Home DIY

  • Home DIY

    How to Improve Your Home DIY Skills

    Most people think that they need to call a professional when they have an issue in their home. But that’s not the case. While there are some tasks — anything electrical, some plumbing tasks, roof activities — that most definitely require the skills of an expert, there are plenty that you can do yourself.

    But of course, this is still your home, and you’ll want to ensure that your work is up to standard. The good news is that anyone can get to grips with the essentials of home DIY if they commit a little time and effort. In this post, we’ll run through some handy tips that’ll help you improve your DIY know-how in no time at all. 

    Photo by Thijs van der Weide

    Watch Tutorials

    It’s no secret that the internet is a hive of awesome information. You can learn anything and everything thanks to the power of the web — and the generosity of people who are more than happy to share their skills often for no charge at all. There are plenty of excellent YouTube and TikTok channels that’ll teach the basics and give you some pointers on completing those more challenging projects. 

    As well as the internet, you may also see if there are any DIY workshops taking place in your local area. There probably will be!

    Build Your Tool Kit

    You’ll need to have some tools in your home if you’re going to become a DIY wizard. There are some essentials that everyone should have in the house. These include a hammer, measuring tape, spirit level, silicone sealant, Allen keys, and screwdrivers. Once you have the essentials, you’ll be able to complete the vast majority of simple home DIY tasks. You can build your tool kit piece by piece, or you can invest in a complete set. 

    Think About Borrowing

    The equipment that we’ve outlined above will give you a great start in your DIY career. But there’ll be some tasks that require more complex tools. Think of items like a drill or a circular saw. If you have access to them, the number of jobs you can complete without contacting a professional will increase significantly. When we say you should have access to them, that doesn’t mean that you need to own them yourself. Look at joining a tool-sharing community in your local area, and you’ll get access to a whole host of tools that would likely be too expensive — and unnecessary — to buy on your home. 

    Ask For Help

    Part of the reason why so many people shy away from home DIY tasks is that they’re afraid of making mistakes. First of all, it’s important to remember that mistakes are part and parcel of life — even experts make mistakes. The key thing is to learn from what went wrong. You can also give yourself a confidence boost by asking others for help. Do you have a friend who’s good at DIY? Then ask them to come around and help out. You can still take the lead, but you’ll have peace of mind knowing someone’s looking over your shoulder.

  • Home DIY

    How to cheer up an old mirror on a budget!

    After months and months of staring at the bathroom mirror that was here when we moved in and pondering every possible solution to change it somehow, suddenly I had a flash of inspiration on a cheap but efficient way to brighten up the boring bathroom mirror…Washi Tape! Ok, stay with me…

    My logic behind this was firstly that I already had the mirror, so if it didn’t pan out how I wanted I wouldn’t have lost anything. Secondly, if it really failed then I could buy a new mirror (which was what I was thinking anyway – so this was just a step in between.

    How washi tape can change your mirror:

    Today I want to share with you how I changed my boring mirror into something a little more fun. I had been thinking for a while about how I wanted to replace it as it was just a simple, plain mirror without a frame. There was nothing really wrong with it, but I just found it a little boring so I started to look around at what I could replace it with. Like I said, there was nothing wrong with the mirror, so as I was looking around and not really finding what I wanted so I started thinking about how I could upcycle what I already had. I didn’t really want to frame it myself, because I didn’t feel like I knew enough to pull it off. I then had a sudden flash of brilliance and went on the hunt for washi tape. I found the perfect black and white patterned tape to edge around the mirror. I purchased a 10m roll of washi tape and carefully edged around the mirror. I think you’ll agree it looks pretty good and it was so inexpensive too. I managed to change this mirror from a boring, plain mirror to a great mirror with a quirky frame, and it looks amazing against the white walls with the turquoise feature walls. You can add any colour tape that suits your décor and it really will brighten up any room.

     

    Have you ever used washi tape to brighten up a room?

  • Home DIY

    6 home hacks that will change your life!

    Chances are that if you are reading this you probably have your own home and are looking for ways to improve the things that you already do. Or maybe you are finding me through Pinterest and are pinning this to your future home board (don’t be embarrassed, we have all done it). I wouldn’t say I love cleaning and up until I moved out of home I was completely messy, but nowadays I like things a little neater. I clean and tidy up because I have to not because I love to, so these nifty little home hacks really help!

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    Essential Oils to freshen up your bin

    Bins by their very nature do not always smell the best. Grab your essential oils and add a few drops onto a cotton wool ball and drop into the bottom of your bin. Another great trick is to add some water, a few drops of a citrus based essential oil and pop it into a spray bottle and use it to clean the inside of your bin.

     

    Cleaning the blender/nutribullet

    Cleaning the blender is always a dull task so here is a quick way to make sure it is done. Add some warm water, washing up liquid and give it a quick whizz in the blender. Voila!

     

    Clean hard water with vinegar

    We live in a hard water area so build up of hard water marks and limescale is high. Add a little bit of vinegar to a cloth and scrub and I promise you will see a vast difference.

     

    Clear clogged drains

    Instead of purchasing a number of expensive cleaning products for blocked drains all you need is a mix of vinegar, baking soda and boiling water.

     

    Clean your microwave

    Microwaves can get pretty messy so here is an easy way to keep them clean. Put equal amounts of water and vinegar in a microwavable bowl and set it on high for 5-10 minutes. Wait a few minutes to cool down and then easily wipe it down.

     

    Remove permanent marker from your car

    If you ever find someone has put graffiti on your car with permanent market add some hair spray to a cloth and just wipe clean. The permanent marker will just come right off.