Maintaining your property can feel like a full-time job, but you’ll save time and money by brushing up on your DIY skills. Fortunately, not every home improvement task needs to be complex or complicated and there are ways to simplify most jobs. There are plenty of jobs that you can do around the home on your own, but things like generator repair or reinstalling your plumbing is probably best left to those who know what they’re doing. Make sure that the home improvement tasks that you do are all those that you should do, not once you have big ambitions for but no qualifications.
For inspiration, take a look at these home DIY hacks you need to try now:
1. Replace Drawer Slides for Extra Functionality
If you struggle to open drawers or they don’t fully close, try replacing the slides for seamless function. To increase their functionality, you can even replace standard slides with two way drawer slides This enables drawers to open both forwards and backwards, which makes them great for cabinets or trolleys that are open facing on both sides.
2. Use Adhesive Lights to Illuminate a Room
Adding more lights to a room can mean hiring a certified electrician but stick-on lights are a cheap and easy alternative. With an adhesive backing, they can be stuck to a wide range of surfaces and simply removed when they’re no longer needed. With plenty of styles and lighting options to choose from, you can use them to illuminate entire rooms, as spotlights under cupboards and cabinets, or even create mood lighting with colored LED strips.
3. Add Masking Tape Before Putting a Nail in the Wall
If you need to add a nail to plaster walls, you risk the plaster chipping and, when this happens, the paintwork can also be affected. To prevent this from happening, stick a small square of masking tape to the wall and hammer the nail into the masking tape, rather than directly into the wall. This will reduce the risk of damaging the surrounding plaster or paint and keep your wall in perfect condition.
4. Refresh Paintwork Instead of Redecorating
When you want to give your home an update, but you can’t bear the thought of redecorating, commit to refreshing the paintwork instead. Whether you stick to the same color or try something new, a lick of paint will elevate the space and give the room a new lease of life.
5. Use a Drain Snake to Clear Blockages
There are some jobs that require a qualified plumber, but a regular blocked drain can usually be sorted out in a matter of minutes, providing you have the right equipment to hand. A drain snake allows you to access the blockage without taking pipes apart or using chemicals. A partially blocked pipe will only get worse over time but, with a drain snake, you can remove the blockage quickly and ensure that no further damage occurs.
Keeping Your Home Well-Maintained
Allowing minor problems to develop into major issues puts your home at risk but learning how to undertake simple DIY jobs can make it easy to keep your property well-maintained. By assessing your home regularly, you can identify the tasks that need to be completed before wear and tear causes unnecessary damage and, before you know it, keeping your home in tip-top condition will become second nature.