13 Simple Paint Hacks That Make Painting Your Home So Much Easier

Protect Your Hardware With Something Already In Your Bathroom

Painting around hinges, knobs, handles, and other hardware can be a nightmare. You can tape everything off, but small gaps and awkward shapes make it surprisingly easy for a little paint to sneak through. Then you're left trying to scrape dried paint away from a hinge or knob without damaging the surface underneath. There's another simple trick that can make cleanup easier.

Before you start painting, apply a thin coating of petroleum jelly to the hardware you want to protect. The idea is simple. If paint lands on the petroleum jelly, it has a harder time bonding directly to the surface underneath. Once you're finished painting and the paint has dried sufficiently around the area, the unwanted paint can be much easier to wipe away. You don't need a thick layer. A light coating is enough to create the barrier.

This can be particularly useful around hinges and other oddly shaped pieces of hardware where painter's tape doesn't always sit neatly. Just remember that petroleum jelly isn't a substitute for proper masking when you're dealing with delicate finishes or large amounts of paint. But for those little bits of hardware that are always awkward to tape? A tiny smear can save you from a surprisingly tedious cleanup job.