Being the owner of your own home might feel like an endless project that consumes a significant amount of time and money. From little difficulties such as a squeaky door or a leaking toilet to more serious issues such as stains on the wall or noisy wooden flooring. Home repairs can be costly, exhausting and intimidating at times.
You’d be astonished at how many things you can fix around the house in a short amount of time and with simple household items. We’ve compiled a list of 30 simple hacks for fixing various household issues with items you’d never expect to work. These simple tips will assist you in setting up your home and improving your quality of life.
Unscrew A Broken Lightbulb With A Potato
Have you ever accidentally shattered a light bulb while it was still plugged in? Then you understand how aggravating it can be to get rid of it. Cut a potato in half. Push the soft side of one half into the broken bulb until the glass is completely swallowed.
Slowly spin it counterclockwise until the bulb burns out, then throw it away carefully. Remember to turn off the lights and put on your protective gloves.
Patch Nail Holes With A Bar Of Soap
Check out this quick and easy way to cover up those horrible nail holes on your walls. Instead of using a wax crayon, you can use soap! Slowly brush a basic bar of white soap over the hole in a circular motion.
It will quickly repair the hole. Any soap residue on the wall can be removed with a warm moist towel. A simple and effective solution to this problem that you can do easily.
Prevent Doors From Rattling Or Slamming With A Cabinet Door Bumper
It never ceases to astonish us how much minor details may influence our daily lives. This is an excellent illustration of this. To keep the cabinet door from rattling, place a cheap bumper on it or on the door jamb.
This is also valid for drawers that slam shut. This will also prevent damage to your doors and drawers, prolonging their useful life greatly. Bumpers are available in a variety of sizes and materials.
Quiet Squeaky Floors With Baby Powder
Are your floors made of wood? Maybe they have become squeaky? It’s most likely due to some loose bits of wood rubbing against each other. Buy a little squeeze bottle (like the one that comes in hair dye kits) and fill it with baby powder to solve this problem.
Then, using a cosmetics brush, rub the baby powder down into the spaces between the boards. Get rid of the excess and relax in the silence!
Treat Carpet Dents With Ice Cubes
Overused damaged carpets can be easily restored to their former splendor. Place a couple of ice cubes on the carpet’s dented area and allow it to melt. Once the water has been absorbed, the carpet’s synthetic hairs will quickly return to their original state.
Once the carpet is totally dry, comb through the hairs with a hard-bristled brush to even out the carpet and fluff it up. Your carpet will go back looking new!
Repair Dents In Wood With A Hot Iron
There’s a neat tip you can try using an iron to fix scratches or dents on your wooden flooring or furniture surfaces! Remove all dirt from the area where the dent is, then dampen it with a few drops of cold water.
There’s a neat tip you can try using an iron to fix scratches or dents on your wooden flooring or furniture surfaces! Remove all dirt from the area where the dent is, then dampen it with a few drops of cold water.
Remove Marker Or Crayon Scribbles On Walls With WD-40
This is for all the parents of tiny children out there who understand how difficult it is to keep the walls clean! If your wall paint has a sheen to it, spray a little WD-40 on it and wipe away the markings from markers or wax crayons with ease.
If your wall paint is matte, however, avoid using WD-40 since it can discolor the walls. Try using a Magic Eraser in this specific scenario.
Clean Grout With Toilet Bowl Cleaner
The grout between the floor tiles becomes filthy or fungus-infested over time. A common home item can be used to clean and brighten things up quickly. Allow 15 minutes for the toilet bowl cleaner to settle on the grout in question.
Then, using a small cleaning brush or even an old toothbrush, gently scrub it away. The final step is to mop the area with warm water and allow it to dry. Take a look.
Got Leg Cramps? Try Sleeping With Soap
This isn’t really a home repair hack, but it’s a tried-and-true home remedy utilized by many. Place a bar of soap under your fitted sheet if you experience restless legs or leg cramps that keep you awake at night.
Experts believe that the placebo effect or perhaps the presence of magnesium in the soap is what makes this work. To test if this approach works for you, try a few different soaps and brands.
