11. Ditch the dour shower
Replacing a standard showerhead with a handheld model immediately enhances the appearance and versatility of your shower.
To protect the pipe's surface from scratches, wrap a cloth around the supply pipe (the shower arm). Hold the pipe in position with pliers or a small pipe wrench as you remove the old showerhead with an adjustable or open-end wrench. If the showerhead doesn't have "flats" to fit the wrench, use pliers, holding a cloth between the jaws and the hardware. Turn the wrench counterclockwise. Clean the threaded end of the pipe and wrap it with water-sealing Teflon tape. Screw the new handheld showerhead onto the pipe, and tighten it with a wrench or pliers, again using a cloth to protect the shiny finish.
12. Switch your plates
Replace boring stock switch and outlet covers with wood or metal ones more suited to your decor -- or oddball ones more suited to your sense of humor. Register covers, which conceal vents for heating and air-conditioning ducts, also don't have to look like the dashboard A/C slats on the family sedan. Update them with filigreed brass, minimalist chrome or decorative metal patterns.
13. Raise a bar
Get buff while flipping burgers by mounting a pull-up bar beneath the deck stairs, between two stringers.
Drill 1-inch holes at equal positions on each stringer, then thread a length of 1-inch steel pipe through the span. Drill 1/4-inch holes through the pipe just outside each stringer, then thread a cotter pin or common nail through the holes to hold the pipe in place.
Upgrade the house, upgrade your health and feel a little better about wolfing down that second burger.
14. Make a double-decker closet shelf
Top shelves in some closets stop several feet below the ceiling, squandering precious storage space.
To add a second top shelf, first measure the current shelf. Make a second shelf 1/2 inch shorter from a pine 1 by 12. Cut three 8- to 10-inch-tall "legs" from the 1 by 12. Use 1 5/8-inch drywall screws to attach the legs beneath the new shelf. Fasten the third leg under the middle of the shelf to prevent it from sagging. Set the new shelf on top of the existing shelf and drive a few screws through the legs and into the closet studs.
15. Cushion the tool collection
Every kitchen has a junk drawer filled with mismatched tools and accumulated detritus. Turn that catchall into a real tool drawer, with vital small tools ready when needed for a quick repair. To keep the tools rust-free and the drawer tidy, line it with a scrap of carpet sprayed with silicone lubricant. Your pristine array will resemble a surgeon's tray, assuring precision for any project about to go under the knife.
16. Put pot lids in their place
Pot lids not only clutter cabinets, they crash like cymbals every time you need to get one out. Organize them with a simple metal hand-towel rack attached to the inside of a cabinet door.
Check the length of the screws that come with the towel rack to ensure the tips won't poke through the door. Swap them with shorter ones if needed. Slip pot and pan lids behind the rack with the lid knobs or handles facing outward so they catch on the rack. If you have room, install two racks on one door.
17. Mount ledges for bath storage
Free up several bathroom surfaces with a single tube of silicone adhesive. Use it to mount a soap dish and some corner shelves to a tile or fiberglass shower stall. With the leftover adhesive, mount a toothbrush caddy -- and then clean up the mildewed rings where all that stuff used to sit.
18. Clear countertop clutter
Mount a magnetic knife rack on a foot of free space above the stove to remove that bulky knife block from precious countertop real estate. A second magnetic strip can hold spoons, spatulas and other metal stove-side tools.
19. Suspend your stemware
Double a tall cabinet's capacity by suspending glassware from above. Mount a track at the top to store wine glasses and goblets upside-down, or add hooks to hang mugs by their handles.
20. Enforce cord control
You don't have to hire a feng shui consultant to know the cords snarled behind your TV bring in bad energy.
Rather than buying plastic ties or cord-control kits, make sturdy, reusable twist ties with leftover 4- to 6-inch scraps of 14-gauge copper wire. Use pliers to twist the ends into a bow-tie shape, which shields jagged edges and turns them into easy-to-twist tabs. Finish the installation by mounting a surge protector inconspicuously beneath a desk or behind an entertainment center.
By Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics
