Small lost object

[Pen]

It has to be at home somewhere unless someone accidentally swept it up and threw it out.

what are your best strategies for finding a small misplaced object (non magnetic) ?

what are your best strategies for not losing small important object

 

Ive been trying :

the retrace my steps approach 

look thoroughly where it should be

so far to no avail 

[purpleowl]

Buy another one. That generally makes the lost one show up. 😉

 

But seriously - start in the room where it's most likely to be, and look in/around/under everything. Then on to the next room.

And don't forget weird places like behind the piano. (That's where the last lost library book was at our house. WHY???)

[Jaybee]

To find stuff? We always ask our youngest ds. Granted, you can't do that. But ds seems to have superhero type skills at noticing where things are. So if anything goes missing, we ask him if he has seen it, and a very high percentage of the time, he tells us where it is. It's very useful. I don't know what we'll do when he moves out.

[MercyA]

Prayer. For reals. 

And as others have said, look under and around everything. Behind furniture, under furniture, under books. Think back and try to remember if you did anything unusual with the object.

I'm really sorry! Hope you find it soon. 

[EMS83]

Prayer if it was irreplaceable; either doing without it or buying another one if it was mass produced.  There's very little I'd turn the house inside out for, though; I think things like this used to bother me a lot more than they do now, fwiw.

[alisoncooks]

I've seen where people place panty hose on the end of a vacuum and try to suck it up. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.apartmenttherapy.com/vacuum-pantyhose-trick-find-lost-small-object-256465

[katilac]

A new point of view: walk into the room/area from a different door or angle, tilt your head, get on all fours, lie on your back. 

Use a flashlight. 

 

[J-rap]

If you've looked everywhere, then wait.  It'll probably turn up eventually.  

Otherwise, have other people look.  (Other people will look in different places that you're not thinking about.)

Look on places that are between waist and eye level where you might have absent-mindedly placed it while talking on the phone or something.

If it's something like a wedding ring, I'd start in one corner and keep looking.  

I have one very small piece of jewelry that has been lost twice and has turned up in ways that are nothing short of miraculous! 

 

[stephanier.1765]

So far my strategy has been to wait until I don't need it anymore and have already replaced it. Surefire way of getting lost items found. For example, a few weeks ago I bought a Valentine's Day card for my son and his family to go along with the box I was sending them. All last week I looked for that darn card. Nothing. Mailed the package Friday and found it today. Works every time.

[Catwoman]

3 hours ago, StellaM said:

 Try St Anthony.

Jking. Sort of. I tend to rely on him.

 

Saint Anthony is the BEST! 

[Tanaqui]

Give up, flop down dramatically on the couch, then let your gaze naturally rest somewhere. If there's any narrative justice in this world, you'll be looking right at it.

[Catwoman]

6 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Give up, flop down dramatically on the couch, then let your gaze naturally rest somewhere. If there's any narrative justice in this world, you'll be looking right at it.

 

Or it will poke you in the butt when you flop down on the couch.

[klmama]

If you find it, let us know where it was.  I'll look in that same spot for my missing small item.  🙂 

[Moonhawk]

Get a second pair of eyes. If I am looking too long for something, I have been know to miss it in an "obvious, already checked there don't waste your time" spot. 

Also, look with your hands and your eyes. Touch the piles of books, pick them up, put them back. Not just look at the top of the pile, it could be on a lower ledge of a book or blending into a cover or fallen behind, etc. 

[Catwoman]

Am I the only one who wants to know what it is?

[Melissa in Australia]

offer a child a big reward in chocolates. works every time for me

[moonflower]

11 hours ago, Pen said:

It has to be at home somewhere unless someone accidentally swept it up and threw it out.

what are your best strategies for finding a small misplaced object (non magnetic) ?

what are your best strategies for not losing small important object

 

Ive been trying :

the retrace my steps approach 

look thoroughly where it should be

so far to no avail 

 

The bolded are the two things I generally don't do.  Why? Because if it were where it should be, I would have found it.  What I do is twofold: offer a bribe to all children who help me look for it (I have a small army of children so this covers a lot of ground) and also pick things up and look under them.  If there is a sock on the floor, I pick up the sock.  If there is a shoe in the corner where the shoes go, I pick up the shoe.  If there is a pillow on the bed, I pick up the pillow (and then the bed).  If there is a cup on the counter, I move the cup.

Now, to not lose things, I do two things: things that are really important I put a premium on in my mind and put in the same place every time.  I don't have good EF, so I don't have much mind to dedicate to this project or I'd just do it with everything like DH does.  Basically for me this means my purse and my keys/bankcard.  Keys and bankcard stay in purse at all times, purse goes on hook when I walk in the door.  I don't take it off in the store or in the car.  I never take the purse off outside the house, only inside and only to put it on the hook.

For everything else, I buy cheap options and lots of them.  So my glasses I buy on zennioptical and I get the $6.95 pairs (sometimes I splurge for a $9.95 pair) and I buy 4 pairs at a time, normally twice a year.  I have a good bra ($15 at target), an okay bra ($10 at target) and a backup emergency not great bra ($10 for 2 at WalMart).  I don't buy expensive pens, although I love them.  I buy mechanical or woodcase pencils by the dozens, the cheap ones on Amazon.  Etc.

