9 Amazing Things to do With Duct Tape

Duct tape is the tape of a thousand uses, but since we don't have all day we've come up with 9 uses you can do today. Got any you think we should add? Just comment below!

Hem Your Trousers

It’s an unwritten law that you notice your hem on your skirt or trousers has come loose just as you’re about to leave the house, and then have to spend time hunting for a needle and thread to repair it. Duct tape works really well as an emergency hem repair kit, and is especially good on thick fabrics like denim which are tough to sew through.

Get Crafty

Follow Sherron Heidlage's board Duct Tape Crafts on Pinterest.

Duct tape makes the perfect crafting material as it can be bent and shaped without losing its structure. Duct tape flowers are particularly effective and easy to make, and if you use a variety of different colours or patterned tape, you can create a whole bouquet of blooms for very little cost. Duct tape can also be wound into spirals to make beads, or fashioned into ties, flip-flops and many other sorts of accessories.

Emergency Key

If you’re prone to forgetting your keys or locking yourself out of the house, duct tape can be used to keep a key safely, somewhere that nobody would think to look for it. Tape a spare house key to the inside door of your car, or to the underside of a windowsill at the back or rear of the property.

Hammock

We all know that duct tape is very strong, so why not exploit its strength and make yourself a unique hammock to while away those summer afternoons? All you need apart from your rolls of duct tape is a couple of lengths of strong wood and some rope. Join the two lengths of wood together using long strips of tape, then weave tape backwards and forwards to form the mesh of the hammock.

Learn how to make your own duct tape hammock with this guide on Instructables.

Leaks

It’s not a permanent fix, but when push comes to shove you can use a roll of duct tape to repair a split in the hull of a small boat or canoe. It can also be used to patch up beach balls, lilos and other inflatables. Duct tape works well as a temporary measure and may extend the life of your rubber ring until the end of your holiday, but shouldn’t be relied on as a permanent repair.

Get Rid of Warts

The traditional treatments for getting rid of warts usually use chemicals to dissolve the wart or high pressured gas to freeze it off. A less high-tech, but equally effective method involves putting duct tape over the wart for seven days, removing the tape and rinsing the finger, then repeating until the wart has disappeared.

Waxing

If you can’t afford a trip to the beauty salon to have your legs and bikini line waxed, it is possible to do the job yourself with some duct tape. It takes some practice to get the technique of ripping the strips of tape off quickly, and tape isn’t as kind to your skin as the professional wax strips. It’s not the best way of waxing, but it will do at a push. Oh, and by the way - it will probably hurt like hell!

Emergency Plumbing Repairs

Burst pipes are a nightmare, and if you have sprung a leak somewhere in your home, some duct tape fixed over the leaky part will minimise damage to your property until the professionals can get there to do the job properly. Make sure to check if the duct tape is waterproof first though. You can by waterproof duct tape that you can keep in a cupboard for emergencies.

Kids Dressing Up

Wrapping your kids up in duct tape isn’t recommended (as funny as that image above is, don't do it!), but a roll of silver duct tape can instantly transform some plain cardboard into a sword, shield, suit of armour or a robot costume. It’s an easy way to make cheap and effective Halloween costumes.

Mashable has 15 ways you can make Halloween costumes with duct tape.

You may wonder why taping windows up to prepare for a storm isn't on there. The fact is that it's a complete myth that it will do anything to prevent your window from shattering, so don't bother wasting time and effort doing it.

Black Mould: How to Get Rid of it and Prevent it

Black mould or mildew in the bathroom isn’t just unsightly, it can be a real health hazard too. High levels of mould in the bathroom can cause a range of health problems as they produce a toxin which we breathe in every time we go into the room. In some people these problems can be mild allergy type symptoms, but in other people or when there are high levels of mould and mildew, the spores can cause permanent lung damage. Many households are involved in an ongoing battle against the mould and mildew, but there are a few things you can do to get rid of the mould, and to stop it coming back.

Getting Rid of It

Black mould is obviously not pleasant and whatever method you choose to try to get rid of it, it is important to protect yourself by using a face mask to prevent breathing in the spores. You're going to have to get out the big guns to get rid of the mould and mildew as using soap and water just isn’t going to be effective enough. You can look on the supermarket shelves for specialist mould and mildew removing products and follow the instructions on the bottle, or use stronger chemicals like ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. These chemicals are strong and can burn, so make sure you use rubber gloves, open the window for ventilation, and keep the kids and pets clear as you work. Pay special attention to the corners of the room or the grout between the tiles.

