Being at home for the last few months has really made us all look at our houses in great detail and examine every single flaw. Now more than ever, people probably have the time to get around to the household projects they had been putting off. However, many common problems have DIY fixes! Here are 40+ of the best DIY fixes for common household problems.
Removing Wood Scratches
There is nothing more annoying than coming home and finding new scratches on your beautiful wooden flooring. Your mind might start racing to try to think of what person or thing caused it. Luckily, the fix might be in your pantry.
To remove scratches, simply rub a walnut over the scratched area, and then rub the scratched area with your fingers. This will help the wood absorb the oil from the walnut. Finally, buff the area using a soft cloth so it doesn’t look out of place.
Cleaning Wooden Cutting Boards
It turns out that you might be cleaning your wooden cutting board wrong this whole time! Given that there are so many small nooks and crannies on wooden cutting boards, bacteria and food are bound to wind up deeper than you might expect.
Therefore, to avoid buying a new cutting board every time, there is a simple hack. To get rid of stains or lingering odors, place coarse salt over the board and rub it in using half a lemon. The coarse salt will get into all of the crevices and the lemon acts as a disinfectant.
Pool Noodle Stopper
Once the summer sun goes away, you may wonder what to do with all the leftover pool noodles and toys. Turns out, they’re handier than you think! If you’re prone to losing laundry down the side of your washing machine, this might be a good hack.
By placing a pool noodle in the gap between the washing machine and wall, you’ll hopefully never have to force yourself in that gap to pick up the shirt that dropped down there!
Tin Can Planter
2020 has inspired people to take on a lot of new hobbies, and among them has to be gardening. If you’re among one of the many thousands of people who have decided to take up this new hobby, this may help.
To grow a healthy houseplant that would be a beautiful decorative feature in your home, simply stack empty soda cans at the bottom of your planter before adding soil. The air in the cans will help to keep the soil wet and nicely aerated so you don’t have to worry about it!
Baking Soda Cleaner
A lot of people don’t know that baking soda is such a versatile ingredient. Not only can it be used in cooking and baking, but it has great cleaning qualities too. Many people have started to incorporate baking soda into their daily cleaning routine.
It’s also handy when it comes to cleaning larger pieces of furniture around the house, too. If you’re looking to spruce up your couch and get it looking as fresh as the day you purchased it, simply sprinkle baking soda over the cushions and vacuum it up!
Stop Creaky Stairs
There are many uses for talcum powder, but one of the weirdest uses is actually in DIY projects. By simply sprinkling a layer of talcum powder over those pesky floorboards, you’ll no longer have to fork out for a repair person.
It’s not just stairs this works on. If you’ve got any kind of creaky floorboard around the house, you’ll be able to soon walk around your home and not disturb any of the downstairs neighbors. Just make sure to rub it in or it won’t work!
Lemon Hard Water Cleaner
Sometimes harsh chemical products just don’t seem to get rid of the hard water build-up on most faucets and showerheads. Luckily, instead of forking out on a plumber or even a new faucet, the answer could be in your fruit bowl.
Cut a fresh lemon in half, and then place the faucet in the center of the lemon. Place the lemon and faucet inside a small plastic bag, and secure with a rubber band. After a couple of hours, the citric acid should have broken down the build-up!
Command Hooks for Garbage
Everyone’s least favorite task has to be taking out the trash. This is mainly because the garbage bags can be so difficult to use and change. However, people have discovered that command hooks could solve all garbage-related problems.
By placing command hooks on the sides of the trash, the tie for the garbage bag can easily be looped around. This means that it’ll be less likely for the garbage bag to fall down the sides and makes for easy removal.
Using Pennies as Shims
If you’ve discovered that your toilet is a little unstable, there is a really easy fix. Instead of calling out a plumber, the solution will cost you just one penny!
If you do not have toilet shims to hand, simply put a penny — or as many pennies as you need — underneath the foot of the toilet. To keep it stable, use a silicon gun and secure the base of the toilet to the floor.
Olive Oil on Hinges
If you have some problematic hinges on any doors, or cupboard doors, you don’t need to purchase any fancy oil that will cost you almost the same price as a repairman coming to fix it. Instead, simply use olive oil!
Perhaps best used in addition to a pipette, take a small amount of olive oil and drip it onto the hinges. The oil will sufficiently lubricate the hinge and ensure that it not only opens smoothly, but there are also no more creaks!
