Being a homeowner is great, but also comes with constant repairs. It especially becomes an issue if you are not very handy. Some of those jobs are quick fixes and others are taking up the entire weekend. We collected the best tips to deal with the typical problems of homeowners.
You might think that you don’t need them right now, but thank us later for these quick and easy home repair tips.
1. Why you should sleep with soap under your sheets
If you’re kept awake at night by the urge to move your legs that comes with restless legs syndrome, you’re probably looking for a solution.
Motivated by the need to simply sleep, some people have gotten creative. Some of their tips: Sleeping with a bar of soap under a pillow.
There are soaps that contain magnesium, which has muscle relaxing properties and can relieve the symptoms of restless legs.
Like many home remedies, this hack is unfortunately not medically confirmed. But when it comes to the restless legs syndrome, you should give it a try!
2. Clean the sink with bleach
This is a problem many of us are going to relate to: dirty and smelly drains. Indeed, even if your kitchen is very clean otherwise, it can often be difficult to keep the drain clean. So, we have gathered some tips for you.
The first thing you could try if your drain is prone to be clogged and smelly, is boiling water. Pour 3 to 4 cups down the drain once a week; this should dissolve the remaining grease and flush it down.
If this is not enough, you could try pouring bleach. Always be caution when using bleach, though. Do not let it sit in the sink if it is stainless steel, and do not use it if you have previously cleaned the sink with an ammonia based product, as this could produce toxic evaporation. Finally, after letting bleach sitting in the drain overnight, do not forget rinsing it with water.
3. Why do the plugs have holes?
If you have ever unplugged an electrical device at home, you might have noticed these small holes placed on the prongs. You might have wondered why they are here, or just wether they have a function or not.
Well, here is the answer: they do have a function, and here is the explanation. These small holes serve the stability of the electrical installation.
Indeed, along the contact wipers that receive the prongs, there often are some sorts of bumps. Those bumps fall into the holes and ensure the plug doesn’t fall off. Moreover, some industrial installation have specific requirements and would place a plastic band though the hole in order to seal the installation.
4. Wash your potatoes in the dishwasher
Now, we know it might sound strange. But we swear it works! And it will save you precious time. Here is how it goes.
Washing this many potatoes can quickly become an overwhelming job. Potatoes are everywhere, they put dirt everywhere, you don’t have enough space on your countertops to put the clean ones… Luckily, you have a dishwasher, and this is how it will help you.
The only thing is, it needs to be empty at that moment. Place the potatoes inside, and run a short cycle of rinse. Ten minutes are enough. In the meantime, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients you need for your recipe. And after ten minutes, the potatoes are clean and ready to go.
5. Pour salt down your drain
Let’s start with the simplest of simple home remedies: Salt won’t unclog stubborn clogs, but it will neutralize bad odors. And that’s sometimes all that matters.
To do this, put two tablespoons of salt down the drain and wait half an hour to an hour for the salt to work. Then rinse with cold water. This not only helps with current odors, but also prevents repeated odor formation.
6. Put garlic in the toilet
Many of us already know that garlic is very healthy food and use it aleady when cooking. This might surprise you, but it is also a very powerful asset when it comes to cleaning your house.
Indeed, garlic contains a substance called allicin, wich has antiseptic properties. That is, it can prevent the bacteria from develop. You can therefore use it as and antibacterial product in your toilet.
All you need is a couple garlic cloves. Place them in the toilet before going to bed. In the morning, flush the toilet. For an optimal disinfection, you can repeat this procedure twice a week.
7. Use Bars of Soap in your Garden
Collect these strong-smelling bars of soap and place them in a mesh bag or old pantyhose that you can easily hang from trees in or around your yard. Deer and other animals tend to avoid areas where the soap is. What you can also do is keeping mice away. How? That’s easy, just place bars of soap in areas where you want them to avoid.
Scattering soap shavings around the garden should also help deter a number of pests. Why not making your own insecticidal soap from old discarded soap bars? This is also a way to save money and its very easy as well.
