Ridiculously Easy Home Repair Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

By: Riley Brown | Last updated: May 13, 2024

Maintaining a house is not for the faint of heart. There’s always a toilet to fix, a baseboard to repair, or a faulty A/C unit to replace. Needless to say, it can be more exhausting than rewarding if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Thankfully the internet has blessed repair-challenged homeowners with some ridiculously easy tips that can help you fix just about anything. Without further ado, here are the top home repair tricks that every homeowner should know about!

Cooking Spray Can Be Used To Stop Your Squeaky Doors

Is that same annoying door squeaking again? No WD-40 around? No problem. Cooking spray can be just as effective in getting rid of any squeaky sounds in your kitchen or elsewhere in your home.

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Spray a little cooking spray on the hinges of any doors and cabinets and watch those squeaks disappear. All those doors just needed was a proper greasing. We all wish we knew this one sooner!

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Tighten Loose Screws With Nail Polish

There’s nothing more annoying than a loose screw that won’t stay put. But did you know that a thin coat of nail polish is all you need to keep it in place? Yes, it can be as simple as that.

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The nail polish makes the nail thicker and thus helps it to stay in place. So grab some clear polish from your medicine cabinet and get painting! You’ll be glad you learned this new trick!

Crayons Can Fill Any Nail Hole In Your Home

Your kid’s art supplies just became incredibly useful thanks to this awesome hack. Find a crayon that matches your wall color, and apply firm pressure as you rub the waxy crayon into the hole.

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Who knew coloring on the walls could be a good thing? The unsightly holes left from old nails can now be easily filled thanks to your crayons. We’ll never complain about buying our children crayons again.

To Safely Remove A Broken Lightbulb, Try Using A Potato

Removing a broken lightbulb from a socket is frustrating and a little dangerous. That’s why many people use a potato to help prevent cutting themselves on the glass.

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Source: Quora

Before you remove the light, cut a potato in half. Then push the skinless side into the broken lightbulb. Turn the potato-lightbulb hybrid counterclockwise until they are embedded into each other.

Make sure you turn the lights off before you begin and don’t forget to wear protective gloves.

Stripped Screws Can Be Pulled Out Using A Rubber Band

Stripped screw got you down? It happens to the best of us. Either the screw was a bit too old or we simply were being a bit too rough with the screw and now it’s completely stripped.

As a solution, try placing a rubber band over the screw’s head, and then use your screwdriver to remove it. The rubber band gives the stripped screw extra friction that can make it a lot easier to pull it out.

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The Perfect Caulk Edge Using Painters Tape

Getting ready to do some caulking? Caulking is a tedious process, and achieving a straight edge can seem impossible. But laying down some painter’s tape first will do the trick.

The key with this hack is to remove the tape while the caulk is still wet. If you wait until it dries, you’re more likely to peel off some of the dried caulk with the tape, which will mess up your perfect straight line.

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A Cabinet Bumper Will Stop Rattling Cabinets

Are your cabinet doors or kitchen drawers always slamming, banging, or rattling? Cabinet door bumpers are a cheap and easy way to prevent your doors from slamming shut or constantly rattling.

Source: bumperspecialties.com

Place the bumper directly on the door jam to fix this issue. The bumper will absorb the shock of any slammed cabinets while also acting as the perfect buffer. You can do the same for any drawers that easily slam as well.

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Silence Squeaky Floor Boards With Baby Powder

Squeaky floorboards happen when two of the wood pieces start rubbing together. No homeowner wants to deal with the annoyance of constantly squeaking floor boards. Luckily, you can fix this irritating issue with a little baby powder.

Source: Living Proof Mag

Get a small squeeze bottle (like the ones you use for travel-sized shampoo) and fill it with baby powder. Then squeeze the powder between the two squeaky boards. Push any excess powder down through the crack with a makeup brush. Now enjoy the blissful silence of your floor boards.

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Pour Salt Down the Drain

Clogged drains are no fun and can it can be tricky to find the source of what is causing it to be blocked. This simple hack is much easier than reaching your hand or a tool down into the drain. And it’s much cleaner too.