Baking soda mixed with vinegar does wonders when tackling bathroom mould!

There’s another method you can use without having to go out and spend money on chemical packed products. Simply mix baking soda with vinegar to create a thick paste. Use a toothbrush to dip into the paste and scrub the affected areas. For more stubborn areas, leave for 15 minutes before scrubbing off with warm water. If any sealant, such as around the bath, is badly stained then you’ll have to peel it off and replace as no amount of scrubbing or bleach will completely remove it.

If you have mould and mildew on your shower curtain, wash it on a hot cycle with some added bleach. If the mildew is hard to remove, swap your soft fabric shower curtain for a stiffer plastic one which is both less welcoming to the mould and easier to keep clean.

Ventilation

Once you’ve done the hard work of getting rid of the black mould, the last thing you want is for it to come back a few weeks later. Mould prefers to grow in warm and damp atmosphere, so getting air flowing through the bathroom is going to hinder its growth. Keep the bathroom window open whenever you can, especially when you are having a bath or a shower, and if you don't have a bathroom window or can’t leave it open for security reasons, the other option is to invest in a powerful extractor fan which will help the air to circulate. Leave the fan on for 5 or 10 minutes after you have finished in the shower, or get a fan fitted with a timer which switches on and off automatically with the light switch. There are even models that only operate when they sense moisture in the way, so you can leave it to suck all the moisture out of the bathroom before it switches itself off.

If you're getting a lot of condensation in your bathroom then it's a good bet that mould will eventually follow. As such it's worth having a read of this guide on avoiding bathroom condensation.

Mould Resistant Paint

Although it’s tempting, don't try to get rid of the black mould in the bathroom by just painting it over. It might look not too bad for a week or two, but the mould will eventually be back. However, once you’ve removed the mould and your walls are clear, you can then treat it with special mould resistant paint which will prevent the mould from starting to grow again. The downside is that the paint is a bit more expensive than regular emulsion and is available in a limited range of colours, but it’s certainly effective at stopping the mould, as long as you remember to keep the room ventilated. If you have had to scrape out all of the grout from between the bathroom tiles due to mould, replace the grout with a special mould resistant anti-bacterial and anti-fungal version too.

Heating and Insulation

A heated towel rail will bring both style and heat to your bathroom. 

Mould grows more quickly in rooms which are cold, damp or not well insulated. If you are living in an older property which has poor insulation, addressing this can help stop the mould coming back. Investigate whether you can have cavity wall insulation, or if your bathroom is upstairs, whether loft insulation will help. There are often government grants available to help pay for this sort of work (take a look here for help in finding exactly the grant you need), and most types of loft insulation are easy to install yourself (we wrote an article about the different types of insulation). Think about replacing an old, draughty single glazed window with a double glazed unit, and if your bathroom is unheated, ask a plumber to quote for installing a simple radiator or heated towel rail to help keep the chill off the room and stop the mould from growing.

Making a Greenhouse out of your Attic

The benefits of converting your loft into an extra bit of living space, whether a spare bedroom, bathroom, home office or leisure area, are well known. From increasing your home’s value to expanding your available space without the need to move house, loft conversions have proven their worth time and again.

Toronto Greenhouse Loft

But if those ideas don’t spark your interest, then how about something completely different? Those with green fingers and a bit of a creative bent could do well to take note of Toronto residents Stephen Young and Roseanne Berry, and their unique and ambitious attic conversion project.

Increasingly frustrated by the under use of their roof space, which up until this point had been a dumping ground for rarely used storage items, a makeshift guest bedroom and a generally dark and seldom visited corner of the home, the couple decided to take action.

Tying in with Young’s love of the culinary world, they took advantage of a complete extension and remodelling of the space, as well as some user-friendly gardening equipment, and created a fully operational greenhouse in their attic. Now, Young and Berry can grow tomatoes, lettuces, chillies and much more in the specially irrigated “vegetable farm”, keeping the local neighbourhood raccoon's away from the plants that used to sit exposed out on the deck.

