Have you lost your TV remote control? Don't worry, you can't be very far from the sofa or the TV itself. Try to search in all the places that come to your mind and ask the people who live with you if they have useful information for your research. For example, did you check between the sofa cushions?
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Search for the Remote Control
Step 1. Check in the most obvious places
You have a good chance that you have left the remote somewhere in the same room as the TV. Many people have a tendency to leave the remote control near the TV cabinet or where they sit to watch television. It is very common for the remote to end up under the sofa cushions.
Step 2. Try searching in hidden places
Check under books, magazines, newspapers, blankets or clothing. Search underneath any object that you may have inadvertently placed on top of the remote by hiding it. Check carefully between and under the cushions on the sofa and armchairs. Look under and behind the furniture.
Check on the kitchen worktop, on the shelves in the living room or hall, on the bathroom cabinet or anywhere else in the house where you may have left the remote
Step 3. Think back to all the places in the house you've been to
Maybe you came out of the living room carrying the remote with you and then left it somewhere while you had to do some other task or take care of something more important. Try to think of all the places where you might have forgotten the remote on your way to the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, or to the front door.
- Check the refrigerator. If you have opened it in the last few hours to get something to eat or drink, you may have inadvertently placed the remote control on a shelf in the fridge and then forgot it there.
- Maybe you had to answer a call while watching a movie and left the remote where you stored your smartphone. Perhaps, while watching your favorite show, you had to go and open the door to someone who had forgotten the keys and you also brought the remote control with you, then forgot it at the entrance.
Step 4. Search the bed covers
This step is very useful if you are in the habit of watching television in bed. It happens very often that the remote control is covered or wrapped in sheets or blankets. In this case the only way to find it is to feel the entire surface of the bed until you find the shape of the remote control under the covers. If that doesn't work, try looking under the bed or around the foot of the bed.
Part 2 of 3: Asking for Help
Step 1. Ask other people who live with you for information
If someone has used the remote recently, they may be able to give you some useful information on where to retrieve it. Perhaps this person has left the remote somewhere in the house other than where you normally store it. Maybe he has absent-mindedly placed it in a place in the house that you don't visit frequently. Even if you can't find the remote, ask the other tenants in the house for help so you can exclude areas from your search and narrow it down.
Step 2. Find out if anyone took the remote
Your son may have taken him to his room forgetting to take him back to his usual place. If you have a small child, they may have taken it to play and hid it to get your attention. Your dog may have decided to take the remote and use it as a bone. Try to think about who might have needed to get the remote and why.
Check inside your child's toy box. You can't rule out that the remote control of your beloved TV has suddenly become his favorite game
Step 3. Get help
Nowhere is it written that you have to find the remote control yourself. Ask friends or family members to help you find the missing remote. You may need to motivate them with good reason to get them active in research. For example, if you find the remote control, you can watch a good movie all together or watch your favorite team's match starting in 20 minutes.
Part 3 of 3: Avoid the Problem
Step 1. Try to be more aware when using the remote control
If you keep it under more control in the future, perhaps the chances of losing it again will be less. Try to focus and concentrate on the places where you will leave the remote in the future. Make a mental note of where you leave the device so you can remember when you need it.
Step 2. Try to reserve a specific place in the house where you always leave the remote
Make sure you do not place the device anywhere else in the house other than the one you choose. This could be the coffee table in the living room or near the television or the special remote control holder that you attached to the armrest of the sofa.
- If you lose your remote frequently, consider purchasing a remote holder so that you have a specific place to store it when you are not using it.
- Apply an adhesive strip of Velcro (the female side) to the back of the remote control and to one spot on the TV (the male side), so you always know where to place it when you're not using it.
Step 3. Make the remote much more visible
Attach a strip of colored tape, a small reflector, or an accessory that is very eye-catching over it. Wrap it with a clearly visible rubber band or buy a nice and bizarre case that makes it immediately locatable even from a distance. You can choose any type of object that can make your remote always visible inside the house. Try not to use any material or object that could interfere with the function of the device.
Step 4. Consider purchasing a universal remote
They are standard devices designed to be compatible with most TV models on the market. A universal remote control allows you to use a single tool to interact with all the electronic devices you have in the living room. Nowadays it is very common to have to deal with a large number of remote controls at the same time to manage your TV, DVD player, home theater system and so on. You will soon find that it is much easier to have to manage just one remote instead of three or four.
Step 5. Attach a tracker to the remote control to be able to locate it remotely
There are several companies that produce this type of devices; these are small, relatively inexpensive bluetooth trackers, which must be attached to the object you want to track and controlled via the appropriate smartphone app. Attach the tracker to the remote so you can track it right away, should you ever lose it again. You can set up your smartphone to beep when it is near the remote control. Some apps will try to track the remote even when it's away from you.
Advice
- If you have a brother or sister, they may have taken the remote control; try asking them when you meet them.
- Some devices have a feature that allows you to locate the respective remote control. If this is the case for you, locate the "Locate Remote" button located directly on the device, then follow the beep emitted by the remote until you can locate it.
- It won't often happen that you can find the remote in the first place you started your search, but don't be discouraged and keep searching. Try to remember where you last saw it or used it in the house. For example, try looking behind the TV.
- It may be worthwhile to purchase an inexpensive universal remote control. It is a device that can work with most brands and models of TVs; in this way you can use a single remote control to remotely control multiple devices, drastically reducing the number of remote controls you will need to keep at hand. Remember to keep the universal remote in a safe place so that you can retrieve it in case of need.
- Consider making or buying a sofa remote control holder, so you always know where to store - and where to find - your remote.
- Get more people involved in the search for the lost remote. The greater the number of volunteers employed, the less time it will take to reach the goal.
- Some companies that provide services for television platforms, such as the American Dish Network, include a special button on their devices whose function is to make the remote control emit an acoustic and visual signal to facilitate its identification.