Source: Reddit

Pour some salt down the drain to clear any blockages. Salt is a course material that will scrape the edges of the pipes as it goes down, clearing any debris stuck to the inside of the pipes that is blocking water flow.

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Set Ice On Carpet To Eliminate Carpet Dents

Have you recently moved around some furniture only to discover the indented carpet it left behind? Get rid of any dented areas in your carpet simply by placing an ice cube over the indent and letting it melt.

Source: Wenz Home Furniture

When the carpet absorbs the water, the dent should spring back, bringing new life to your old carpet. Once the area is dry, you can use a hard-bristled brush to fluff it if needed.

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A Hot Iron Can Fix Wood Dents In Your Floor or Cabinets

Did you know that a hot iron can easily repair dents in wood floors or furniture? This trick is definitely one to keep in mind! First, wet the dent with a little bit of water and cover it with a moist towel.

Source: Queen Bee of Honey Dos

Then rub the hot iron over the towel in a circular motion. This will pull the dent out after just a few minutes. We love learning about new home repair tips like this one that use common objects most of us already have around the house!

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Prevent Those Loud Cabinet Doors From Slamming

Some cabinets make the loudest noises when they slam shut, and if you have kids running around chances are you are no stranger to this noise. It can be very irritating, but thankfully there is a simple solution.

Source: Luke Stafford/ Youtube

Get some peel-and-stick drawer bumpers for your loud kitchen cabinets or drawers. These are renter-friendly and easy to use. They will help the cabinets close quietly as opposed to loud slams.

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Dishwasher Pods to Clean the Oven

The oven is one of those places in the home that is often forgotten about. But after all those delicious meals you make, there is bound to be some griminess left over in this part of the kitchen.

Source: Pinterest

One easy way to give the oven a good clean is to use a dishwasher pod! Dip the pod in warm water to soften it slightly. Then, just run the pod along the inside of the oven to clean it just as you would a sponge. Voila!

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A Bar Of Soap Can Be Used To Fill Holes In Your Home

Interestingly enough, a bar of soap can act like a spackle. Simply rub the soap counterclockwise over the hole in your wall. Be sure to wipe away any excess residue when you’re finished.

Just make sure the soap is white or matches the same color of your wall. Otherwise, you’ll be left with a colorful patch and you most likely don’t want that.

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Spray Some WD-40 To Remove Crayon or Marker Stains

Kids love expressing their creativity all over, and sometimes our walls become the victim. If your kids leave behind crayon art on your walls, don’t worry. It’s nothing a can of WD-40 can’t fix.

Spray some WD-40 on the stains and wipe them away. This trick works on most walls, but if the paint is matte or flat, the WD-40 could leave a stain. In this case, try a Magic Eraser instead.

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Buff and Clean Stainless Steel Appliances

Stainless steel appliances are beautiful but they can get dinged up over time. Whether it’s stains or scratches that are marking up your stainless steel appliances, this is how to clean them.

Source: HowToCreators/ Youtube

Use some fine sandpaper to buff out scratches on your shiny appliances. Be sure to use fine sandpaper so that it does not further scratch the material. Your appliance will be looking good as new in no time.

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Use Toilet Bowl Cleaner To Clean Up Your Grout

If you’ve got some unwanted grout in your tiles, spray toilet bowl cleaner on it. After letting it sit for 15 minutes, scrub it away with a toothbrush or small cleaning brush.

Source: Momtastic.com

Once you’re done, mop the area with warm water and watch the grout disappear. We absolutely can’t get enough on this simple cleaning trick! Tile cleaning just got a whole lot easier.

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Cure Leg Cramps By Sleeping With Soap

Technically, this isn’t a home repair, but it is a remedy that many leg cramp sufferers swear by. To relieve restless or cramping legs that disrupt your sleep, try placing a bar of soap under your fitted sheets.

Science can’t explain why this works, but it could be that the magnesium found in the soap helps calms down your leg muscles. There’s no specific brand that works better than others, so try a few out and see what works for you.

