Break it to fix it, part 2

courtesy of my large collection of vintage how-to, DIY, helpful hints, home repair and craft books, i want to share some of the break it to fix it tips i've learned.

Reader's Digest The Family Handyman Helpful Hints, 1995:

1.  casters falling out of your furniture legs? saw a notch to about halfway down in the caster's post and spread the resulting pieces just enough to increase tension on the inside of the furniture leg and keep the caster in place. it will still be able to swivel but not as likely to drop out.

2. pests in the cabinets? they can get to places you can't and hang out under the cabinet, behind the toekick. if you aren't going to make a toekick drawer, then drill small a hole in the toekick or in the hardboard/wood floor of the cabinet that you can fit the nozzle of a can of bug spray up to. whenever you do your normal pest control [more often in some places depending on the weather and how old your house is] then spray through the hole too. in between treatments, plug the hole with a dowel or a furniture dowel plug to keep from inviting in extra bugs.

Popular Mechanics, October 1976:

3. bend the wire handle on your paint can to fit around your paintbrush handle. snap the brush into the bent place on the wire handle when you need to put it down without making a mess as the paintbrush will be resting over the can, but not sliding down into the paint.

Break it to fix it, part 1

courtesy of my large collection of vintage how-to, DIY, helpful hints, home repair and craft books, i want to share some of the break it to fix it tips i've learned.

Reader's Digest The Family Handyman Helpful Hints, 1995:

1. sagging cabinet door with standard butt hinges? pop the top hinge pin out, give it a slight bend and hammer it back into the hinge. it will lift the sagging hinge just slightly back into place.

2. need a can rack in your pantry? buy a vinyl coated standard wire closet shelf and mount it upside down at a slant so the back is elevated enough to send the cans rolling toward the front and the front edge forms a lip that catches the can.

3. if you are a gardener with a broken lampshade, save the shade and rip the covering off. next time you have a short droopy plant that needs a frame, use the lampshade like you would a tomato frame to keep your greenery from falling down