- [Instructor] There are tons of stands on the market
that can prop up your phone.
But when you're on the go, feeling resourceful,
or just wanna save money,
you can always count on HouseholdHacker.
Today, we'll show you a number of ways
you can create your own hands-free phone stands
just using items you've got laying
around your home or office.
(musical tones)
If you're sitting at your desk looking
to free up your hands, you can prop your phone up
with just a drink coaster.
Start by placing your phone vertically
over one edge of a coaster so that it's centered
and perpendicular on one side.
Now bring your phone slightly closer to one side
and angle it like this.
Take a pen and trace around the phone
to mark it's width and angle.
Use a pair of scissors to cut out what you traced
and now your makeshift stand is complete.
Simply slide the coaster over one end of your phone
and let go.
If executed correctly, it should fit like a glove.
This design is meant for horizontal use only,
but if you angle it just right,
you can prop your phone up vertically as well.
If you can't seem to do anything without your phone,
here's a stand you can use while brushing your teeth.
Pop open the lid to your dental floss
and lie the container down on its side
so that the lid is facing you.
That's it.
The groove on the lid will conveniently
hold the bottom of your phone in place
and allow your hands-free horizontal viewing to take place.
The bigger the container the better,
but this smaller one seemed to work just fine.
So remember to floss daily
and please have your pet spayed or neutered.
Whether you're at home, the office,
or experiencing the miracle of flight,
a coffee cup sleeve will do the trick as well.
Get your hands on a beverage sleeve
or snag one from anyone with a handlebar mustache.
Lay it flat just the way it's designed to fold.
Draw a line from the bottom center of the sleeve
upward at an angle like this
until you're about a half inch from the top.
Next curve your line down and over
towards the center to form your chin of sorts.
Now just pull that section and lay it flat
while keeping the long side on the bottom.
The actual dimensions will need to be adjusted
depending on your device, and what angle you prefer,
but this sleeve's a perfect accessory
to any caffeinated traveler.
If all you have lying around is cardboard,
that'll certainly do the trick as well.
We previously showed you how to prop up your phone
with this design, but we've got an even simpler one
for you today.
Place your phone along the corner of a piece of cardboard,
and trace out the shape of your phone.
Using scissors or a box cutter,
cut out your new piece of cardboard
and then fold it in half.
From the top center of your square,
draw a line towards the bottom at roughly a 45 degree angle
until you're just below an inch from the bottom.
Continue your line back upward to form your lip
that will hold your phone in place.
Cut out and remove the smaller section.
Now unfold your new cardboard stand and you're all set.
Depending on your phone, this design
should support both horizontal and vertical viewing.
Here's simple yet sturdy stand made from PVC fittings
that'll hold your phone both vertically and horizontally,
all while allowing you to charge up.
For our design, you'll need six elbow connectors
that reduce from 3/4 of an inch on one end
to 1/2 inch on the other side.
You'll also need 3/4 of an inch tee connector,
and an optional 3/4 of an inch cap for added stability.
Connect two elbows together on one side,
then connect two elbows together on the other side.
Now just connect them all to the tee fitting
and add the other two elbows together to form your stand.
After a little adjusting,
including angling your front elbows
at roughly a 30 degree angle,
you're left with a durable PVC stand
that allows horizontal viewing as well as vertical viewing.
Among the countless stands capable of holding your phone,
perhaps none are as versatile
and customizable as those crafted from LEGO pieces.
You can start with a medium base
and stack blocks for a basic design like this one
that we previously made, or you can just go ahead
and design any size and shape
to adapt to your phone or tablet.
This is simple and fun for kids to make as well.
So as long as your base is well balanced
and built with angled support and solid borders,
you should be able to prop your phone up horizontally,
vertically, or both.
Just place your phone down and LE-GO.
There's a ton of ways
to prop up your phone using binder clips,
but we're gonna show you the easiest method.
Get a small binder clip and collapse the arms outward
so they're flat like this.
Then open a larger binder clip
by pinching inward on both ends.
Now just feed the smaller clip's handles
into the larger clips opening and release.
You'll wanna angle the smaller clip
so it forms a triangle with the flat surface.
This will essentially hold the base of your phone in place
while the handles of the larger clip
will support the top of your phone.
This design can get you out of a bind.
If you have more binder clips,
you can get creative for even more support,
especially for larger phones.
That's basically it.
This is a throwback to an oldie but a goodie.
Dig up a cassette tape case from your parent's
or grandparent's legendary collection.
If you don't find an empty case,
simply remove the cover and cassette tape from the inside.
Toss it in your Walkman for safe keeping.
Once the case is open flat like this,
continue to open it wider until it rests into place,
this'll form a perfect makeshift stand for your phone.
Now this is an extremely convenient phone stand
that doesn't require you to make anything.
Just go digging in that basement
for an old cassette tape case.
Next time you spend the balance on a gift card,
save it and turn it into a simple phone stand.
Gift cards have about the same dimensions
as a credit card and they're perfect for this situation.
Measure in about 3/8 of an inch from one end and mark it.
What's left is 3 inches,
so you'll wanna mark the center at one and a half inches.
Repeat on the other side and draw a line across
to form your three fold markers.
Bend the card in half to form a 90 degree angle.
You can apply heat to the folds
to help bend the plastic easier.
Now bend the remaining 3/8 of an inch
in the opposite direction to form your lip.
This simple design is the perfect way
to put those spent gift cards to use.
Whether you wear your sunglasses at night like Corey Hart
or during bright sunlight, this super simple trick
will keep your hands free for your viewing pleasure.
All you do is lay the glasses upside down
with the top bar facing down and the temple tips facing up.
Open the temple pieces slightly
to form a crisscross design.
Now just carefully rest your phone on them
so that the temple tips support the bottom of your phone
and the top is gently resting on the eye rims.
You'll need to adjust them to get the temple pieces
out of the way of the screen.
The texture and curve of the temple pieces on most glasses
is just right for propping up the phone.
So not only is your phone gonna be held in place,
but it's gonna look super stylish while doing it.
Now there's countless ways
to create your own phone stands
and we'd love to hear what you do.
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Thanks for watching.
We'll see you next time.