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!
Vintage Home Hacks That Are Just As Brilliant Today
Updated on Oct. 07, 2024
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Wire Straightener
Here’s a method that works really great for getting kinks and bends out of wire—even fairly heavy wire: Drill a hole in an 8-inch long piece of 2×2 or 2×4. Make the hole slightly larger than the diameter of the wire. Slip the wire through the hole and clamp the end of the wire in a vise. Then, using the wood as a handle, pull the hole along the wire with both hands. — Ruth Whitehead
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Get-a-Grip Shop Vacuum
Sick and tired of trying to pick up and move my shop vacuum with nowhere to grab, I finally mounted a large door handle directly onto the top. I used four 1/2-inch No. 8 sheet metal screws. Try it. You’ll wonder why you didn’t do this years ago. — Al Seibert
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Vinyl Siding Fixer
After installing vinyl siding on my home, I noticed that a few strips had come unhooked along the channel-and-lip horizontal connecting joints. The strips were installed too low. I was afraid I’d have to remove whole sections of siding, but then I discovered this simple fix: I unhooked the strip of siding above the loose joint, and re-nailed it higher. Then I used one of my wife’s metal crochet hooks, running it along the lip and pulling it down, while pressing with the other hand to snap the lip back into the channel. — Chuck Siefert
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Ladder Hammer
How many times has your hammer fallen off the top step of the stepladder and you had to climb down to get it? With a piece of old leather belt or canvas strap, and a 3/4-inch long screw, you can fix the problem for good. — Lin George
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All-Weather Plant ID Tag
Here’s how to make inexpensive identification tags that will always stay readable. Cut them out of an old aluminum TV dinner or foil pie pan. Place each tag on a soft surface and inscribe it using a ball point pen. The imprint will last indefinitely. Attach them to your plantings or anything else that needs weatherproof, permanent I.D.
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Portable Shoe Scraper
Here’s a quick and simple shoe scraper that’s portable but won’t slide around when you use it. Screw a large, stiff-bristle scrub brush to a piece of plywood about 12-inches wide x 16-inches. long. Your weight on the plywood base keeps it stationary while you scrape each shoe on the scrub brush. You can wash the scraper with a hose, and store it out of sight when not using it.
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Garden Hose Hanger
An easy way to make a sturdy garden hose hanger: Attach a large plastic pail to the wall with large flat washers and drywall screws at least 2-inches long. Store the hose accessories inside the pail and loop the hose over the outside.
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Big Sheet Carrier
You don’t have to struggle trying to lug around sheets of plywood or drywall. Just tie together the two ends of a length of rope about 18-feet long. Hook this loop around the two bottom corners of the sheet to form a handle.
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Thumb Saver
Here’s a way to avoid blue thumbnail misery when you make an occasional bad swing with a hammer: When starting a nail, hold it with your thumb and forefinger right under the head rather than lower down. You’ll be able to keep your eye on your thumb as well as the nailhead, giving you better aim. And if you do make a bad swing, your thumb and finger are more likely to be deflected by the hammer than squashed.
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Gutter Straightener
Ice coming off the roof can bend the spikes that secure gutters to the soffit fascia. To straighten the spikes without removing both them and the gutters, use a 2-foot length of angle iron and a heavy metal chain link with the center section cut out of one side. Working from a ladder (be careful!), you’ll find that the angle iron and chain link provide easy leverage to straighten out the spike and get the gutters back in alignment.
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No-Tip Garbage Cans
There really is a simple way to keep those garbage cans from getting blown over or dumped. For each garbage can, all you need are two 3/4-in. screw eyes and a 30-in. hook-end Bungee cord from the hardware store to keep them in their place.
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Garage Door Saver
Extend the life of your multi-panel wood garage door by keeping its vulnerable bottom section free of moisture. Run a bead of caulk along all the joints of the bottom horizontal rail where it joins the panels. Use a paintable caulk.
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Moveable Deck Umbrellas
Does your deck umbrella always seem to be in the wrong spot to shade you from the sun? Mount several sets of galvanized plumbing pipe straps on the deck posts or railing in key places. Use straps with a slightly wider diameter than the umbrella pole. Then just pick a spot and slip the umbrella pole through the straps until the bottom of the pole rests on the deck. You’ll get shade right where you need it.
