There are literally thousands of DIY hacks out there – some of them useful, others a waste of time. We’ve listed some of our favourites below, and we hope they help!
Use toothpaste to hang frames
We don’t mean using toothpaste as a form of Blu Tack, but rather use that instead of marking the spot with a pencil (which, let’s face it, you have to guess a little at anyway). When you put a blob of toothpaste onto the back of your frame where you want it to hang and place it against the wall, the toothpaste is transferred onto the wall. That tells you exactly where you have to put your nail in.
Magnetise your makeup
Those of us who wear makeup know how difficult it can be to keep track of it. We tend to have at least two make-up bags, yet still find eye shadow pots etc in our top drawer. The way to know where it is just by sight is to add magnets to the back of powers, blushes and eyeshadow cases then stick them onto a coloured magnet board on the wall. Put a frame around the board to make it look cooler.
Inside door curling iron holders
Curling irons are an awkward shape to tidy away neatly and always make dressing tables or other surfaces look untidy. A great way to hide them – and make them accessible at the same time – is to affix plastic piping (around two inches in diameter) to the inside of your dressing room door. That way you can store the curling irons and the cords.
Get windows streak-free
We all know how windows and mirrors can become streaky after a time but, the good news is, it’s easy – and inexpensive – to get rid of these marks by simply using up stuff in your kitchen cupboard. Just mix up a solution of white vinegar with water, spray it on the mirror and wipe off those marks. It’s a good replacement for your usual ammonia-based cleaner and is kinder to the environment. It’ll also work on mirrors.
Banish pet hair
Why is it that your dog or cat’s hair seems to get everywhere within minutes? Not only that, but it’s hard to pick up. Or at least it used to be… Animal lovers amongst us will know that vacuum cleaners aren’t exactly brilliant at picking up pet hair. And those steel combs are hard on the knees. But one guaranteed solution to get those pesky hairs up is to remove them wearing rubber gloves. The rubber on the gloves generates electricity when pushed against fabric (ie the carpet). The hairs stick to the gloves and you can get them off by sticking the gloves under a running tap.
And finally, one we can all use from @Family_Handyman: “If your candles have burned too low to reach the wick, there’s no reason to go without your favourite scent.
“Instead of burning your fingers, light a piece of uncooked spaghetti. It’ll reach into those deep candles and burn long enough to light the candles on grandpa’s birthday cake.”