Today, September 10^th may not mean a lot to you, unless it’s a) your birthday – in which case happy birthday or b) you’re a huge Duran Duran fan and you’re excited about the nationwide release of their concert film which comes out today.

For us at eSpares neither of the above are applicable, but today is still important to us, because today is officially “swap ideas day”, and to join in with the festivities of such a day, we’ve compiled five ideas which we think all homeowners should be aware of – we’ve made sure they are cost-effective, and for those of you interested in “upcycling”, products you are likely to already have within your home.

So without further ado, the five ideas we’d like to swap with you are:

Lock Your Patio With a Stick:

A stick can be more than your dog’s favourite toy; it can also be used to add extra protection to your patio door. Well, ok, maybe not the type of stick that your dog would find whilst out on a walk, but a cut-to-fit piece of dowel can be used to “lock” your patio door.

Place the cut-to-fit dowel in the lower track, and watch it work as an improvised lock, as it’ll prevent the doors from sliding open. Using this tip can help keep your property more secure against burglars, who may see your patio door as an easy way into your home.

Repair a Wooden Windowsill in Four Steps:

Although PVC-U windowsills and frames are common features on homes today, there are still a large number who have traditional wooden frames. Unfortunately a lack of TLC can cause such frames to become damaged and rot, ruining not only the aesthetics of the property but leading to potential deeper problems.

Thankfully, as part of swap ideas day, we’re going to give you the knowledge to repair a rotten windowsill in four simple steps.

1. Strip away the paint and use a chisel to dig out the worst of the rot, before drying out the wet timber with a hot-air gun.
2. Apply generous amounts of wood hardener, until it stops soaking in, leave it to dry and harden overnight.
3. Mix small amounts of wood filler and apply to the damaged area. If the damage is deep, build up the wood filler progressively.
4. Once the wood filler has dried, sand the repair, making sure to fill in any small areas if required. Once the area is sanded, drill 10mm wide holes, around 20mm deep and 50mm apart around the repaired area and push in wood preservatives, before sealing the holes with filler.

Whilst on the subject of wood, have you noticed that your wooden furniture has scratches on? If the answer is yes, then the next tip is just for you (you’re welcome).

Remove Scratches on Wooden Furniture…..Using Vinegar:

Scratched wooden furniture, such as a dining room table, can look shabby (and not in the shabby-chic way either), but using a few household products, the scratches can be removed and your furniture returned to a loving state.

Mix a quarter of a cup of vinegar with three quarters of a cup of olive oil, and rub the mixture over the affected areas. This will lift out the scratches from the wood, leaving it with an almost like new look.

Prevent Draughts with a Bin Bag:

Personally, I’m a huge fan of open fires in the winter; there’s something about the crackle of the fire and watching the flame dance around, not to mention the heat they give off, whilst the weather outside is frightful. But before I digress….as great as open fires are, when they’re not in use they can be a source of draughts coming into the home; but these can be prevented by upcycling your rubbish (ok, selected rubbish), as described below.

Take an everyday black bin-bag and stuff it with newspaper until it is big enough to fit up your chimney without any support and therefore blocking the main route the draughts take to get into your home – just remember before you light the fire to remove the bin-bag and newspaper.

Now the next two ideas are potentially my favourite out of the five, and will bring a new look to whichever room they are added to, whilst they both also recycle items which you may alternatively have thrown out with the rubbish.

Cork Pin-Board:

Have an old, deep picture frame lying around but no picture to go in it? Turn it into a cork pin board – and the upside of this is that you also get to drink a fair bit of wine too (but make sure you drink responsibly).

Once you have enough corks (this will vary depending on the size of your frame); slice the cork along its length to create little cork circles; cut the rounded corners to make little cork squares & glue them into frame. Attach the frame onto your wall, and there you have it, your own cork pin board ready to pin those important notices or shopping lists to.

Now that we’ve shared five ideas with you on how to transform your home for little cost, why not get into the spirit of “swap ideas day” yourself, and share your ideas yourself in the comments below, helping your fellow eSpares DIY-ers.

Tags: DIY, eSpares, Home Improvements