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Plungers Can Unclog More Than Just the Toilet

Drains can be clogged for a plethora of reasons. Whether it be hair, food buildup, or just he usual grime and dirt, clogged drains are no fun at all. Naturally, there are cleaners made for this exact reason but another way to unclog a drain is using the old plunger.

Source: Gold Coast Plumbing

This is a great alternative to using a chemical cleaner. Try using the plumber to unclog a shower or sink drain instead of calling the plumber.

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Put Aluminum Foil Over Your Fingers To Use Your Phone With Gloves

Trying to type a text while wearing winter gloves is a pain. Instead of purchasing an expensive pair of touchscreen gloves, you could pull out a cheap alternative from your kitchen.

Wrap a small piece of tin foil around the tip of each of your fingers, and watch how easy it is to use your phone with gloves all throughout the winter. You’re welcome!

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Tide Sticks are a Lifesaver

Tide sticks are a lifesaver for stains. You can pick these up at Target and keep them on you at all times.

Source: Youtube

They get stains out of anything in 2 seconds flat. Keep one in your bag for the next time you go to dinner. If you happen to spill, it will get the stain out right away. Be sure to use the stick as soon s you notice the stain for best results.

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Use A Tape Measure To Find Studs

Did you know your tape measure was designed to help you find studs in your wall? If you look closely, you’ll see that some numbers on the tape measurer are red, and the rest are black. You’ll also see small black diamonds at different intervals, which are meant to help locate studs.

Most homes are built with studs placed 16 inches apart. The red numbers on the tape measurer should, in theory, match up to your wall’s studs. The black diamonds are 19.2 inches apart and represent the space between the studs. While this will be true for many homes, it’s always good to double-check with a stud finder.

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Determine If Your Toilet Is Leaking With A Pack Of Kool-Aid

In this strange but true hack, you can use a 20-cent pack of Kool-aid to determine if you have a leaky toilet. This impressive hack is one everyone should know.

Pour a dark-colored Kool-Aid in the toilet tank and wait 30 minutes. If, when you return, the inside of your toilet bowl is the same color as the Kool-Aid, this means you have a leak.

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Unclog Your Drain With This Easy DIY

A slow-draining sink or tub is a common problem. But before you run to the store to buy expensive and often times unnecessary declogging solutions, try this simple DIY recipe first.

Boil a pot of water and pour it down the clogged drain. Follow that with 1/2 cup of baking soda, a 1/4 cup of salt, and a 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Let this combination sit for 10 minutes and then rinse it with hot water from the tap.

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Use A Broom To Clean Your Tub

Hate bending over to clean out your tub? Hate cleaning out your tub in general? We don’t blame you! Save your back the pain and use a broom instead with this simple cleaning hack.

Pour some dish soap all over your tub, and then use a broom to scrub it clean of mildew and scum. You’ll be shocked to see just how well the dish soap and broom combo can work. Now rinse it out and enjoy your clean tub.

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Create A Funnel Out Of Aluminum Foil

If you don’t have a funnel handy in your kitchen, you can use aluminum foil to create your own. This simple solution can certainly save you from a potential kitchen disaster should you have opted to go funnel-less instead.

Tear out a large piece of foil and form it into a cone shape. Then stick your homemade funnel into in the container you’re using, and viola! You can now easily transfer liquid or other food items from one container to the next without the mess.

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Dawn Dish Soap to the Rescue

When it comes to cleaning the house, washing the washing machine might seem somewhat redundant. But, all those dirty clothes that go in the machine can leave behind dust and dirt, so it’s important to actually give the machine a wash every once in a while.

Source: Reddit

A great way to do this is using the magic worker: Dawn dish soap. Dish soap is specially formulated to get rid of dirt molecules and will leave your clothes much fresher!

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Get Rid Of Chrome Rust With Foil

Aluminum foil once again saves the day. Practically every household has a roll or two of aluminum around and it can serve some rather surprising functions. If you have a chrome product that’s rusted, first clean it with soapy water and a microfiber towel.

Dip a piece of aluminum foil into a bowl of clean water and then use it to rub the rust away. Your tools can easily be rid of rust with a little creativity and some aluminum foil.

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Keep A Door From Shutting On You With A Rubber Band

Need to keep a door from shutting for whatever reason? If you need to keep a door open, simply loop a rubber band over the front and back knobs on your door.

Source: LittleThings.com

Doing this will keep the door from latching to the frame as the crossed rubber band will be in the way of the latch. Who would have thought that a simple rubber band could solve your problems?

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Use Nail Polish To Fix A Torn Screen

Again, we find another incredible use for clear nail polish. If you don’t have a bottle currently in your house, this is definitely a sign that every homeowner needs some clear nail polish in their life.

You can fix small tears and holes in your screen door or window with some clear nail polish. The polish acts like an invisible glue, so you can paint over the torn edges to secure them back together.

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Baking Soda: The Natural Cleaner

Baking soda is basically a miracle worker when it comes to cleaning the home. It has so many purposes and can be used to clean so many different areas of your home. One such area, is in the bathroom!

Source: Reddit

Baking soda acts as a natural cleaner. Plop a baking soda tablet into the toilet tank or just pour some baking soda right into he water. You can also mix the baking soda with some vinegar for an extra clean.

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Remove Shower Grime With Vinegar

Cleaning the bathroom and shower is not a fun activity, but of course it is something that absolutely needs to get done. If your shower and tub are covered in grime, try bathing it in vinegar.

Soak your entire shower and tub with vinegar, leave it overnight, and rinse it all out in the morning for a cleaner bathroom. This bathroom cleaning hack requires little effort, but makes a whole lot of difference.

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Prevent Car Scratches With Pool Noodles

If you’re constantly hitting your car door against the walls of your garage, a foam pool noodle could prevent any additional scratches. This is a proactive hack that is super cheap, but can save you a bunch in scratches and dents.

All you have to do to achieve this Reddit hack is cut the pool noodle in half and secure it to the wall where your car door usually hits. The next time you open your car door too quickly in the garage, the door will be gently greeted by the foam cushion and no further damage will occur.

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Touch Up Chipped Paint

Getting a scratch on your car is frustrating and auto repair shops often charge a fortune, even for small fixes. It’s good to know how to do some small touch-ups on your own. And it’s much cheaper!

Source: Badell's Collision/ Youtube

All you need is some paint, wax, grease, and a small paint applicator. First, clean the area with the wax and grease and then just spot-treat the area with small amounts of paint. Let it completely dry in a clean area and then you’re good to go!

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Use A Squeegee To Get Rid Of Pet Hair

If you own a dog of other furry pet, you know that you’ll essentially find pet hair in every nook and cranny of your home. If your carpet is covered in pet hair, try using a squeegee to collect and clean the shedded hair.

Just rub the squeegee over your carpet and watch how much hair it picks up. This common tool is the perfect alternative to dishing out tons of money for those higher-end pet hair cleaners. Why pay for something you don’t need when a squeegee can work just as well, if not better?

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Rotate Your Fans To Save On Your Electric Bill

If your electric bill is high, try rotating your ceiling fan to save on cooling and heating costs. In the winter, set your fan clockwise at a low speed to pull warm air up.

In the summer, set your fan counterclockwise to push cold air down. Doing this can keep you from always running your thermostat. You can find the direction switch on your fan if the model is older or on the wall panel if your model is newer.

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Keep Heat From Escaping With Bubble Wrap

If you’re worried that heat is escaping through your windows, try this hack. Wet the glass of your window and then stick a sheet of bubble wrap over it for instant, cheap, and effective insulation.

While this may not be the prettiest hack for your home, it will trap in the heat and keep cold weather out should you need a quick fix to that constantly cold room in the winter months.

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Prevent Drain Clogs With This Nifty Tool

You’ll never have to worry about a clogged drain again, thanks to this product. The TubShroom is a fan favorite on Amazon, and for good reason. If you live in a house where the drains easily clog or you live with a lot of longer haired people, this tool will be your lifesaver.

