These tips and tricks for the home have been passed down from generation to generation, but do they still hold up today? You better believe it!
Family Handyman has been around for a long time, almost 80 years! One of our most consistently popular features—first in the magazine and now both in print and online—has been Handy Hints, which provides helpful little tips to make tasks just a little easier. Over eight decades, some of those tips and hints have since become obsolete as trends and technology have changed, but some are truly timeless.
Below are 45 household hacks we’ve collected over the years that are just as useful today as they were when we first encountered them. Some of these have been submitted by our readers, and others have come from our editors over the years. We’ve tested and vetted all these, so we know they work! You still need to be mindful of taking the proper safety precautions, depending on the task at hand.
We’re always looking for more tips and hints, so please feel free to submit yours using our online form and you might see them in a future issue of the magazine or on our website in the future.
1 / 45
Old Caulk Remover
Need to remove that old caulk from your siding or from around your windows and doors? Nothing works better in my book than a hole-punch can opener. For better leverage, make a handle by cutting a slot in a 1-in. dowel. Then flatten the handle end of the opener in a vise, and secure it in the slot with a bolt and nut. — Fred Horlander
2 / 45
Family Handyman
Blade Life Extender
When the blade in your utility knife gets dull, it’s usually only the point and the first 1/4 in. or so that’s bad. You can get additional life from your blade by snapping off the point with a pliers (wear safety glasses). It won’t cut quite as well as a fresh, sharp blade, but a lot better than the dull one. — Dennis Feldpausch
3 / 45
Family Handyman
Wire Stick-Up
No more hammered thumbs, dropped and lost staples or broken wires: Use hot-melt glue to fasten low-voltage wire in place. Use it on phone lines, bell wire, garage door safety sensor wiring, outdoor low-voltage lights, or thermostat wiring. It makes a neat job, and the glue dabs can be painted to match the wall if necessary. (Note: This is for low-voltage lines only.) — Lloyd Ziegler
4 / 45
Family Handyman
Quieter Doors
Noisy, banging doors always annoyed me, until I discovered this easy fix: I stick three or four small self-adhesive felt pads— the kind used on cabinet doors—onto the door jamb stop molding. Besides quieting things down, they make the doors fit better. I also lubricate the latch with a dab of petroleum jelly, because it makes them work easier, further encouraging gentle closings. — Steve Bogumil
5 / 45
Family Handyman
Patio Paver Puller
Paver hacks are always a popular topic for our readers. This one is really handy for when you have some individual bricks or pavers in your sand-based patio may need re-leveling after a winter of freezing and thawing. How do you get the brick or paver out? Make these pullers from two pieces of coat-hanger wire. Slip the wires down both sides of the offending paver, turn them a quarter turn, and pull up the paver. For large patio blocks, make four pullers, and get a second person to help.
6 / 45
Family Handyman
No-Mess Drywall Sanding
Here’s a way to keep dust to a minimum when you have a lot of drywall compound to sand. Using duct tape, attach a standard swivel-head drywall pole sander to the rigid extension tube of your wet/dry shop vacuum. Keep the vacuum nozzle close to the sandpaper, and just below it. You’ll also need an extra length of hose for your vacuum to reach the ceiling and into corners. — Bruce Wallick
7 / 45
Family Handyman
Gutter Protector
Do you manage to cave in your gutters every time you lean a ladder against them? Try this: In the area or areas where you’ll place your ladder, drill two 3/16-inch holes, and drive two 7-inch galvanized spikes with 5-inch ferrules into the gutters behind where each leg will rest. The ferrules will support the ladder’s weight instead of the gutter. Most home centers sell standard gutter spikes and ferrules. — Randy Lucas
8 / 45
Family Handyman
Fence Post Holder
As a novice sinker of fence posts, I was having a heck of a time keeping the post plumb while pouring concrete into the hole. My Workmate workbench saved the day. Here’s the system: Simply position the workbench over the hole, clamp the post in place in the workbench, plumb it, then pour the concrete. By the time you have the next hole dug, the concrete will be firm enough to gently lift the workbench off the post. — Peter Gallagher
9 / 45
Family Handyman
Staple And Tack Puller Fulcrum
