We know that a lot of you may have grown bored of being stuck at home, but to look on the bright side, now is the perfect time to fix that squeaky door or restore full flow to your faucet. Here we have collected 17 home maintenance fixes you can do by yourself. Come and get busy!
1. Say Goodbye To A Squeaky Door
Is the squeaky noise of your door driving you crazy? The annoying sound is usually caused by a dry hinge, and there is a simple way to deal with it. Take any lubricating spray such as WD-40 and squeeze it into the top crease of the problematic hinge. Just don't use too much in case everything gets too greasy.
2. Ceiling Water Stains Aren't A Big Deal
Ceiling water stains can ruin the look of an entire room. If you don't want to paint the ceiling all over, here is a simple trick. After repairing the source of the stain, spray the affected area with a solution of one part bleach and five parts water. You'll see the result in a few hours.
3. Hard Water Stains Are No Longer A Problem
You may find hard water stains on faucets, showers, sinks, or just about anything that is frequently exposed to water. These dirty stains are hard to clean in a normal way. To solve this problem, what you need is lemon juice and cream of tartar. Mix the two together and apply the paste directly onto the stains. Let the mixture sit for an hour and then rinse away to reveal a clean surface beneath.
4. Fix A Loose Shower Head In A Snap
The showerhead in your bathroom may become wobbly over time. Luckily we have the best way to solve this problem. First, you need a screwdriver to remove the showerhead trim ring away from the wall. Once you can see the base of the pipe that the showerhead connects, try spraying some expanding foam around the hole that the pipe is fed through. Wait for the foam to harden, then put the showerhead trim ring back. Problem solved!
5. Sticky Door Locks Will No Longer Bother You
Have you struggled to put your key into the keyhole or turn your key inside a door lock? These problems are usually a result of corrosion and a build-up of debris. A graphite pencil can help you save your key and lock. Simply rub the grooves and cuts of the key with it. You may also need to insert a small amount of powdered graphite into the slit of the lock just in case things don't work the first time.
6. How To Restore Free Flow To A Faucet
When you find that your kitchen or bathroom faucet loses pressure or starts spraying to the side, it may be that you have a dirty aerator screen. Here is how to clean the screen. First, you need to close the drain plug, then use a rag or masking tape to remove the aerator. Soak the aerator in vinegar, then scrub it with a toothbrush. Assemble everything back together and your faucet will be good to go.
7. Clogged Toilets Will Not Be A Problem
Sometimes you might find your toilet clogged and a plunger can't solve the problem. That's when you need some dish soap to help you. Just squirt about 1/2 cup of liquid soap in and let it sit for a while. The solution will work as a lubricant and allow the contents of the bowl to slide on through.
8. Get Rid Of Washing Machine Odor
When you notice some weird smell coming from the washing machine, it does not always indicate that the machine has a serious problem. The chances are that it's just a little bit of mildew. Some baking soda can solve that. Just put one cup of baking soda in the washer and run it on empty. The mold will be eliminated.
9. Squeaky Hardwood Floors Will No Longer Bother You
A squeaky floor can be really annoying; luckily, you can find the solution in your kitchen. Sprinkle some corn starch over the noisy areas, and sweep it into the cracks between the boards. The cornstarch will work as a perfect lubricant to stop the wood from rubbing together and creaking.
10. Fix Your Sticky Wooden Drawers In A Minute
A sticky wooden drawer is aggravating. Take a bar of paraffin and rub it on the bottom edges of the drawer. The paraffin will act as a perfect lubricant and you can finally say goodbye to that sticky drawer.
11. A Genius Way To Make Knobs Stay In Place
If you have a handle or a knob that always falls off from the cabinet door, here is a simple and cheap solution. What you need is a tiny drop of adhesive thread. Then screw the pesky knocker or handle back on and it won't be going anywhere.
12. You Don't Need To Struggle To Open The Window
Vinyl windows are very common these days, but sometimes you may find your window hard to open or slide. An easy solution is to spray the area between the window and the jamb with dry silicone. Do that and you can start cleaning the window tracks.
13. Wallpaper Seams Aren't A Big Deal
To solve the problem of wallpaper seams, what you need is a piece of rag soaked in hot water, some seam sealer or white glue, and a roller. Hold the rag over the seam for about a minute to reactivate the paste, then squeeze seam sealer into the gap. Use a roller to press the paper to the wall. Your wallpaper should be as good as new.
14. A Clever Way to Hide A Ceiling Hole
Patching a ceiling hole usually costs a lot of money. But you can just cover the hole with a smoke detector. No more holes, and added safety!
15. Fix Mangled Mini-blinds
If you have a bent blind, we recommend a slat straightener. Just slide it over the damaged slat and squeeze. Such a useful product only costs about $10 and is widely available in grocery stores and on shopping websites.
16. A Wobbly Chair Can Be Fixed Easily
You don’t need to level chair legs by sewing them down. Here is a clever trick. Place your chair on a flat surface, then slide under a piece of wooden off-cut to make the chair stable. Next, draw round the wobbly chair leg and saw off a circle with a fine-toothed saw. After gluing the wood in place, you’ll have a stable chair.
17. Say Goodbye To Deafening Cabinet Doors
To get rid of loud cabinet doors, you may want to install bumper pads. Just clean the interior of the cabinet first and place the pads on the four corners of the door. The noise of the closing cabinet should be softened.
18. Secure A Loose Floorboard
Sometimes we will find the nails in the floorboards become loose, which may cause injury. We can use the stainless steel screws to replace the nails and cover their heads with wood filler. By the way, making the wood floor moist can help you screw them down. But you need to be careful before starting screwing because some electrical cables are directly beneath them.
19. Repair Pipes With Tape And Hosepipe
In cold winter, we usually find the cistern is not filled due to a frozen pipe with splits. If you can't change a new one in a short time, you can use the duct tape to wrap it and fix it with clips or wires. It's a good temporary repair if you are in an emergency.
20. Fix A Cupboard Door Catch
For some old doors, there are always some magnetic catches that are unaligned. You need to check whether the screw on the metal non-magnetic part of the catch is lost or not, because it is usually the main reason for causing the catch to skew. If the screws are not lost, you may loosen them, push the catch forward, and finally retighten the screws again.
21. Install Isolating Valves In Taps
Isolating valves are important in our house, because when there are some emergencies or we just want to change a part of a pipe, we can simply close the valves and replace the specific section. It's a good way to prevent leaks. So please don't forget to install them in next time when you have any plumbing alterations.
22. Maintain Your Stopcock
The main stopcock is often in a hall or beneath a downstairs sink in a house. It's better to make sure where it is in case of any emergency. Sometimes we may find it seizes up due to disrepair. Hence, you have to regularly spray it with release oil and turn it off and on again a few times.
Source: buzzfond.com