Moving to a new home? Needing to save money by doing some of the DIY yourself? Local energy company Electric Ireland share a few #SmarterLiving hacks for making some all-important home improvements.
1. Nail It
When it comes to DIY in the home, a first step should be finding the right tools for the job. Pop into your local homeware store and ask an assistant to recommend the appropriate tools you will need. Whether it is hanging pictures, fixing old furniture or putting up some much-needed shelves, they will be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to having the right toolkit. Alternatively, ask a savvy friend to give you advice and, better still, see if you can borrow some of their tools for a few weeks to get you started.
2. Bring Back the Bounce
When moving into a new home there may be carpets that are worn down or have markings from tables, chairs, dressers and sideboards. A handy hack to re-fluff the carpet is to place ice cubes over the affected area and leave them there to melt. Once the carpet is well moistened, dry off with a sponge and give the fibres a gentle lift with a fork to bring them back to life.
3. Shower Power
Often a build-up of residue and limescale gathers in shower heads and this might be something to tackle when you move into a new home. Remove all build up by wrapping a sandwich bag filled with white wine vinegar on the shower head and secure with an elastic band. Leave on overnight, take off the bag and flush the shower head to remove all the residue. Tah – dah, a cleaner shower overnight!
4.Use Old Door Knobs
If you have a renovation project in front of you then you may want to give doors in the house a new lease of life. Use old door knobs as hanging racks for coats in your hallway. You could also use doorknobs as towel hangers in the bathroom, giving the room a traditional and antique feel.
5. Easy Storage
Start afresh in your new home with clever storage solutions. For example, use a shoe holder to store away smaller items such as old stamps, paperclips, Sellotape etc. and even sew on some labels, so you know what is stored in each pocket. This can be hung on the back of the door for easy access at all times. For larger items, reuse old trunks or an old suitcase and place items under a bed for some antique chic! Better still, use wood from old furniture to make a shelf or a box for your items. There are plenty of YouTube videos for inspiration and ideas on how to do so.
Find more #SmarterLiving tips for your home on the Electric Ireland Blog or by visiting its Facebook and Twitter pages.