After removing carpeting and padding, I had a million tacks and staples to remove from my hardwood floors. To protect the floors, I tore strips of duct tape 3/4 inch wide and wrapped about 10 or 12 layers very tightly just above the base of the tack puller. This not only provided protection, but a bonus fulcrum that made pulling the tacks a breeze. I also filed a sharp edge on the tack puller to help get under tack heads and staples without damaging the floor. Be sure to wear safety glasses! — Vincet J. Santilli
10 / 45
Family Handyman
Revive Window Screens
Fiberglass window screening gets spotted and discolored after a few seasons in the sun. Bring your screens back to life with an automotive vinyl protectant like Armor All or Son-Of-A-Gun. After cleaning the screen and letting it dry, hold a sponge behind the screen when you spray to catch the spray-through, then wipe over the entire screen on both sides. It’ll make them look like new for several more seasons. — Jim Maurer
11 / 45
Family Handyman
Power Cord Keeper
To keep power cords out of my way when I’m working with a portable power tool, I usually secure the cord at my side, using a 6-inch loop of Velcro fastener to attach it to my belt loop. — John Simmelink
12 / 45
Family Handyman
Curtain Rod Plant Pole
My all-time favorite poles for supporting plants, both indoors and outdoors, are sections of brass-plated curtain rods. They’re rust-resistant, inexpensive and attractive. — Carol Crump
13 / 45
Family Handyman
Electrical Tape Wrap
When you have to wrap wires with electrical tape in a tight area, pull off a few inches of tape and wrap it loosely on itself around your index finger so the sticky side is out. Then you can just roll the tape around the wire with your thumb, using your middle finger to support it. —Bob Lacivita
14 / 45
Family Handyman
Squeaky Floor Fix
Squeaky floor driving you nuts? If the underside is exposed in the basement, it’s easy to fix. Have someone walk all over the floor while you stand in the basement. When you hear a squeak, mark that joist with chalk. Screw 3-inch L-brackets to the joists so their tops are flush with the tops of the joists. Then drive screws up into both the subfloor and the surface floor, pulling them down tight to the joists. — H.C. DeWaard
15 / 45
Family Handyman
Door Holder
Here’s a simple way to hold a door on edge when you need to plane it or install hinges or a lock. Just make a “V” from two lengths of scrap wood, joining them with one screw. Then screw each piece of wood to the top or bottom of the door, as shown; the horizontal piece should be slightly longer than the angled piece. It’s quick to build and won’t mar the door’s surface. — Allen Stone
16 / 45
Family Handyman
Sheet-Metal Cuts With a Hacksaw
Cut sheet metal cleanly with a hacksaw by sandwiching the metal between two thin boards. Mark your pattern on the front board, clamp the sandwich in a vise, then saw on the marks through the entire sandwich at once. — Jack Kiser
17 / 45
Family Handyman
Gutter Cleaner
Clean your one-story-high gutters right from the ground using an old paint roller on an extension handle. It’s angled just right to push leaves and debris out quickly and easily. — Lee Sens
18 / 45
Family Handyman
Door Bottom Sander
When you need to remove just a bit from the bottom of a door, here’s a way to do it without removing the door: Disassemble your electric drill sanding disc, and reassemble it so the sandpaper faces the drill chuck. Put some cardboard down so you don’t mar the floor, and sand with upward pressure on the door bottom. — Nick Verslect
19 / 45
Family Handyman
Tree Saver
Keep those young trees in your yard from being damaged and possibly killed by the lawn mower or string trimmer. Cut the top and bottom off a clear 2-liter soda bottle, then slice this cylinder down the middle. It will curl around the tree, stay in place, and be almost invisible. — Louise S. McMillian
20 / 45
Family Handyman
Stop Those Shifting Studs
How do you hold those studs in place when you’re driving nails at an angle (toenailing) into the soleplate? Just tap the heads of two nails into the soleplate right where the side of the joist is supposed to be. Then do the same on the other side and drive the opposing toenails. — Ron Matthews
21 / 45
Family Handyman
Stay-Together Vacuum Hose
If your shop vacuum’s hose or rigid tubes come apart while you’re using them, stop cussing and fix them this easy way: Use an awl or other sharp pointed tool to score deep X’s on the ends, both inside and outside, at each offending joint. The added surface friction from the X’s will keep them together. — Richard Dorsey
22 / 45
Family Handyman
Doorknob Set Screws
If you have those old decorative doorknobs that are secured to a spindle with a small screw, you know that the screws can loosen or strip out, and get lost. And it’s almost impossible to find replacements. But not to worry. Most hardware stores carry Allen-head set screws, as shown. Take your spindle along, buy the right size (and a few extra), and install it with an Allen wrench. Put a dab of clear nail polish on the threads so the screw won’t come loose. — Phil Werf
23 / 45
