Mini DIY Hacks for Every Corner of Your House

In a behind-the-scenes video from our most recent Install, Sonia caught me crawling all over the family room floor as I taped down the curled edge of a new rug. (Side Note: behind the scenes photos and videos from Install Days, and otherwise, can be found on our Instagram stories) On a project’s Install Day, when all the furniture is placed and the decor is styled, we swoop around the room like little house fairies and take care of all sorts of functional needs, including curled rug edges.

An Instagram follower saw the video and messaged us asking what kind of tape we used/recommended. She didn’t realize that there is a specific type of tape that is designed to solve this curly edge problem. It got us thinking that of all the mini hacks we use on Install Day. So, today we’ve dedicated a whole blog post to these little tricks - some of them will take you 30 seconds to completely and totally change your life. Everything is linked and shoppable!

Level with Ruler - Did you know there are rulers that have a built in level? If hanging a gallery wall is in your future, you need this. It will make the job 1000 times easier than shifting back and forth between a bad measuring tape and a regular level.

Magic Eraser - The magic of a Magic Eraser is real. When a spray cleaner fails, a Magic Eraser won’t. We find them especially useful for little marks on the wall.

Cabinet Bumpers - For cabinet doors that get a lot of use from kids, clear bumpers are a great precaution. You put the tiny bumper on the inside of the door and it prevents the door from banging against the frame when it’s shut a little too hard.

Furniture Leg Pads - These guys go on the bottom of furniture legs to prevent the legs from scratching the floor. They also make furniture really easy to move around because it can (typically) just slide across the floor.

Mini Steamer - This handheld steamer is great for getting rid of curtain wrinkles.

Big Steamer - For linen curtains, the mini steamer won’t do it unless you’ve had them ironed/steamed before hanging them. This guy will be much more helpful.

Command Strip Velcro - We are obsessed with these. They have so many uses. We recently used them in the little boy’s bedroom in our Prospect Project to hang decor the wall as part of a gallery wall (the mini oar in the photo below). We also use them in addition to more traditional frame hangers. The traditional nail and hook is used to hang the frame and then the Command Strip Velcro is put on the back of the frame to prevent the frame from wiggling around on the wall when curious hands are tall enough to reach them.

Rug Tape - This is the brand we use. It does the job and doesn’t leave a mark on the floor.

Rug Pad - The trick to a great rug pad is the felt/rubber combination. Felt to cushion and rubber to prevent slipping.

Picture Hanger Kit - We love this kit because it includes wire. Using wire to hang a frame, versus just a hook through built-in loop, gives a bit of leeway if you hang the hook too high or too low.

Lint Brush - For clients with pets, a quick lint brush on a sofa cushion handles it. If you have a coffee table with a drawer, it’s a great place to store it.

Furniture Repair Marker Kit - We recommend this to our clients with young families for post Install Day life. Inevitably, a nick in the finish of furniture will happen. This “repair” kit is basically a set of really nice markers in a range of “wood stain” shades. They work shockingly well to hide nicks and scratches.

Plant Pot Tray - Putting large plants and mini trees in oversized baskets is one of our favorite moves. This means that the plant/tree stays in its plastic nursery planter and the whole planter is then placed inside a basket. (Design/Plant Lady Tip: It’s good to leave plants and trees in their nursery pots for at least a few months. They are shocked at the change of environment and transferring them immediately could create further trauma). But, nursery planters have holes in the bottom. These trays handle any water overflow.

We hope you find something on this list useful to improve a small, everyday household annoyance. Because small problems that you deal with everyday are actually huge problems!

- Leah

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