Creating your Own

This may have been a large and ambitious project, but similar results can be obtained in your loft with a few DIY basics, if you so wish. Attics are ideal for use as a produce growing area, as they are fully exposed to natural sunlight (with the right window options), well out of the way of pests, animals and fumes from vehicles, and are often sufficiently hot and humid if insulated correctly.

There are a number of considerations you must make before you start planting your vegetables and herbs, however. First of all, you must work out a way to protect the floor from any water that may fall on it as a result of plant irrigation or condensation from the heat - plastic sheeting or properly sealed hardwood flooring provide the simple solution here.

Next, set up some standing shelving units on top of your plastic sheeting around three sides of the area you wish to use as your greenhouse. These will hold your seedlings and plants, so bear that in mind when you’re measuring size and shape.

Install specialised grow bulb lighting underneath the top of the shelving units (these can be found at most garden centres and DIY shops), and attach an automatic timer to the plug socket they’re being used in. The timer should replicate the rising and setting of the sun, so adjust it accordingly as the seasons change.

Finally, cover the whole area in plastic sheeting so as to keep it insulated, leaving an access point for you to get in and water the plants inside.

Installing and maintaining a basic greenhouse like this in the attic is simple and straightforward, but it may not be everyone’s idea of fun, and those opting for the more conventional bedroom, bathroom or office conversions should seek the assistance of professionals. 

How to Get Rid of Dust Mites

Dust mites are the bane of many people’s lives, but most especially those with asthma or other breathing issues. Dust mites are minute creatures which thrive off the dust and debris which is left behind by most human’s daily lives. Much of what forms the diet of the average dust mite is rather horrible to contemplate; they eat the tiny flakes of skin which are shed by humans and left behind on many surfaces but most especially within soft furnishings, bedding, rugs and soft toys. Because dust mites can cause extreme irritation to those who have breathing problems already, it is very important that you deal with the issue should it arise in your home.

If you do find that you have to get rid of dust mites then the first thing to do is to target each room as a separate entity; this helps you to ensure that you do not miss one single item in your battle against dust mites.

Tackle the problem room by room.

Begin in the bedroom by removing all of the bedding and washing it on the hottest wash possible. The carpets are most effectively removed by using a commercial carpet cleaner which again is set to the hottest possible setting. Carpet cleaners may be hired relatively cheaply from large superstores.

With soft toys and cushions, a two pronged attack is necessary as they are thick and dust mites may be harboured deep within the body of them. Use a vacuum cleaner to thoroughly remove as much dust and mites as possible and then wash the items on a very hot setting. Hang them out to dry and then vacuum then once more, before washing them once more again. This may seem over the top but it is the only way to be certain that any dust or mites are really removed.

You will also need to be careful when you dispose of the bag from the vacuum cleaner; if you are planning on an attack of the entire house, you should change the bag of the vacuum cleaner outdoors and often. Do not do it indoors or you will be at risk of releasing the mites again.

As with the bedroom, you will also need to use a commercial carpet cleaner on the other carpets in your home. If possible, clean them twice. Heavy curtains and drapes are renowned for harbouring dust mites and these should be sent away to be cleaned professionally. If your curtains and drapes are made of cotton and are lightweight then you will be able to clean them in your own washing machine on a very hot setting. Again, do this twice.

All hard surfaces such as laminate and hardwood floors should be cleaned with hot water, ensuring that you reach under all furniture so that you get to every dusty spot. Cleaning a house to free it from dust mites is a long process, but it is best to be extremely thorough so that they don’t keep coming back.

You should clean soft toys and cushions on a weekly basis if you have an asthma sufferer in the house, as this is the only true way to avoid the infestation getting a grip on your home.

Top image by Gilles San Martin.

How to Lay your own Carpets: A Fuss Free Method!

Laying your own carpets isn’t as difficult as you may imagine. Many people are put off by the fact that carpets are not only heavy to move but very expensive, one mistake and there’s no going back! But if you follow instructions very carefully then there’s no need to assume that carpet laying is only a job which professionals can tackle. Before you begin the task of laying your own carpet, take a look at the tools which you will need.