[marbel]

14 hours ago, MercyA said:

Prayer. For reals. 

And as others have said, look under and around everything. Behind furniture, under furniture, under books. Think back and try to remember if you did anything unusual with the object.

I'm really sorry! Hope you find it soon. 

I lose important things a lot.  The reason is general messiness and not putting things where they should go. For me, it's usually some sort of document but I lose other things too.  My strategy for finding is much like MercyA's but a variation.

1. Search frantically around the likely places.

2. Start crying. If it's really important, notice that I am either feeling very cold or very hot --> fight or flight.

3. Pray.

4. Do a more systematic search in likely places.  Often I find that it is someplace I already looked, but missed it because I was too frantic.

5. Depending on the item, I will turn on all the lights, and/or get a flashlight, and shine it all around. Move furniture, get the broom out and sweep. Shine light everywhere.

6. Eventually things are usually found in either the most likely  place where I missed it the first time, or in the stupidest place ever.

Hope you find it soon!

[SKL]

• Use a very bright flashlight.
• Ask the kids if they've seen it.
• Tell the kids to NOT find it.  (JK sort of)
• My ego hates to admit this, but I have a friend who can always find stuff when I can't.  So if I'm really desperate, I ask her to help.
• When all else fails, wait patiently and you'll probably come across it someday.

[Rachel]

7 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

offer a child a big reward in chocolates. works every time for me

I offer a dollar to the first person who finds the item, it’s funny how something can be missing for days and then suddenly be found in an afternoon. 

 

[Catwoman]

Sooooo.... did you find it?????

[YaelAldrich]

15 hours ago, Catwoman said:

 

Saint Anthony is the BEST! 

If you want to cover all your ecumenical bases, give some money to charity in multiples of 18 and ask Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess.

[Pen]

16 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Am I the only one who wants to know what it is?

 

Well, maybe tmi: A very tiny dental appliance.  Fills in missing tooth spot. And  I feel embarrassed to be without it in public.   Also my mouth feels weird without it.  

Not as expensive as most wedding rings, but fairly pricey,  and a pain to replace.  Also, it was a really excellent comfortable one, which might not be the case with a replacement.  

However, I did call dentist.  Who is out this week. 

And will also keep looking.  I went through a trash bag that hadn’t been emptied yet, but it could have gotten swept up and be totally gone before I realized it was gone. Or if it fell on floor maybe dog then ate it.  Or gremlins or borrowers could have come...

 I vaguely recall maybe not feeling well, and someone was in bathroom where it usually goes, so possibly I set it elsewhere (where?) thinking to get it to its spot later, but then ...  didn’t?

I’ve been looking in drawers, around base of bedside table, in pockets, in bathroom drawer where it should have been...   which unfortunately was within a non distinctive ziplock bag because the thing itself is so small... its bag was empty, but maybe it went into a wrong bag  or no bag    So now, every ziplock bag I see (or any similar bag for that matter) anywhere in house I go through excitement then disappointment.  

 

I guess I need St Anthony!!!

And then whether I get new one or find it I need a new better place to keep it.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Pen

[Pen]

 

Quote

2. Start crying. If it's really important, notice that I am either feeling very cold or very hot --> fight or flight.

 

I think this is a good one for today.  

there’s probably a double ptsd aspect to this 1) since I had tooth development defects and used to endure “Ew, what’s wrong with your teeth ?”  comments if I smiled .   2) feeling upset and self critical at myself  for losing it. 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Pen

[Pen]

3 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Sooooo.... did you find it?????

 

No😿

[MercyA]

I'm so sorry, Pen! Please don't be upset with yourself. Everyone loses stuff sometimes.

You mentioned your dog. If there is ANY small thing left on the floor, my dog will pick it up, chew on it, and sometimes swallow it. I know this is disgusting, but you might want to check his or her poo. 

I will pray you find it. 

[marbel]

27 minutes ago, Pen said:

<snip>

And will also keep looking.  I went through a trash bag that hadn’t been emptied yet, but it could have gotten swept up and be totally gone before I realized it was gone. Or if it fell on floor maybe dog then ate it.  Or gremlins or borrowers could have come...

<snip>

When my kids got retainers the ortho told us to be careful not to leave them where the dog could get them, because dogs seem to like that sort of thing.

I had a mouth guard - not tiny! - that weirdly disappeared one day.  I had already been fitted for a new one which was on the way, so in my case it wasn't a great loss. But we always wondered if somehow the dog got it. I doubt he could have eaten it - it was hard plastic - but maybe he took it outside to gnaw and then buried it.  

I do hope you find it before you go to the trouble and expense of a new one!

[happi duck]

Many (hugs)

I hope you find it.  I know how you feel

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, marbel said:

When my kids got retainers the ortho told us to be careful not to leave them where the dog could get them, because dogs seem to like that sort of thing.