Soda Tabs as Picture Hooks
Have you got a broken picture frame that needs a new lease of life? Or what about making your own gallery wall to spice up that feature wall? All you need is a screw and a tab from a soda can!
Soda can tabs can be useful for a lot of things, but in this instance, it can be attached to the back of any picture frame so that it can easily be hung up. Simply drill a screw into the bottom half of the tab, and use the top half to attach to any hook or nail.
Liquid Electrical Tape on Exposed Wires
One of the most annoying things in life is settling down for the night with your phone charger, only to discover that the wires have started to become frayed and exposed. Instead of buying a new phone charger, you can simply fix your old one!
By purchasing liquid electrical tape, this will dry to contain the exposed wires, and save you and your family from a terrible accident. Plus, the liquid tape works better to fill in the smaller rips or tears in your wire without using the sticky tape version.
Glue Grip on Carpets
Sometimes we’ll buy a carpet or rug that is just perfect for our homes, only to discover that one wrong step on it could cause you to slip and fall across the room. This DIY hack means that you’ll never be tripped up again.
Turn the carpet or rug upside down. Then, by using a hot glue gun, make either squiggles or straight lines. Once the glue hardens, these will act as grips, meaning that you won’t have to go out and purchase a non-slip rug!
DIY Washing Machine Cleaner
People often don’t know until it’s too late that you have to regularly clean the inside of your washing machine, too! Otherwise, all the dirt that your washer collects will find itself stuck in either the rubber seals around the door or within the pipes.
Luckily, most people will have these ingredients in their cupboards. In an empty machine, add two cups of baking soda and run a long, hot water cycle. After this cycle is done, add 2 cups of white vinegar and 10 drops of an essential oil. This will act as a disinfectant and get rid of lingering odors.
Using Graphite in Locks
People want to make sure that their homes are as safe and secure as possible. However, having a dodgy lock or key can prevent this. Using a spare pencil with a sharpened tip can help lubricate the lock so your key has no problem getting in and out!
If you use oil in locks, there could be a risk of clogging. Therefore, by using the fine particles in graphite, these can act as a lubricant without potential clogging. To stop the risk of the lead getting stuck in the lock, use a sharp knife to sharpen the pencil rather than a pencil sharpener.
Filling Nail Holes with Crayon
This is an excellent tip for those who are renting and don’t want to be stung by charges coming out of the deposit. Instead of going to the effort of filling the hole, buying paint, and hoping that it matches, there is one other tool you could use.
Simply choose a crayon color closest to the color of the wall. Then, you can just start to color in! Make sure to rub it in as well, as the heat from your fingers will help the wax mesh with the wall better.
Vegetable Peeler Toolkit
Not only is the vegetable peeler an incredibly handy tool to have in the kitchen, but it turns out it also has a variety of other uses in the home too. If you’re working on a DIY project, this might help.
If you have a screwdriver that may not necessarily fit the screws you have, you can use the tip of a vegetable peeler. This will have enough strength to properly secure whatever it is that you need without going to the shops. Very ap-peal-ing!
Scuffed Floors
If you really want your home to have that showhouse appeal, here’s a DIY project you can do to make your floors sparkle. By putting a tennis ball at the end of a mop or broom handle, you can buff out scuffs in no time.
The material of the tennis ball will pick up any rubber transfer that is on the ground. Also putting it on a stick will allow better control over the pressure and direction of where the scuff is being buffed out.
Cleaning Screws in Vinegar
When doing a DIY project that involves either upcycling or creating something brand new, a big problem can be the screws. Whether they are rusted or are just a bit too stubborn, placing them in vinegar should do the trick.
To get rid of rust on screws, submerge them in a vinegar bath for 24 hours and put the lid on tightly so no further oxygen can get in. Also, the screws can be shaken once every few hours to help accelerate the process of dislodging the rust.
Getting Rid of Water Stains
Having a large water stain on the ceiling of any room can make the room look unappealing. Instead of just painting over it, it is important to make sure that no further stains will appear once the fresh new coat of paint is on.
By making a homemade mixture of one cup bleach and three cups of warm water and applying it to the area, you’ll never have to worry about another water stain again! Furthermore, this will help to remove any lingering mildew, grease, dirt, or dust — which will often prevent paint or primer from sticking to the ceiling.