• Sharp knife such as a Stanley Knife
• Chalk
• Tape measure
• Knee pads

The first thing you will need to tackle is the removal of the old carpet. Many people do this by cutting it into strips before pulling it up. Take the door off the hinges first and then begin cutting your strips. Roll the strips up as you go along so that they are easier to dispose of. If your underlay is in good condition you can retain this, but in most cases if the carpet is worn out then the underlay will be too. Leave any existing tackstrips in place and ensure that the floor is clean and dry before moving on to the next stage.

Laying Underlay

Your underlay should be laid in strips right up to the tackstrips, and then trimmed with a sharp knife. Next you should use duct tape to seal the edges of the underlay and ensure a tight fit.

Laying Carpet

Installing your carpet will be the next stage and to begin, you should make sure that you have a piece which overlaps the edge of the floor by around 6 inches. To cut the carpet you should measure the room at the longest point and then add on the 6 inches. Mark the carpet on the reverse with the added measurement; do this on both edges and then join the marks with a chalk line. Be sure to get this line very straight, using a straight edge to help. Once you have marked the line, fold the carpet back on itself and cut along the line with a Stanley Knife, again making use of your straight edge to ensure that your cut is perfect. You can place some old board or thick card underneath your working area to protect your underlay.

As you continue to fit the carpet along the room, remember that any cuts you make are permanent and that as you cut along the skirting boards, your cuts should be slightly angled towards yourself and not away from yourself. This ensures a tidy finish with the “nap” of the carpet lying correctly and towards the wall or skirting boards.

Fitting carpet is a precise job which, although daunting at first, is actually not that complicated and only needs a steady hand and a little bravery! Prepare your carpet and your room well and you’re sure to make a success of the task. It’s a good idea to have an extra person around to help out and to provide a second pair of hands and eyes. Two people checking if a line is straight are far more reliable than one.

How To Get Tough Stains Out of Carpets

It’s every home-owners nightmare: a glass of red wine spilled across their beautiful cream carpet. Stains on carpets can be very hard to remove, and there is no end to old wives’ tales about salt, using water, not using water and so on.

Although there is no one way of treating every stain, it’s worthwhile learning how to deal with the most common stains so that if that glass of red wine is spilled, you’ll know what to do about it.

General Principles

Although there are no miracle solutions which will work on every single stain, there are some general principles to bear in mind.

Firstly, take action promptly. The longer you leave the stain, the harder it will be to treat. If the spill is liquid such as blood, coffee or red wine, use kitchen paper to soak up as much of the liquid as you can right away. Don’t scrub at the stain; just blot up as much of the excess as you can. It’s also a good idea to keep a stock of stain removing sprays or powder in the cupboard.

Red Wine

Wine is one of the hardest stains to deal with, and time is of the essence it dealing with it. Get to work with the kitchen paper blotting up as much as you can, and forget the story about pouring white wine on the top.

Sparkling water or soda water does the job far better, so treat the affected area with the water, blot again, and repeat the process until the stain is gone. Once you have got the majority of the stain out, treat the area with carpet shampoo to remove any last traces.

Failing that, try this:

Blood

If you have children, or are just particularly accident prone, drips of blood on the carpet are more common than you may think. Washing up liquid is good at getting blood out of your carpet, so mix one tablespoon of washing up liquid with two cups of cold water, and use an old toothbrush to work it into the stain. Keep blotting the carpet and repeating the process.

If there is still a stain once you have repeated the process several times, use a solution of ammonia. Ammonia is available in DIY and traditional ironmonger shops, but needs to be used with caution.

Just a note that it's best to put on gloves before you start dealing with blood stains, but you'd be safer to wear gloves when dealing with any stains on this list anyway.

Mud

The one exception to the “act quickly” rule is mud. If someone has trampled mud over your white carpets, then let the mud dry before trying to remove it. Once it has completely dried up, try to vacuum up as much as possible.

If there is still some mud left, mix up some washing up liquid or washing machine detergent with water, and sponge it onto the stain. Blot up the muddy liquid and repeat the process as often as you need to in order to remove the stain.

Nail Varnish

Again, start by blotting up as much of the spilled nail varnish as you can with some paper towels, kitchen paper or even loo roll. Then use tiny amounts of acetone nail varnish remover to blot onto the stain and remove the polish; the easiest way to do this is with a dropper or pipette. Acetone can react with some artificial fibres and cause them to melt, so take care if your carpet is not pure wool.

