Thanks for this! I'm a little challenged in this area and I need to get more aquatinted with my power drill!

We still are in the middle of huge renovations we do ourselves, so I'm fixing the house all year long...

But today, I'll focus on painting our bedroom's door, because we've been sleeping in a doorless room for a week, and that's enough. So, old clothes and paintbrushes, here I come !

Our bathroom sink drain has been getting slower lately and rather than dumping another bottle of drain cleaner down it, we figured out how to unscrew the pipes underneath the sink and clean out the hair/toothpaste gunk that was clogging it up. Gross, but cheap, effective, and didn't involve dumping anything nasty into the water system.

I've hung many items over the years and now toss out the cheap plugs that come with many items. I only use ez ancors. No, I don't sell them. I buy them at the Home Depot. This is what they look like http://www.easyanchors.com/
I also use a stud finder whenever possible.
I already rehung a kitchen wrap dispenser this cold and dreary morn. Checkmark one more thing off my list!

I, too, was thinking about unclogging my sink...unfortunately I live alone, so im just planning on using some drain-o!! Will also be replacing the lightbulb in my entry way, finally. i know, i know, i'm so ambitious.

This actually turns out to be a tough assignment because I fix stuff in my apartment all the time. I mean jeeze, in the last month I sanded and refinished the wood floors, painted the living room, hung wallpaper in th hallway and changed the faucet to the kitchen sink. (I have three tool boxes and buy power tools like most girls buy shoes, so ...) I'm desperately looking around for something to fix, but I got nothin. Hmmm ... I'm going to change out the shower curtain, and oh yeah, I've been meaning to change the shower curtain rings too. Wait, I've been meaning to hang an extra hook for my purses in the closet, so I can do that. OK. I think that should take care of today's assignment. Whew !

I'm terrified to do most home fix-its and very proud of myself when I can pull it together to do something. This video and discussion is perfect for me, since there are a couple of things that fell out of the wall that I have to put up and I got a new IKEA kitchen rail system that I haven't put up because I'm afraid it will fall out.

And, I had spackled one area where something fell out and have been putting off sanding that and another area on that wall because I don't really know how to handle the dust.

Terror, fear!

I will take care of my toilet paper holder. My dad installed it the wrong way and it's been bugging me for three years.

Maxwell, if the problem comes up again, I recommend using Molly Bolt.
Drywalls are usually 3/4" thick, which doesn't allow for much of vertical force. If you use Molly Bolts, you can hang something up to 10 lbs without problems. And molly bolts require larger holes, you can fit it right where the anchors were. No need to repair and redrill.

I'm with the others who are recommending a different kind of anchor for your sheet rock. The kind you are using will most likely disappoint you by becoming loose over time. MUCH better for drywall is the type of anchor that pushes past the drywall and sort of pops open in the empty space beyond. Another great kind are the Wall Drillers (http://www.confast.com/products/wall_driller.aspx) which are basically screws with giant threads that bite into the drywall. Also, any of the types on the site recommended by sewbeit, above, are great.
The type of anchor that you are using, Maxwell, is better suited for concrete or plaster walls.

I hung a new light fixture over my dining room table AND installed a dimmer switch to get rid of the usual apartment fixtures. I'm so proud of myself! I have never done anything electrical before so I got a LOT of advice. But it looks great and the dimmer switch is a HUGE improvement. Learning the importance of great lightning...

I'm a DIY'er and still have more remodeling to go, so there are always house projects in process. Playing catch up today...so, after weeding through the books and donating to local library, I plan to replace a broken dimmer light switch, which I should be able to do in 20 minutes. :)

BTW, I am partial to using EZ-Ancors for most of my hanging projects...all depends on the weight of what you plan to hang. Here is a good source to determine the best anchor for your project.... (http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/inffastener/infanchor/infanchor.html)

I have been so motivated by the cure, I think I've done all the little things. The movers scratched my new genuine imitation wood floors, so I touched those up with a brown magic marker as stain does nothing on a fake wood floor, and I found even more scratches when I got down on the floor. I had three cut marks in my vinyl tile kitchen floor, and I fixed those with caulk and nail polish. At the door jams, the glue used to lay the floors was attracting dirt and dust, so I cleaned those and again used the magic marker to cover the glue and prevent that from happening again. I am currently touching up the bathroom paint, caulking, painting, caulking, painting. I had a light fixture replaced, and they didn't have the same foot print, so that has been a pain in the (*)(*). I adjusted the electrical covers in the bath and hall to fit after I had the switches replaced. I also used nail polish remover to get paint off the coat closet door handle.