Making a Malleable Plastic
If you need a substance for a DIY project that requires a bit more strength than regular superglue, this hack is definitely for you. Whilst we don’t really know the science behind it, mixing baking soda and regular superglue will turn it into superglue’s plastic form.
This unusual combination can be used to plug holes and seal gaps. It has high durability, so all that’s needed is a small dab of superglue, before adding baking soda to the surface and pressing on it using a cloth. After a few seconds, you should be finished.
Unsticking Drawers With Wax
After a few years and many, many uses, our drawers start to let us down. They’ll either start warping so they no longer hold your clothes correctly, or the drawers will become impossible to take in or out of the cupboard.
However, by rubbing the runners of the drawers with a little wax (or even soap if you have any spare), you’ll lubricate the runners. This means no more sticky drawers, and your furniture has a new lease on life!
Oil Spills and Cat Litter
If you’re fixing up your garage and are finding it difficult to clean up any spilled oils, you’re not alone. If the oil is mopped, it usually tends to soak itself into the mop itself and spread further across the floor. It doesn’t mix well with water either.
However, one material has been significantly more effective than any others — cat litter! While it may be tricky to clear up every grain of litter once you’re finished, the cat litter will absorb the oil. That just leaves shoveling all the litter into the trash once you’re done.
Kool-Aid Unblocker
Kool-Aid really is just more than a delicious summertime drink. With a packet price of 25 cents, it can be one of the cheapest toilet cleaners out there as the blog, Anyone Can Decorate, discovered.
They found that oftentimes when they cleaned their toilet using harsh chemicals, it was very unlikely that they were able to get rid of the hard water stains that clung to the bottom of the bowl. After pouring a packet of Kool-Aid and scrubbing, the stains were gone and the toilet smelled fresh again!
Using Elastic Bands and Screws
It’s more than likely that you’ve encountered a particularly stubborn screw during your DIY projects — the screw that just won’t loosen despite using every tool and lubricant under the sun to try and get it to move.
However, this can be fixed by placing an elastic band on the surface of the screw. The rubber will help the screwdriver have more force and grip, and will eventually loosen the screw from its place. This also works with screws that are particularly worn down.
Fast Flushing Toilet
If you find that it often takes more than one flush of the toilet to do the job, there might be a problem with the water pressure. A lack of pressure can stop the tank from refilling with water quickly and will make people wait around.
However, a really easy fix comes with locating the water valve behind the toilet. Turn the valve counterclockwise until your hand stops and it becomes fully ‘on.’ Even a partially closed water valve can have an effect on the tank refilling quickly!
Reopening Sealed Windows
Have you ever moved into an older apartment or house just to discover that the ‘newly painted windows’ are really just stuck? This can happen when people don’t wait long enough for the paint to dry, effectively sealing the window to the frame.
This DIY fix will require some patience and a light hand. Using a chisel and hammer, the chisel can be placed between the window and the frame where it is sealed. Then, by tapping the chisel with the hammer, you’ll get rid of the paint that caused it to seal. Enjoy your open windows!
Fixing Scuffed Skirting Boards
Although you may not notice them that often, your skirting boards can add a lot of definition to the rooms. To keep them looking in perfect condition, it may be a good idea to start filling in the nail holes and buffing out any scuffs that have appeared from the furniture.
By using a substance called wood putty, you’ll avoid having to fill and repaint the entire skirting board. Instead, using just a small amount of the putty will give it a wood stained effect, making those skirting boards look as good as new!
Felt Stickers on Furniture
You may notice around your kitchen or dining area that around the bottoms of chairs there may be scrape marks. Instead of buffing these marks out at the end of every single meal, there is a much easier way of handling this.
Attaching felt bottoms to the legs of chairs will prevent any further scratches on the floor. Not only that, but it will massively reduce the sound of chairs being pulled in and out.
Fixing Dents in Wooden Floors
When looking for new DIY projects, this one may not feel like an essential one for your list, but once you see how easy it is to fix, we guarantee you’ll be looking for new dents all over your wooden floor to mend.
Small dents on wooden floors or furniture can be removed with a little water and an iron. After wetting the dent, place a moist towel over it. Then, run an iron in a circular motion over the area and you should see your floor or furniture looking brand new!
Removing Ice from Windshield
During the winter, some extra time has to be added to the morning routine to account for the time taken to melt any snow or ice from your windshield. This can often be a nuisance, especially if you’re already late.
