To defend my work against the dreaded carpet monster, I use clear acrylic plastic carpet shields like those used in offices to allow for easier glide by wheeled desk chairs. This keeps dropped parts from immediately disappearing.

However, they still can be hard to see — or were until I discovered a solution on the “As Seen on TV” shelf at my drugstore.

I now use a high-intensity, battery-powered LED light to shine a beam parallel to the plane of the carpet shield. This causes even the tiniest parts to cast a shadow that’s easy to see, making it simple to find and recover dropped parts.

Tip submitted by:

Ned Barnett
Las Vegas, Nev.