Magnet Ideas

I have another suggestion for putting your magnets to good use. The lid of a terrarium is made entirely of glass (except for a small ventilation slot at the edge), so heat lamps and UV lamps, which reptiles need to survive, can hardly be attached, or only in an unsightly way. Simply connect the metal housing of each lamp to the magnet and you are done. No adhesive residue, no holes, no broken terrariums and no animals struck by poorly secured lamps.

Magnets are great for decorating (fabrics, garlands, etc.), for example by attaching them to radiators. Thanks to the round, smooth surface, nothing gets damaged.

I use these magnet balls as limescale magnets and have placed them in every faucet and shower head. Much cheaper and the same effect as the heavily advertised water filters from B…ta and the like. They are also very easy to insert and not as awkward to attach to pipes with clamps and so on. My solution is the perfect solution, give it a try.

I drive a sports car, and something that had bothered me for a long time was the tool bag sliding back and forth in the trunk when driving fast. So I put the magnet in the bag. The tools stuck to it immediately. Then I placed the whole bag against the back seat. Everything holds rock solid and does not shift a millimeter anymore. (OK, there are other options. But anyone who loves their car will steer clear of double-sided tape, Velcro and the like.)

My suggestion is to use it as a tank bag magnet, which saves you the tedious job of strapping it down and prevents the paint damage that straps cause.

I bought a magnet and built it into a thin iron tube. Now I have a great cooking spoon holder above my stove. This magnet is simply fantastic.

Ever installed baseboards? Did it go well with the wall plugs? Surely not! Just take a few magnets and a metal rail. Glue the metal rail to the wall and the magnets to your baseboard, and you can attach your baseboard to the wall in no time without annoying drilling. You can remove it just as easily if you later decide you want to run another cable.

What do you do when a small, single key has fallen down a shaft? This amazing magnet saved us from buying a new lock, because unfortunately we only had one key left!

I used them to get my locker organized. A tray for small items now hangs on the inside of the door, the helmet hangs neatly from the ceiling of the locker and the gloves hang on the wall.

I am a physics teacher and these small magnets work wonderfully in class. They are really super strong and durable.

Have you ever thought about everything you can do with a really strong magnet? These little wonders of the world are incredibly versatile. Try screwing a plate fitted with neodymium magnets onto your camera tripod thread. Our magnets hold even the heaviest camera rock solid. That will surely open up a new and unusual perspective on the world or two.

Magnets are not just exciting in physics class. These little everyday helpers can save you a lot of work. Why go to the trouble of drilling holders into the wall? Simply hang your bathroom towels on your radiator with a hook magnet.

With just a few magnets you can bring order to chaos. Whether it is the workshop or the kitchen that needs tidying up, a few quick moves turn the lamp fittings under your wall cabinets into holders for your utensils. Just attach a few hook magnets and put everything away. The best part: with our magnets you stay flexible. You can rearrange everything in a single move.

Magnets do not always have to be practical. Sometimes a small magnet is all it takes to enchant the people around you. You can surely think of a magic trick or two that makes use of these invisible forces.

Do you have kids? Instead of doing crafts for the umpteenth time, why not show them a few experiments with magnets? To build the world's smallest electric motor, you need little more than a magnet. Give it a try.

In which Hollywood movie does the fridge serve as a handy family pinboard thanks to magnets? Right, in almost all of them. Whatever Hollywood can do, you can do too…

Magnets also help protect you from insects in summer. Instead of fiddly Velcro fasteners, you can attach your insect screen to the window with magnets. Mounting and removing it could hardly be easier.

Magnets are ideal whenever you want (or need) to attach something with as little damage as possible. You can surely think of a spot or two where a magnet could make your life easier. Perhaps you have long wanted to attach something to your metal balcony?

Tie a small neodymium disc magnet to a piece of string and slowly slide it across the wall. Wherever it suddenly sticks, there is a screw or nail holding the drywall to a stud. Several hits stacked on top of each other form a vertical line: that is where the stud runs and where your screw will hold best. Mark the spots with painter's tape so the wall stays clean.

You need: e.g. neodymium disc magnet 10 x 3 mm

Safety: Before drilling, still check with a cable detector that no electrical wires or water pipes run nearby.

Take a nice wooden board, about 40 cm long, and drill shallow holes into the back at even spacing, going almost through to the front. Glue neodymium disc magnets into them with two part epoxy so that only 2 to 3 mm of wood remains at the front. Screw the strip to the wall and your knives hang within reach, without the blades getting dull in a drawer. Place each knife flat against the wood and lift it straight off, never drag it sideways.

You need: e.g. 6 to 8 neodymium disc magnets 20 x 5 mm

Safety: Strong magnets pull knives in hard: always hold the blade by its handle and keep your fingers clear.

Stick a small disc magnet under the lid of each spice jar and attach the jars to the side of your fridge. Alternatively, screw a strip of sheet steel under a wall shelf and hang the jars upside down from it. You free up cupboard space and can see at a glance which spice is running low. Tin containers with a window lid even work without any glue.

You need: e.g. self-adhesive neodymium disc magnets 12 x 2 mm

Put a strong magnet inside a freezer bag and sweep it over the floor or workbench. Screws, nails and pins jump onto the bag. Hold it over the box, turn the bag inside out and pull the magnet away: everything drops neatly in, and you don't have to pick anything off the magnet by hand. It works just as well for metal shavings after drilling.