However, if you don’t have any de-icer spray handy, you’re more than likely to have WD-40 at hand. Before going to bed, spray some WD-40 on your windows and windshield and spread it using a clean, dry cloth to stop snow and ice from sticking to them overnight.
Keep Your Garbage Smelling Fresh
One of the worst things about taking out the garbage is the smell. It will often put us off taking out the garbage at all. However, using just two household ingredients will be able to leave your garbage can smelling as fresh as the day you changed the bag.
Soak a slice of bread in a bath of vinegar. Once the vinegar has been absorbed by the slice of bread, place it at the bottom of the empty garbage can on a paper towel. This can then be left overnight for the best results and removed in the morning to remove the odor.
Cleaning Grout to Perfection
Cleaning grout can be one of those tasks that you keep putting off until the floors look far too dirty to continue. Instead of going to the store and buying expensive grout cleaner, you can make them using leftover ingredients in your cupboard.
To make homemade grout cleaner, mix the bicarbonate of soda and water to make a paste. Then, using an old toothbrush, scrub the grout. After that, spray some vinegar over the bicarbonate paste to make it bubble. After rinsing, it should look brand new.
Aluminum Foil and Gloves
This is such an easy DIY project that will make your life easier. If you need to use your phone, but don’t want to expose your warm and toasty hands to the cold, winter air, this might be the hack for you to make life that much easier!
While you could spend your money on touchscreen-friendly gloves, a cheaper option is using aluminum foil. Wrap the foil around the fingers you wish to use with your phone and it should work perfectly!
Fixing Tear in Screen Door
Our screen doors allow us to let fresh air into the house during the warm, summer months without inviting in unwelcomed creatures or guests. However, when a tear seemingly emerges from nowhere on our screens, it can be an expensive replacement.
A quick, easy, and cheap aid for helping you repair these problems is using clear nail polish. By adding a few drops of clear nail polish to the tear in the screen, it’ll act as an invisible glue and gets your screen back to perfect functionality.
Keeping Your Home Warm
During the cold, winter months, we will do anything to keep as much heat inside the house — whether that’s lighting a fire, or simply leaving the heating on all day long. However, using bubblewrap can insulate the house incredibly well.
Simply cut the bubble wrap to fit your window, spray the bubble side with water and press it against the window. This will trap any of the heat from escaping. The bubble wrap is not as effective during the summer as the sun will add to the heat build-up.
Removing Crayons From the Walls
If you have particularly creative children, you may discover them expressing their artistic creativity all over your beautiful, freshly painted cream or white walls. Instead of wasting your time repainting or scrubbing to no avail, simply use WD-40.
To remove these hand-drawn pictures, spray an appropriate amount of WD-40 directly onto the crayon marks. After leaving it for a few minutes, use a clean rag to wipe away the masterpiece from the wall. Your wall should be back to normal, and you’ll know what to do next time!
Toothpaste as Scratch Remover
It turns out that toothpaste is actually multifunctional! Not only is it great for keeping our teeth healthy and clean, but it can also be used to buff out small scratches. Whether it’s a phone screen, a glass surface, or even your car — this will work!
Toothpaste has a minor grit to it, meaning that it is able to buff out surface-level scratches. If you’re looking to buff out a paint scratch on your car, put toothpaste onto a dry, clean rag before rubbing it in with circular motions.
Vaseline to Fix Hinges
If you’ve got a particularly squeaky door that has resisted all other types of lubricant, why not try petroleum jelly? By applying just a small dollop of petroleum jelly to the hinge, it will eliminate the creak of the door that’s making your house sound like it’s haunted.
Unlike other oils or lubricants, petroleum jelly works it’s way into the hinges directly and won’t runoff. Therefore, it’s texture and viscosity mean that it will adhere better to the door hinge.
Magnets to Keep Cupboard Doors Shut
If you have a cupboard door that just won’t close, not all hope is lost. You won’t have to go looking up the number for a repairman or even plan to renovate your kitchen. Instead, the purchase of some strong magnets will do.
These heavy-duty magnets are easily attached to the door and will keep the cupboard closed for good. A bonus for this DIY solution is that these magnets also keep kitchen cupboards baby-proof — it might be a worthwhile investment!
Toilet Chain Twisted
Have you noticed that your toilet seems to be continually running? This may be well because your toilet chain has twisted. This can interfere with the flapper seat and leave the water continually running, raising your bill quite high.
