to post it online for the world to see. In reality, they should probably clean out their existing computer fan, or buy a new one in order to keep their computer cool.
This person’s couch is completely damaged beyond repair. But instead of throwing it away, they decided to put a chair inside of the couch body instead. It looks like they have a DVD sitting on the couch, ready to go and watch a movie anyway, despite the blatantly obvious problem with the couch. Hopefully at least the people sitting on the other side will have a more comfortable experience.
Someone decided to use a hairbrush to replace their side view mirror. When it was originally posted on Reddit, there was no further explanation as to why this person decided to do this. Clearly, you can’t see any reflection in the hairbrush, so it’s not helping in any way. The only logical explanation is that it might trick the police into believing that there is a side view mirror there when there really isn’t.
This next repair fail is when someone tried to replace their gas stove with several tea lights in hopes that it might be strong enough to boil their tea kettle. In truth, we’re not sure if this would work or not. Most likely, this will make the water not, but not come to a boil. So this would be considered a win to someone who was just trying to get a cup of tea and nothing else.
On Reddit, the original poster of this image said, “I found the other iPhone speakers lacking something, so I made this.” Commenters make fun of the original poster, saying, “You’re like MacGyver on Welfare.” This is true. They definitely got creative with the things they could find around the house in order to amplify their iPhone speakers. The funny thing is, though, this should actually work really well! Pro tip: If you’re at a party and need to amplify your iPhone speakers, put it inside of a cup. It works like a charm.
The term “half bath” is often used to describe a powder room. As in- a bathroom without a shower. It should only have a toilet and a sink. Someone out there took the term way too seriously, and now the toilet has been cut in half. Obviously, this shouldn’t be functional. And we wonder what the sink looks like. Was that cut in half, too? Let’s hope that this is a part of a museum or some kind of funhouse joke, because it would be truly tragic if a homeowner paid a contractor to install a new bathroom and they got this instead.
In this next picture, we see someone who stuck a straw into a faucet hole and got a water fountain. This is a really cheap way to fix the problem of not having a faucet there in the first place. But it shouldn’t be used as a permanent solution to the problem. The straw can easily fall off. It also looks just plain ghetto. But, in a pinch, someone made a solution to a problem, so we should applaud them for that.
Clearly, this person was making mousse from the packet and realized a little too late that they don’t have a hand mixer to finish the recipe. Instead of trying to whip it by hand, they decided to get their power drill and a pair of scissors attached to it. This made a makeshift hand mixer in a pinch. In the end, they were able to make their mousse. So technically, everything worked out exactly as they wanted it to.
Do you like to read in the shower? The only trouble with it is the chance that the book might fall into the water and get completely ruined. Some clever genius out there decided that they would clip a book to a dog leash, and have it dangle over the top of the bathtub. This way, you can read your book and let it go, and it will never fall into the water. Technically, it works, so this one gets an A+.
Sometimes people like to customize their motorcycles and road bikes in order to get the most enjoyment out of it if they possibly can. So this person decided that they would like a car seat on their motorcycle. We’re not sure if this will actually balance correctly, or how long it will last, but this person is definitely seeking maximum comfort out of their ride.
As far as repairs go, replacing a shower head is relatively inexpensive compared to other things you need to fix around the house. However, this person decided that instead of spending $30 at their local Home Depot, they would rather get a beer can, drill holes in it, and use that as a makeshift shower head instead. Technically, it works, but there is no telling how long it will last as a shower before it starts to rust. We don’t recommend doing this in real life, folks.
Here is yet another person whose PC needs a new fan installed, but they decided to use a large fan from their house. Instead of funneling with plastic like the image we saw earlier, this person decided to just cut to the chase and put the fan directly onto the PC tower. On Reddit, he said, “Trying to cool my PC down in the queue screen during a heatwave.” People in the comments are actually applauding his efforts, saying that this should work in a pinch.
There are plenty of cute ways to represent men and women, and I’ve seen plenty of cute bathroom signs at hip restaurants and bars throughout the years. But this one from Russia gets straight to the bottom of it- boxers for men, and a bra for women. We’re not sure where the gender-neutral equivalent of this would go, but we suppose you can pick what kind of undergarments you choose to wear, and go with that.
Here is yet another image taken from Russia. It’s a flip flop attached to the end of a stick. We’re not sure if this is used for fly-swatting, or if a grandma is holding it on standby to smack the kids when they misbehave. It’s a truly unique invention, and we’re a little bit confused by it. The actual purpose for it is a mystery, and we’re hoping that someone will tell us in the comments if you know why someone wants a flip flop on the end of a stick.
Someone out there decided to take a perfectly good kitchen chair and take it apart to be part of a bike seat. But the most confusing part about this repair is that it looks like the guy is still sitting on the original bike seat. So he really just has these extra pieces of chair on the bike that don’t serve too much of a purpose in terms of adding comfort to his ride. But, to each their own.
In this photo, it appears as though someone wanted to slice a cake, but they didn’t have any knives on-hand to do it with. So they wrapped up their macbook with saran wrap and cut the cake that way. Technically, it works. But how can you live without any kind of knife? This definitely belongs in the ebaumsworld category of “redneck repairs”.
When the car door lock was broken, this person decided it was smarter to add a sliding lock rather than getting their car door fixed. But don’t they realize that anyone can slide the little metal piece back and forth without a key? This originally came from the “An Attempt Was Made” subReddit, where the poster said, “Saw this on a walk today.” We wonder if the car alarm is still intact, and if turning the lock would set off the sound after any attempt was made to open it.
