Dads are full of wisdom, or so they like to remind us, but the truly useful lessons often get lost somewhere between the bad jokes, half-finished DIY jobs, and long speeches about “using the right tool for the right job.”
So, if you’ve made it this far in life without knowing how to hang a shelf straight, reset a fuse without panicking, or stop a tap from impersonating a small waterfall, you’re not alone. Here are five simple life skills your dad definitely meant to teach you… he just never quite got around to it.
How to Reset a Tripped Fuse Without Panicking
At some point, every home decides to plunge itself into darkness because you dared to boil the kettle and microwave your leftovers at the same time.
Cue the classic reaction: standing in the hallway, flicking switches like you’re trying to launch a spaceship, hoping something magically fixes itself. But resetting a fuse is far less dramatic than it feels.
The Quick How To
- Head to your fuse box, usually hiding in the cupboard under the stairs, the garage, or the least convenient corner of your home.
- Look for the switch that’s sitting lower than the rest. That’s your troublemaker.
- Switch it fully to the OFF position first.
- Then flip it back to ON, confidently, like you know what you’re doing.
- If it immediately trips again, something you just plugged in is the villain. Unplug it and try again.
- If it still trips, don’t keep flipping it like a light switch disco, that’s when you call a professional.
Dad-Pro Tip: Label your circuits. It’s much easier to fix things when you know which switch controls the kitchen and which one controls that mysterious plug no one has ever found.
How to Hang a Shelf Without It Drooping Like a Sad Pot Plant
At some point, you’ll decide your home needs a shelf, maybe for books, maybe for plants, maybe just to pretend you’re the kind of organised adult who owns storage solutions.
But hanging a shelf can quickly turn into a wonky nightmare if you go in with pure optimism and zero planning. Luckily, getting it straight is easier than it looks.
The Quick How-To
- Hold the shelf up to the wall and roughly decide the height, then immediately admit that “roughly” isn’t accurate enough and grab a pencil.
- Mark where your brackets will go, and then bring out the spirit level. Make sure that bubble sits perfectly in the middle, not “close enough,” actually centred.
- Check both marks line up. Walls lie. Trust the level, not your eyes.
- Drill your holes, tap in the wall plugs, and screw the brackets in tight.
- Place the shelf on top, secure it if needed, and stand back to admire a perfectly straight bit of wood that you absolutely did not guess your way through.
Dad-Pro Tip: If you’re hanging it above eye level, step back before you drill. Nothing screams “DIY disaster” like realising you’ve put a shelf where your forehead now lives.
How to Check Your Car’s Oil (Before the Engine Starts Making New Noises)
Checking your oil is one of those things everyone knows they should do, but most people don’t… until their car starts sounding like a tumble dryer full of cutlery.
Luckily, it’s one of the simplest bits of car maintenance you can master, no overalls, expertise, or dramatic sighing required.
The Quick How-To
- Make sure the engine is off and the car is parked somewhere flat, your driveway counts, even if it feels like it leans slightly to the left.
- Pop the bonnet. If you don’t know how, don’t worry, half the population doesn’t. There’s a little lever near one of your front seats. Pull it like you mean it.
- Find the dipstick. It usually has a bright handle, so you don’t mistake it for something important. If it’s dark and you can’t find it, the Milwaukee M12 Under hood Light or the Vaunt Adjustable Magnetic Under Light Set are particularly helpful
- Pull it out, wipe it clean with a cloth or the least sentimental tissue in your car, then dip it back in fully.
- Pull it out again and check the markings at the tip, the oil level should sit between “MIN” and “MAX.”
- If it’s closer to “MIN,” top it up slowly. Not all at once. This isn’t pasta.
Dad-Pro Tip: Always keep a spare bottle of the correct oil in your boot. It’s the closest you’ll get to feeling like a motoring genius without actually knowing how an engine works.
How to Unblock a Toilet Without Calling a Professional (or crying)
Few things strike fear into the heart of an adult like a toilet that refuses to flush properly. One second everything’s fine, the next you’re staring at rising water like it’s the world’s worst magic trick.
But before you panic-scroll for emergency plumbers, there’s a good chance you can fix it yourself, and save both money and dignity.
The Quick How-To
- First rule: don’t keep flushing. That’s how you turn a small problem into a bathroom-themed horror movie.
- Grab a plunger, the proper rubber cup one, not the fancy plastic thing that looks like modern art.
- Place it over the hole, push down gently to form a seal, then pull up with a bit of force. Repeat this Push-Pull of Destiny a few times.
- If the water starts draining, you’re winning. If not, run the hot tap for a minute and pour some warm (not boiling) water into the bowl. Give it a few minutes.
- Try plunging again. Most blockages give up at this point.
- If nothing works, that’s when you call a plumber, preferably before you’ve dismantled half the bathroom in a dramatic rage.
Dad-Pro Tip: Keep a dedicated “toilet plunger” and a separate “everything else plunger.” Trust us. You really don’t want to mix those up.
How to Stop a Leaking Tap Before It Becomes a Water Feature
A leaking tap starts innocently enough, just a tiny drip, barely noticeable. Then suddenly it’s 2am, the house is silent, and that drip sounds like it’s being played through a stadium speaker system.
The good news? You can usually fix it long before it becomes a waterfall auditioning for a garden centre display.
The Quick How-To
- First things first: turn off the water. Find the isolation valve under the sink and twist it. If it doesn’t move, congratulate your tap, it’s committed to chaos.
- Pop the cap off the tap handle using a flat screwdriver and unscrew the handle. Don’t worry, this is the part everyone thinks will break but rarely does.
- Remove the tap head and you’ll see the culprit: a worn-out washer or ceramic cartridge.
- Take it out and bring it to any hardware shop. Don’t guess the size unless you enjoy extra trips.
- Fit the new washer or cartridge, reassemble the tap, and turn the water back on.
- Enjoy the glorious silence of a non-dripping tap, and the feeling of being a functional adult.
Dad-Pro Tip: Put a towel or plug in the sink before you start unscrewing things. Dropping a tiny washer down the drain is how DIY rage begins.
Mastering these five simple jobs won’t turn you into a fully-fledged tradesman, but it will make you feel like the sort of capable adult your dad always hoped you’d become, even if he never actually taught you any of this stuff.
From rescuing a blocked toilet to hanging a shelf that doesn’t look like modern art, these little wins add up. And the best part? Next time something goes wrong at home, you won’t need to panic, call a professional, or pretend it’ll “probably fix itself.” You’ll know exactly what to do, and your dad would be proud… probably.
Anything we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments and maybe we’ll have at look at that next.