8 DIY Quick Fixes to Tackle at Home During This Labour Day Weekend

Labour Day weekend is a fantastic time for homeowners to do some maintenance around the house. There are plenty of projects that can be done over the course of the weekend without taking sunup to sundown to complete them.

It can be a real chore to deal with all of your home's trouble spots and "quirks," especially after you've learned to live with them. Sometimes it's out of pure procrastination, putting off for months a minor repair work that would take only five minutes to complete. 

Other times, we may delay because we're just not sure how to handle the problem (but we sure don't want to pay a handyman to do something we should be capable of doing ourselves). Whatever the case, these little annoyances can add up to much bigger frustrations, leaving us with a feeling that the house is completely falling apart.

Never fear: At Rayneau Construction and Industrial Equipment Limited we have outlined 8 of the most pesky house problems and provided the quick-and-easy fixes that will bring your home back to tip-top shape.

Squeaky Doors

Do you have one or two doors at home that squeaks so much that sometimes you feel like ripping them off? Be patient! Here are a few quick fixes. Spray a little WD-40 onto the hinges, moving the door back and forth to work in the lubricant. Or try rubbing the hinges with petroleum jelly. If these tricks don’t work, lift the hinge pins about halfway and lubricate them with three-in-one oil, using a rag to catch drips.

Dripping Faucet

This nagging problem seems to affect every home; most times it’s in the kitchen. Depending on the source of the leak and the type of faucet, your quick fix may vary, but you're most likely dealing with a worn washer or O-ring. If you have separate handles for hot and cold water, shut off the water to one at a time to determine which causes the drip. Once you know, make sure the water is shut off and then disassemble the faulty handle so you can reach and replace the washer and O-ring. If the faucet is really old, consider replacing it with a new model from us that will match the holes left by the old model.

Stained Tub/Sink

Combine equal amounts of cream of tartar and baking soda with enough lemon juice dish washer to make a paste. Rub the mixture into the stain with your fingers or a soft cloth. Let sit for a half hour, and then rinse well with water.

Slamming Door

I’m sure you'll admit to it. Every now and then in the heat of the moment, you slam the occasional door. If you have a door slammer in your house, all you need to do is head to our store and buy a package of those little felt pads that are used to protect surfaces from getting marked up.

Grab one or two felt pads and stick them inside the door frame. You can put them around the lock area, or spread them out closer to the top and bottom. The pads will catch the door before it hits the frame. While it won't completely silence the slam, it will quiet it, providing you some protection from the sound.

Dusty Chandelier

Have you ever looked up at your chandelier and noticed that it was covered in dust? It might be the focal point of your dining room, but it sure isn’t easy to clean. So how can you thoroughly dust and polish the chandelier without getting dust all over everything else?

Allow the fixture to cool. Wear a pair of white cotton gloves ―one dry, one dampened with glass cleaner. (For crystal, use one part rubbing alcohol  to three parts distilled water.) Wipe each prism with the damp glove, then the dry one.

Diverting Gutter Run-Off

The start of the hurricane season is only days away and you can associate it with much rain. If your gutters are dumping water right next to your foundation, you’re just asking for trouble. Use flexible corrugated drainpipe to lengthen and extend your gutter downspouts well away from your exterior. You can choose to bury the pipe or leave it exposed—either way, make sure the water is headed away from your house and not back into it.

Stuck Sliding Windows

A stuck sliding door can be very frustrating for everyone at home – more so, the little ones who do not have the strength to pull it open. A little silicone spray lubricant will grease the skids. Spray it onto a rag, then wipe along the tracks, whether they’re metal, wood, or plastic.

Flattened Down Cushions

Have you (the men) been spending a lot of time chillin on the sofa to watch TV or taking that quick nap after a hard days’s work? I am sure you must have felt that the chillin is not as comfortable as before – the cushions have flattened!

Put them outside in the sun for a few hours, flipping them halfway through. (Be careful―leaving them out too long may fade the fabric.) The sun will help evaporate the moisture that gets into the filling over time, and the cushions should plump up nicely.

Do you have any quick  DIY fixes you would like to add to our list? Write them in our comments section. We'll be happy to share them.

Happy Labour Day Weekend