The typical American household contains 2.24 television sets on average, and over 50% of American families have four or more devices just in the living room that require remotes to use. Across the US, there is an approximate total of 335 million TV remotes in use.
Predictably, this means that plenty of those remotes get lost. In fact, the average TV watcher will spend a whopping two weeks searching for lost remotes over the course of their lifetime.
Before you start looking for a cheap remote replacement, consider the following places you could have lost your remote:
- The Couch
In a survey conducted in 2011, 49% of people with lost remotes found them in the couch. This should almost always be the first place you look. Check under cushions, between seats, behind the couch, and on the floor underneath. Chances are your remote just got wedged somewhere when someone sat on it. - The Garbage
If you leave your remote on armrests or on side tables, it’s very likely that you knocked it off into a nearby trashcan. Plenty of perfectly good remotes are taken out with the trash on accident, so if your remote is missing, make sure to poke through your wastebasket before you give up. There’s a good chance your remote is there. - The Fridge
It seems like a weird place to look for a remote, but it’s common enough to get up to get a snack or a drink and leave the remote in the fridge to pick something up. Check your fridge and any nearby cabinets just in case you lost your remote this way. - The Bathroom
Have you ever paused a movie to run to the bathroom? If so, there’s a good chance you brought your remote with you in your rush. Check your bathroom counter and the back of the toilet before you give up on searching for your remote. - Outside
It’s surprising, but some lost remotes do actually end up outside. If you’re really desperate and you’ve ruled out all other locations, check your garage, driveway, porch and car. You may get lucky and find your remote before it rains.
If you still can’t find it, it’s probably time to look into replacement remotes for TV sets. Universal remotes make cheap remote replacements, but they restrict your access to your device and don’t always work with every TV. If you want a cheap remote replacement but don’t want to sacrifice quality, you can buy TV remote replacements exactly like the ones you lost. Plenty of websites sell original manufacturer remotes at fairly low prices.
Get more here.
