There is always something to do in the house. Your property does age, and your best bet is to maintain it for the worst wear and tear. And if you are the appointed household manager, you need to have many tricks up your sleeve.
The good news is home maintenance is doable, or at least specific tasks are simple to carry out and do by yourself. Home repairs can be expensive, and it’s practical to reserve calling professionals for chores and fixes that require specialized knowledge and skills.
Resourcefulness and effort will take you a long way in saving money by doing preventive or restorative tasks for your home. These DIY hacks will help keep your home in order and make your life, as well as the lives of your family members, cozy and comfortable.
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1. Furniture Sliders for Your Floors
Protect your hardwood floors from damage, and stave off a significant refinishing job with furniture sliders. In buying such items, consider their material, the kind of furniture, and the type of flooring (carpeted floors also have them).
Sliders also ease up friction, so you can move things around with less effort. You can also stick them underneath potted plants to avoid scratching your floor or windowsill.
2. Clear Nail Polish for Window Screens
Holes in your window screen, especially if they are small, are easy to fix. Apply clear nail polish on the damaged area, and let it dry. The polish acts as an adhesive or glue that keeps the holes from growing. For larger holes, use screen patch kits, which you can buy at home centers.
3. Vanilla for Home Odors
Does your kitchen smell? Bad odors can negatively affect your family’s health with headaches, eye irritation, and cough, among many other symptoms and effects. To breathe freshness into your home, simmer vanilla beans. You can also put vanilla extract in an oven-safe dish and bake it for about 20 minutes.
4. Caulk for Rugs
Here’s what you need to hold rugs in place and slip-proof it for everyone. Secure acrylic latex caulk, and apply it to the back of the rug. Let it sit and dry. Other alternatives are hot glue and silicone. If you are worried about the caulk ruining your rugs, remove it with vinegar.
Speaking of caulk and moving to other home-related projects, use painter’s tape to line edges when caulking an area in the house. The result is a seamless and smooth job.
5. Baking Soda etc. for Walls
Do you have kids living with you? You can’t crayon proof your walls, but cleaning agents can remove the markings, according to Reader’s Digest. One is baking soda; dip a damp rag in it, and scrub the dirty area.
Another is a multipurpose penetrating oil or water displacer; spray on the markings, and wipe with a clean rag. Mayonnaise also does the trick: rub it on the crayon marks, wait for a few minutes, and clean with a damp cloth.
6. Baking Soda (Again) for Bathtubs
Why replace your tub when you can refinish it or restore its sparkle? First things first, check that the cleaner won’t damage the bathtub. For example, baking soda works for enameled cast-iron tubs.
Mix baking soda and warm water. Apply the paste on stains, wait for half an hour, clean off residues like soap scum, and rinse.
7. Macerating Pump for Bathrooms
Consider adding a macerating pump to process waste efficiently in the bathroom. This waste includes greywater from the sink and bathtub, a functionality that can work with laundry rooms and kitchens, depending on the pump specification. As it is, the fixture hits two birds with one stone, and if you have the right tools and skills, you can install the pump yourself.
Over time, you will grow into your hands-on role of running everything without missing a beat. After all, this house is your domain and home.
These tips will undoubtedly set you in the right direction, and if you know more, do share them with other DIYers out there in the comments section.
