REAL ESTATE MINUTE: With Cyril Nii Ayitey Tetteh
Good day to you fellow Ghanaians, I trust you are keeping safe out there. One place we are spending a lot of time in these pandemic times is our homes and it can be tough keeping them in pristine condition. So this week, away from the heavy policy, finance and technical topics, we will share a few hacks to ease up your home maintenance duties. Let’s dig in right away, shall we? Starting from the toughest place; the bathroom.
The Bathroom
Shave the fog away –Our bathroom mirrors pick up particles and fog over time and not only become unsightly but prevents a clean look. Clean that mirror by simply applying shaving cream and you are good to go.
Clean your shower head with a vinegar “Bath” – Remove mineral deposits and other grime from your shower head by simply wrapping a bag soaked with vinegar overnight and in the morning, it will be as clean as new.
Polish your chrome fittings with baby oil and they will be shining like stars.
Walls and surfaces
Fix a tear in a screen with clear nail polish – if you have noticed a tear or dent in any glass screen at home, fret not, simply add a few drops of clear nail polish and by acting as, which acts as an invisible glue your tear or dent is repaired
Repair dents in wood with a hot iron – You can easily remove small dents in furniture or wood fixtures with an iron. Wet the dented spot with a small amount of water and place a moist towel over it. Then move the hot iron over the area in a circular motion.
Treat carpet stains and dents with ice cubes –Having stains and dents in carpets can be unsightly and take away from the whole carpet experience. To restore these stains and dents, Place an ice cube on the dented area of your carpet and let it melt. As the water is absorbed into the carpet, it should start to spring back to normal.
Crayons can fill nail holes – You may have taken down some picture frames or other hangings and may be left with nail holes that give your walls a less desirable character. To fill those holes, simple choose a crayon colour that matches your wall colour and with firm pressure, rub the crayon over the nail hole. Clearly adults can have fun colouring too.
Other fixtures
Unscrew a broken light bulb with a potato – This is an interesting one but I am pretty sure we have all had that experience at a point in our bulb removing lives. You have either had a cut or been at sea as to how to remove a broken light bulb. As frustrating as it can be, potato saves the day all the time.
Cut the potato in half, push the soft side into the broken bulb and turn it counterclockwise until the broken glass is embedded into the potato. Don’t forget to turn off the power and put on protective gloves before you attempt this hack! All the best
Sanitize your kitchen sponge in the microwave – Yes the microwave is more useful besides warming food, I bet you didn’t know that. A dirty sponge goes beyond adding dirt to your table, sink, and counter tops. They can actually make you sick from all the buildup of germs and bacteria. To have a thorough clean, microwave a wet sponge in your microwave for two minutes, and then let it cool. A big disclaimer though. Kindly ensure the sponge is wet and not dry as a dry sponge in the microwave is a fire hazard.
There you have it folks, you home hacks in 3 minutes, let me know if they were useful.
The writer is the Executive director of Yecham Property Consult
& Founder of Ghana Green Building Summit.
Email: [email protected]
Linkedin: Cyril Nii Ayitey Tetteh