Spot A Toilet Leak Using Kool-Aid
If you’re not sure if your toilet is leaking, a packet of Kool-Air will help you figure it out effectively. Remove the toilet tank lid and pour the contents of a dark-colored Kool-Aid packet into the water.
Wait 30 minutes, and if the interior of the toilet bowl is the same color as the Kool-Aid when you return, the toilet is definitely leaking. Make sure you don’t flush before the 30-minute time limit has expired.
Use Your Phone While Wearing Gloves With Aluminum Foil
This might not be a real home repair hack, but it is such a clever trick that we could not leave it out! If you live in a cold region, you know how tough it is to operate any device’s touchscreen while wearing thick gloves in the winter.
Wrap aluminum foil around the fingers you’ll be using to operate the phone screen. After that, put the gloves back on and you are good to go.
Use Common Household Ingredients To Unclog A Drain
Unclog a slow-draining sink, bathtub, or shower with this simple homemade remedy. These are not abrasive chemicals, so they will not harm your pipes. To begin, bring some water to a boil and pour it down the drain.
Second, pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, followed by 1/2 cup pure white vinegar (some people add a 1/4 cup of salt). Allow 10 minutes before flushing with hot water one more.
Treat A Smelly Garbage Can With Bread And Vinegar
Even if you line your garbage can with multiple plastic bags, it is likely to smell bad after a while. Soak a slice of loaf bread in plain white vinegar for a few minutes. Overnight, place it at the bottom of the garbage can.
Remove it the next day before replacing it with a new waste bag and observe what a difference it makes! To make cleanup easier, place a paper towel underneath the bread.
Drill A Hole In Your Trash Can Liner To Fight Suction
If you have a trash can with a liner in your kitchen, you know how difficult it is to remove a full bag without it breaking and spewing waste all over the place! We have found a simple way to correct the suction formed between the bag and the liner.
Simply drill a small hole in the side of the plastic liner (not on the bottom to avoid unwanted leaks) and ignore the vacuum effect.
Prevent Clogged Drains From Forming
Why not save yourself the nasty hassle of unclogging drains by avoiding them to clog in the first place? The TubShroom, a plastic product made expressly to address this specific issue, is easily available in your local supermarket or can be ordered on Amazon and delivered directly to your home.
The product is designed in the shape of a mushroom, which catches loose hair and keeps it hidden until you remove it to clean it.
Fix A Tear In A Screen With Clear Nail Polish
When mosquitos attack during the hot summer days, this hack can prove very useful! With a few drops of transparent nail paint, you can rapidly repair all of the minor tears in your mosquito screen mesh.
It will work as an undetectable glue once it has dried completely. This is a low-cost method of extending the life of your screen.
Remove Rust From Chrome With Foil
Aluminum foil has a lot more uses around the house than we thought. One of them is that it removes rust from any chrome surface quickly and very simply. It is best to clean such a surface with a microfiber towel and soapy water first.
Then, with your aluminum foil ball dipped in clean water, carefully rub the rusted areas. Any chrome surfaces, such as work tools, a bicycle, or an automobile, will be recoverable.
Prevent A Door From Shutting With A Rubber Band
When you are lugging groceries from the car to the home on your own, making numerous trips, and there’s no one to hold the door open for you? There is, however, an easy fix to make this typical occurrence more bearable.
Make a loop on both sides of the door knob with a rubber band to keep it from latching and closing. Keeping a rubber band in your handbag or car is a good idea.
Your Measuring Tape Can Help You Find Studs
If you pay attention and look closely at the numbers on the measuring tape you have at home, you’ll find that some are red and the rest are black. Alternatively, little black diamonds may be seen at intervals on the tape instead of red numbers, depending on the brand.
These indicators will assist you in locating studs and the space between them on your home’s walls. This is quite useful when you need a guide.
Give Your Shower Head A Vinegar “Bath”
As you may already be aware, tap water contains a variety of minerals that begin to settle until rust and plaque gather on surfaces.
A simple tip for getting rid of mineral deposits and other filth from your shower head is to soak it overnight in pure white vinegar alone. Rinse and repeat this step as often as it’s necessary.