Apparently hair gel also works. Let us know if you successfully manage to give this one a try!

Nail varnish is one of the hardest stains to remove, and if you regularly have a problem with spilled nail varnish, have a specialist removal product on standby.

General Staining

If you have moved into a property where the carpets have more general old staining, it can be tempting to rip all of the carpets out and fit new ones. Before taking that step, getting the professionals in to clean your carpets can be well worth the expense. It will cost around £500 to get the carpets professionally cleaned in the average three bedroom house, and if you want to do the work yourself, carpet cleaning machine hire is about £40 for 24 hours.

Deep cleaning the carpets with detergent and steam can give them a whole new lease of life and may allow you to put the expense of replacing them off until later.

Creating a Survival Bag for the Apocalypse!

OK, so it’s unlikely to happen, but you never know just when your daily life will be transformed into something out of a Hollywood blockbuster movie. We all like to think we’d cope in a post-apocalyptic world, but when it’s survival of the fittest, a bit of forward planning pays dividends. Having a bag at the ready which you can just grab and go is the first step in your plans.

Bag

Before you start thinking about what to put in it, your first consideration has to be the bag itself. This is not the time for luxury handbags or suitcases; you need a relatively small backpack with lots of pockets which is light and easy to carry on your back leaving both hands free. Choose something sturdy and waterproof, in a colour which is not going to draw attention. A messenger bag is also a practical choice if you don’t like backpacks and rucksacks.

Food and Drink

Your first considerations should be your basic human needs for water and food. Lugging several large bags of mineral water around with you is not an option, so buy water purification tablets. These are light and easy to carry, so buy at least 1,000 tablets. These sorts of tablets can be used to treat water from streams or rivers, making it safe to drink.

You’ll also need something to eat, and the best things are high-energy cereal or chocolate bars which are light to carry and will keep you going until you manage to sort out a more permanent source of food.

Space Blanket

A space blanket will keep you warm while you sleep, but it won't protect you from roaming zombies!

You’ll also need something to keep you warm while you sleep. A sleeping bag, although fairly light, is bulky and not easily carried around. A far better choice is a foil space blanket, of the type given to marathon runners after they have finished their race. These blankets fold up into a very small pouch and will keep you surprisingly warm. They are also very cheap to buy at just a pound or so each. Pack a couple in case one gets ripped.

Swiss Army Knife

Every survival expert needs a Swiss Army Knife or similar multi-tool with lots of different sized blades and other tools which will help you make a shelter, scavenge for food, make a fire and deal with all of those rabbits you are going to be hunting. Buy the best knife or tool you can afford, remembering though that you are going to have to carry this around with you. Don’t be seduced by all sorts of functions which you are never going to need.

Map

Don’t count on your smartphone or sat nav working in the aftermath of a natural disaster or apocalypse. Buy a good map of your local area or the area where you are thinking of travelling to, and practice looking at the map, understanding the symbol and working out possible routes or places which might give shelter. Practice navigating from one point to another in an unfamiliar area using the map so you’re not trying to learn the skills in an emergency situation.

Matches

Ensure your survival bag is strong enough not to suddenly tear when you're hiking through a devastated wasteland. Image credit: Mavi Kemani (CC)

Unless you have a great deal of experience making fires using flints, then you’re going to need matches to help you along the way. Keep your matches in a waterproof plastic bag so that you will still be able to make a fire if your bag gets wet and the matches soggy. Matches are better than a lighter as they last longer and are not heavy to carry.

Wet wipes

You’re not going to be able to have a nice hot shower after an apocalypse, so buy a pack of baby wipes which you can use for quick wipe down washes when you get the chance. Alternatively, pack a face flannel and a bar of soap which you can use instead. Don’t bother with shampoo, conditioner and other fancy toiletries as they are too heavy to carry.

Plastic Sheeting

A large plastic sheet has many uses. You can use it to make a shelter with wooden branches as a frame, or sleep on it if the weather is fair. Make sure your plastic sheet is thick and durable as you just don’t know how long you are going to be using it for.

You should also make sure you bone up on your survival skills before the inevitable apocalypse does arrive.