Its mushroom design traps hair and prevents clogs from forming in your drain. Instead of helplessly watching hair go down the drain and later creating problems for you, stop it proactively with this device. Just be sure to remove and clean out the stopper regularly.

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Bring Out The Hydrogen Peroxide

This household staple is one of the most useful products you’ll find. It can help with everything from cleaning wounds, to funky DIYs, to beauty treatments.

Let’s go over some of the most popular ways to use hydrogen peroxide in your home. You’ll be glad you learned something new and will probably be rushing to stock up on some precious hydrogen peroxide for yourself.

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Hydrogen Peroxide Can Get Rid Of Bad Breath

While gargling hydrogen peroxide may sound a little gross, it can be the ultimate fix for oral issues such as bad breath. Because it kills bacteria, hydrogen peroxide can work wonders against gum disease, which is one of the causes of bad breath.

A 2020 study even found that people who tried this hack showed significantly fewer signs of gum disease when compared to those who didn’t. To try this yourself, mix two parts of water with one part of 3% concentrated hydrogen peroxide. Now swish and spit for cleaner breath.

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Clean a Smelly Dishwasher

If your dishwasher stinks, it’s hard to feel confident that it’s cleaning your dishes. Thankfully, there are a few simple things you can do to get rid of that pesky smell.

Source: Youtube

First, be sure to clean the dishwasher screen regularly. This catches excess food and is often the source of the smell in a dishwasher. Also, be sure to clean the lip of the dishwasher door. Food residue can build up here and cause a stink as well!

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Make Antique-Looking Metal Crafts Using Hydrogen Peroxide

If you love a good DIY, you’ll love this hack. Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizing agent, so when applied to metal, it oxidizes it as well. This results in a rusted, antique look, which is popular among crafters and DIY-ers.

To achieve the look above, mix hydrogen peroxide with white vinegar and salt. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it to your craft to make it look like a priceless antique. Blogger Mountain Modern Life used this hack on decorative horseshoes to make them look vintage.

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Get Dead Bugs Off Your Car With Hydrogen Peroxide

If your car looks like a graveyard for bugs, bring out the hydrogen peroxide. Spraying your car with this household staple will help you wipe them immediately away.

Hydrogen peroxide disintegrates the protein found in most bugs — and it does so without damaging your car paint. However, keep in mind that the acids left by dead bugs can mess with your paint if you leave them on there for too long.

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Hydrogen Peroxide Can Help Clean The Inside Of Your Car

You can also use hydrogen peroxide to clean your car’s interior. The Frugal Ginger recommends mixing hydrogen peroxide with white vinegar, dish soap, and warm water.

Put all of those ingredients in a spray bottle, apply it to your car seats and floors and scrub it with a brush. Another blogger found that hydrogen peroxide also helped get rid of soda stains.

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Clean Your Pet Of Skunk Stink

If you’ve ever had a pet sprayed by a skunk, you know how hard it is to remove that nasty odor. Banfield Pet Hospital recommends mixing hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap to help wash the stink off of your pet.

Just make sure to act quickly as the longer you wait, the harder it is to remove the smell. Also, be sure to keep the hydrogen peroxide out of your dog’s ears. The American Kennel Club says that is a no-no.

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Make Your Dog Throw Up With Hydrogen Peroxide

This situation has most likely happened to many pet owners out there. You pet or pup swallowed something it shouldn’t have. If your dog ingests something bad for them, and you need to make them throw it up immediately, give them a little hydrogen peroxide.

Banfield Pet Hospital says to call your veterinarian first to ensure this is a safe option for them. Should you use hydrogen peroxide as a solution to this issue, you’ll also want to only use a small amount of it.

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Get Rid Of Armpit Stains

If the underarms of your white shirts have seen better days, don’t throw the shirts away. There is in fact a way to get rid of those armpit stains and that solution of course involves hydrogen peroxide!

Mix two parts hydrogen peroxide and one part dish soap. Leave the mixture on the stair for about an hour and then throw it in the wash. The aluminum that causes these stains should be removed by your hydrogen peroxide treatment in no time.