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Trailer Wire Holder
I finally got sick and tired of the trailer wiring harness hanging down behind my pickup truck. It looked ugly and was always exposed to the elements. The solution: a magnetic key storage box. Cut a slot on one end of the box just large enough for the wires to pass through. Place the connector in the box and place the box on the hitch bar or any other steel horizontal surface under the vehicle. — Ken Maretka
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Plywood Concrete Mixer
If you have a batch of concrete to mix, but nothing to mix it in, use a 4 x 8-foot sheet of 1/4- or 3/8-inch plywood. Place a few bricks or scraps of 2×4 under all four of the plywood corners to form a shallow, concave mixing tub. Clean the concrete off thoroughly, and when you’re finished, you can still use the plywood with the other side up. — John Gandolfo
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Firewood Shelter
Here’s a low-tech, no-hassle shelter for keeping your firewood dry. Drive two stakes or poles into the ground 6-feet apart, and about 16-inches out from the wall. Stack the firewood between the poles. Cut two holes in a sheet of 2-x 8-foot corrugated fiberglass so it will slide down the poles and rest on top of the firewood. If you keep the pile somewhat level as you use the wood, the fiberglass will keep sliding down the poles to provide a snug covering for the wood. —Jack Curran
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Perfect-Fit Crown Molding
When you’re installing crown molding against a textured ceiling, here’s a way to get a nice, tight fit: Cut an 8-inch piece of the molding you’re putting up, and staple a piece of medium-grit sandpaper over the top edge. Then hold the molding in place against the wall and ceiling exactly as it would be attached, and slide it back and forth to sand the area smooth. Not only do you get a perfect fit, but the slight ridge formed by the sanding helps hold the molding in position when you nail it. — Mark Swinson
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Tree Bark Protector
When you mow the lawn, does the sharp lower lip on the front and side edges of the mower occasionally cut the bark of your trees? A pair of plastic car door edge guards from an auto-parts store can help solve the problem. They slip neatly onto the edges of the mower, stay put and leave no marks on the trees.
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Big-Time Grass Catcher
Tired of emptying the small grass catcher of your riding mower every five minutes? Build this large catcher that mounts in a lightweight garden trailer. The five panels are screwed-together 2x2s with ordinary window screen stapled to the insides. The panels are assembled with hooks and eyes, so the whole thing can come apart and hang on the garage wall. The back panel unhooks for emptying clippings onto the compost pile. The chute is made from flexible clothes dryer duct and fittings. Experiment with the ductwork first to see how high your mower will blow the grass, and then determine how high to build the catcher.
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Lawn Fertilizer Markers
So you fertilized your lawn last week, and now you’ve got some streaks of pale grass where you missed, and some really dark streaks where you hit twice. To prevent this, use two short lengths of wood as markers. Whenever you start a new row from either end of your run, drop a marker at the edge of the line of the fertilizer. Aim for the marker as you proceed, and move the marker at each end every time you make a turn. It works with a broadcast spreader as well. — Jim Carabetta
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Find Tiny Items On the Floor
Doesn’t it drive you nuts when you drop a small item on the floor and you can’t find it? Here’s some help. Lay a flashlight on the floor, and shine the beam slowly in a circle so it just skims the floor surface. The shadow cast by the lost item will help you spot it. — Gary Stewart
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Hollow Door Fixer
If you have a sizable hole in a painted hollow-core door, here’s a quick way to fix it: Completely fill the hole with spray foam insulation, so the foam is about level with the door surface. Allow it to dry overnight. The foam will expand slightly as it dries, forming a slight mound. Slice off the mound with a razor knife so the foam is slightly lower than the door surface. Apply one or two coats of drywall compound, sand it smooth when dry, and paint. — Richard Loeb Jr.
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Splashblock Anchor
Do those plastic downspout splashblocks tend to wander away from the foundation of your house, allowing water to seep into the basement? To prevent this, drill two holes through the hefty corners of the plastic at the back end. To anchor it, drive two large spikes through the holes into the ground. — Joseph Perrone
