5 Interior fix-ups for Mum
Forget the chocolates and flowers this Mother’s Day, why not give her a gift that’ll she’ll appreciate long after the others have gone? Tackling a few of the tasks on her home maintenance list is sure to brighten up her day. Here’s 5 common jobs you can do.
Lubricate squeaky hinges
Stop that annoying squeak with a quick shot of lubricant to the door hinges. WD40 is perfect and has a handy nozzle so you can spray it right into the hinge. Open and close the door a few times to work it in and have a rag handy to clean up any drips.
Adjust kitchen doors
If the doors on your kitchen are a bit out of line and the gaps between them are uneven, the place to turn to is the hinges. Most have adjustment screws so they can go up and down, in and out and side to side. Use a screwdriver to slightly adjust the hinges on adjacent doors and improve the look of your kitchen in just a few minutes.
Fix a squeaky floorboard
Why is it squeaky boards always pop up where they are most annoying? They’re usually caused by the nails holding them down coming loose. The fix? Nail them back down again! Drill a couple of small pilot holes on an angle through the board into the floor joist below. Hammer a 50mm nail through the holes to hold it down again.
Fix a leaking tap
The drip, drip of a leaky tap can be infuriating, not to mention a waste of water. Leaks in old style taps can be fixed by replacing the washer. Turn off the water at the meter then unscrew the handle and spindle from the tap. Remove the washer then take it with you to buy a new one to match. Refit the washer then reassemble the tap. Leaking mixer taps can be fixed by replacing the cartridge in the body of the tap. Remove the grub screw holding the handle in place (check under the red and blue plug on the handle) then disassemble the tap until you can remove the cartridge. Again take it with you to buy a new one to get the right fit. Put in the new cartridge then reassemble the tap.
