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You can make home repairs — and life in general — much easier if you stop relying only on the usual solutions and start looking at problems from a different angle.
Sometimes the most unexpected tips are also the simplest, helping you get the job done with the least amount of time and effort.
A tangled mess of wires is a familiar sight in almost every home or office. It makes a space look cluttered and becomes especially annoying when you need to find the right cable quickly.
This problem can be solved very easily with plastic zip ties. To organize a group of wires, first bundle them together with one tie. Then use a few more ties as spacers, placing them between the cables so that the individual cords are separated from one another instead of being packed tightly together.
When using a level, it can be difficult to mark smooth surfaces such as tile because the tool keeps slipping. It can be awkward to hold and often seems to slide right out of your hands.
The same stability problem comes up when working on uneven walls. A pair of ordinary rubber bands can help keep the level in place. Stretch them around the edges of the tool so it grips the surface better and stays more stable while you work.
People who use a jigsaw regularly often notice that, over time, it starts ruining the appearance of finished pieces. That happens because the base plate becomes scratched during use and develops rough spots, which then scrape or damage the material being cut.
To prevent this, you can apply masking tape to the bottom of the jigsaw’s base plate. The tape is thin and sticks well, so it will not interfere with the job, but it will protect the surface of the material from scratches.
When drilling into a wall, dust and small bits of plaster are unavoidable, and they can easily stick to wallpaper and nearby furniture. A very simple trick can help keep that mess under control. All you need is a sheet of paper or newspaper of the right size, folded in half so that one side is slightly shorter than the other.
Next, tape the folded sheet to the wall just below the drilling spot, with the longer side lying flush against the wall. Secure it with tape along the top and sides. This creates a small pocket. After drilling, simply seal the paper shut with tape so dust cannot spill out, then remove it from the wall and throw it away.
Sometimes you need to measure a long wall, but the tape measure is not long enough or starts sagging under its own weight. In that case, it is often easier to measure in two parts and add them together. The problem is how to mark the wall without leaving traces on wallpaper or decorative plaster.
Once again, masking tape comes to the rescue.
Stick a small piece of tape on the wall and make your mark on that instead of directly on the surface. Then measure from that point in one direction and then the other. The tape peels off easily, leaves no marks behind, and keeps the wall clean. It is also handy for writing numbers directly on the tape while measuring, so you do not forget them later. You can even stick the tape into a notebook afterward.
Drilling a clean, accurate hole in thin sheet metal with a standard drill bit is not always easy. The bit can slip off-center and damage the edges of the hole.
A step drill bit solves this problem, but if you do not have one, you can modify a standard drill bit yourself.
To do this, you need to reshape the cutting edge: deepen the center section and create side cuts so they sit about 1.5 mm from the middle of the bit. The process works like this: carefully bring the drill bit to a grinding wheel, and while sharpening it, lower the shank slightly and rotate the bit a little clockwise.
If you leave home for a long period of time — for example because of travel, vacation, or health-related reasons — there is a good chance you will notice an unpleasant sewer smell when you come back.
To prevent that, pour a little cooking oil into each drain before you leave: the kitchen sink, the bathtub, and the bathroom sink.
Oil does not mix with water, and because it is less dense, it floats on top. This helps keep the odor trap from drying out. As a result, bad smells from the sewer system cannot make their way back into your home.
Helpful note:
The curved section of a sink trap holds a small amount of water that acts as a barrier against sewer gas. This is called a water trap or odor trap. With regular use, that barrier keeps refreshing itself. But if a drain goes unused for a long time, especially in hot weather, the water can evaporate. Once that happens, unpleasant smells can begin rising from the pipes.
Sometimes the most unexpected tips are also the simplest, helping you get the job done with the least amount of time and effort.
1. A Better Way to Organize Cables
A tangled mess of wires is a familiar sight in almost every home or office. It makes a space look cluttered and becomes especially annoying when you need to find the right cable quickly.
This problem can be solved very easily with plastic zip ties. To organize a group of wires, first bundle them together with one tie. Then use a few more ties as spacers, placing them between the cables so that the individual cords are separated from one another instead of being packed tightly together.
2. A Non-Slip Bubble Level
When using a level, it can be difficult to mark smooth surfaces such as tile because the tool keeps slipping. It can be awkward to hold and often seems to slide right out of your hands.
The same stability problem comes up when working on uneven walls. A pair of ordinary rubber bands can help keep the level in place. Stretch them around the edges of the tool so it grips the surface better and stays more stable while you work.
3. Protecting the Base of a Jigsaw
People who use a jigsaw regularly often notice that, over time, it starts ruining the appearance of finished pieces. That happens because the base plate becomes scratched during use and develops rough spots, which then scrape or damage the material being cut.
To prevent this, you can apply masking tape to the bottom of the jigsaw’s base plate. The tape is thin and sticks well, so it will not interfere with the job, but it will protect the surface of the material from scratches.
4. How to Drill Without Covering Wallpaper in Dust
When drilling into a wall, dust and small bits of plaster are unavoidable, and they can easily stick to wallpaper and nearby furniture. A very simple trick can help keep that mess under control. All you need is a sheet of paper or newspaper of the right size, folded in half so that one side is slightly shorter than the other.
Next, tape the folded sheet to the wall just below the drilling spot, with the longer side lying flush against the wall. Secure it with tape along the top and sides. This creates a small pocket. After drilling, simply seal the paper shut with tape so dust cannot spill out, then remove it from the wall and throw it away.
5. How to Mark a Wall Without Damaging Wallpaper
Sometimes you need to measure a long wall, but the tape measure is not long enough or starts sagging under its own weight. In that case, it is often easier to measure in two parts and add them together. The problem is how to mark the wall without leaving traces on wallpaper or decorative plaster.
Once again, masking tape comes to the rescue.
Stick a small piece of tape on the wall and make your mark on that instead of directly on the surface. Then measure from that point in one direction and then the other. The tape peels off easily, leaves no marks behind, and keeps the wall clean. It is also handy for writing numbers directly on the tape while measuring, so you do not forget them later. You can even stick the tape into a notebook afterward.
6. How to Drill Thin Sheet Metal Accurately
Drilling a clean, accurate hole in thin sheet metal with a standard drill bit is not always easy. The bit can slip off-center and damage the edges of the hole.
A step drill bit solves this problem, but if you do not have one, you can modify a standard drill bit yourself.
To do this, you need to reshape the cutting edge: deepen the center section and create side cuts so they sit about 1.5 mm from the middle of the bit. The process works like this: carefully bring the drill bit to a grinding wheel, and while sharpening it, lower the shank slightly and rotate the bit a little clockwise.
7. How to Prevent Bad Drain Odors While You’re Away
If you leave home for a long period of time — for example because of travel, vacation, or health-related reasons — there is a good chance you will notice an unpleasant sewer smell when you come back.
To prevent that, pour a little cooking oil into each drain before you leave: the kitchen sink, the bathtub, and the bathroom sink.
Oil does not mix with water, and because it is less dense, it floats on top. This helps keep the odor trap from drying out. As a result, bad smells from the sewer system cannot make their way back into your home.
Helpful note:
The curved section of a sink trap holds a small amount of water that acts as a barrier against sewer gas. This is called a water trap or odor trap. With regular use, that barrier keeps refreshing itself. But if a drain goes unused for a long time, especially in hot weather, the water can evaporate. Once that happens, unpleasant smells can begin rising from the pipes.
