DIY Paint Hacks Worth Trying In Your Home

Painting the interior of your home may seem like a daunting task, but thanks to the internet, social media platforms, and even home improvement television shows, it's become easier than ever. That's because professional and novice painters alike have been discovering and sharing hacks that make the process easier, cleaner, and even more fun.

Doing your own interior paint job can be beneficial. As Sold notes, there are positives associated with the idea of painting your home yourself. For instance, going the DIY route allows you more control over the final outcome. Complete the job on your timeline and your way! Plus, doing your own painting will help you save money, as hiring it out can get pricey fast. With all that being said, there's never been a better time than now to try your hand at painting – and you can make the entire process easier by taking advantage of these clever hacks.

One downside of painting the interior of your home is the odor that comes along with it. These fumes can be quite overwhelming. Thankfully, Valspar Paint has some helpful tricks to help reduce the smell throughout the project.

Their first suggestion is to use onions to get rid of the paint smell. This may sound counterintuitive, but it actually works. Plus, it's easy to do. Onions have a chemical in them that neutralizes the scent of paint. Just chop an onion in half and place it in the room you're painting to get rid of that distinctive paint smell.

Another tip they offer is to use a common pantry staple: Baking soda. As you probably know, baking soda is good at naturally absorbing unwanted odors in your home. To get rid of the smell of paint chemicals, pour a good amount into small bowls and place them throughout the room you're painting. Let the bowls sit overnight to soak up the smell. Then, in the morning, toss the baking soda and replace it as needed until your project is finished and the smell has subsided.

Believe it or not, you can use petroleum jelly to help with your paint job. Love Grows Wild shares a tutorial for distressing paint with this common household item, and it simply couldn't be any easier! You'll need only three simple materials: a rag, petroleum jelly, and a paintbrush. From there, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the edges of the project or anywhere you want the paint to look distressed. It's important to note that paint won't stick to spots with petroleum jelly, so make sure you are using it somewhat sparingly. You may want to do this with a cotton swab or even your fingers. It doesn't have to be perfect for your desired distressed look!

Then, paint the area as you normally would. Let it dry somewhat, until it's still wet to the touch. Then, dampen the rag and rub it over the petroleum jelly spots. This will allow you to easily wipe away the paint, creating the desired weathered look. It's as easy as that!

When you are done painting for the day or even just looking for a bit of a break from the job, you certainly don't want your brushes and trays to dry out. Thankfully, there's a handy trick to prevent this from happening. Real Simple shared an easy way to prevent this inconvenience. All you'll need is a garbage bag. "If I'm using a roller tray, I will get a standard garbage bag and put everything in that—tray, roller handle with a roller, and brushes. Be sure to close it tightly to keep the air out," Rick Watson, director of product information and technical services at Sherwin-Williams, suggests.

The source notes that if you're done for the night and want to keep painting the next day, take this wrapped tray and place it in the fridge to ensure it's fresh and ready to go. There's nothing worse than ending up with a stiff and dry brush that has to be put in the trash, so take care to use this hack to avoid the hassle.

The dollar store is a great place to pick up some packing tape, which can help you clean your paint roller with ease. Many paint rollers that come at a cheaper price than the high-end ones come with a lot of fuzz on them. This fuzz can make it harder to paint like a professional. That's where the packing tape comes in. Use it like a lint roller on rollers before you get started, which will quickly and thoroughly remove excess fuzz.

Fun Cheap or Free further details items you can buy at the dollar store to save a buck. There are several items on the list that are helpful with a paint job, such as buckets, sponges, gloves, and cleaning supplies. Additionally, the site notes that disposable baking pans are a good thing to buy from your local dollar store, which could be helpful for pouring paint into as a makeshift tray.

Roller brushes may seem large and bulky to store, and you want to ensure you're storing them in a way that doesn't dry them out too much. Natural Handyman suggests wrapping the actual brush part of rollers with aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap. While plastic wrap has been historically recommended for the job, it's tough to seal, which makes it hard to keep air from entering and drying the roller out.