8. Perfect Gutter Cleaning Hack
Would be a good idea to dress proper for cleaning the gutter. You should wear are long sleeved shirt and also long pants. Your entire body should be covered, so that you don’t get scratches. Also use gloves which protect your hands and protective eyewear. Next point is rubber soled shoes.
This is really important when you want to walk on the roof and be careful here! What you should use is a plastic gutter scoop. You can buy that at the most hardware stores. Have a look at the next great Hack: How to keep door knobs paint-free.
9. Door knobs shall remain paint-free
We talked about painting already. However, when it comes to door knobs, you might find it takes a good amount of time to put tape on them, and that paint still lands on the unprotected areas.
Here is a life-changing hack: wrap you door knobs in aluminum foil. The foil is easy to work with and will keep the knobs protected.
10. Perfect paint job
When painting your walls straight edges are always the biggest challenge. When you are painting with caulk you just need some painter’s tape to achieve perfect edges. It will make a great difference.
Just make sure to remove the tape before the caulk dries because it will chip and make your edges uneven again.
11. Keep the door open
Sometimes you need your door to stay open because you keep walking in and out. Take a thick rubber band and loop it in the door knobs on the inside and the outside of the door.
It will prevent the door from shutting completely. Try it next time when you are bringing in groceries.
12. Use a potato to unscrew a lightbulb
A broken lightbulb happens faster than you think. Broken glass is always an issue and especially if the lightbulb is stuck in the socket. A potato can safe your fingers in this case.
Just cut the potato in half and push it into the broken glass. Now you can unscrew it by turning the potato. Please unplug the light before you try this trick.
13. Remove old screws with a rubber band
After unscrewing them several times the head of screws will become stripped. It will be almost impossible to remove the screw without losing your mind.
A rubber band will add friction and make it easier to grip the screw. Simply place it over the head of the stubborn screw and the screwdriver will have more grip.
14. This is why you should put a bag on your car mirror
Ice is not only one of the dangers of winter, but it is also annoying for every motorist – both on the road and when the ice sticks to the car. As we all know, it’s best to park in the garage or covered carport to prevent the ice from getting on the windshield or mirrors in the first place.
But for those who have no other option but to park outside, there is a great trick. Just take some ziplock bags and put them over your mirrors. You see, this prevents ice and snow from sticking to your mirrors, so they’ll make it through the winter better.
15. Fill holes with a soap bar
If you liked the crayon tip you will like this one as well. You can fill a white wall with a bar of soap. Make sure the soap is dry and matches the color of your wall.
Simply rub it over the hole until it fills. The residue can be removed with a wet cloth.
16. Baby Powder on squeaky floors
Old houses with original floor boards are often beautiful and also very noisy. To get rid of the squeaky noise fill some baby powder in a squeeze bottle and put it between the boards.
That way they are not rubbing together anymore, and you can walk without them making squeaking sound.
17. Remove wood dents with heat
Speaking about wood. Wooden furniture or floors dent quickly if you are not careful enough. Small dents can be removed by putting some water and a moist towel on the wood.
Use an iron to warm up the area carefully. Always check that it will not get too hot. Circular motion with the iron can help it too.
18. WD-40 will save your walls
Life with small children never gets boring. Scribbles and markings on walls happen when they get a hold of a pen while you turn around for a second. WD-40 will come handy if you want to remove markings from sheen walls.
Magic eraser is also an option that you should try.
19. Use toilet bowl cleaner on your grout
Grout will pick up dirt easily and look dirty after a while even if you just cleaned it. Try this trick and be surprised. Apply toilet bowl cleaner and use an old toothbrush to rub it into the grout.
After around 15 minutes you can mop the floor and the grout will look brand-new again.
20. Find a leak with Kool-Aid
If you feel like your toilet is leaking you can use this simply trick to find out if you are right. Open the lid of the water tank on your toilet and pour a pack of Kool-Aid in the water.
After 20-30 minutes of not using the toilet you can check the water in the toilet bowl. If it has the same color as the Kool-Aid you know that you have to get a leak fixed.