This isn't really fixing anything, but I finally configured the vignette I've always wanted on my center table in the foyer. I put my silver chest open to the kitchen but with the back toward the door, then I placed my Waterford vase with flowers, a brass and copper two light candle holder with a pair of glass towers, a beautiful piece of coral, and a framed picture of Charles Dickens that has always been a favorite, using the open chest as a back drop. I love it. It's so much fun coming home and seeing it, instead of just the vase. Now I want to dust the table everyday.

I love the cure. It has really inspired me.

This Cure is so great - where else can you get a tangent discussion about anchors and mollybolts? I took allisongryski's idea and fixed a slow moving drain in my bathtub by removing the plug and clearing out the (ahem) debris. I've been meaning to do it for a month and haven't been able to get the stopper off. Gotta love that youtube for any handyman dilemmas. Watched the "Cleaning Bathtub Drain Lift and Turn Stopper" and voila, mission accomplished!! You're right Maxwell, it DOES feel good!

Yea me! Cleaned off my desk this morning because I wanted to watch a video and my sound wasn't working. I ended up clearing up all the clutter from my desk--which I've been meaning to do for weeks--and organizing the wires from my computer. It feels so good to have accomplished this! All this thanks to Maxwell and his calm instructions on other issues, I did this all without throwing a tizzy fit! Maxwell, your influence goes beyond what I used to think that you addressed. I thank you and I'm sure that the people around me thank you, too. They're just a little quieter about it.

I forget to mention. My dishwasher was backed up, and dumping water on the floor. Rather than call a plumber, I poured 32 ounces of hydrogen peroxide over a few days into the standing water at the bottom of the tub. Then I ran it once more, figuring one more water dump wouldn't make much difference at this point, but the hydrogen peroxide had worked. The dishwater was flowing freely again. No back up, and a dry floor.

This works great in bathroom sinks too. I discovered it by accident when I knocked an open bottle of HP into a slow flowing sink. It wasn't slow moving after that. If you listen, you can hear the hissing, and you know it's working. It's amazing. The HP eats right through biological gunk, like hair and food. And it's a cheap fix. The dishwasher cure cost $2 instead of a $70 minimum plumbing call. And I did that before the cure. I was prepping. HAHA

I'll do a check when I get home tonight but there's nothing that I can think of off the top of my head that needs fixing that would take 20-30 minutes.

Erggh...I am totally clueless in the fix-it department, if I could find a class near me for learning about doing stuff round the house I would be in like Flynn. We are getting renovations started next year, hopefully, so maybe I can learn a thing or two watching the builders?

What I really need fixed is the plug on my vacuum... and my husband said he might be able to do it. If he can't, we'll need a new vacuum (I don't know of any vacuum repairmen in the area).

There is nothing like an ex husband who considered being asked one time to fix something to be "nagging" to force one to become a do-it-yourselfer. I either fixed it myself or it didn't get fixed. So, let me thank him now for being a jerk. I'm a better person for it and my new husband has a wife who is handier than most guys!

@ MrsMack: got to a vacuum store and ask for help. They usually do repairs and such.

It was great to listen to this video because my clock just broke and you give me incentive to go to the watchmaker and see if it can be fixed. i think I need a different size battery. Many thanks Maxwell.

I'm generally not very handy, but I can hang pictures and have hung pots and some of my cast iron skillets on a wall (drywall) using simple hooks from Home Depot in my kitchen. I also changed the flapper in one of my toilets. I was proud of myself...very easy to do.

...I don't remember the name of the hooks I used for my cast iron skillets, but they're very common. The skillets haven't fallen yet (did this a couple of years ago.).

my toilet broke right before I left for a four day retreat. it's just the plastic arm that connects to the handle that broke off, so i'll tackle that tomorrow on my day off.

I fixed something last week! This week was really busy so I don't think I'm going to get to anything. I want to fix the way the curtains hang in my bedroom but it will have to wait. I did get my garage cleaned out and that is a huge fix. http://bit.ly/dfOUII I have to say that I feel more like I would fix something just from having watched this video...like I could do a "reach" project.

Inspiring. I know I can fix more things around the house. One thing I'm wondering about - you said to use toothpaste if you don't have spackle. But toothpaste wouldn't harden or "set-up," would it? Wouldn't you need a hard surface to sand and re-paint?
Just wondering.