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Make Your Pool Water Clear

If you’re looking for a chlorine alternative, try hydrogen peroxide. For this hack, you’ll need to find the stronger 35% concentrated food-grade hydrogen peroxide.

Top view of a yellow inflatable mattress in an above ground private backyard swimming pool

According to the SF Gate, you’ll need to add a cup of it for every 250 gallons of water in your pool if you ever treated your pool with chlorine. After you do that once, you can use a cup of hydrogen peroxide for every 500 gallons to keep it clean and clear.

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Rid Your Pots Of Burn Marks With Hydrogen Peroxide

Now this is the ultimate kitchen hack. If your pots and pans are covered in scorch marks, try cleaning them with this hydrogen peroxide DIY from Centsable Momma.

Cover the burnt area of your pot with baking soda and then spray it with hydrogen peroxide. Leave the paste on the pot for several hours and then scrub the burn marks away with aluminum foil.

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Toothpaste to Fill Small Holes

When you move out or are in the middle of a surface-level redesign, chances are that one of the first things you want to address is those small holes you left behind when you hung your favorite posters.

Source: Ableimages from Photo Images (Canva Pro)

If you have those holes in your walls or woodwork, toothpaste can be a quick and easy fix. Just dab a bit of toothpaste into the hole, smooth it out, and let it dry. Once dry, you can just paint over it!

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Shoe Polish for Wood Scratches

Wooden furniture is one of the easiest ways to make an apartment look classy. If your wooden pieces happen to have some annoying scratches, however, shoe polish can help disguise them.

Source: Vova Shevchuk (Canva Pro)

Choose a shoe polish that matches the color of the wood and apply it to the scratched area. Buff it in with a soft cloth, and the scratches should become much less noticeable.

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Old Socks as Dusting Mitts

 If there’s one thing that Phoebe Buffay taught us, it’s that socks can be so much more than just footwear, but rather than sock bunnies- they can also be wonderful rugs! 

Source: ArminStautBerlin from Getty Images Pro (Canva Pro)

Instead of buying expensive dusting mitts, repurpose old socks. Simply slide a sock over your hand and use it to dust surfaces like shelves, furniture, and blinds. The fabric will attract dust and leave your surfaces clean.

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Lemon Juice for Hard Water Stains

Just when you thought that lemon was the most versatile citrus, here comes another hack: Hard water stain remover. Hard water can do a number on faucets and fixtures can be stubborn to remove.

Source: PhotoMIX-Company from pixabay (Canva Pro)

Try using lemon juice to dissolve them. Cut a lemon in half and rub it directly onto the stained area. Let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse with water and wipe clean.

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Rubbing Alcohol for Marker Stains

Fun and colorful, markers can be really helpful, that is when they’re not simmered across the walls of the house. If you do happen to have marker stains on surfaces like walls or countertops, simple rubbing alcohol can help remove them.

Source: Jupiterimages from Photo Images (Canva Pro)

Just apply some rubbing alcohol to a cloth (a sock, perhaps?) and gently scrub the stained area. The alcohol should lift the marker ink, leaving the surface clean.

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Velcro to Keep Rugs in Place

Carpets and rugs are the marks of a beautifully decorated home, but they have their own challenges, from stains and dust to a very slippery surface on your floor.

Source: curtoicurto from Getty Images (Canva Pro)

If you have rugs that constantly slip and slide, attach strips of Velcro to the underside of the rug and the floor. The Velcro will create friction and help keep the rug in place, preventing accidents and ensuring your floors stay protected.

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Not All Superheroes Wear Capes

If you’re a parent and a homeowner you especially excel in everyday problem-solving, wielding creativity and humor to tackle life’s little hurdles. From transforming bathroom blunders into unforgettable bonding moments to concocting clever tricks that turn mundane routines into exciting adventures, using hacks like these can also be fun for your kids.

Source: irynakhabliuk (Canva Pro)

As you infuse every day with fun and laughter into cleaning with mittens it will also provide your children with good habits around the home.

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