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27 DIY Home Repair Tips I Wish I knew Sooner

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#14 Iron Out the Dents In Wood

iron out dents with damp cloth

(Source: bobvilla.com)

Got dents in your wood or furniture? If you have an iron and cloth, we have a solution for you.

What you need to do:

Place water over the dented area and apply a dampened towel over it. Next, using circular motions, press a hot iron over the damped towel for a few minutes. You should see a great improved or a 100% improvement altogether.

#15 Your Door Key Getting Stuck?

graphite lubrucate stuck lock

(Source: bobvilla.com)

Have a lock that is hard to turn to unlock? Then time to get out the #2 pencil – Actually, any pencil with graphite will do.

What you need to do:

Use a pocketknife to get graphite scrapings from your pencil and use them to fill in the lock. The graphite is a lubricator and can unlock a stuck lock quick.

#16 Dislodge Cabinet Screw

dislodge screw

(Source: pinterest.com)

If your screw has become dislodged and no longer grips the wood, it will leave your door looking crooked. We have your solution to this conundrum.

What you need to do:

Get yourself some Chinese takeout and eat your dinner. Once you’re done, use the leftover chopstick and insert it into the stripped hole and cut off the excess stick until flush. Make a brand new hole for your screw. Reinstall the hinge.

#17 Fluffing Out the Carpet

fluff out carpet with ice

(Source: greatdaymoving.com)

Find yourself covering up a food stain moving furniture around and notice some unsightly indentations? There is a quick and cool solution, and we do mean cool solution.

What you need to do:

Place some ice cubes over the indents and let the carpet soak in for a few hours then simply fluff the carpet fibers with a fork or spoon and your carpet will look fluffy again.

#18 Lube a Sticking Vinyl Window or Door

wd40 for window and door

(Source: wp.com)

Sometimes buildup can cause doors and windows to bind up and not work as good as they should.

What you need to do:

Get some dry lubricant and not the oily kind because that can acquire dirt debris or be harmful to vinyl. Spray the lubricant on the contact points and wipe off any excess with an old rag.

#19 Foam a Loose Showerhead

fix showerhead with expansion foam

(Source: familyhandyman.com)

Having trouble with a pipe or showerhead that wiggles around? We have just what you’re looking for.

What you need to do:

Insert expansion foam into the pipe where it will encase the showerhead pipe keeping it from wiggling any further by locking it into place.

#20 Keep Cabinet Doors Closed

repair door that won't close with magnet catch

(Source: pinterest.com)

If you have a cabinet door, that doesn’t seem t shut all the way there is a simple solution.

What you need to do:

Simply install a magnetic door catch onto the cabinet and this should fix the no-close problem, and you can use the magnetic roller catchers as well.

#21 Five Methods of Cleaning with Cream of Tartar

remove the grout with cream of tartar

Cream of Tartar isn’t just for baking as it can be used to clean out grout, burnt pans; shining up copper, kitchen appliances, and Tea stains off of mugs. More details can be found here just scroll down to #5 on the list.

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Comments

  1. As an HVAC professional I recommend against covering the thermostat. Its more than just a control pad. It has a temperature sensor in it that detects the temp of the air in the room its in. Covering it can limit air flow around the T-stat and cause the air in the room to be different from the air around the T-stat behind the cover. That will cause the system to come on/off based on the temp behind the cover regardless of the temp in the room/house.

    Reply

    • Excellent point of view, Daniel. However, if you’re swinging on a hinge described in the photo, you’re never really restricting the air-flow. A standard door hinge will out-kick 1/4 to 3/8th’s of an inch off of the wall — so we are not really restricting air-flow ( if anything, it’s minuscule). I do entirely agree about the point your trying to get across you’re absolutely right about never completely covering a T-stat.

      Reply

      • What he is saying is that covering it up means that the thermostat will only make the temp behind the picture the temp you want. So when the temp behind the pic reaches 72 the air turns off which will mean the rest of the house will be colder or hotter. It will make your unit run more because it won’t accurately read the room temperature

        Reply

    • Daniel, the “tip” above was for covering a home security key pad not a thermostat, I agree 100% with your explanation for not covering a thermostat.

      Reply

    • Let me know how it works for you, Raynette. It has been hit or miss with some. This could depend upon how bad the clog is. Worth a shot.

      Reply

    • Carla, one option you have, is to take a drywall screw and screw down into the flooring. One or two might do the trick. Try to locate the exact spot and spread the carpeting the best you can and drive a screw into the wood floor.

      Reply

    • Let me see what I can do, Judy. I might be able to include a printing option at the top of the article.

      Reply

    • I’ve never tried this, but read on another DIY site – cover entire room – contents & all – with painters plastic before you start to remove popcorn. ( Makes clean-up a breeze)
      Also, to make the ‘popcorn’ release from the wood it’s on – spray a fine mist of water on it & wait a few minutes. The popcorn will peel off with a spachalor or similar tool.

      Reply

  9. What can you do with a particle board dresser sir that’s all scratched up aside from just painting it is there another solution I bought it used and I know I need to sand it

    Reply

  10. Hiding a thermostat behind something is a bad idea the thermostat is there in the open to sensor the air around it really doesn’t matter what it looks like it’s in the open for a purpose and we all have one

    Reply

  11. FYI. You should know that popcorn ceilings can contain asbestos. It is harmless if undisturbed. Before removing it yourself, you should really have it tested to see what it is made up of. Breathing the particles in can cause lung cancer and should only be removed by a professional. That being said, It sure looks like a “neat” way to remove it.

    Reply

  12. The Vasilene idea is really bad! Better to use a dab of axle grease, won’t dry out like Vasilene will.

    Reply

  13. Please remove tip number 1 regarding removing popcorn ceilings! Especially in older homes, popcorn texture may contain asbestos fibers. Typical shop vacuums, even with HEPA filters, cannot filter out the extremely small fibers of asbestos generated when it is disturbed. The vacuum then blows these fibers out, spreading them throughout the house. Anyone removing popcorn ceiling should have it tested for asbestos prior to beginning work. Removing texture containing asbestos safely requires special equipment and training, and the consequences of improper procedure can be fatal to you or your family members.

    Reply

  14. Hints on fixing the edgeing of wood floors. Not just edges of floor but everywhere at some of the corners lufting just enough to be seen

    Reply

  15. I use golf tees to fix stripped screw holes. Just apply a little glue on the tee, insert it in the hole, let dry. Cut off the tee flush with the framing and replace the screw.

    Reply

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