21. How to use your phone outside during winter
This may not be a home repair tip, but it is handy when you live in an area where it gets freezing cold in the winter time. Until now you always had to choose between having warm hands and using your phone with touchscreen.
Try putting tin foil around your fingertips before putting on your phone. You will be surprised.
22. Use dishwasher tablet to clean your oven
Dishwasher tablets are not only great for cleaning your dishes but also a great product to use for cleaning your oven. That is quite a task anyways. Put on gloves and wet the tablet.
Now you can rub it on the stains in your oven. Let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing it away.
23. Use tea bags to clean dishes
Until now, we thought that tea will leave stains on dishes but the tannins can also do the opposite. Soak greasy dishes in hot water and add a few tea bags.
The tannins will help remove the grease. It also works with pots and other greasy kitchen items. It’s a great way to reuse old tea bags.
24. Unclog a drain without chemicals
A clogged sink happens every once in a while, and it is frustrating every time you have to deal with it. This trick will make it much easier for you to fix this problem.
Pour boiling water down the drain. After the water has disappeared pour baking soda in the drain and add the same amount of vinegar. After 10 Minutes you flush it away with more boiling water.
25. Clean your garbage disposal with ice cubes
A garbage disposal is hard to clean. You don’t really want to put your hands down there to clean it. Ice cubes will help you do the job. Put a cup of ice in the sink and grind it.
Let the water run on hot after and grind some citrus peels for fresh smell. If you repeat this regularly it will never smell bad again.
26. Vinegar and bread to freshen up your garbage can
Trash bags will leak every once in a while and make your trash can smell bad. To clean it up pour some vinegar on a slice of old bread. Keep the slice in the trash can over night and it will remove the smell.
To catch liquids leave a sheet of paper towel on the bottom of the trash can.
27. Dish soap in the bathtub
Dish soap is great for many types of cleaning. It will remove grease, mildew and scum not only in the kitchen. Try using it for your bathtub in combination with your broom.
Scrub the tub without breaking your back from bending down while cleaning. You will be using dish soap for more than just dishes from now on.
28. Add a hole to your Trash can
We have not lost our minds because we agree with you that a trash can should not have a hole on the bottom. A hole on the side of your trash can liner can actually be a life safer.
It will avoid suction between the bag and the liner and makes it much easier to take the bag out without breaking it.
29. Use measuring tape to find studs in your wall
In most homes the studs in the walls are placed in a certain distance. If you do not own a stud finder you can use a measuring tape to find the space between the studs.
The red numbers on the tape measure are 16 inches apart just like the studs in most walls.
30. Make a funnel with foil
There are some rare occasions when you need a kitchen item that you never thought you needed. A funnel is one of those items. Good news is that you can make your own with aluminum foil.
You can shape it in any way you need it, and it only takes seconds.
31. Make chrome rust free
Rust always shows up when you don’t need it at all. Tools and other items made out of chrome can be cleaned with aluminum foil. First clean the item or surface with soap and water.
Use fresh water and dip the foil into it. Then use the infused water to remove the rust.
32. No more rattling doors
Old wooden doors often make more noise than you want them to. Squeaking doors can be fixed with WD-40, but rattling doors need another trick.
To stop doors from rattling place a small door bumper made for cabinets on the doorjamb. There will be no more space for it to ramble around.
33. Clean utensils with the magic eraser
Every household needs a pack of magic erasers. You should realize this by now. It can be used for many stains including stains on utensils that are not made out of stainless steel.
It will remove most stains that are still there after washing the utensils in the dishwasher or by hand.
34. Another magic eraser trick
While we are at it, we need to mention this magic eraser trick as well. Some walls will stain because you keep touching them all the time. There is no need to repaint them.
Use a clean magic eraser and wet it as the instructions say. You will have fresh walls a few moments later.
35. Throw a tennis ball in your pool
Every swimming pool owner hates the oil that floats on top of the water. Most of it is from the sunscreen that is used to protect the skin. But how to you get rid of it without changing the water?
A fresh tennis ball will solve this problem. The felt will soak up the oil while the ball is floating in the pool.
