Useful info for busy people...
Make a list of all emergency Utility numbers.
Purchase a basic tool kit and learn how to safely use it
If you smell gas open all doors and windows - DO NOT switch any electrical
appliances (including lights) ON or OFF! Call the Gas Emergency Contact Number:
0800 111 999
If you encounter an emergency Electrical situation and live in the London area there are two numbers to call (either should respond). These are:
London Electricity: 0800 0280 247
London Power Networks: 0800 0280 247
DIY MADE EASIER:
1. When decorating, always work from the top down: prepare the ceiling, then the walls and finally, the woodwork. Paint them in the same order.
2. When painting a ceiling, stop paint running down your arms by making a hole in a paper plate and pushing it up onto the handle of the brush.
3. If you leave brush marks when painting, dab them away with a sponge. Dip the sponge in wet paint and repeat.
4. Before putting a screw in the wall, rub soap on the thread. Even years later, the screw will be easy to remove.
5. Cure squeaky floorboards by dusting between the joints with talcum powder.
6. If a door sticks due to expanding wood in hot or wet weather, apply a little furniture polish to edge of door and frame - it'll soon open and close with ease.
7. Loosen a jammed metal nut by pouring boiling water over it. The heat causes the metal to expand, freeing the jammed thread.
8. When mixing filler, add a few drops of washing-up liquid - it makes it much smoother.
9. If a screw hole is too big, fill it out with matchsticks.
10. If drawers are difficult to open, smooth soap or washing-up liquid along the runners.
11. When stripping wallpaper in a room where you no longer want to keep the carpet, leave it down until you've finished stripping the walls. Then roll the carpet up with all the waste paper inside it and dispose of the lot at once.
12. To prevent your saw sticking when cutting through wood, spray both sides of it with WD40 first. It'll go through the wood like a hot knife through butter.
13. If you're having trouble removing a rawl plug from a wall, use a corkscrew on it just as you would to remove a cork from a bottle.
14. If your ceiling is badly stained, paint it with one layer of undercoat before emulsion. The stains wont come through.
16. Hand cream is great at un-sticking stiff locks, hinges etc. - its every bit as quick and effective as lubricating oil.
17. To avoid wood splitting when you hammer a nail in, blunt the point of the nail with the hammer first.
18. Before laying foam-backed carpet, sprinkle a little talc or corn flour on the floor. If you have to take the carpet up in the future, it won't stick to the floor.
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