Cleaning electronic appliances:   Want a tiny but effective device to vacuum between the keys of a computer keyboard?  Place masking tape or duct tape over the end of the metal or plastic nozzle of your household vacuum hose. Then use a pencil to poke a hole in it, and insert a drinking straw. Be sure to tape the straw itself securely to the end of the nozzle to keep it from being sucked in itself! And ... make sure the computer is turned off!
 
Repairing scratched wood:   Need to cover up a scratch on wood furniture? Try using shoe polish. Match the color as closely as possible, then use a cotton swab to carefully apply the polish. Wipe off excess with a soft cotton cloth.
 
Repairing painted surfaces:   Have to cover up a tiny portion of a scratched painted wall, door, or wood trim? Don't have the original custom-colored paint on hand? Avoid going to the trouble of trying to match it. Buy or get your hands on some paint that matches it as closely as possible. The match can be several tones off; it won't matter if you use an artist's brush to apply the paint carefully and ONLY to the exact portion of the area to be covered. A child's water color paint brush works; so does a cotton swab. Your friends' eyes will not see the small mis-matched area. Even you will become "blind" to it after only a few days!
 
Finding lost screws and bolts:  Two ways to find tiny bolts, screws, even needles on the floor: Place a flashlight on the floor and sweep it slowly side-to-side. The light will cast the shadow of the object clearly. Or, tie a piece of nylon stocking over the nozzle end of your vacuum. You'll be able to pick up the item without sucking it into the vacuum it self!
 
Renewing snow shovels:   Got a snow shovel all bent out of shape? The kind of shovel with a blade that scrapes the snow unevenly ... say, only on the sides of the shovel, or only in the middle of the shovel? Try straightening the leading edge of the shovel (the part that meets the sidewalk as you push it along) by turning the shovel upside-down on the concrete sidewalk, then carefully standing on it with all your body weight. This straightens the leading edge of the blade and makes it scrape along the entire length. BE CAREFUL when stepping onto the shovel!  The upward facing metal is slick and you can trip and fall before you know it!
 
Simple DIY fix for electrical outlets:   Been warned that you have an electrical outlet with "reversed polarity". This really is dangerous! Especially when changing light bulbs in lamps conected to this outlet -- especially when kids change the light bulbs! No need to panic, and no need to try to understand the electrical principles. The fix is fast, easy and inexpensive. An electrician can solve the problem by switching just a couple of wires. Get it done now, and stop worrying about it.
 
Soaking up spills before they do damage:  Want an effective and easy way to quickly mop up spills on the kitchen, entryway or basement floor? I learned this tip from a savvy old plumber: He used the newsuper-absorbent baby disposable diapers (borrowed from his grand-daughter's supply!).  The liquid-gel pads in them work much, much better than rags, old towels or sponges. Open the diapers and soak up the liquid as you would use a sponge. They capture and hold an amazing amount of liquid. They also work great when cleaning or replacing the plumbing traps under kitchen sinks and bathroom vanity cabinets.  Use them to soak up drips and unexpected spills before the wood cabinet bases get soaked and damaged.
 
Stain resistant countertops:   To make kitchen countertops cleaner and easier to clean, use auto polish wax. Apply according to directions. Spills are easier to wipe up, and the wax helps resist staining as well. The same is true for enameled stove tops and the steel burner tops on gas stoves.

Easy fix for tiny pieces of wood trim:   When small pieces of wood trim moldings get loose on baseboards, door trim casing, or kitchen cabinet doors or drawers , you don't have to struggle with trying to nail them back in place. Simply glue them back in place with a hot-melt glue gun, the kind you use for craft projects.

Fixing difficult-to-open drawers:   Got a sticky drawer? Try using a paraffin wax candle to lubricate the runners. Pull the drawer out of the assembly, or at least as far as possible, in order to apply the wax to as much of the runner as possible.

 Slilencing squeaky door hinges:  That squeaky door to the bedroom that always wakes the baby from his or her nap-time needs only a squirt of WD-40 (or similar spray lubricant) on the hinge pin in order to silence it.

Crisp, straight paint lines:   Get the crisp, clean, sharp lines you want when repainting a wall (especially when using contrasting colors on trim or for highlighted details). Don't use ordinary masking tape. Visit a full-service paint store (such as Hirschfield's) and ask for the new "blue tape". About 2-inches wide, this tape is much more easily removed. When using, allow the paint to dry to at least a "tacky" consistency before removing it.

Buying the best paint brushes:   When painting, you cannot make a mistake in buying the expensive brushes that professionals use. They cost more, but they make the job go faster and look better. The key is making sure you clean them well and store them properly. Full-service paint retailers give great advice on the subject.

