Item stuck behind bathroom vanity!
April 30, 2018 6:44 AM Subscribe
Something fell behind the vanity that is sealed to the wall behind it. It fell from a small gap in the middle shelf. Is this a lost cause? Does anyone have any suggestions of how to retrieve this item? Thanks!!
My bathroom vanity is sealed to the wall behind it. However, there is a gap between the middle shelf and the wall. Sure enough, something fell through the gap and is now on the floor behind the vanity. The bottom of the vanity is sealed off so there's no way to access the item from underneath. The gap is narrow; my arm will probably get stuck, and there are pipes that I don't want to dislodge. The dropped item is not of high value, but could become a nuisance: it's a moisture sensor that has batteries in it; when the battery is low it may beep endlessly...that's what I'm worried about. Is this a lost cause? Does anyone have any suggestions of how to retrieve this item? Thanks!!
My bathroom vanity is sealed to the wall behind it. However, there is a gap between the middle shelf and the wall. Sure enough, something fell through the gap and is now on the floor behind the vanity. The bottom of the vanity is sealed off so there's no way to access the item from underneath. The gap is narrow; my arm will probably get stuck, and there are pipes that I don't want to dislodge. The dropped item is not of high value, but could become a nuisance: it's a moisture sensor that has batteries in it; when the battery is low it may beep endlessly...that's what I'm worried about. Is this a lost cause? Does anyone have any suggestions of how to retrieve this item? Thanks!!
Can you pry the kickplate from the bottom of the vanity and access it that way? As long as it's not glued on it should be easy to remove and nailed back on.
If you can see the item, you can get the item. Attach some tape to the end of a stick or hire a local kid with a skinny arm.
posted by bondcliff at 6:51 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you can see the item, you can get the item. Attach some tape to the end of a stick or hire a local kid with a skinny arm.
posted by bondcliff at 6:51 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Unbend a wire clothes hanger and use it as hook to fish the item out?
posted by COD at 7:11 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by COD at 7:11 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]
Is there enough metal in it that you could use a magnet on a (bendy?) stick? If not, could some kind of grabber tool work?
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:15 AM on April 30, 2018 [5 favorites]
Clothes hanger bent into an appropriate shape with a glob of duct tape on the end.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:41 AM on April 30, 2018
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:41 AM on April 30, 2018
Best answer: I've successfully grabbed things from narrow spaces using metal food tongs. You could wrap some electrical tape around them for extra grabbiness.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:06 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:06 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
I've poked at such things with a yardstick. Another possibility is to try to blow the item around with a hair dryer, or even better, a vacuum cleaner (if you can figure out how to make it blow instead of suck.) My wet/dry vac was set up to either blow or suck.
posted by SemiSalt at 10:12 AM on April 30, 2018
posted by SemiSalt at 10:12 AM on April 30, 2018
Something like this flexible grabber tool thing?
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:27 AM on April 30, 2018
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:27 AM on April 30, 2018
even better, a vacuum cleaner (if you can figure out how to make it blow instead of suck.)
Putting a pair of nylons or a sock over the end of a vacuum hose and sweeping the area is a great way to find small, lost objects. If your vacuum hose can fit behind the vanity and the thing that fell isn't too heavy, this may work for you.
posted by phunniemee at 12:45 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Putting a pair of nylons or a sock over the end of a vacuum hose and sweeping the area is a great way to find small, lost objects. If your vacuum hose can fit behind the vanity and the thing that fell isn't too heavy, this may work for you.
posted by phunniemee at 12:45 PM on April 30, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks so far, everyone! Will try to give this a go tomorrow, and will let you know if it works!
posted by leslievictoria at 7:15 PM on April 30, 2018
posted by leslievictoria at 7:15 PM on April 30, 2018
Response by poster: Tongs worked!!! Thanks everyone. Also retrieved a lifetime supply of shower caps :).
posted by leslievictoria at 8:45 AM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by leslievictoria at 8:45 AM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
Glad it worked! For future reference, old houses sometimes have slots inside bathroom medicine chests through which used razor blades were dropped into the wall, so any bathroom wall fishing expeditions should not involve bare hands.
posted by Scram at 11:01 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Scram at 11:01 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yay! I'm glad I could help.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 4:51 PM on May 3, 2018
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 4:51 PM on May 3, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 6:49 AM on April 30, 2018 [4 favorites]