Surprising Ways You Can Use Nail Products to Make Apartment Repairs

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Surprising Ways You Can Use Nail Products to Make Apartment Repairs

Beth Fitzjarrald · Sep 7, 2017

Nail Polish

Duct tape has long been touted as the king of all home repairs, but did you know that you may have an inexpensive jar of home improvement magic hiding in your cupboards that could give it a run for its money? Humble nail polish is good for so much more than just making fingers and toes look fancy. This basic cosmetic is inexpensive and can be used all over the house from bedroom to kitchen to garage. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use nail polish to make apartment living just a little bit better.

Quick Clothing Repairs

You’re on the go and ready for that big interview, a night out on the town, or just hauling the kids between activities, when you notice — oh no! — something’s starting to fall apart. My mom always kept a little travel sewing kit in her car, but you can actually shore up most clothes and accessories with just a dab of nail polish.

Stop the Running Stocking

A thin coat of clear polish across the start of a tear in your leggings or nylons can stop the fabric from tearing any more. Be warned: they might stick to your leg a bit if you apply the polish while you’re wearing them! Just be sure to gently pull from the edges when you take them off later.

Reseal Frayed Shoelaces

Those tabs at the end of your sneakers’ laces have a nasty habit of getting frayed. Use clear or colored polish to tame those loose bits and give them enough structure to get those laces back through your shoes.

Stop Other Fraying Fabrics

Fraying hemline on your pants? Tiny tear in your jeans pocket? Stop the fraying with a dab of clear polish, which will keep the bits of thread from getting any unrulier.

Reset Stones in Costume Jewelry

If a rhinestone falls out of your glamorous necklace, put a bit of clear polish on the setting and press the stone firmly into it until it dries. I don’t recommend this on heirloom jewelry, but it works like on charm on the cheaper stuff.

Make Threading Needles Easier

If you decide that you do want to make a sewing repair, make it easy on yourself and coat the tip of your thread with a tiny bit of nail polish. That will make the thread stiff enough to easily push through the needle’s hole.

Be Handy

Nail polish can also help you prevent a call to the handyman, or at least postpone it for a bit.

Tighten Loose Screws

Do you have a screw that just never stays secure? Take it out, paint clear polish around the threads, and quickly screw it back in place. As the polish dries, it will hold the screw much tighter than before.

Short-Term Splinter Prevention

Nail Polish - Splinter Prevention

If you have a little ding on your dresser or handrail, you can avoid splinters by gently smoothing down the broken wood with some clear nail polish. This will keep the wood chips in their place rather than in your fingers.

Fill Holes in Screens

If you live in a buggy climate, you probably have screen doors and window screens to keep those pests out of your home. Little holes can lead to long nights of buzzing in your ears. If the hole in the screen is relatively small (about a quarter of an inch in diameter or less), you can smooth a coat of clear polish across it to form a barrier and keep the bugs out.

Fill Chips in Tiles

Have you ever dropped something on your kitchen or bathroom tiles and found a bright white spot in the middle of an otherwise beautiful color pattern afterward? It can take some effort to match colors, but if you find one that’s good enough, a little coat of nail polish can make that tile look fresh without expensive replacements. Just be sure to compare colors when the nail polish is dry, and test it out on your nails rather than going off of the color in the bottle.

Organize

Nail polish is pretty tough to remove, which makes it great for long-lasting labels on things that are likely to get wet, rubbed, or just used a lot. Organize your life with a couple strokes of your favorite shades.

Label Keys

If you have more than one key on your keychain, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of not knowing which one to grab to quickly open the door in front of you. To make this a problem of the past, choose colors to match each place you go and paint the head of each key for quick and easy identification. Hint: choose colors that are really different from each other to make it easier to tell which is which even in the dark.

Travel-Proof Toiletry Labels

Typically, I like to get those small travel-sized bottles, fill them with my own shampoo, sunscreen, and lotion, and label them all accordingly, but even “permanent” markers tend to rub off over time. Nail polish will stay neat and readable through showers, rain storms, and airline handling, so you won’t ever accidentally wash your hair with sunscreen again.

Water and Smudge-Proof Paper Labels

If you’re making labels for things like your garden plants, spice bottles, or even poisons around your house, it’s best to be sure that your pen-on-sticker markings don’t smudge. Cover the written stickers with a coat of clear polish to keep them clean and easy to read.

There are lots of other ways you can use nail polish around the apartment. What are some of your favorites?

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