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If you’ve ever had to fix a shelf, replace some light bulbs, or even do some electronics work, then you may have used a few random tools that you’ve had laying around for some years. Unfortunately, doing house maintenance like this can be rather dangerous because you’re not using the right tool for the job. Trying to hammer in nails with a random blunt object or even rotating screws with a pair of scissors can lead to injuries or a poor DIY job. As such, you’ll want to invest a little into a decent toolkit, and here are the essentials that you need.
Start with a well-equipped toolkit and box
Look on Amazon or in any DIY store and you’ll find plenty of toolkits with hundreds of pieces and tools that can help you do just about any job. They’ll come with screwdrivers with swappable heads, they’ll have spanners, scissors, wire cutters, and even Allen keys. With so many tools in a single box, it’s a fantastic place to start your own home maintenance toolkit.
However, you’ll want to spend a little more if possible to get a reputable brand. These days, there are lots of products in this category that come from cheap sources. Hammer handles might not be properly attached, cutting tools might be blunt, and the metal used can be rather weak and flimsy. So if possible, try and pick a reputable brand even if it’s a bit more expensive.
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Get lots of tape for different purposes
Tape is often seen as a band-aid fix for a lot of problems in our house, but it can be a huge difference while you wait for a proper repair. For example, removable vinyl tape is a great way to mark out warning areas to alert other family members that there’s a loose floorboard, or it can be used for its electrical insulation properties. It’s also great at preventing moisture, meaning you can use it to seal up holes or even wrap up pipes as a temporary solution for leaks.
There are lots of different kinds of tape on the market but they’re all extremely useful. Get some rolls of vinyl tape, electrical tape, masking tape, and even packaging tape and keep them in your toolbox. You’d be surprised at just how helpful they can be!
Measuring tools
The most common type of measuring tool is measuring tape. This is the standard when it comes to measuring out objects both long and short. This is great for things like measuring the length of a pipe or shelf before buying a new one, or it could be used to measure the distance between something so that you know what you can fit in the space.
You can also get other measuring tools like spirit levels and angle finders. These are just as useful when they’re used in the right situation and are extremely cheap, making them a fantastic investment for your toolkit if you don’t have one already.
