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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 2x4 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

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

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.

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.

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