You need: e.g. neodymium block magnet 20 x 10 x 5 mm or a strong pot magnet

Screw a countersunk magnet to the inside of the cabinet frame and a steel washer opposite it on the door. When you close it, the door snaps shut firmly and stays closed, with no rattling mechanism. If the hold is too strong, add a thin piece of felt in between: even a one millimetre gap weakens a magnet noticeably. That way you can tune exactly how easily the door opens.

You need: e.g. countersunk neodymium magnet 13 mm with a matching steel washer

Clip a magnetic mount onto an air vent or stick it on the dashboard, then slip a thin metal plate between your phone and its case. Now you can place the phone with one hand and it locks in place instantly, perfect for navigation. Phones with a built in magnetic ring don't even need the plate. Make sure the mount doesn't block your view or an airbag.

You need: e.g. phone mount with neodymium magnet and metal plate

Safety: Phones cope fine with the magnets in mounts, but don't keep cards with a magnetic stripe in the same case.

Stroke a sewing needle with a magnet about 30 times in the same direction, always from the eye to the tip. Then place the needle on a small piece of cork or a leaf floating in a bowl of water. After a moment the needle turns and points north to south. Compare it with the compass app on your phone and see how accurate your homemade version is.

You need: e.g. neodymium disc magnet 15 x 5 mm

Safety: Children should only handle needles and strong magnets with an adult around.

Stir two to three teaspoons of fine iron oxide powder into ready made or homemade slime until it turns an even dark grey. Now hold a strong magnet nearby and the slime slowly crawls towards it and eventually swallows it whole. It looks like a tiny creature and makes magnetic fields beautifully visible. Store the slime in an airtight container.

You need: e.g. neodymium block magnet 40 x 20 x 10 mm plus iron oxide powder

Safety: Adult supervision only: don't inhale or swallow the iron powder, wash hands afterwards, and put the magnet away after play so no child can put it in their mouth.

Stick a few small magnets to the edge of your desk or a metal strip, and wrap each charging cable with a bit of metal tape or slide a small washer onto it. After unplugging, the cable no longer slips behind the desk but stays right where you can grab it. On desks with a steel frame you can simply put magnetic clips straight onto the frame. Coloured clips show you at a glance which cable belongs to which device.

You need: e.g. self-adhesive neodymium disc magnets 10 x 2 mm

Safety: Keep strong magnets away from hard drives and cards with a magnetic stripe.

Glue a pot magnet under a small dish or coaster and you have a pin cushion for pins, paper clips or thumbtacks. The pins stay put even if you knock the dish. If a needle drops while you are sewing, just run the dish over the floor to collect it. Also handy on your wrist: a bracelet with a magnet keeps pins ready while you are pinning fabric.

You need: e.g. neodymium pot magnet 25 mm or a flat magnetic dish

Stick a flat disc magnet inside the door of your bathroom cabinet or on a tile. Tweezers, nail clippers, razors and hair pins cling to it and stop cluttering the sink. On glass or tiles, fix the magnet with clear mounting adhesive that comes off later with little residue. Choose a nickel plated magnet, it copes better with bathroom humidity.

You need: e.g. neodymium disc magnet 15 x 3 mm

Sew or glue a rubber coated disc magnet into each bottom corner of your shower curtain. With a steel bathtub the curtain sticks straight to the rim; with acrylic tubs, stick small counter magnets to the outside. The curtain stops billowing against your legs and the water stays in the tub. Rubber coated magnets don't rust and won't scratch the enamel.

You need: e.g. rubber-coated neodymium disc magnet 15 x 3 mm

Gold, silver and platinum are not magnetic. Hold a strong magnet to a ring, chain or coin: if it clearly pulls the piece, there is iron, nickel or steel inside, so it is not solid precious metal. If nothing happens, that is a good sign but not proof, because brass and copper don't react either. For certainty, check the hallmark or ask a jeweller.

You need: e.g. neodymium disc magnet 20 x 10 mm

Cut colourful fish out of cardboard and put a paper clip on each one's mouth. Make a fishing rod from a stick, a piece of string and a small magnet at the end. Spread the fish in a box or on the carpet and start the contest: whoever catches the most fish wins. Write points on the back and the little ones practise counting along the way.

You need: e.g. small ferrite magnets or neodymium disc magnets 8 x 3 mm

Safety: Fix the magnet firmly with hot glue or inside a cap so it can't come loose. Swallowed magnets are very dangerous for children.

If your key fell into the garden pond or through a drain grate, a retrieving magnet on a strong rope comes to the rescue. Lower it slowly, drag it across the bottom and pull it back in steadily. As a hobby, magnet fishers use the same method to pull bottle caps, bolts and sometimes old tools out of rivers. Check beforehand whether magnet fishing is allowed at your spot, and bring gloves.

You need: e.g. neodymium retrieving magnet with eyelet, 100 to 300 kg pull force

Safety: Strong retrieving magnets can painfully pinch your fingers. If you find something that looks like ammunition or a weapon, don't touch it and call the police.

The metal door of your garden shed or carport becomes a tool wall: put a few strong hook magnets on it and hang your rake, shovel, pruning shears and hose. You can move the hooks around at any time without drilling a single hole. It works just as well on the barbecue trolley for tongs and spatula. For heavy tools, use two hooks side by side.

You need: e.g. rubber-coated hook magnets or pot magnets with 20 to 40 kg pull force