But you don’t have to buy a whole new set and hire a plumber. All you have to do is remove the chain. When you have done that, take a straw from your kitchen, place it over the chain, and reattach it.
Wallpaper Air Bubbles
You spent all day applying wallpaper and step back to admire your hard work. But one spot catches your eye. There seems to be a bubble in your wallpaper, and the last thing you want to do is go back and redo the application.
First, you need to fill it to see if there’s any debris inside. If there is, then, of course, you do an x incision and apply adhesive behind it. But if there isn’t, you can fix it pretty easily by taking a syringe and poking a hole in the wallpaper. Then inject the adhesive that way.
Rough Plaster Walls
When you move into a house and notice that the walls have that rough plaster-like look that you don’t want, you may want to figure out a DIY solution for this.
There’s a really easy way you can disguise this rough plaster wall. All you have to do is take matte paint and go over the top of it. The flat color will help hide any imperfections.
Hard-to-Open Sliding Door
It can be quite annoying when you’re trying to head out to the patio to enjoy a nice summer day, and you have to struggle to open your sliding door. If you have this issue, you’re probably dealing with debris that has gotten stuck in the wheels.
The best way to fix this is to remove the door by loosening the screws at the bottom. Then all you have to do is clean the wheels and the track. After that, spray some silicone lubricant and put the door back on.
Doors That Open By Themselves
Sometimes hinge pins of doors loosen or need adjusting. When this happens, you will find that your doors will swing open and close on their own. In order to prevent this, it doesn’t take much work at all, though.
Start by pulling out the hinge pins and laying them flat on a hard surface. Take a hammer and hit the middle of the pin with it. This should straighten the pin. Now you have to reinsert it and replace the door in its spot.
Widening Driveway Cracks
For those that live in regions where there are harsh winters and consistent freezing, they may notice cracks developing in their driveway. If for whatever reason, water gets into these small cracks when it freezes, it can expand, making them bigger.
This can be annoying and potentially lead to damage to property. So most people will want to fix it right away. All you have to do is get some cold pour filler and pour it into these cracks.
Brown Grass
One of the things that make a house really look beautiful is having a well-kept and manicured lawn. So if you’re looking at your lawn and you see a large dead-looking patch that is brown, you may be looking for a way to fix it.
This typically happens because there is an inefficient water supply going to that region. In order to make sure this is the case and not something else, you can take a polarized lens and look through it at the lawn. If it appears blue-gray, then you need to figure out how to solve the watering situation.
Tree Swing Messing Up Bark
Any homes with a lawn and a large tree often have a tree swing attached for the entertainment of both the adults and the children. It adds a little charm to the backyard, but if you attach the rope wrong, it can actually wear away the tree’s bark.
You can solve this problem by using some eye screws and drilling through the tree instead of hanging a rope over the branch.
Gutter Overflowing
During the rainy season, or if you live in a region where it continuously rains, you may have a lot of problems with your gutters. For instance, if there happens to be a large amount of water flowing over the sides of your house, then you may have a clogged downspout.
The solution to this problem is quite simple. First, you will flush the gutters with water. Then take a wire coat hanger and use it to remove any debris that was loosened from the flushing of the gutters.
Stainless Steel With Water Stains
Having beautiful stainless steel appliances in your kitchen can really elevate the interior design of that room. It looks slick and modern, that is until the stainless steel begins to develop water stains.
There are many products out there designed to clean stainless steel, but they can be quite pricey. Instead, just head to your garage and pick up a can of WD40 and spray the appliance with it. Wipe away all the excess WD40, and you should find a reinvigorated appliance below.
Blocked Up Garbage Disposal
When they have an issue with their garbage disposal, most people will just opt to replace it. Instead of putting in a new garbage disposal, though, you can try to fix it yourself. Start by making sure that it is turned off. Then find your kitchen tongs.
These you can stick down and remove whatever is blocking the disposal. If that doesn’t work, you can always take the handle of your broom and rotate the blades and then repeat the process.
Rusty Sink
There are some materials you use in the kitchen that, if left in the sink, can cause even stainless steel to rust. For instance, if you had a cast iron pan and left it to soak overnight, then you probably ended up with some rust around your sink.
You want to start by mixing baking soda and vinegar and then apply it to the stain. Let it sit for 10 minutes, and use a scrub pad to remove the stain.
