Month: September 2019

After a long day at work, you get home and are ready to eat a comforting meal and put your feet up. However, when you get to the kitchen, something is not right – there is an extremely unpleasant smell coming from the sink. You’ve decided to run the tap for a while and the water is taking a good few minutes to drain plus, there is this strange gurgling sound… We’re afraid you have a blocked sink.

We know this is the last thing you wanted to worry about when you got home, but you’ll have to do something about it. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to tackle this problem.

1. Get out the plunger.

Guess what? This is the perfect moment to use that plunger that you thought you throwing out a couple of times because you haven’t used it since you’ve bought it. Dig it out from your appliances room and get to work.

Place the plunger over the plughole in your sink and cover with water to create an airtight seal. Grip the handle with both hands and pump it up and down – this will suck the air out of the pipe and force it back in. Fill the sink up and if it drains quickly, you know the blockage is clear!

If you don’t have a plunger and it’s too late to go to your nearest shop to get one, move on to the tips below.

2. Blast it with water.

A high-pressure blast of water might be able to push out whatever is blocking the sink. Simply take a 2-litre drink bottle and fill it with warm water. Tip it upside down and place the open end down the plughole. At the same time, quickly squeeze the bottle to force the water out of the bottle as fast as possible. 

3. Use a drain cleaner.

If the plunger and the water pressure didn’t work, it might mean that the blockage is dense and greasy. This means that you’ll need something to break it down.

There are many chemical drain cleaners which work wonders, however, if you don’t have any at home or have no time to go outside to purchase one, you might have to use some items which you’ll find in your kitchen cupboard.

• Baking soda and vinegar.

Add two teaspoons of baking soda to a cup of white vinegar, then pour the mixture down the plughole. Leave it for a few minutes and then flush the blockage with some hot water.

• Bleach and hot water.

Pour some bleach through the plughole at night before going to bed and then flush it with hot water in the morning.

4. Clear out the blockage by hand.

Be aware that you’ll have to get your hands dirty for this one plus, a tough stomach will definitely help. If you are not happy doing this job, give the Squad a call on 0800-0 12 12 12 and we’ll be there in a jiffy.

If none of the methods above have worked, you will have to dive into your kitchen cupboard and wrench off the U-bend of the sink to clear it out by hand.

Firstly, put on a pair of rubber gloves and put down some old towels and a bucket under the U-bend.

Then, use a wrench to slowly unscrew the threaded caps from each side of the U-bend.

Take the U-bend and any dismantled bits to another sink or outside tap. Clean them thoroughly. A wire coat hanger can also help to clean out the inside of the pipe.

Finally, re-attach the U-bend and run the tap to make sure everything you’ve just fitted is watertight.

Still have a blocked sink? Maybe it’s time to call a professional. Our London plumbers are experts at unblocking all plumbing fixtures, from unblocking basins, unblocking baths to unblocking showers and unblocking sinks. Call today on 0800-0 12 12 12 or request a free quote by filling our online form.

The post How to unblock a sink appeared first on Handy Squad Handyman London | Fast & Reliable London Handyman.

Maybe you finally took some days off to renovate your house and decided that the wallpaper (which only looked good in the ‘70s and should have stayed there) in your living room has to go! However, you didn’t think much of it and started to peel it off, after all – how difficult can it really be?

Four hours later and you’re sitting on the floor staring at the wall and thinking “after all that scraping, peeling, how do I still have more than half of the wall with wallpaper?” We feel your pain. Take a deep breath and ring the Squad on 0800-0 12 12 12, we’ll take care of it, so you can actually enjoy your time off and relax.

If you are not ready to quit and want to tackle this job by yourself (good on you!), continue reading below as we explain the best ways to remove wallpaper. We’ve written all about “how to hang wallpaper” and “tips on how to hang wallpaper” but we’ve noticed that we haven’t covered how to remove wallpaper. With our instructions, we are certain that you will be able to remove your wallpaper as painlessly as possible.

Start with some prep work.

Before starting any type of peeling, scraping and asking yourself “why didn’t you just call the Handy Squad?”, you will have to prepare the room. This means, removing everything off the walls, moving or covering nearby furniture and covering the skirting boards.

Also, you will have to determine the type of wallpaper you have plus, whether your walls are plaster or drywall. Plaster is most commonly found in homes that were built more than 50 years ago, whilst drywall has been used in homes for the past 50 years or so. This is important to identify because drywall is more delicate than plaster, meaning you will have to be more careful when removing wallpaper.

To determine the type of wallpaper you have, use a putty knife to loosen a corner of the paper and try to peel it off. If you are one of the lucky ones with strippable wallpaper, it should just peel right off. If the wallpaper peels a bit but leaves a paper backing, then you have peelable wallpaper. If the paper doesn’t peel at all, means that you have a traditional wallpaper that will require some more work, water and a wallpaper stripper (don’t worry, you can do it).

Remove strippable wallpaper.

Step 1

Use a putty knife to loosen the corner of the paper. Use your hands to pull the paper from the wall. You should pull as close to the wall as you can to avoid tearing the paper (if the paper rips, lift another corner and start again). Repeat around the room.

Step 2

Once you’ve removed all the wallpaper, clean the walls with water and soap.

Remove peelable wallpaper.

Step 1.

Peelable wallpaper has a top layer which comes off just like strippable paper, simply loosen the corner with a putty knife and pull the paper off.

Step 2.

Once you’ve removed the top layer off, you’ll be left with the paper backing. To remove this layer, follow the directions below for removing traditional wallpaper.

Remove traditional wallpaper.

Step 1.

Mix hot water and the wallpaper stripper according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pour this solution into a spray bottle.

Step 2.

Apply the solution to the wall, letting it sit for several minutes.

Step 3.

Use a putty knife to peel off the paper. Work from top to bottom a section at a time. Once you’ve removed the paper from this section, move on to the next section.

Step 4.

Clean the wall with soap and water to remove any residue.

Still no luck? Try a wallpaper steamer.

A wallpaper steamer can be a godsend when your wallpaper seems to refuse to peel off no matter how much you scrape and spray. Simply follow the manufacturer’s directions and you will have a wallpaper free wall in no time.

If you don’t have time to remove your wallpaper or you simply don’t want to get your hands dirty – call the Handy Squad on 0800-0 12 12 12. Our London decorators will be able to remove your wallpaper and paint your walls after (if required). Let us know how we can help, and we’ll be happy to do so. Request a free quote by filling our online booking form.

The post How to remove wallpaper appeared first on Handy Squad Handyman London | Fast & Reliable London Handyman.