30 Quick Fixes for Minor Home Disasters

Need some help with a home maintenance task? Or do you need to solve an everyday home problem on the cheap? Take a look at some of the great advice from Popular Mechanics:

  1. Prevent Tools from Rusting: keep a few pieces of blackboard chalk in your toolbox with metal tools to protect them from moisture.
  2. Stripped Hole Fix: if a hole is stripped and the screw you’re trying to screw in won’t grab, insert 2 short lengths of thin insulated copper wire into the hole before adding the screw.
  3. Remove a Headless Nail: clamp a pair of locking pliers onto the nail head, then rotate the pliers to bind the nail out of its hole.
  4. Dripping Paint: wrap a small, absorbent cloth around the metal collar of a paint brush to prevent paint from dripping while you paint a ceiling.
  5. Organize Your Garden Hoses: coil your hose around a 5-gallon plastic pail. Attach the base of your pail to a garage wall with a large-headed nail. The pail will spin when you want to pull out the hose.

Find 25 more problem-solving ideas over at Popular Mechanics’ 30 Quick Fixes and Tips for Everyday Home Disasters.