Hack your Life - Extraordinary uses for nail polish Part 3

Extraordinary uses for nail polish:
Making Repairs

from Readers Digest.



Mend a fingernail

You just split a nail, but don't have a nail repair kit handy? Grab an unused tea bag instead. Cut the bag open, dump the tea, cut a piece of the bag into the shape of your nail, and cover it with clear nail polish. Press it onto your nail, then apply colored nail polish. You'll be good to go until the break grows out.

Temporarily repair eyeglasses

So you sat on your glasses and one lens has a small crack, but you can't get to the optometrist right away? Seal the crack on both sides with a thin coat of clear nail polish. That will hold it together until you can see your way to the doctor's office.

Fill small nicks on floors and glass

Have the children been playing hockey on your hardwood floors? Fill those little nicks by dabbing them with some clear nail polish. It will dry shiny, so sand the spot gently with some 600-grit sandpaper. A thick coat of clear nail polish also helps to soften the sharp edge of a nicked mirror or glass pane.

Reset loose jewelry stones
If your jewelry has popped a stone or two, you don't have to put it in the "play dress-up" box yet. The stone can be reset using a little drop of clear nail polish as the "glue." It dries quickly, and the repair will be invisible.


Repair lacquered items

Did you chip a favorite lacquered vase or other lacquered item? Try mixing colors of nail polish to match the piece. Paint over the chipped area to make it less noticeable. Caution: You may lower the value of an antique by doing this, so you probably only want to try this with inexpensive items.


Plug a hole in your cooler

A small hole inside your cooler doesn't make it trash-worthy yet. Seal the hole with two coats of nail polish to hold in ice and other melted substances.


Fill washtub nicks

It's a mystery how they got there, but your washing machine tub has one or two nicks near the holes, and now you're concerned about snags in your clothes or even rust spots. Seal those nicks with some nail polish, feathering the edges so there is no lip.

Keep chipped car paint from rusting
If your car suffers small dings and chips, you can keep them from rusting or enlarging by dabbing clear nail polish onto the damaged areas.


Smooth wooden hangers
If you've noticed a few splinters or nicks in your wooden hangers, no need to toss them out. Brush some nail polish over the rough edges to smooth the surface again and keep your coat linings safe.


Tighten loose screws

You're not rough with your drawers and cabinets, but you find yourself tightening certain pull screws once too often. Keep them in place by brushing a little clear polish on the screw threads, insert the screws, and let dry before using again. This is also a great solution if you've been keeping a Phillips screwdriver in the kitchen for loose pot handles. You can also use clear nail polish to keep nuts on machine screws or bolts from coming loose, and if you need to take the nuts off, a twist with a wrench will break the seal.

Mend holes in window screens

You notice a small hole has been poked in your window or door screen. If the hole is no more than about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) in diameter, you can block the bugs and keep the hole from getting bigger by dabbing on a bit of clear nail polish.

Fix torn window shades

Got a little tear in your window shade? Don't worry. You can usually seal it with a dab of clear nail polish.