Stuck Fireplace Damper
One of the most important parts of a fireplace is the damper. This is the door that is located at the top of the firebox. This means you need to keep this damper clean, and if you find it is sticking, this could be dangerous.
Start by using a firm wire brush and scraping all the debris free of the damper. Once all the soot and build-up have been removed, take some WD40 and spray the damper.
Lime Deposits
Depending on where you live, you may find that you have hard water. This basically means there are more minerals in your water that can lead to lime build-up in your sinks. But you don’t have to live with the lime deposits.
You can take some paper towels and soak them with white vinegar. Then lay them over the areas with the heavy lime deposits. This should help loosen up the lime and remove the deposits but may also cause discoloration.
Rusted Knives
Buying a new set of knives can be quite expensive. That means you want to take as good care of them as possible. So when you start seeing that there are bits of rust appearing on these stainless steel knives, you might be a little frustrated.
You don’t have to throw them out and buy a new set; you can actually fix the problem. Soak them in lemon juice overnight and then wipe them clean with a slightly wet sponge, and then they should be good as new.
Sagging Canning
If you have chairs with wicker designs, you may see that their seats begin to sag a bit over time. It is natural, especially if used consistently. But you can bring those chairs back to life with a little care.
If you want to tighten up the caning, you need to take a wet sponge with warm water and begin to gently wet the underside of the chair. This should be left to dry overnight and then can be repeated if needed.
Stained Bathtub
There’s nothing that makes a bathroom look more aged than a stained bathtub. This can be due to rusting or lime build-up. The last thing most people want is to have a dirty-looking bathtub. Fixing it, though, just takes a simple solution and a little muscle.
You want to add together equal parts of cream of tartar, baking soda, and lemon juice. Mix those until they become a paste and apply to the surface of the bathtub. Let that sit for 30 minutes, and then wipe off, and your tub should be renewed.
Slamming Door
For some reason, there are doors in homes that seem to slam hard no matter how gently you close them. Not only can this be damaging to the door, but it can be very annoying especially if someone is trying to take a nap.
In order to fix this problem, you can peel and stick weather stripping and place it around the door, or you can use a wide rubber band. If you choose the rubber band option, you want to wrap it around the doorknobs on both sides, making sure not to cover the latch.
Stuck Light Bulb
Sometimes light bulbs will get stuck in their sockets due to being in place for too long. This may make removing them challenging but not impossible. Though there are several methods, one of them includes using the ever-faithful duct tape.
Take a foot-long piece of duct tape and press it into the middle of the bulb. Fold each end in half and stick it to itself. Then take hold of each side and twist the duct tape counterclockwise.
Frame Rot
Wood rot can be quite the issue no matter where it appears in the home. But if it is in a window frame, it can be even more so because it may impact the home’s heating bills.
But you don’t have to replace the whole window frame; you can repair that wood rot very easily. You need to take some epoxy and apply a coat to the area of which is rotted.
Smelling Good
It can be quite time-consuming to continually clean the house to make sure that the overall scent is fresh and clean. The truth is, even if you clean it, sometimes the air doesn’t always have that crisp gentle, sweet smell that you are looking for.
But you can fix that easily, according to some handymen, by simply using extracts or essential oils of scents you like and putting a few drops on your air filter.
Broken Toilet Handle
Occasionally when dealing with the toilet, there are some fixes that people just feel that they can’t do on their own. One of these happens to be if the handle actually breaks. But if you have a few common household items, you can definitely fix this.
All you need are zip ties and some sort of circular item like tape or a binder clip. Run the zip ties through the hole and attach them to the flapper. Then run the other end through the round item. Then run those through the hole, and then you can utilize this to pull the flapper open.
Save Your Fingers
As you’re going through your home and doing DIY projects, one of the most commonly used tools will be your hammer. The hammer, though, can be pretty dangerous if you’re not careful, especially in regards to your fingers.
But one good DIY hack that handymen use to protect those fingers is taking a clothespin and using it to hold the nails in place while hammering.
Clogged Drain
No matter what you do at some point, your drain is going to get clogged. With hair or whatever goes down the drain, this can lead to a backup in the sink or tub. Sure, you can buy chemical household goods to unclog your drain, but you can also do it easily with a zip tie.
Leave the zip tie straight and then run it down the drain with the attachment piece going into the drain. Twist and then pull it out, and you should be able to unclog your drain.