Speed Tip for painting:  In the middle of a painting job and you need to quit for the day? You can avoid having to clean up all the tools. Wrap the brushes and rollers in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and pop them into the freezer. All you have to do when using them again is to make sure you allow time for them to thaw out.

 Cleaning paint brushes and rollers:  To speed cleaning of paint brushes and paint rollers, invest in a "roller/brush spinner". This tool, which looks and acts sort of like an old fashioned toy spinner top, cleans and dries out the brush or roller cover by centrifugal spinning action. You'll never go back to the arduous task of cleaning by hand! These tools are available for less than $15 at Home Depot, Menard's, paint retailers, and hardware stores.

 Two "Velcro" tips:  (1) Use the self-adhesive variety of Velcro tape to secure the TV remote to the top of the TV. Having a "home-place" for the remote keeps it from getting lost so often.  (2) Use the same kind of self-adhesive Velcro tape to secure the arm-protectors on couches and over-stuffed living-room and family-room chairs.

Anchoring fence posts:   Preservative-treated fence posts don’t need to be anchored in wet concrete. You can skip the labor of dumping the concrete out of the bag, adding water and mixing it all together. Use a post digger (rental fee usually less than $15 a day) to make a hole about one-third the length of the post to be installed. Place the post in the hole, then, using a level to keep it vertical, 2/3 of the post hole can be filled with dirt tamped down with a shovel handle or a 2 x 4. The remainder can be filled with tamped dry concrete mix (stones blended with portland cement). Sakrete and Quik-crete are two popular brand names of pre-mixed bagged concrete. Rain and ground moisture will soon solidify the concrete.

Figuring how many bags of concrete mix you need:  A quick way to visually figure how many bags of concrete you’ll need for a project: a 45 lb. bag of pre-mixed dry concrete when mixed with water fills an irregular hole in the ground little more than what a gallon of sand would.

Improving new hand tools: New hand tools with wood handles can be slippery and tiring to hang onto. Use sports tape – made for tennis rackets or hockey sticks – and wrap the handles to increase gripping power by covering up the slick factory-applied varnish .
 
Home-made exterior stain: Got some new wood yard furniture or a fence or a tool shed you’d like to paint? The problem is that paint always cracks, peels and flakes off after a time. You’re left with the task of scraping and sanding it all off for the next coat. Try this: using any color water-based latex exterior paint, add water at 1 part paint/2 parts water. Test for color on a hidden spot. Add more water as needed. The thinned paint goes on like stain, dries fast, and is easy to touch up in years to come.
 
Sticky weather paint drying tip: Oil-based paint won’t dry completely on some outdoor projects? All you get is a sticky, soft coating? Sometimes the outside air is just too humid. Using a garden hose, try a light spray of water on the painted project. Let stand for 24 hours. Often, this will speed drying.
 
Saving tubes of exterior caulk: Doing some late summer exterior caulking? One way to keep the cut ends of exterior caulking tubes from drying and closing up while you take a weekend off: place the tubes nozzle down in a bucket of water.
 
Choosing house colors: Can’t decide where to begin choosing colors for your home’s exterior? Take a color or black & white snapshot of the home’s exterior to a photo copy center. There, enlarge the image for black & white copies. Use color pencils or markers to begin your search for the right color combination. Once you’re close, buy only one-quart cans of custom color paint. Apply it on a small portion of the house. Doesn’t have to be hidden from view ‘cause soon you’ll be painting over it. View it at various hours of the day as the sun moves across the sky.
 
Getting stuff home from the lumberyard: You can safely carry a couple of 4x8 panels of building material home on the top of your car following these rules: Loop the rope over the car top items and through the open windows of the car (front and rear, driver’s and passenger sides)so as to pass the rope around the items to be carried and then through the car windows in a loop that will hold the 2x4 panels tight to the car top. Run ropes front bumper to back bumper as well. Drive at moderate speed. Avoid freeways.
 
Storing garden tools: Got a ton of long handled garden tools – shovels, rakes, hoes, and brooms – that you just can’t get organized in a way that also gives you access to the one tool you need right now? Buy medium size eye-screws and matching screw-hooks. Use a small drill and drill bit to poke a “pilot hole” into the end of the tool handle, then screw in the eye-hook; use a small screwdriver through the eye to turn it easily. Don’t over-tighten or you can split the wood handle.  Using a ladder, hang the tool from its matching hook screwed into a garage rafter or wood truss component. The eye-screw at the very end of the tool handle won’t get in the way of your use of it.