Using thick, heavy-duty foil is less likely to tear and does a great job keeping paint from drying out. Natural Handyman suggests putting a good amount of paint on the roller before wrapping and storing it to keep it in its best condition. Additionally, you can always double wrap the rollers to keep them safe while they're not in use. Finally, the site suggests putting the rollers in the fridge or even the freezer to keep them fresh. Keep in mind, though, that rollers with latex paint on them should not go in the freezer.

Cracks in a paint job can be unsightly and pretty disappointing. After all of your hard work, you don't want the eyesore of a paint crack. To prevent the issue, you can use an item from your pantry: vinegar. Ask Anna shares this hack, denoting that applying a coat of white vinegar before painting can allow a cement floor or wall to keep its coat of paint crack-free for a longer period of time. Simply apply it to the area and then wait for it to dry completely. Once you add the paint, your floors or wall will shine brightly and be crack-free for a long time to come!

Benjamin Moore offers further insights on how to keep your paint job crack-free. The expert paint company suggests ensuring that all walls are well primed before painting, meaning that they are clean and sanded. Additionally, never paint over cracked paint.

The last thing you want after a paint job is complete is to let your paintbrushes dry out so that they can't be used again in the future. You want to keep supplies fresh for the next time you decide to paint, right? To prevent this from happening, Get Jerry suggests that you'll want to use the same method with aluminum foil as mentioned above. It's important to add a lot of paint to the brush before you wrap it with foil, though, as failing to do so could lead to stiff and dry brushes.

Ugly Duckling House has another method: You can use a sandwich bag to keep your brushes in great condition. Put a paint-covered brush in a bag, squeeze out all excess air, and then close it tight. From there, wrap excess plastic from the bag around the base of the brush. Tape the end of the bag to the rest of the plastic to prevent it from unwrapping. These methods should be helpful in ensuring your brushes are ready to use next time you're ready to slap more paint on the wall.

If you've ever painted a bathroom, kitchen, or anywhere else with awkwardly shaped items, then you already know how difficult it can be to protect them from drips. In many cases, as with toilets or sinks, you can't simply move them out of the room to keep them in the clear, so you have to find a way to work around them without splattering their surface.

To make your life easier, run to your kitchen and pull out a box of plastic wrap and use it to cover the item. Because of how flexible it is, you can easily wrap it around the item in question, leaving it protected from potentially devastating drops of paint. The protective cover will be easy to remove after you've finished the project and no longer need to worry about a few drips or splatters ruining its finish or appearance.

Before you use that new paint roller cover you just bought, don't skip the important step of conditioning it. Otherwise, you're likely to see traces of the loose synthetic or wool fibers it is made from on your freshly painted walls. Conditioning the roller helps to remove the loose fibers from it so that they don't end up mixing in with the paint you're applying to your walls.

Conditioning doesn't take very long at all. Simply spray all sides of the roller using some water. You want to spray enough to get it pretty damp. Then, use your hand to spin the roller around so that it releases any excess water it's holding. Finally, roll it over a clean piece of butcher paper or cardboard to release any remaining fibers. Follow these steps if you're working with a water-based paint. However, if you're working with an oil-based product, then use whatever paint thinner you'll be adding to the can to condition the roller cover.

After spending hours painting, do you really want to waste more of your time cleaning up? While some cleanup is inevitable after a project, you can minimize how much time it will take. Cleaning the trays is one of the most time-consuming tasks. The paint always seems to stick to the tray. Moreover, if you accidentally turn the water pressure up too high, your sink, clothes, and anything else close by is going to get splattered with watery paint.

Save yourself some time and headache by covering the trays with aluminum foil before pouring paint into them. The foil won't get in the way of your brush, but it will make it so much easier to clean up the mess after you finish painting. Just carefully remove the foil — and any paint covering it — and toss it into the trash can.