36. Nail polish will fix your screen
Screen doors are great to keep bugs out of the house, but also have a very short life span. Especially on doors that are used all the time the screen will tear sooner or later.
Nail polish will help you fix small tears without anyone noticing it. It works like glue but is invisible at the same time.
37. Remove dents in your carpet
Furniture will most likely leave dents on your carpet. Good news is that they can easily be removed with ice cubes. Put an ice cube on the dent until it melts.
Let it dry and use a brush with hard bristles to fluff the carpet back to its state before the dent.
38. Clean your shower head
Grime and mineral deposit will make your shower head look very dirty over time. It also prevents it from working properly because the nozzles will clog up. You can make it look brand-new by soaking it in vinegar overnight.
Half water and half vinegar will do the job. Just scrub it after with a cleaning brush or sponge.
39. Protect your car door with a pool noodle
If you have a small garage you always need to be extra careful not to open your car door too wide. Otherwise, it will get damaged when hitting the wall. A pool noodle can be very handy in this case.
Just slice it in half and glue it to the wall where the car door would hit. It works as a cheap bumper.
40. Use Squeegee to remove dog hair
Pet hair sticks to any fabric or carpet like nothing else. If you don’t want to get out the vacuum you can use a squeegee to remove the hair. A rubber glove will also do the trick as the hair sticks to the rubber.
Give it a try and let us know if it worked.
41. Safe money with the right setting
Did you know that your fan can help you keep the electricity bill low? With the right settings it will make the heat or cooling work more efficient. In the winter the fan should be on low speed and turn clockwise.
In the summer it should turn counterclockwise which will push the cold air down.
42. Clean grout easily
After time grout will turn dirty and remain like this forever. That does not have to be like that. Common ingredients that you already have at home can become handy when cleaning grout.
Mix 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup of baking soda. Add 1 teaspoon of dish soap, and it makes the perfect grout cleaner. Let it sit on the grout for a moment and scrub it off.
43. Put bubble wrap on your windows in winter
Old or cheap windows will most likely bleed heat and make the electricity bill go up. Bubble wrap can come handy in this case. Wet the window with water and stick the bubble wrap on it.
It will work as extra insulation and keep the heat in the house. It does not look great, but do the trick.
44. No more clogged drains
You can actually prevent a drain from clogging, so you don’t have to deal with clogged drains ever again. You need to invest a few dollars and buy a little helper like the this.
It will collect all the hair and keep the sink clean, so it will never clog again.
45. No more squeaking doors
A squeaking door can be super annoying. It is fixed within seconds when you use WD-40. If you don’t have it at home you can use cooking spray instead.
Just spray it on the hinges and move the door, so it can spread. You can thank us later for this easy tip.
46. Spray Aspirin on your plants
To prevent pest on your plants you should try this trick. Dissolve Aspirin in water and spray it on your garden plants.
It will help keep pests away and keep your plants alive. It’s an easy and cheap trick that you need to try this summer. You can actually use expired tablets instead of tossing them.
47. Prevent screws from coming loose
Some screws on your furniture or other places in the house come loose after a while. To prevent that you should add a thin coat of clear nail polish to the screw.
It acts like invisible glue and keep the screw in place. It does not stick like actual glue, so you can remove it later.
48. Hydrogen peroxide in the garden
If you have a garden bugs are often a problem. Hydrogen peroxide will come handy in this case. Use a 3% concentration and spray it on the plants and the soil.
Bugs hate the smell of it and will stay away. It is another simple trick with ingredients that you most likely have at home.
49. Pot lid holders for more order in the closet
From the kitchen to the closet. A pot lid shelf from the kitchen will make your closet more organized. The shelves are good for storing small purses, wallets and clutches.
It’s the perfect way to store them all side by side, so you can keep all your nice things in view at once.
50. Freeze fresh herbs
Do you love cooking with fresh herbs? So that you can use them longer, and they don’t go bad so quickly, just freeze them in the freezer.
Once you’ve bought herbs or picked them from the garden, you can chop them up and freeze them in olive oil. That way you can use them any time you want.
