Easy DIY Hacks for Home Decor and Small Repairs

Before you start: safe tools for DIY hacks at home

All the projects below need only simple, safe tools. If children help, an adult should do the cutting.

Bottle life hacks: plastic and glass bottles reused

Every Indian home collects water bottles, soft drink bottles and old oil cans. Here are the best ways to give them a second job.

1. Drip waterer for plants. Poke three or four small holes in the cap of a plastic bottle with a thick needle or the point of a compass. Fill it with water and push it upside down into a pot. It waters the plant slowly while you are away for a weekend.
2. Bottle bottom brush holder. Cut the bottom 4 inches off a large bottle, smooth the edge with paper tape and use it to hold toothbrushes or makeup brushes. Make one per family member so nobody shares a cup.
3. Funnel from the top half. The cut top half of a bottle works as a funnel for pouring oil, rice or dal into jars. Wash and keep it in the kitchen drawer.
4. Glass bottle vase. Soak off the paper from a glass sauce or juice bottle and wrap the neck with jute twine. One money plant cutting in water makes a calm shelf decor that lasts months.
5. Bag clip from a bottle neck. Cut the neck ring off a bottle, push the open end of a snack packet through it and screw the cap back on. The packet becomes a pour and seal pouch.

DIY hacks for home decor with jars and cardboard

Decor does not have to come from a shop. Jars, boxes and cardboard turn into useful, good looking pieces. These diy hacks for home decor take an evening each.

1. Painted jar storage. Paint the inside of a clean glass jar by pouring in a few spoons of acrylic paint, rolling it around and turning it upside down to drain. Once dry, it hides what is inside and adds colour to a shelf for cotton balls or hair ties.
2. Cardboard wall panel. Cut thick cardboard into hexagons or squares, wrap each in leftover fabric or gift paper and glue them on the wall with paper tape loops. A blank wall gets a pattern you can change any time.
3. Shoe box drawer for a shelf. Cover a shoe box and its lid with brown paper or old wrapping, and glue a bottle cap on the front as a knob. It slides onto a bookshelf as a small drawer for chargers or cards.
4. Photo string wall. Stretch jute twine between two small nails and clip photos on it with wooden clothes pegs. Change the photos whenever you like without making new holes.
5. Cardboard tube cable keeper. Fold each spare cable and slip it into an empty toilet roll tube. Stand the tubes upright in a shoe box and write what each one is on the outside.

DIY old shirt hacks and other uses for old clothes

Before old clothes go to the scrap bag, check if they can become something new. Cotton works best because it is soft, strong and easy to cut.

1. No sew t-shirt bag. Cut the sleeves and neck off an old t-shirt, then cut a fringe along the bottom and tie the strips in pairs. You get a washable shopping bag in fifteen minutes.
2. Shirt cushion cover. Button up an old formal shirt, put a cushion inside, turn it inside out and stitch the edges by hand. The buttons at the front become the opening.
3. Braided saree mat. Cut two or three old cotton sarees into long strips, braid them and coil the braid into a circle, stitching as you go. It makes a soft, colourful mat for the bathroom door.
4. Jeans pocket wall holder. Cut the back pockets off old jeans with a little fabric around them and glue or stitch them onto cardboard. Hang it by the desk to hold pens, phone and keys.
5. Dupatta curtain tie backs. Cut a worn dupatta into wide strips and use them to tie curtains back during the day. Old fabric matches the room better than new hooks.

Life hacks for room decoration: curtains and headboards

Two things change how a bedroom looks more than anything else: what hangs on the window and what is behind the bed. Both are easy to fix yourself. Our home organization hacks help you clear the room first.

1. Saree curtain on a tension rod. Hang a light old saree on a tension rod by folding the top edge over the rod and using safety pins. Sheer sarees filter harsh sunlight beautifully and no drilling is needed.
2. Curtain rings for easy sliding. Clip curtain rings with small clips onto any fabric to make a curtain that slides on a rod. Bedsheets, dupattas and tablecloths all work.
3. Dupatta headboard. Hang a wide dupatta or a printed bedsheet from a curtain rod fixed behind the bed. It acts like a soft headboard and you can swap the colour each season.
4. Pallet style bed back. Fix three or four old wooden planks or packing crate slats to the wall behind the bed with strong mounting strips. Sand them smooth first so nobody gets a splinter.

Duct tape life hacks and quick home repairs

Small repairs pile up because they seem too minor to call anyone for. These take a few minutes.

1. Toothpick fix for a loose screw. If a cupboard hinge screw spins in its hole, push two or three wooden toothpicks dipped in white glue into the hole and snap them off. Let it dry and drive the screw back in.
2. Rubber band for a stripped screw. Lay a wide rubber band over a screw head that has worn smooth, then press the screwdriver through it. The rubber grips and the screw turns out.
3. Tape grip for bucket handles. Wrap strong tape around the thin metal handle of a bucket a few times. It stops the handle cutting into your hand when you carry water.
4. Folded card for a wobbly table. Fold a piece of cardboard into a small square and slide it under the short leg. Glue a felt circle under each leg later so the floor does not scratch.
5. Wax for a sticky drawer. Rub an old bar of soap or a candle stub, unlit, along the wooden runners of a stuck drawer. It slides smoothly again.

DIY garden hacks for balconies

Most Indian homes have a balcony, not a garden. These tricks suit pots and small spaces.

1. Egg tray seed starter. Fill the cups of a paper egg tray with soil and sow one seed in each. When the seedlings grow, cut the cups apart and plant them, paper and all.
2. Rice water for plants. Save the water left after washing rice and pour it on your pots once it is at room temperature. It is a gentle way to reuse water instead of pouring it down the drain.
3. Crushed eggshells on top. Dry and crush eggshells and sprinkle them on the soil of potted plants. They slowly break down and some gardeners use them to keep snails away.

Find more clever reuse ideas on our cleaning page and the kitchen hacks list.