I had a mouth guard - not tiny! - that weirdly disappeared one day.  I had already been fitted for a new one which was on the way, so in my case it wasn't a great loss. But we always wondered if somehow the dog got it. I doubt he could have eaten it - it was hard plastic - but maybe he took it outside to gnaw and then buried it.  

Yes! My grandma had just gotten new *dentures* when her beagle took them under the bed and chewed them in half!!! My grandpa superglued them back together and she wore them like that for decades, I think. 

I miss my grandma. She was the best. 

[Catwoman]

19 minutes ago, MercyA said:

Yes! My grandma had just gotten new *dentures* when her beagle took them under the bed and chewed them in half!!! My grandpa superglued them back together and she wore them like that for decades, I think. 

I miss my grandma. She was the best. 

 

It sounds like your grandpa was pretty cool, too!  🙂

[Pen]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

Yes! My grandma had just gotten new *dentures* when her beagle took them under the bed and chewed them in half!!! My grandpa superglued them back together and she wore them like that for decades, I think. 

I miss my grandma. She was the best. 

 

Thanks for humor ! 

Mine is size of a big kibble.  And it could have tasted like human dinner.   But with mine I dunno if that’s what happened at all.  Still if I get it back or get new, it’ll be something I now know to watch out for.

[Storygirl]

I'm sorry, Pen.

Have you checked all of the pockets of all of your pants, sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets? I tend to tuck small things in my pockets and not find them until they rattle around in the washer.

[Catwoman]

5 hours ago, marbel said:

When my kids got retainers the ortho told us to be careful not to leave them where the dog could get them, because dogs seem to like that sort of thing.

I had a mouth guard - not tiny! - that weirdly disappeared one day.  I had already been fitted for a new one which was on the way, so in my case it wasn't a great loss. But we always wondered if somehow the dog got it. I doubt he could have eaten it - it was hard plastic - but maybe he took it outside to gnaw and then buried it.  

I do hope you find it before you go to the trouble and expense of a new one!

 

Some day you will sell the house and the new people will be out in the yard digging a hole for a new plant... 😉

[Catwoman]

Pen, could you have wrapped it up in a tissue or a napkin for safekeeping and then tossed it in a wastebasket by accident?

[MercyA]

4 hours ago, Catwoman said:

It sounds like your grandpa was pretty cool, too!  🙂

He was so awesome. Gruff Chicagoan with a tender heart. ❤️[And with lots of mad skills. Obv. 😉] 

Edited February 14, 2019 by MercyA

[Pen]

1 hour ago, Storygirl said:

I'm sorry, Pen.

Have you checked all of the pockets of all of your pants, sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets? I tend to tuck small things in my pockets and not find them until they rattle around in the washer.

 

Still working on that.  Can’t recall what I had on.  

[Pen]

59 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Pen, could you have wrapped it up in a tissue or a napkin for safekeeping and then tossed it in a wastebasket by accident?

 

Yes.  That’s why I went through garbage that hadn’t already gone out with the weekly pick up.   But at least for the garbage I could still go through it wasn’t there.  

[G5052]

Pay a kid to find it. There were times that it was worth a few dollars to me.

Now that mine are commuter college students and have their own income, that isn't as much of a motivator as it once was. My younger one asked me today for help in locating the special German strawberry jam in the refrigerator. I joked about charging her.

[Moonhawk]

With smaller/expensive things, if I am putting it down but not where I consider it belongs, I usually put it on a higher shelf that way kids don't take it and it can't be knocked down easily. The problem being it I put stuff higher than I can actually see. Any chance you put it on a shelf above eye level?

Sorry it's still missing, hope it comes back soon

[Pen]

45 minutes ago, Moonhawk said:

With smaller/expensive things, if I am putting it down but not where I consider it belongs, I usually put it on a higher shelf that way kids don't take it and it can't be knocked down easily. The problem being it I put stuff higher than I can actually see. Any chance you put it on a shelf above eye level?

Sorry it's still missing, hope it comes back soon

 

Thanks.  I think it more likely it fell to floor.  Or got put in pocket and then... who knows...

Though there’s a niggling vague memory of putting it in an unremembered unusual spot “just for a moment” and thinking that was a bad idea.  If that happened I’ll eventually come to it, but probably not till after I get replacement.  

Usually it goes in bedside table drawer or bathroom drawer.  I’ve never put it up high.  Though I did do that with eyeglasses once. Till I trained myself with regard to the glasses.  

——

I still haven’t found it, but have two special plastic storage boxes and reflector tape on order so that it, or its replacement will have a very distinct spot to go, too big for dog to swallow, and that will reflect if flashlight shines on it.  

My St Anthony prayer did not lead me to it (at least not yet), but I liked the part for serenity restoration, which seems to have worked.  

Meanwhile ds stepped on one pair of earbuds and sent another pair of earbuds through wash. So we can have a family convo about small object care and keeping where I will be able to be the one who lost the most expensive and hard to replace item.  I hope this will help to get him to be an ally in thinking through strategies, rather than feeling lectured.  

Edited February 15, 2019 by Pen