DIY - Do It Yourself

[rennigade]

Share your tips, tricks, and other DIY you've used that can help save money or make your life easier.

One that I recently discovered and never knew was how to remove hard water stains in your toilet. In the past I've tried almost everything including bleach. They help but never make it look new. To fix this, buy some 3M 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Cut a little strip and sand the ring in your toilet. It will completely remove it. We have hard water and have to do this approx 3 times a year. Works like a charm.

If you have stainless pots/pans and want them to look new again, use the powder form of bar keepers friend. Works wonders.

[Jluke]

I think pumice stone also clears the toilet ring. They make them specific for toilets (wand)

[disneysteve]

The greatest DIY tip of all is YouTube. I have fixed countless things and saved hundreds or thousands by finding a video to walk me through the repair. I replaced the drum belt on my dryer. I replaced the door switch assembly on our washer. I’ve done some simple car maintenance (I’m not a car guy). All you need to do is search for the item make and model and the problem to find a video. Or you can start with a Google search if you’re not sure what the problem is and you’ll find troubleshooting guides to help you identify the issue.

[rob62521]

I agree, DisneySteve! YouTube is so helpful!

Although not exactly DIY, I have, in the past, asked someone to do something for me like glue a cabinet door (He had he glue and clamps and I did not) and I baked him some bread. We were both happy.

[QuarterMillionMan]

People pay for just about every service and rarely DIY. Instacart delivers their groceries. Grubhub delivers their Starbucks, McD's or Chinese food. Mani/pedi got to pay for that or hair cuts. Heck pay a dog walker to take Fido to poop in the neighbor's yard. Oh no car is dirty pay for a car wash $8. I can see if the person can afford to pay for services yes pay someone else to do it for you. But not the person living paycheck to paycheck but I see my neighbors who are on welfare paying for services which they probably cannot afford but hey it's none of my business.

I go get my own groceries. If I take out, I get it myself. I cut my own hair, cut my own nails. I have a sewing machine and hem my pants or repair my own clothes. Never would I pay a dog walker if I had a dog. Wash my own car with a 5 gallon bucket of water. Upgrade my RAM & SSD. Fix my own mechanical things and only as a last resort take it to a professional. Most people won't even attempt to fix things themselves which is fine but not me.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Other things sharpen my knives, fix bike flat tires, replace shifter cables, replace bike brake pads, etc. Car detailing myself. My neighbor paid $150 for detailing her car at a shop, she is a stay at home mom w/a 2 yr old. She was gainfully employed at a major car rental place for 20 years until COVID hit then got laid off unfortunately. She hasn't found new work and is now on welfare.

Add: cook my own meals 2x week in big batches and I eat the same thing for 3 days straight. Some dogs & cats eat more variety than I do but I save a lot by eating leftovers.

[rennigade]

The greatest DIY tip of all is YouTube.

This. Almost everything car related I reference YouTube first. I knew very little about electrical work or plumbing before home ownership 5 years ago. Little by little I would do electrical work and sweat a copper pipe until I was very comfortable with it. With our recent kitchen reno, I ran all new electrical down the the breaker box. All new plumbing in kitchen. Did all the drywall and mudding. Between that and completely demoing the kitchen down to the studs myself, that easily saved 10s of thousands. It was a ton of work and I wouldn't want to do that much again, but I'm glad I did. Almost all of this was thanks to YouTube.

[disneysteve]

Oh no car is dirty pay for a car wash $8.

Yes, please do! Washing your own car is awful for the environment and lousy for your car's finish, too. Doing so is banned in many areas due to drought restrictions and ground water contamination concerns. Many HOAs don't allow it either. Unless you truly can't afford it, take your car to a commercial car wash when it's dirty. It's better for the car and it's better for the earth.

[disneysteve]

I've been cutting my own hair for many years, maybe 15 or more at this point. I bought a cheap clipper set at a ConAir outlet store for $15, which is what I used to pay at Hair Cuttery. It worked great. When that clipper died after several years, I spent a bit more (under $30) and got a Wahl clipper on Amazon and have used it ever since. I actually just cut my hair today before I came online. Not only does it save money, it saves time, and best of all I never let my hair get as messy as I used to. Before, I would only go get it cut every 5-6 weeks to keep the cost down and because I was busy. Now I cut it every 2 weeks so it always looks good.

[disneysteve]

Another money-saving DIY tip: If you have a job to do that requires some pricey tool that you don't own, and you don't really anticipate ever needing again, many hardware stores rent tools. Another even cheaper option (free) is to post a message in your town's Facebook group to see if anyone will lend you the item.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Whenever it rains I go out there and utilize the already soaked car to scrub off the road grime from my car to save water, I hope that makes it a little better for you disneysteve, lol. Now people that use a running hose with water to wash their cars I can see is wasteful of water. Or people that use a running hose to sweep leaves off their driveway is wasteful as well.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Rennigade's "I ran all new electrical down the breaker box." If a fire burns down the house and the cause of the fire was from your electrical installation your homeowner's insurance may be null & void, unless you're a licensed electrician. Electrical installations is something I'd avoid, except for maybe changing out a light fixture which I'd do myself. But not running the wires to the breaker box needing to know what gauge, etc.

[rennigade]

Rennigade's "I ran all new electrical down the breaker box." If a fire burns down the house and the cause of the fire was from your electrical installation your homeowner's insurance may be null & void, unless you're a licensed electrician. Electrical installations is something I'd avoid, except for maybe changing out a light fixture which I'd do myself. But not running the wires to the breaker box needing to know what gauge, etc.

I always hear people say about burning the house down but there really isn't much to it. I know it's to code, at least in PA. I would never do electrical work for someone else though.

[crazyliblady]

I make my own household cleaner. I bought an empty spray bottle from Dollar Tree and added vinegar to about 1/2 way. Then, I add a squirt of dish soap and water. I clean mirrors, counter tops, and windows.

I also put dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar in any cooking pans.

[bjl584]

I do most everything myself from electrical, to plumbing, to carpentry, to mechanical work on my truck and lawn equipment.
The internet is a great resource, and fine for me.
If I were ever to do work for someone else, then I'd want to be a little more qualified than what YouTube or a home improvement forum could provide.