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Nearly died the other night when a rat the size of a small donkey came into my sitting room via the patio doors. I've been leaving them open as I don't have any other windows in my sitting room, and my dog can go in/out. Obviously it's not something I can continue to do! I have an insect mesh...

I have some hooks to put up a few house plants in hangars (small ones). I've been told I need to get actual brackets like the big ones I have outside for hanging baskets - but when I went into B&Q they looked at me blankly and said they didn't sell anything like that. Will hooks which are...

My up-and-over garage door lock has broken and now I can only open/close the door from inside the garage. I have to turn the lever to the side to release the side locks and then pull the door down from the top. It's one like this: the mechanism seems to have come loose and things sprang out all...

I've got some basic white-covered cupboards from B&Q. Some of the covering is starting to split and come off revealing the wood (or whatever it is) underneath. Should I peel all the white covering off, and paint over the wood? Or is a sticky-back plastic a better option? Thank you

Before Homebase disappeared into the ether I bought a non-slip loo seat from there. I was able to install it, but the old screws were held in a plastic sheath and I can't remove one of them. As a result I don't think the loo seat is entirely secure as it's slipping. Would this make a difference...

I had a leaf-blower but mice nibbled the bag and it blew its chewed up leaves all over my feet. I got a 'universal' collection bag from eBay and it fits, but now the stupid thing won't suck anything up. It'll only suck if I open the bottom of the bag and then I get chewed up leaves all over my...

I want to cover up manky old laminate floorboards and was given a load of flooring on Facebook marketplace. I can't afford a new floor, so this is the best I can do. The slats apparently click in place next to each other. I've never done anything like this before - is it fairly straightforward...

I have a small under-the-stairs cupboard which gets a bit mouldy. I'm going to repaint it. Is there any particular "anti-mould/damp" paint I should use or just the bog standard stuff? Thank you.

I thought my door was wood and have painted it with paint made for wood, but my friend says that it is actually vinyl and the paint will crack. Is there a way of rescuing it or should I just wait for it to disintegrate and start all over again? If the latter, what should I use to strip off the...

I am hoping someone can help. I was painting my fence with Ronseal which is one-coat and gloopy and pretty horrid. Anyway I got some on the leaves of pond plants, and now it's rained and some has dripped into the pond. I've got some plants in there but more importantly a little frog who I...

I would like to do this. I got a sample of Valspar paint from B&Q to colour match and am really happy with it, but only needed it for a little cupboard. Would it be suitable to paint my heated towel rail please? I figure I would need to use a primer first. I asked a lady at B&Q but she looked a...

I'm in a period of unemployment and trying to stop myself going crazy by doing things around the house. I'm focusing on my decking and my garage. With my friend's pressure washer I am cleaning off the decking and the garage with a view to repainting both. I think there is a small leak in my...

I would very much welcome some advice on how to proceed with my new curtains - whether to have a pole or a rail. I have just bought some curtains with big holes on hem so they would go better on a pole (and I'd prefer one). However, my window is a half bay window (if such a thing exists), so I...

This is a ridiculous question but the only place I can think to ask! Do blue loo discs not last as long as they used to? Mine seem to last just over a week at most and as i work full time I'm not a prolific flusher. What am I missing? I've tried putting one at either end of the cistern but that...

I had some plastering done at the end of December. Unbeknownst to me there was a leak building up under my bath as the overflow pipe had come loose. My plumber came and sorted the leak, but then sealed the bath up again when it was still considerably damp underneath, so the plaster went fuzzy...

My dishwasher works fine but I notice a bad smell if I've haven't run it for a day or so. I think it's standing water. I clean it regularly and also have a freshener thing in it, but I wondered if there was a problem with the plumbing as I'm on the ground floor and maybe the pipe isn't long...

I moved into my little house about almost a year ago. I've noticed that some of the paint is flaking off the bathroom wall and my friend traced some damp to the airing cupboard next to it. When we peeled the paint off, the brick behind it was dry. The paint was only painted onto a 'skin' (I...

My bathroom smells occasionally of drains. I live in a ground floor flat with a drain right outside. The washing machine, dishwasher and kitchen sink all go into this drain. I had it cleared by a drain chap a couple of months ago who said I should run clear water through it once a week for 15...

I have moved into a ground floor flat. There was an extractor fan in the bathroom but it only went on and off when the light went on & off, so I asked my electrician to fit a new one which he did. The fan is very quiet but my neighbour upstairs complains of vibration through the walls. The...