Broken Lightbulb
What do you do if a lightbulb breaks while it’s still in the socket? You can’t just reach in because the glass can actually cut you and injure you quite seriously. It can be removed without injury by picking up a potato from your kitchen pantry.
Start by baking the potato. Once it has been baked, you will want to cut it in half and press the flesh side into the broken glass. Gently twist it counterclockwise, and you should be able to remove the light bulb.
Refreshing Paint Brushes
For DIY handymen who like to do a lot of painting, there always seems to be a need for new paintbrushes. This is because as they finish past projects, the paint dries, and the brushes get a little crusty.
But you can remove all that easily with a little warm water and soap. Wet the paintbrushes with that mixture and then scrub back and forth until all of the paint has been removed.
Cleaning a Ruler
Just like with anything else, sometimes your tools can get dirty and rusty. This is especially true of implements that are made of metal like rulers. Rulers can be a vital part of any DIY project, so you want to make sure that you can read the markings.
You’re going to start by taking liquid paper and then coating the areas where the engraving of the measurements is. Then you’ll take a fine grit abrasive sandpaper and remove that dried liquid paper.
Preserving Tinned Products
To make sure varnishes or other finishes stay fresh, you want to ensure that the lids of these tins can be put on properly. However, if there’s build-up around the rim, you may find that these products go bad quicker.
But this can be prevented by simply taking a cotton cloth and wiping the rims down before you shut them or after you use the product.
Leaky Toilet Valve?
Having a leaky toilet valve can increase your water costs which can be awful, especially if you’re living on a tight budget. But how do you know if your toilet valve is actually leaking? There are many different ways you can do this, but one of the easiest is simply using some food coloring.
You’re going to add that food coloring to the tank and then let it sit for about an hour. If you come back and the water in the bowl has changed colors, then you will want to replace your toilet valve.
Rattling Windows
During the stormy season, having rattling windows can be annoying. Not only that, but with the window-rattling, you may also have an issue with the sealing of that room. You can easily fix these rattling windows without having to mess with any type of handyman.
You will want to buy some corn pads for your feet and then glue them to the frame of the windows. This should limit the rattling and make your home much quieter.
Removing Pet Hair With Squeegee
Pet hair can be particularly pesky to clean up. Sometimes it’s so light that we just don’t notice it on our furniture until we put it in direct sunlight. Whilst vacuuming can help, there will also be tonnes of hair left behind and unable to be picked up by the vacuum.
Therefore, using a window squeegee on any surface can help to clump pet hair together, making it easier for you to clean up. The rubber at the edge of the squeegee will lift any unseen pet hair and make it more visible. A word of warning — it may make you realize how gross your couch is!
A DIY Drain Unblocker
There are times when we have gone into the shower, only to discover that the water won’t go down due to all the clogged hair. It can be a mean feat to properly clean the drains, especially when the clog is so far down.
However, using a mixture of baking soda and vinegar should help to unblock your drains in less than 10 minutes. Add approximately three cups of baking soda to some vinegar and pour down the drain. After 30 minutes, pour boiling water down the drain and you should have no more problems!
Taking Out Carpet Dents
Staying in the house for a long time often has people wishing they could rearrange their furniture to give their rooms a makeover. However, many will be put off doing this due to the dents left behind on the carpet. However, there’s an easy DIY fix.
Ice cubes will take out any dents made by furniture in the carpet. Place ice cubes where you wish to remove the dent and leave to sit for a few hours or overnight. The water from the melted ice cubes will be absorbed by the carpet’s fibers and return it to its original form.
Drain Extenders for Gutters
After heavy rainfall, many people notice that their basement may have become flooded. Still, fixing this issue is not nearly as difficult or complicated as it may seem. Instead, all that’s needed is a downspout extender.
By installing a downspout extender, the rainwater gathering in your gutters will drain further away from the house, and the basement. This will result in minimal flooding. Luckily, there are many ways to be creative with downspout extensions to fit your aesthetic.
Using Dish Soap in the Toilet
Not only is dish soap good for cleaning dishes, but it also acts as a degreaser, making it a fantastic drain unblocker. Many people have discovered that pouring dish soap into the toilet helps to loosen any clogs.
To use dish soap to unclog any blockages in your toilet, simply pour one cup of your preferred brand of dish soap directly into the bowl. After the soap has sat in the bowl for 15 minutes, pour a bucket of hot water from waist height into the toilet bowl to clear it out.