How Every Guy Can Be a Handyman
No man is lord of his house if he has to call in the cavalry for every leaky pipe. These 16 DIY tricks will save you money—and earn you bragging rights
BY DENNY WATKINS
Secure your wireless Internet
Access your router’s setup menu through your Web browser—see your
manual for the correct address. Once you’re in, start building your
defenses.
1 Look for the tab that lets
you change the “SSID”: That’s the name of your network. Make it
something unique—think of it as a password.
2 Change the SSID broadcast
feature, usually found under “advanced settings,” to “disabled.” Now,
when a wireless modem looks for nearby networks, yours won’t show up.
3 Most routers have either
wireless encryption (WEP) or Wi-Fi protected access (WPA). Crank the
encryption up to its highest setting (probably 128-bit) and enter a
password to generate a key. This will spit out a bunch of
gibberish—that’s good. Copy everything down onto a notepad and save all
settings.
4 The computer on which you
set up the network will already be connected. When you want to connect
another computer, you just need to type in the gibberish.
Unjam a garbage disposal
Most disposals have hex-wrench holes on the bottom. Insert your wrench
and reverse the blades, freeing the jammed item. Then reach in and grab
it.
Stop a toilet from overflowing
Quick! Take the lid off the tank and lift the rubber ball to shut the inflow valve to the bowl.
Replace stained carpeting
1 Cut a perfect rectangle
around the stained carpet and up to the closest wall. At the base of
the wall is a tack strip that will help hold down the new piece.
2 Using the stained square as a template, cut the patch to fit exactly.
3 Lay down double-sided carpet tape along the three edges of the hole that don’t have tacks.
4 Starting at the taped edges,
press the carpet down tightly. Tuck the remaining edge under the
baseboard, where the tacks will grab hold.
Fireproof your dryer
Lint balls in dryer vents cause more than 15,000 fires each year,
according to FEMA. Once a year, pull the exhaust hose from the back of
the dryer and your outside vent. Reach inside the dryer, hose, and vent
to extract the big clumps of dust, and use a vacuum cleaner to suck up
the rest.
