7 Epic Post-it Note Hacks That Will Simplify Your DIY
April 22, 2017 | DIY & Home Improvement | No comments
Make yourself a note; grab Post-its and add them to your toolbox as soon as you can. No that’s not a typo, we really do mean your toolbox. As well as being the bee’s knees at leaving reminders and organising your other half/kids, Post-it note pads are very useful for your DIY projects.
We asked our engineers what they used Post-it notes for and here are their top tips.
Keeping Screws Safe
We’ve all been there. You’re almost done assembling a new coffee table when disaster strikes. You’re a screw short. With a Post-it note, you’ll never have to scramble around on your knees running your hands over the carpet to find the missing screw. Stick your screws to the sticky part of the note instead. If there are different types of screws involved you can even use multiple Post-it notes to keep them separate and write where they came from on the bottom.
Catching Drilling Dust
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that it’s impossible to drill a hole in your wall without making a mess. That plaster and paint dust has to go somewhere – namely your skirting board and carpet. Unless you have a Post-it note that is. A bent note, stuck to the wall underneath the area you’re drilling will catch the dust and save you a cleaning chore. So unless you were looking for an excuse to dust your skirting boards anyway, Post-it notes are your friends.
Bookmarking Manuals
Sometimes manuals lie forgotten in the bottom of drawers. Yes, it keeps us awake at night and makes us weep. Luckily, to cheer us up, we know there are also very conscientious appliance owners who flick through their manuals from time to time. If you are the latter, Post-it notes are a great way to bookmark a certain useful section of your manual or leave tips for yourself when you come to maintain your appliance the next time around.
Cutting Straight Edges
When you’re sawing a piece of wood or scoring a piece of linoleum, you’ll want to cut it at the right angle. If it is indeed a right-angled piece you need, enter your Post-it notes again. Just stick a note so it is perfectly aligned with the edge of your material and you can follow the other edge of it when you cut.
Organising Cables
If you’re using multiple power tools and keep plugging in the wrong one by mistake it’s very annoying, not to mention dangerous. But of course, there’s an easy (and brightly coloured) fix. Just write the names of the power tools on the sticky parts of your notes, cut off these sections and stick them to your plugs.
Makeshift Tape
If you’re in a bind and you’ve run out of masking tape all is not lost. True, post-it notes aren’t quite as strong and sticky as tape, but they’re pretty great as a temporary fix. That package of screws or box of cement powder will stay closed until you can pop to the shops and replenish your tape supplies.
Perfect Post-it Note Peel
Our final tip is useful not just for DIY but for any post-it note worthy scenarios. We’re sorry to say that if you peel your post-its by grabbing them from the bottom and pulling them up you’ve been doing it wrong your whole life. Peel them from the side instead and they won’t curl up anymore. A flat post-it note is a stickier, more convenient and all-round better post-it note.
So you’re making the most of your post-it notes. Why stop there? Find out why paper clips should also have their worthy place in your toolkit and how elastic bands are the DIY companion you’ve been waiting for your whole life but just didn’t know it yet.
