The DIY Jobs We Let Linger…

Wouldn’t life be simple if we could all afford to pay someone to come round and fix things around the home for us every time they went wrong? The reality is that there are very few of us fortunate enough to have our own handyman to hand and subsequently we have to rely on our own elbow grease and sometimes the help of friends and family to get things sorted. Sometimes, especially in large properties it can seem like there is a never ending list of DIY jobs and it’s all too tempting to put these off until they get really desperate.

So what are the most common, and most put off DIY jobs?

Refreshing Sealant

Silicon sealant unfortunately doesn’t last forever. The smooth white seal in place when the bathroom or kitchen is new gradually starts to peel, split and become loose and mouldy if not properly cared for or subjected to a lot of wear and tear. It can seem like a real chore to go to the store and buy a sealant gun and tube of sealant for something that appears to be only cosmetic. It can also be a worry whether we’ll be able to get the lines straight when we give the gun ago – just remember practise makes perfect and try an inconspicuous area first. Gaps and cracks in sealant can cause leaks from your bath, sink or toilet that can rot floors and stain ceilings in the rooms below, so damaged sealant should always be taken care of as soon as possible.  If you’re thinking of moving, whether you sell your house online or through an agent, it’s things like this that can make or break the sale – if your home looks shabby on the surface buyers might worry what’s hiding behind the bricks and mortar.

Loose curtain rails

Loose curtain rails are often left to linger because the ladder’s in the loft and the wall filler is in the shed. But left too long, loose curtain rails can fall off the wall completely leaving you exposed to the neighbours and a large hole in the wall that fell down with the pole. A stitch in time saves nine, as the saying goes – fill around the loose fittings sooner rather than later to avoid wall damage.

Treating the weeds

If it happens to be winter time and the weeds are popping through the patio you may feel reluctant to get outside and kill them off. However, as the sun starts to shine more and more each day, so will the weeds start to grow and could change overnight to the point of taking over the entire garden, causing root damage to trees, killing off flowers and if left to grow into brick work they could even damage your home. One particular specimen to watch out for is Japanese bind weed. House Simple recommend checking your garden for any sign of weeds growing on a weekly basis, and treating them as soon as they appear.

Now looking at this list, can you afford not to carry out those DIY tasks you’ve been putting off for so long?!