20 Ways to Hide (or improve) Your Home’s ‘Ugly Bits’

20 Ways to Hide (or improve) Your Home’s ‘Ugly Bits’

Improving your home ahead of Christmas Day

In the approach to Christmas your house preparations will be well underway.  The tree is most likely up, your outdoor lights are programmed to turn on for a few hours each evening and the dog is wearing his brand new ‘mummy’s little elf’ jumper with more panache than Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen in his heyday.  

If you’re hosting on Christmas day, you’ll know that the list of jobs to do is endless.  Aside from decorating the house (and dog), food needs preparing and the house needs a tidy up before aunties, uncles, grandparents and friends pile in for your speciality feast.  So if you’re limited on time but want the house in tip-top condition before the celebrations truly begin, follow our handy tips on how to hide your home’s ‘ugly bits’!
 

Follow these handy tips...

1. Store ugly cords and random knickknacks in decorative storage boxes. We love these neutral and timeless boxes – perfect for stashing away the bits and bobs you can’t find homes for!
 
John Lewis storage boxes
Image source: John Lewis

2. Use fabric banners to hide scuffs and marks on walls.  This is a cheap cover up and super quick!
 
Fabric 'amazing things will happen' banner
Image source: Etsy

3. Paint over ugly floor tiles.  Bored of your old kitchen or bathroom floor tiles?  Replacing them is easier than you think!
Repainted floor tiles
Image source: The Moon and Me

4. Hide cables and wires by hooking them up and out of the way.  This trick is simple but the effect really makes a difference.
 
Hidden electricity cables
Image source: Make Use Of

5. Use dispensers for soaps and beauty products to keep your bathroom looking chic.  Removing branded containers really makes a difference.

Glass soap dispenser
Image source: Etsy

6. Spray old chairs to give them a new lease of life.  Cheaper than buying anything new!

Resprayed chair, before and after
Image source: Make it Yours

7. Give old pans in need of a decent clean a new lease of life.  Try this amazing trick to save yourself having to buy new trays for Christmas day - watch the video here.
 
Clean baking tray
Image source: Nifty

8. Create a quick and easy drinks dispenser.   To do this use a Styrofoam chest and that old picnic hamper you’ve not used in a while!
 
Drink hamper
Image source: Everything Fab

9. Transform old black appliances with just a few materials and a bit of know-how.  Easy-peasy!

Revamped oven
Image source: Julie Blanner

10. No time to sort radiator covers but want a simple and effective makeover?  Add a shelf. It works!
 
Radiator shelf cover
Image source: Pinterest

11. Peeling wallpaper?  Apply a thin layer of wallpaper paste to the underside of the pealing paper and smooth away bubbles with a roller.  A comprehensive guide can be found here.
 
Peeling-wallpaper.JPG
Image source: Dummies

12. Stains in your bathtub?  Mix cream of tartar, baking soda and lemon juice in equal quantities and stir into a paste.  Using gloves, rub the solution into the stain – let it sit for 30 minutes then rinse away with water!
 
Baking soda
Image source: HOMEDIT

13. Sofa cushions lacking volume?  Stick them in the tumble dryer with a tennis ball.  They should puff up in no time.

Pillow in tumble dryer
Image source: wikiHow

14. Replace your dog’s smelly old bed in a few simple steps.  With just a jumper, pillow filling, a needle and thread this bed is quick, easy and looks festive too!
 
Jumper dog bed
Image source: Nifty

15. Don't throw out used up candles!  If you’ve got lots of old candles lying around the house there are some great and easy ways to repurpose them.  Try this method to create cute, wintery tea light holders.
16. Stained grout in your kitchen or bathroom?  It’s so easy to get rid of you’ll wish you’d known this trick all along!

Grout before and after cleaning
Image source: Goodful

17. Light it up!  Turn old wine (or spirits!) bottles waiting to be recycled into cute and festive lamps.
 
Wine bottle lights
Image source: Instructables

18. Keep your hallway debris free. If you’re worried about tens of pairs of shoes littering your hallway, create some shoe storage buckets.  You can have one each for kids, aunties, uncles or grandparents – or have a bucket per family!

Shoe buckets
Image source: Better Homes & Gardens

19. The easiest fridge make over EVER.  If the fridge is scratched and looking a little worse for wear, fridge decals are a quick and easy way to revamp them without forking out for a brand new one.
 
Fridge decal sticker
Image source: eBay

20. Worried about getting your washing dry with so many people in the house?  Follow these simple tricks to ensure your garments are dry and ready to be hung up.
 
Hosting lunch on Christmas day can be daunting but with plenty of preparation and help from the family, you'll be ready to welcome the family into your home in no time. Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and happy New Year!
 
*****

Discover more home improvement articles on Safestore’s blog where you’ll find a range of topics; from renovation tips to space saving ideas and more. Or, if you require storage to free up space we have a variety of self storage facilities located in over 100 locations – find your nearest store for a quote today.
 
 
 
 

Get a Self Storage Quote

Find a store by entering a postcode, city or town below.
Find a store & Get a quote

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
 Security code
There are no comments yet
Complete your quote

You’re almost done!

Complete your quote at