7 Genius DIY home hacks you can do with barely any tools (or skills!)

Who doesn’t love DIY?

Now, you don’t need to be an absolute DIY expert that’s building sheds and small houses every other week. There are many little DIY hacks and tasks you can do around your home with hardly any experience, knowledge, or skills! They’re not the biggest projects in the world, but they can still provide you with some amazing results. You can find a list of ideas down below, all of which require the bare minimum equipment. 

Anti-slip slippers and rugs

Do you often slide around on your hardwood flooring? Are you constantly getting annoyed at a rug that’s slipping and sliding out of place every day? If so, you can put a stop to this with a really quick and easy DIY hack, and all you need is a glue gun. People think it’s hard to get your hands on one of these tools, but you can buy them from places like Glue Guns Direct with ease – they’re not dangerous or harmful at all. It is worth getting one, as a few of the hacks on this list require one!

Anyway, this idea is a simple one; melt some hot glue onto the bottom of your slippers or rugs, then leg it dry. Now, you’ll have more traction against the hardwood flooring, meaning you stop sliding and your rug stops slipping. It’s a DIY anti-slip hack that can be done in minutes. 

Toothpaste buffer

Did you know that toothpaste does a lot more than keep our teeth clean and healthy? A standard toothpaste – one that’s a paste, not a gel – will contain ingredients that make it slightly gritty. When applied to certain surfaces, it can act as a buffer to get rid of small paint scratches. 

All you have to do is wet the surface, then apply a dollop of toothpaste and scrub away with a washcloth. The grittiness of the toothpaste will buff out the scratches and leave your item looking brand new. It works well on furniture, cars, doors, and has even been shown to work on mobile phone and tablet screens. 

Clean crayon stains with a hairdryer

Have you got any children? Do they like playing with crayons? If the answer to these questions is yes, you’ve almost certainly got crayon marks on your walls. You’ve also almost certainly tried to clean the marks from your walls, but they’re not budging. 

Well, with this DIY hack, you can call upon your trusty hairdryer to help you out. Simply turn your hairdryer on, point it at the wall for a few moments, and let the crayon stains soften up. Effectively, crayons are made from wax, which is why regular stain removal techniques don’t work properly. You need to heat it up, so the wax softens and comes away from the wall. Then, you can use a soft cloth to wipe everything away, and viola! Your walls are crayon-free!

Stop your clothes from falling off hangers

The glue gun is back in action for this one, and it’s yet another idea related to things slipping. This time, we’re in your wardrobe, looking at all the hangers. Some hangers are built with an extra grippy substance on the top, stopping your items from sliding off. This happens a lot with shirts, dresses, and other loose items. 

If your hangers don’t have an anti-slip grip, don’t worry. Get your glue gun out, dollop little balls of glue along the top of the hanger, then let it all dry. Once the glue has hardened, you have basically created non-slip hangers. Put your clothes on them and marvel as they stay neatly in place. 

Un-stink your microwave with vinegar

Is un-stink a word? If not, then it is now! 

Microwaves can get super smelly as they’re used to cooking just about anything. Does your partner sometimes buy those ready-meal mac n cheese that absolutely stink? Has someone cooked fish in the microwave? Whatever’s causing the stench, it’s really hard to stomach. Plus, with splashes all over the inside, it’s a very disgusting thing to scrub clean. 

Thankfully, you can avoid this with a simple cleaning ingredient everyone has at home: vinegar. Put some in a bowl, turn your microwave on, and let it sit in there for five minutes. The microwave heats up the vinegar, causing it to evaporate and steam up the inside. As a result, the vinegar steam degreases the microwave and cleans it from the inside. All you have to do is wipe it once over with a cloth, and it’s fresh and clean. 

Let your screwdriver light the way

Have you ever tried to screw or unscrew something, only for it to be super dark? You can’t see what you’re doing, so you have to try and shine a torch on it with one hand and screw with the other. Obviously, this is sometimes impossible as you can’t get enough grip on the screw with just one hand. 

Instead, you just need a small keychain flashlight that you tape to the top of your screwdriver. It’s a simple little job, and you can now turn the light on whenever you need it. It’ll light the way for you while you screw, so you can always see what you’re doing. 

Extend your vacuum cleaner with a wrapping paper tube

Most vacuum cleaners come with extra attachments to be used in different circumstances. One of them will be a thin tube that helps you reach places that you can’t quite get to with the cleaner’s default hose. But, even with this attachment, you might struggle to reach the higher places in your home. 

So, all you need to do is place a wrapping paper tube over the end of the attachment. Just like that, you have an extra attachment that lets you reach higher places. It genuinely works, and it’s amazing how simple it is!

There’s a nice mixture of ideas here for you to play around with and use in your home. They’re all so easy to do, and you will need a maximum of two or three pieces of equipment for each hack. 

Cover Photo by Mike, Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko