We’ve all had moments at home when we wished we were a little more DIY-savvy. As it turns out, knowing the basics is much easier than you might think! Keep your home fresh and functioning with these staple DIY tips that everyone should know about.
Finding the stopcock
Many people won’t know what this is or where to find it until they need to. A stopcock is the mains water tap, which is the valve for turning the water system off and on in your home, which makes it an important household feature.
Stopcocks are typically situated in the kitchen below the sink unit. In some cases, they’re located elsewhere in the house, and you may need to call a plumber to help you find it.
Unblocking a sink
The first thing you should do when unblocking a sink is check for any debris trapped in the plug hole. If it’s not clear what the cause is, drain any remaining water and unscrew the plug to give it a good clean. You may find that the problem is a build-up of soap scum or hair wrapped around the plug, causing the sink to block up. Once you’ve removed the blockage, try running the taps to see if the water drains away.
If the sink is still blocked, grab your plunger, and place the base of it around the plug hole. Fill the sink with around 5cm of lukewarm water to create a tight seal and then firmly pump the plunger up and down. This will create suction and dislodge the water and any solids trapped down the pipe.
Bleeding a radiator
The first step in bleeding a radiator is turning off your central heating at the main controls in order to prevent more air entering the system. Next, you’ll need to locate the bleed valve, this should be a small red handle found on one side of the radiator. Place a bowl underneath the valve to catch any leaking water.
Insert the bleed key that came with your radiator into the valve and twist it anticlockwise for no more than half a turn, allowing the trapped air to escape. When water starts to drip from the valve, this is signalling that all the air has leaked out.
Restoring old floor tiles
Encaustic tiles often have a layer of old polish, wax, or ground-in grime on them, which casts a veil over their original charm. It may take a little elbow grease, but you can restore your floor tiles by making use of a floor cleaning soap, a heavy-duty scourer or wire brush, and a floor shine restorer. If you have a porous floor, use a tile sealant to seal the tiles, then glaze them over with shine polish to bring them back to life.
Installing shelves
Before putting up any shelves, it’s important to map out the position of each one and decide what they’re being used for. Once you’ve decided, mark the heights on the wall with a pencil and hold a spirit level at each spot to mark the positions of the fixing brackets.
Make sure the brackets are no more than 600mm apart to prevent sagging and choose a drill bit that matches the rawl plugs you’re going to use. Then you can start drilling into the wall. Manually push the rawl plugs into the holes until the ends are just showing, and then attach the wall brackets by driving screws into the rawl plugs.
Tightening a door handle
This is a quick and easy task that will make you feel so much better if you tick it off the list. Before you start, make sure you have the correct size screwdriver, as using an incorrect screw head can damage the screws and make tightening and removing them more difficult.
Keep the door open and hold the base of the handle firmly with your free hand. Use the screwdriver to tighten the screws clockwise until tight and repeat the process on both sides of the door.
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