If you own a cordless drill it’s probably seen its fair share of use assembling flat-pack furniture or putting up shelves. But if the rest of the time your drill is stored away there’s a good chance you’re not getting the best use out of your tool!

Cordless drills are so versatile; they can be used for much more than drilling holes and screwing screws. Say goodbye to aching arms and sweaty brows; your cordless drill is the knight in shining plastic rescuing you from repetitive manual tasks around your house and garden.

We’ve put together our favourite cordless drill timesaving attachments. (If you want to keep these shortcuts a secret from your significant other and be showered with praise following a job well done, don’t worry, our lips are sealed.)

Stirring and Mixing Paint 

Chore: When mixing paint to redecorate your home you no doubt want to get the perfect hue. Making sure the colours you are using are evenly combined takes stirring, stirring and more stirring.

Cordless drill shortcut: A specialist paint mixing paddle is the answer; these attachments have a long arm with curved sections at the end to make this task a doddle.

eSpares Top Tips:

• If you know you’ll be using all the paint in the can, drill a hole in the lid, insert the mixing attachment through the hole and mix the paint with the lid on the tin to avoid splashes.
• Make sure to rinse the attachment whilst the paint is still wet, otherwise, it’ll be tricky to clean.
• You can also use this bit of kit for mixing in paint thinner or even mixing plaster.

Sanding with a Cordless Drill Attachment

Chore: Rough edges need smoothing, but you may put off sanding them if you know it’s going to be a labour intensive and time-consuming task.

Cordless drill shortcut: A sanding attachment for your drill will save oodles of time. You can choose between flat disc and curved sanding attachments and from a variety of sizes and grains.

eSpares Top Tips:

• Flat discs of sandpaper can be used to roughly sand wood removing varnish or peeling paint, ready for repainting.
• Curved attachments, on the other hand, are great for achieving a smooth finish on curved or irregularly shaped surfaces.
• Use courser sandpaper to start with, then finer and finer sandpapers to achieve the smoothest results.

Removing Rust

Chore: Cleaning rust off tools, garden furniture, old radiators and the like is no mean feat when scrubbing it off by hand. You can use a steel wool pad, but the trusty drill is far more effective.

Cordless drill shortcut: You’ll ideally need a steel wire brush attachment for rust removal. These come in a variety of sizes that you can choose from to suit your purposes and are great for removing old paint and rusty patches.

eSpares Top Tips:

• Keep the drill moving over the surface you’re cleaning – otherwise, you could find your attachment has become too effective and has made marks in the metal!
• Safety first! We recommend protective goggles and a dust mask for this job.

Drilling In Tight Spaces

Chore: If you need to screw a screw or drill a hole in a tight area, finding the right tool for the job can be a challenge, but there’s no need for a complex workaround!

Cordless drill shortcut: Cordless drills are usually compact, but there will still be some areas that they struggle to reach. That’s where the right-angle attachment comes in, it lets you use your drill with ease even in the tightest spots!

eSpares Top Tips:                                             

• Lefties don’t despair; this attachment is suitable for you too!
• The right angle tool can even be used with a sanding or buffing attachment.

Polishing Your Car

Chore: If the metal parts of your car (or motorbike) have lost their shine or your headlights or taillights have yellowed with age they’ll need scrubbing to bring them back to their former glory.

Cordless drill shortcut: Professional rotary polishers are great for bringing a shine to your car bodywork, but when it comes to metal parts and lights a buffing attachment for your cordless drill is just the job! Using a foam or wool pad alongside a tough, slightly abrasive cream cleaning product like Cif works wonders on headlights or taillights and is much easier than polishing by hand.

eSpares Top Tips:

• Careful, we don’t recommend using this polishing attachment on paintwork as if grit gets between the polishing pad and the car it can cause scratches – the horror!
• Polishing attachments can be used to bring a shine to a range of metals and even waxed furniture, but be sure to always use a polish designed for the material you’re buffing.

Pulling Weeds 

Chore: Ah weeds, the pesky nuisance ruining your beautifully manicured lawn or flower beds. You can pull them by hand which is hard work (and may not remove the roots) or use chemicals to eradicate them but (you guessed it) you can also use your drill.

Cordless drill shortcut: A weed removing attachment spins around roots and stems of weeds, making it simple to pull them from the ground (roots and all).

eSpares Top Tips:

• As long as the roots have been completely removed there’s no need to spread nasty chemicals over your lawn.
• Use with care – you don’t want your prize peonies or other plants in your garden to get tangled up in the attachment!

Cleaning Your Bathroom

Chore: Scrubbing greasy soap residue built up on the bathtub or mildew and soap scum from bathroom tile grout is time-consuming work, but there is, of course, an easier way.

Cordless drill shortcut: A brush attachment with plastic bristles will scrub away scum much more effectively than hand scrubbing. Just spray a bit of cleaner on your bath and tiles, then rinse and wipe down once the dirt has been loosened to finish the job.

eSpares Top Tips:

• Make sure not to get the drill damp as this could, of course, ruin your tool or even give you a nasty shock!
• Keep the brush flat against the surface of the bath or tiles (rather than polishing at an angle) for the most effective clean.

So if your cordless drill has been sitting neglected for some time, dig it out and put it to good use! Even if you have an older model with a failing battery or you’ve misplaced the charger you can still take advantage of this versatile tool – just replace the parts you need to revitalise it! What do you use your cordless drill for? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: appliance tips, Cordless Drill, Drill Attachments