Ok, so you’ve finally bought your own home, but you’re helpless when it comes to repairs. Don’t worry. Here are 5 easy-to-learn DIY skills that will get you out of some of the most common binds.
Unclogging the Toilet
Don’t make the beginners mistake of buying one of those plungers intended for sink drains. They are far too weak for the job of unclogging a toilet. Instead, buy a plunger specifically designed for unclogging toilets. Better still; get one that has a snake attachment. The snake is particularly useful for stubborn plugs. All you do is stick it down the toilet drain, wiggle it around a bit, and just like that, you can dislodge the clog. For good measure, follow this up with a few firm pushes using the plunger and your toilet will be flushing as good as new.
Painting Your Walls
No matter how hard you try, eventually, even the nicest of walls will end up covered in smudges and paint chips. Hiring a painter to freshen them up is insanely expensive, so doing it yourself is the best solution. But you don’t want it to look like an amateur job with paint spatters on the floor, the trim around the windows, and other places where it doesn’t belong. Painting a room with out any mess can be incredibly hard. So do it like a pro and protect the surfaces that you don’t want to get paint on. Hang newspaper or old sheets over the doors to protect them. Lay a large drop cloth over the floor. Use masking tape or painters tape to protect trim from unwanted paint. Then grab that paint brush and start painting. For best results, do one coat first. Allow it to dry before adding a second one. With a little bit of time and attention, your walls will look like new, without the high cost of a professional painter.
Landscaping Your Yard
If you hire a professional, landscaping your yard can cost a ridiculous amount of money. But digging holes for new trees and shrubs isn’t rocket science – anyone can do it, even you! Head for your local garden centre and take a look at their selection – you’ll find that the plants and shrubs will all have tags indicating if they like shady or sunny spots, how much water they require, and other necessary details. Additionally, the garden centre staff will be available to guide you. The hardest part will be digging all the holes for planting, but it’s free exercise (something almost everyone can use more of!), so get it done, stick the plants in there, water them, then sit back and admire your work.
Cleaning Your Windows
Unless you live in a two-story house, as long as you’re of average physical condition, there’s no reason why you can’t clean your exterior windows yourself. Start with a bucket of warm soapy water (dish-soap will do), then give those windows a good scrub. Dry them off, and if you find streaks left behind, give them a quick spritz with an ammonia-based window cleaner and shine until dry. If you’re good with a squeegee, you may even be able to get away with only the first step of cleaning with soapy water, yet still end up with a streak-free finish.
Defrosting Your Freezer
If you let it go too long, pretty soon your freezer will end up with more ice than food in it. It’s easy to fix though. All you need to do is get on with the job of defrosting your freezer. Empty it out first. Then unplug it. Leave the freezer door open to speed up the process. Put lots of towels around the base of the freezer to soak up all the melted water that’s on its way – it’ll make a huge mess otherwise. If you’re lucky, your freezer will come with a hose that you can use to drain the melted ice water neatly into a bucket. After all the ice is gone, dry everything out, clean the interior, plug in, and wait. Within a few hours it’ll be ready to use again.
Mastering These DIY Techniques Will Save You Money
So now that you know how easy it is, you’ll never want to pay someone to take care of these things for you ever again. It’s so simple to do these things yourself, and it will save you a lot of money and hassle.
