When should I turn the heating on for the winter?
There is no correct date, but there is a correct way to decide. What actually determines when heating becomes necessary, and why holding out has costs beyond comfort.
beginner15 min5 min read
Home & DIY
Practical answers for repairs, cleaning, decorating and the household problems that turn up whether you planned for them or not. Written so you can start with what you already own.
2,154 guides
Which hob should I buy — induction, ceramic or gas?
The six axes the three hob types genuinely differ on, what each one costs to install as well as to buy, and an honest verdict for a typical UK kitchen.
beginner40 min5 min readWhy does the same crack keep coming back after I fill it?
A crack that returns is being reopened by movement. Filler cannot resist movement, so the answer is either a flexible material, a reinforced repair, or finding out why the wall is moving.
intermediate45 min3 min readWhy is tumble dryer lint a fire risk, and what must I do about it?
Lint is a fine, dry, highly flammable fibre that accumulates in exactly the places where the machine is hottest — and the mechanism is a loop, because the more that accumulates, the hotter the machine runs.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy will my stopcock not turn, and how do I free a seized one?
What actually seizes inside a stopcock, the penetrating-oil and quarter-turn approach that frees most of them, and the point at which forcing it becomes the expensive mistake.
beginner25 min5 min readAre portable air conditioners worth it?
The single-hose design problem, when a portable unit is genuinely the right answer, and what to check before buying.
beginner20 min4 min readDo I need building regulations approval for a new kitchen or bathroom?
The units themselves are not controlled work — the electrics, drainage, ventilation and any structural change are, and that is what decides the answer.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I build a stud wall?
Setting out a partition so it is plumb and square, fixing the plates into real structure, and the sequence that gets a wall built, serviced and boarded without having to undo anything.
intermediate8 hr6 min readHow do I check a chimney is safe to use?
The visual checks anyone can do, the sweep and the smoke test that only a professional should do, and the alarm that has to be there regardless.
beginner1 hr5 min readHow do I clean grout?
How to get discoloured tile grout clean again, what to use on mould versus general grime, and when grout needs replacing instead.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I clean things I never normally clean?
The twenty things a routine clean never reaches, why several of them affect how the house works, and a sensible order.
beginner3 hr4 min readHow do I deal with pollen and dust indoors?
Keeping pollen out during the season, removing dust rather than moving it, and which of the popular measures actually do something.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I declutter before moving house?
Moving is the one time decluttering pays for itself directly, because everything kept is paid for twice — once to pack and once to move.
beginner4 hr2 min readHow do I fit a wall-mounted TV bracket safely?
Finding out what the wall is made of, matching the VESA pattern, and the fixings that make the difference between safe and eventually.
intermediate2 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I fix a hole in a plasterboard wall?
Three sizes of hole and three different repairs — the patch method that does not need a whole new board.
intermediate1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I fix a scratched wooden floor?
Match the repair to the depth — surface marks, scratches through the finish, and gouges into the wood are three different jobs.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I fix lifting laminate?
Lifting is a symptom of moisture, no expansion gap, or a failed joint — and the cause decides the repair.
intermediate1 hr2 min readHow do I get a household to keep a system going?
Why systems collapse when one person owns them, and the design choices that let a household maintain one without being reminded.
beginner30 min4 min readHow do I get superglue off skin and surfaces?
Warm soapy water and patience for skin, acetone for hard surfaces, and the things that make it worse.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I know if I have bed bugs, and what do I do?
Confirming it is actually bed bugs rather than something else, the containment steps that matter before anyone treats, and why this one is not a DIY job.
advanced4 hr5 min readHow do I make a cold room warmer?
Why one room is always colder than the rest, and the fixes in order of cost — from free adjustments to insulation.
beginner2 hr3 min readHow do I make a stair safer?
Lighting, handrails and the edge of the tread — the three things that prevent most falls, and the specific changes for children and older people.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readHow do I pack so unpacking is not miserable?
Packing by room and by priority rather than by what is nearest, and the labelling that makes unpacking a sequence rather than an excavation.
beginner4 hr4 min readHow do I read a crack in brickwork, and when do I need a structural engineer?
The six crack patterns and what each usually means, how to monitor properly before spending money, and the honest line between a repointing job and an engineer's report.
intermediate25 min5 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.
MaterialWorld is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.