Re toothpaste as spackle--you need to use regular old fashioned toothpaste--not a spiffy gel thingie.

I love your videos ! (yesterday I bought myself some flowers and I'm so glad...) anyway, I recently removed old coats hooks we never used, spackled, painted and hung a piece of art I had been holding onto for ages....waiting... I was going to ask my husband to do it, but thinking about it, why not do it myself? Fixing one thing gave me the energy to fix a few more things as they crop up.

I LOVE the kid in the video who is helping you... he's so casual on camera, and looks a bit like a young Jimmy Kimmel.

This is great!
I live in a rental....and this is easy enough for me to do.
My place was getting tired...but this showed me how easy it is to tackle stuff that has been left for too long.
Thanks.

Oh geeze, I have a brazillion things on my "to do" list. There will be no time to fix anything today; have an art opening to go to after work. In any case, I am an excellent fixer.

Hey, Village, thanks for the tip re HP! I didn't know about - I have to try it.

Otherwise, I think I am pretty good with most of the fix-it things. I own power tools and I love to use them. In the past, I have installed laminate flooring on the entire main floor of my previous house, I ripped and replaced toilets, I paint and wallpaper like a pro, I replaced a few missing patio stones (sounds easy, but each weighs 80 lbs and it is not an easy task to lay it so it is level with the rest and on a slightly downward grade from the house); I replaced light fixtures, ... basically most of the things that a homeowner needs to do on a regular basis and for which he/she does not need be a master electrician/carpenter/whatever.

But I am proud of some accomplishments that really did not require that much skills, but one had to figure out the logistics.
For example, once we were try replace the handle in the storm door .... and we had a problem hitting the opening in the door with the screw from the other side .... so I thought, we need something that would "guide" the screw to the right place ..... so I came up with the idea of cutting a drinking straw and using that. That was fine, except that those I had at home were too thin so BF made a quick trip to the nearest Tim's for 2 frozen cappucinos, and lo and behold, those straws were just the ticket.

Recently, we were replacing a hanging fixure in the foyer - the ceiling is at a 1.5 storey level - I had to hold the fixture for my BF while standing on the stairs but even that way, I could not hold it high enough (and it was pretty heavy). So I used my Swiffer thingy, I attached the light fixture to the pad with multiple bunge cords and that way I was able to hold it, my elbow propped against my side, high enough for him.

We have been working on repainting our master bedroom. Husband pulled off the quarter round before we painted the baseboards. He has now added a coat of stain and poly to them. I'm gong to give the baseboards a good vacuum so he can put the quarter round back on tonight.

Teamwork!

Thanks for the inspiration, Maxwell!

Installed 3 decorative hooks behind my bedroom door, so I can hang up clothing items that have been worn but aren't ready to wash. Nice!

Well, I didn't actually "fix" anything, but I did finish painting a ceramic vase. It had been sitting unfinished for MANY years. It's at the ceramic joint waiting to be fired.

In thirty minutes I replaced a cracked valance bracket, rehung the valance, and unjammed the horizontal wood blinds, all well worth the time. It's a good start to my accumulated window treatments repairs. That's an inexpensive item in the home needs list that was written as a previous daily cure. I'm back on schedule and entering the cure's final week, yeah!

Sadly, all I managed to do today was purchase and change a burnt out light bulb on my heater and put new dog tags on my dog's collar. Not many small projects that need to be fixed at my house.

On Sunday, we (finally) built the door to the shed we spent all summer trying to find the time to build. It turned out GREAT. Just need to build some shelves, put up some hooks, and fill 'er up! Oh, and planted a tree.

one thing to note is that the application of spackle in the video is totally wrong. The way to do it properly is to leave a certain amount above/beyond the area you are patching, let it dry and then sand it down before painting. Otherwise the spackle will shrink back inside in the hole as it dries and you'll be left with indentations in your wall.

Well, I balanced on a chair in the basement and retied the string drooping between two light fixtures. I made a trip upstairs for the scissors and neatened up the old places where it had been tied. While there I threw in a load of wash. Next I plan on getting a kit to rewire a lamp.

The one thing I wished were fixed is my home... renovations are so long and tedious. Since I work at it all the time, I chose to hang a temporary coat rack in the untouched entrance hall, since we can't go on stacking coats on dining room chairs. Not the greatest fix ever, but hey, we are building a kitchen from scratch right now.