51. Pringles cans for storing spaghetti
Spaghetti noodles are usually in plastic packaging that you can’t reseal properly. But there is an easy way to store the noodles and keep them fresh.
Pringles cans are great for this. Just clean them up and use them to store your unused noodles! These cans are the perfect size, and you don’t have to buy anything extra.
52. Flatten ground beef before storage
Ground beef takes some time to thaw when frozen. But again, there is a very simple way to fix this problem in advance. You can flatten the ground beef in a gallon size freezer bag before freezing.
If the ground beef is flat, it will also thaw faster once you’re ready to use it. Plus, it saves space in the freezer!
53. Ceramics for sharpening knives
To cook, you need a sharp knife. That’s a fact. But what to do when the knife is dull? If you don’t have a knife sharpener, you can use something you surely have in your kitchen cabinet.
To sharpen the blade of a knife, all you need is the lower end of a ceramic bowl or mug. But please be careful!
54. Toothpaste removes permanent marker
Toothpaste is very useful for cleaning surfaces that have been painted with a permanent marker.
Spread the toothpaste on a cloth or toothbrush. With a little pressure and a lot of friction, the stain should disappear with circular motions once the toothpaste is also gone. If not, apply a little water and repeat with more toothpaste.
55. Painter’s tape for the perfect sealing edge
The tape can be used as a perfect complement to seal a bathtub, shower, sink and various other surfaces.
To do this, you need to apply the tape on both sides of the place where you want to apply the sealant. After you have applied the sealant, you can easily remove the tape. This makes for beautiful edges.
56. Smelly vacuum cleaner
Have you ever noticed your vacuum getting smelly? It is a common thing that usually happens after a couple years using your device.
To fix it, try and vacuum some ground cinnamon. By circulating through the hose and canister, the cinnamon should clear the vacuum from smelly particles. If this doesn’t work, do try the same with baking soda!
57. Fill the mop bucket easily
We all have experienced how annoying it is to fill up the mop bucket when the sink is too small. The bucket doesn’t fit and water eventually gets eveywhere on your clothes and on the ground.
To avoid this issue, try using a pool noodle. It will work as a hose that will clean the bucket in a clean and easy way!
58. Baking paper in the bathroom?
While we all use baking paper in the kitchen for baking cookies, we often ignore it can also be useful in the bathroom!
Indeed, it can fix a shower curtain that is stuck on the shower rod. To do this, just stick a piece of paper onto the rod. The curtain will glide more easily on this surface.
59. Keep coffee grounds to unclog your sink
This tip is about unclogging your sink with three ingredients that you have already in your kitchen.
First, you’ll need to save the coffee ground after you’ve made yourself a cup. Mix it with some dish soap. Pour it into the drain and add a large amount of boiling water. Let it sit. The clog should dissolve quickly.
60. Cutting board as clean as new
A cutting board is very important in a kitchen, but can also get dirty very quickly. Here is how to wash it efficiently without using chemicals.
First, cover your cutting board with fine salt. Then cut a lemon in half. Use the lemon to rub the salt on the board. These two ingredients will give it a new shine!
61. Kool-Aid is also a good cleaning product
Who knew one could clean the toilet bowl using Kool-Aid? It actually is a very good cleaning product, because of the citric acid it contains.
Just pour one package of Kool-Aid into the toilet bowl. Rub it around the toilet bowl using a brush. Let it sit overnight. In the meantime, the mineral deposits and bacteria should dissolve.
62. How to clean wine stains
We all know the struggle… How to get rid of this red wine stain on the white carpet?
Well, here is an easy hack for you. Next time it happens, grab some milk and pour the equivalent of one glass onto the stain. Soak up the remaining milk after an hour. The wine should be absorbed by the milk rather than by the carpet.
63. Soap under your fitted sheet
A home isn’t comfortable if the homeowner is not sleeping well. Have you ever dealt with restless or cramping legs before? Try placing a bar of soap under your fitted sheet for relief.
It might be the magnesium in the soap or just a placebo effect. It is worth a try.