Use A Foam Pool Noodle As A Garage Wall Bumper
Is your garage space limited, and your automobile is in danger of scratching the wall every time you park it? Or perhaps you opened the car door and accidentally scraped the paint off the wall? Then keep reading to discover an amazing technique that can save you hundreds of dollars on car paint repairs.
Carefully cut a regular foam pool noodle in half, then glue it on the wall at the proper car door height.
Rotate Your Ceiling Fans Correctly
Were you aware that altering the direction your ceiling fan spins can help you save money on heating and cooling? During the winter, turn fans clockwise at a low speed to suck warm air up and distribute it throughout the room.
Set it counterclockwise in the summertime to push the chilly air down. While a fan will not modify the room’s temperature, it can help you spread chilly and warm air evenly across a room.
Winterize Windows With Bubble Wrap
Check out this quick hack for a window that is leaking heat during the winter. Wet the window with a little water and then cover it with a piece of normal bubble wrap.
It’s not the most fashionable answer to this situation, but it’ll keep you out of trouble for the time being! It’s important to keep the heat inside.
Use Cooking Spray To Fix A Squeaky Door Or Cabinet
Is there a squeaky door in your house? Perhaps rusted cabinet hinges? Is it starting to grate on your nerves, and you don’t have any WD-40 handy?
Don’t worry, we’ve got a quick fix to get you out of this bind! No more squeaky doors with a little cooking spray on the hinges. It works great since it’s oil based.
Paint Screws With Nail Polish To Prevent Them From Coming Loose
Screws might get loose and fall out from time to time. Whatever you were trying to secure falls apart, and the screw may get misplaced in the process.
There’s a fantastic solution to this problem. Apply a couple coats of nail polish to the screws if you have any on hand. It acts as a glue, holding it in place.
Use Crayons To Fill In Nail Holes
Try this simple approach if you have a surface with nail holes that you want to smooth and mend. Select a crayon that closely resembles the color of the wall you’re attempting to restore.
Rub the crayon over the nail hole with hard pressure for a while. Its waxy consistency makes it pliable, and it will quickly stuff the hole.
Use Tape to Achieve The Perfect Caulk Edge
If you have ever tried to use caulk but couldn’t get that immaculate straight edge, pick up some regular painter’s tape the next time you’re at the hardware store.
Unlike painting, we remove the painter’s tape while the caulk is still wet. You can wind up pulling up some of the paint if you wait for it to dry.
Use A Rubber Band To Remove Stripped Screws
Do you have trouble removing jammed screws? They can be so obstinate that even electrical screwdrivers can’t get them out. There is a hack to this that you should attempt.
Before attempting to remove the screw with the screwdriver, place a rubber band over the head of the screw. This will increase friction and allow you to remove it safely.
Clean Your Bathtub With Dish Soap And A Broom
Save yourself the back strain that comes with cleaning the bathtub by standing instead of bending. Use a broom designed for this purpose, as well as the same dishwashing soap.
The soap scum in the bathtub will be dissolved by the detergent. While standing up, brush and scrape it off with the broom. There will be no more sore backs.
Remove Pet Hair From Carpet With A Squeegee
If you have carpet and pets in your home, pay heed to this great and useful tip. We have to remove dog or cat hair from the carpet more frequently than we would like.
However, you’ll be amazed and grateful at how well a standard squeegee can remove pet hair from any type of carpet. Go give it a try!
Dishwasher Tablets Will Get Your Shower Sparkling
Dishwasher tablets can also be used for a variety of other things. They are fantastic at cleaning the shower! Cut a small depression on one of the sides of the sponge to match the tablet size and place it in the vacant slot.
Scrub the shower surface with it once it has been wet. It thoroughly cleans and shines everything.
Clean Your Washing Machine With Dishwasher Tablets
Dishwasher tablets can also be used to clean your washing machine on the cheap. Simply load the dishwasher with dishwasher tablets and run a full hot cycle.
You can use up to four tablets at once, and they can be from any brand you prefer. The amount of dirt, water, and grime that comes out of it will astound you.
