Quick Fixes and Home Improvement Skills Every Adult Should Know

  

To be part of a well-functioning place to call home, you have to be able to fix damages/ breakage or should know how to make them alright by hiring a professional home maintenance service.

Today we want to discuss some simple house maintenance activities every adult should master so they can manage their homes in good condition without spending much.

Unclog a smelly and blocked drain

Blocked drains can be cleared with the following easy technical method. First, remove the stopper by loosening the horizontal rod that goes into the drain pipe. Now bend a piece of stiff wire to make a hook, and use it to locate and fish out the clog. A wad of hair and soap scum near the top of the drain can be easily removed this way without applying any chemicals.

If the drain is still clogged, you can unclog it naturally using household items. Pour quarter to half a cup of alkaline baking soda onto the drain. Add one cup of white vinegar after 20 minutes. The acidic vinegar and the alkaline soda generate a chemical reaction resulting in the release of oxygen which will be forced into the mix and scour the drain pipe. Finally when the chemical reaction is over, pour enough boiling water into the drain to flush it clean.

The baking soda-vinegar method is environment-friendly and the cheapest cleaning idea you can ever try. This way you can also avoid using harsh chemicals that may leave odours and residue in your sinks.

Precautions while hanging wall art and mirrors

The wall art or a mirror can enhance your home decor by highlighting a focal point or an architectural detail.

You can easily learn how to hang up artwork or mirrors properly in their right place. Here are some safety measures to be observed to display them properly without damaging the walls.

First of all check and find out if it’s a masonry wall or a cavity wall. You should be more careful with cavity walls, which can conceal all manner of pipes and electric cables.

Also, never drill directly above or below light switches or plug sockets because you’re sure to find electric cables there. Take precaution using an electronic tester, which can detect electric current and the metal of a pipe behind the wall.

How to manage patching holes in the wall

Normally people have a tendency to ignore holes in a wall. Patching holes is not a difficult task if you read the hints given below.

Lightweight spackle dabbed on with a fingertip and a damp rag is all you need to plug pinholes in your home’s walls.  When it dries, touch up with an artist brush and a little leftover paint. Wipe off all excess spackle surrounding the hole.  For textured walls, you can apply the spackle with a toothpick so it won’t spread beyond the hole and spoil the texture.

To patch a big hole in drywall, you need some expertise in handling tools. Attempt the DIY procedures only if you are ok with that.

Set a screw that won’t stop turning

We know it’s frustrating to see a stripped screw that spins and spins endlessly without getting tightened. Of course, there are a few ways to deal with the screw that just spins in place.

Remove the stripped screw and try using a wider screw if it fits with the hinge so you can fix a wobbly cabinet door. If the hinge allows the small screw only, then stuff the screw hole with wooden toothpicks coated in wood glue. Once the glue is dried, cut the protruding extra portion of the toothpick with a knife. Now you can easily tighten the screw which won’t spin again.

These DIY home improvement skills that everyone should know how to do are brought to you by the training department of Select Cleaning, New Zealand's most reliable home cleaning service.

Home Improvements- How to Fix Squeaky Floors

If you are not a technically skilled person, even minor repairs such as replacing tap washers or fixing a leak can become tedious job if you’re attempting DIY methods. Sometimes things may get worsened, ending up damaging the tap itself! Same thing also may happen when you attempt minor repairs on electrical or electronic appliances, lightings, and switches etc. But don’t worry; you’re not alone in this category!

You may be a qualified computer wizard, an artist or banker etc. and you know that each profession needs its own expertise. Works such as plumbing, house cleaning, electrical repair etc. are also qualified professions which need to be done by respective tradesmen. If a House Officer tries to repair his computer, you know that the end result can be disastrous!

Annoying Creaky Floorboards

Squeaky floorboards are a nasty disturbance for everybody in the home as it creates that irritating noise whenever someone walks around. This can happen in both older and modern homes. Squeaking of floorboards is a sign that the boards are rubbing against each other because loose nails may be allowing the boards to move or the shrinking of wood has created a small gap for movement.

If the squeaking board and its adjacent ones seem springy, the joists below may be defective, and you need an expert hand to make it alright.  Repairing a creaky wooden floor is not a major repair work if you can get the best home maintenance professionals in the town. A qualified carpenter can fix this issue quite affordably. So don’t carry on suffering those annoying creaks and strained noises any more.

Your hardwood or carpeted flooring will not get any damage if the repair work is carried out by verified technicians. Search the internet for flooring specialists and check their websites to shortlist a few. Also visit their social media pages and listen to testimonials and customer feedback to finalise a service provider. You may also take free quote from two standard companies to compare the prices, and checking the quality of materials they use for decking and flooring.

For home cleaning and maintenance works, always rely on those service providers who are known for high quality craft and customer service.

At the same time let’s say, if you have some technical abilities and like to do small repair works for yourself, you can always try DIY methods where you’re confident. See what a house owner did when he realised that people won’t take his home for rent because the floor is squeaky and really annoying. He used a drill and screwed some small self tapping screws in the joints of the squeaking boards and found that the disturbing creaky noise has gone forever! But when squeak occurs due to shrinkage gaps and joint stiffness, it’s better to use glued joint than drilling down the screws.

If the squeaky noise is small, inspect the floorboards closely. If you’re lucky, you’ll find that the cause may be due to rubbing of the boards against each other. In that case, apply some talcum powder along the seam where the boards are rubbing and then walk few steps on the floorboards for the powder to set in and eliminate the disturbing noise.

Advantage of Getting Acquainted with Select Cleaning Professionals

If you’re calling a repair service for fixing squeaky and creaky floors, ensure that they do lifting and relaying the carpets before and after the screw down and repair. One thing you can do is to call the customer care team of Select Home Cleaning on 0800 000 907 and talk about your requirement. Select Cleaning do general house cleaning service in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch, and because they’re in the home cleaning sector for so many years, they can also get your home maintenance works done by authentic service providers who are well known to them.