While we love focusing on fancy home decor items, we tend to panic when things go wrong. And lots of things go wrong around the house. It can’t be helped. But there’s no need to call professional help whenever home repairs are in need. Tons of home improvement issues have tons of simple solutions. Some of these are things you can DIY away. Here we look at some of those things to get you started!
Fill old picture holes
We all have hundreds of pictures we want to display around the house. This can lead to excessive holes in the walls, some we may want to get rid of in the future. Instead of calling expensive professionals for such small home repairs or home improvement, take care of it yourself. All you’ll need is some sandpaper, a brush and some putty. Sand off the edges of the holes to create a smooth workable surface then spread putty over the area. If you put on a bit excess, just clean it off with a damp tissue as putty is fairly manageable while still fresh. After it does dry, use sandpaper again to even and smooth out the area. Then apply a little bit of paint matching the rest of the wall. This may leave uneven coloring if not done right, but you can match it fairly well and your main issue is taken care.
Clear a clogged drain
Whether in the kitchen or bathroom, a clogged drain can be a nightmare. But there are some quick and effective DIY fixes; one of which is baking soda. First, pour a pot of boiling water into the clogged drain. Then follow it with a half cup of baking soda and let that sit for 5 minutes. Next, pour in a mixture of 1 cup vinegar with 1 cup of hot water and tightly cover the drain opening. This allows the reaction to stay within the drainage area. After another 5 minutes, flush everything down with another pot of boiling water. One of the oldest tricks in the book.
Remove scuff Marks from walls without removing paint
Scuff marks become unavoidable with a long stay in a single place. But they don’t have to be permanent. Welcome back our friend, baking soda and some elbow grease and you’ll be free of scuff marks in no time. Make a concoction of 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 liter of water. Take a cloth and dampen it in the mixture and put it on the marks. Proceed to rub the area in a circular motion. If this doesn’t do, make the mixture a little thicker by adding a little more baking soda and your home repairs should be good to go.
Get rid of ants (indoors)
Ants tend to make themselves at home wherever they want. It doesn’t take much for them to feel invited and they can make a home out of any amount of space. So how do you handle such unstoppable willpower? A DIY vinegar mixture seems to be a great way. The smell, while nice to us, is really tough on their senses. Find their key entry point, and spray some vinegar-water around the area. This is enough to disorient them and deter further entry into the house. Do the same around the house to stop them roaming around when already inside. For further pest control tricks, we have a whole article on natural pest control tricks.
Home improvement around the house will sometimes seem like it needs a professional hand, but what’s stopping you being the help you need? DIY home repairs are not always as hard as you may think. Take the time to try out the tricks we’ve mentioned here and discover your inner handy life-stylist!