Clean Your Microwave Without Scrubbing
Simply mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a microwave-safe basin and microwave for around seven minutes to fully clean your microwave without having to scrub it.
The steam will dislodge any oil stains or food remnants stuck to the walls once it begins to evaporate. It will be much easier to clean later as a result of this.
Use Aluminum Foil As A Funnel
Do you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have any cooking utensils? Maybe you are on vacation and renting a property, or maybe you have just moved in and simply have a few belongings.
If you need a funnel but do not have any on hand, roll some aluminum foil into a cone shape and utilize that instead.
Clean Your Oven Door With A Dishwasher Cleaning Tablet
Using a dishwasher tablet, you can quickly clean all of the grease that has accumulated in your oven door over time.
To begin, put on rubber gloves to protect your hands from potentially hazardous chemicals, as dishwasher tablets include bleach. Soak the tablet in warm water and scrub to remove the grot. Using a damp towel, wipe away the residue.
Use Tea Bags To Clean Dirty Dishes
Tea stains on your cups are caused by a chemical called tannin present in tea. Tea tannins’ astringent characteristics cut through grease, therefore it can also be used to clean unclean dishes.
In the sink, submerge the soiled dishes in hot water and add roughly a dozen tea bags. You’ll be surprised at how easily the grease can be removed.
Clean the Garbage Disposal Using Ice Cubes
There is a good method for cleaning your waste disposal efficiently. Simply put as many ice cubes as you can into the garbage disposal and let it run for a few minutes.
Allow the food and rubbish to be wiped away by the broken-down ice. When you’re finished, sprinkle some hot water and lemon over the top for added freshness.
Clean Dirty Oven Trays
This simple domestic recipe will restore the luster to your dirty oven trays. Combine white vinegar, soda crystals, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and soak the tray for half an hour.
Start scraping away at the loose crud, then softly wipe away the extra dirt with a Brillo pad. Allow to fully dry after rinsing with warm water.
Laundry Hack
Mix in 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup mineral-based home cleanser, and a big scoop of washing powder or liquid soap in a bathtub filled with hot water.
Let your laundry soak in there for a while, agitating the tub every hour or so. Remove the clothes and wash them on a standard cycle in the washing machine.
Loosen a Sticky Key With a Pencil
When the weather changes and moisture seeps into the mechanisms such as keys and door locks, they tend to stick and go rusty rather quickly. May this happen to your locks, go over your key with a graphite pencil a few times.
The graphite will function as a natural lubricant, allowing the key to glide effortlessly into the problematic lock.
Clean Your Dirty Pots With Aluminum Foil
Sometimes detergent and a sponge aren’t enough to get all of the filth out of pots and pans. However, there’s a common home object that can be used for this. Scrunch aluminum foil into a ball and use it to clean the dirty surface.
Even the toughest stains will be completely removed by the abrasive material, leaving them gleaming clean.
Use an Onion To Clean Your Grill
While you may clean your grill with special products and brushes, you already have everything you need to achieve the same outcome in a more environmentally-friendly way.
Grill cleaning is a breeze with onions! All you have to do is put half an onion on a fork and slide it over the grill to wipe away all the gunk.
Use Tongs and Towels To Clean Your Blinds
Because blinds are made up of so many sections, cleaning them can seem impossible. With this very simple household tip, you can stop bending your hands and fingers in odd angles that can damage you in the long run.
Simply cover each side of the kitchen tongs with a microfiber towel and brush away the dust with minimal effort.
Use Coca-Cola To Clean Your Toilet
Coca-Cola is not only tasty, but it also has a lot of additional purposes. The soda’s carbonation does wonders on bathroom porcelain, and it may remove toilet stains with little to no scrubbing or effort.
Fill your toilet with the entire coke bottle and leave it to sit overnight. Watch it spark in the morning after you flush it away.
Use a Peg To Keep a Nail in Place
The shifting of the nail out of its location before the hammer can power down into it has caused many hammer accidents.
You make sure that you’re only hitting the nail and not your thumb by keeping the nail in place with a clothes peg. It protects your fingers by supporting the nail and keeps you out of harm’s reach.