Out of all of the side view mirror repair fails on this list, at least this one works temporarily. They have an old iPod touch or iPhone taped to the empty side view mirror. The camera is rolling, so you can see everything behind the car in real time. It works just like a mirror, only we all know that it will eventually run out of battery life. Hopefully this was just a temporary solution to their problem before they got the mirror repaired for real.
For some reason, this person decided to have their car repaired with heavy-duty metal that you’d normally see on the back of a truck bed. Maybe they’ve had their bumper hit one too many times. If you ran into the back of this thing, you’d be sorry! At least they are peace-loving hippies who like to surf.
When this truck owner needed a new back door, they didn’t go to a mechanic or body shop. Instead, they decided to head down to the hardware store to see what they could find. Obviously, hardware stores only sell items for houses. So they came home with a door that belongs in a house. In terms of functionality, we’re not sure if this repair actually works or not. Or maybe it’s just there temporarily to keep things from sliding out of the truck bed. There’s no way to tell, and it’s just another average redneck repair.
This next one is not exactly a repair. It’s just someone who decided to improvise an ashtray out of a plastic cup they had been drinking out of. Their cigarette was hot enough to burn a hole through the cup, and they could place it inside of there to let the ashes fall. It looks disgusting, and we don’t suggest trying this at home. But it probably helped this person out in a pinch.
This next repair is actually something I’ve seen recommended in DIY lists with true sincerity. They used a paper towel roll to help collect the cords under their desk to keep them organized. There is nothing wrong with this, except that maybe they could decorate the roll with some paper or paint to make it look a bit cuter. When you use the paper towel roll on its own, it does look a bit ghetto. It seems like redneck engineering, but it might actually be a good idea.
This one isn’t a repair. It’s just a straight-up fail. It was originally posted on the An Attempt Was Made SubReddit with the caption, “Someone almost did a good deed.” In case you’re not sure what’s going on in the photo, this person tried to put their cup away in the recycling bin that accepted plastic cups and cans. But their Big Gulp cup from 711 was so large, they couldn’t fit it through the hole to recycle it. Hopefully the person taking the picture took the cup out and threw it in the garbage afterwards.
This photo was found on the “An Attempt Was Made” SubReddit with the caption, “I thought we had a vase.” Classic problem. You buy a bouquet of flowers from the store, only to realize when you get home that you can’t find- or straight up don’t own a vase. Next time, maybe this person will buy a vase from the store so that they can have a place to put bouquets of flowers, instead of sticking them into a gallon of water.
This photo was originally posted on Reddit with the caption, “To fix this measuring tape…” Someone used staples to bring the two broken pieces together. While it’s not a completely terrible idea, there is just one flaw. This leaves a small amount of space in-between the staples, so the measurements will no longer be accurate. In a case like this, it should be easy to find a replacement measuring tape from the dollar store or a craft store.
Since the age of smart phones began, people have experienced trouble holding their phones without some kind of support. And they want something on the back to help prop up the phone, too. That’s why they invented the pop socket. However, this person thought of putting a handle on their phone way before it was cool. (Or maybe they just weren’t aware that there were better options out there.) So they glued on a handle from the hardware store to the back of their phone case. It looks terrible, and it probably feels sweaty after a while, too.
In most places in the United States, you can’t drink alcohol in public unless it’s concealed. That’s why you sometimes see alcoholics walking around with their drinks covered in a paper bag. This person decided to go one step further with their deception by fixing a can of Coca Cola on top of a beer can. The idea behind this is actually very clever. But I’m wondering how difficult it is to get this on and off of the can. And wouldn’t it be easier to just buy one of those beer cozies to cover it up?
This next photo is a little bit confusing. It’s hard to tell if this person doesn’t have shoes on at all, or if they’re simply trying to cover up their existing pair of shoes to waterproof them. Either way, this person has taken saran wrap and covered themselves up from their feet to their calves. It’s very sad if they can’t afford shoes. But to me, this looks like some kind of life hack gone wrong. This image has been spread all over the Internet, so I have no way of knowing the original source or what the true story is behind this picture. So we may never know.
In this photo, we see two women who don’t have a mode of transportation to take them back and forth from the grocery store. So instead of limiting themselves to how much they can carry, they made their own invention. They decided to use two brooms together as a way to carry multiple bags of groceries. Not exactly a repair, but it does fix a problem that a lot of people have. True genius!
The lock in the photo above used to have a piece of metal that would slide back and forth to help keep the door closed. However, someone decided it would be a good idea to repair the door by replacing the metal lock with a plastic spoon. The only obvious issue with that is that you can easily break down a door and snap a plastic spoon in half. Whoever did this wasn’t thinking it through, but maybe it stops some people from immediately barging into the door without a lot of force.
Painting a house is one of the most common repairs. However, you should never do what these guys are doing in the photo. They placed a ladder onto the ledge of a stairwell, so it’s dangling over an open staircase with at least a 12-foot drop. All of this is hanging in the balance of a friend spotting the man who is standing on the ladder trying to paint the wall. I truly hope the man was able to get down without ending up in the hospital.
Rather than a repair, this next one is more of a clever DIY. Instead of using a bath tray, they decided to take an old skateboard and lay it across the tub, instead. You may want to call this “redneck engineering” rather than a repair fail. But as long as it works, there’s no issue with this, right? Let her enjoy watching Ratatouille with her glass of wine in peace.
No repair to see here. Just the fastest way to dry a pair of jeans. This person decided to put a pair of jeans on the floor, and hold it down with textbooks. Next, they used a blow-dryer to secure it to the back of the jeans and blow hot air through it. There’s no way of telling if this is truly a faster way to dry jeans than just putting them in the dryer. But people on the Internet have declared it so.
