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From the Heimlich Maneuver to Jump-Starting a Car, Here Are 100 Things Everyone Should Know

You can outsource almost any job, but some things you need to know how to do yourself.

Headshot of Popular Mechanics EditorsBy Popular Mechanics Editors
100 Skills
Michael Stillwell

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These days, you can outsource almost any job—but some things you need to know how to do yourself. Now you can explore how to perform life’s essential skills: study our master list with step-by-step tips from the experts, and test your DIY aptitude each step of the way. These are 100 things everyone should know how to do.

Editor’s Note: The first edition of this story appeared in 2008.

1

Use a Drill Driver

drill driver
Trevor Raab

Okay, your new trophy tool has officially upped the firepower in your DIY arsenal. Here’s drill-driver 101: Use the low-speed, high-torque range for driving screws and the high-speed, low-torque range for most drilling. There’s also an adjustable torque-limiter ring to prevent stripped threads and damage to the motor. Set it high for long screws or hard material, low for soft material.

TIP: A combo drill/driver bit is handy, especially with hardwoods. Use the drill end (1) for pilot holes, then reverse the bit and use the drill (2) to drive screws.

2

Use an Air-Impact Wrench

impact wrench testing
Trevor Raab

This baby delivers real grunt for removing stuck lugs or crank bolts. Short, large-bore hoses to the compressor minimize pressure drop, ensuring full torque. Small-bore hoses work best with low-air-demand tools. To reinstall lug nuts, use a torque wrench; the air wrench can easily over-tighten them.

TIP: Be sure to use special impact sockets; normal sockets can grenade under the huge torque.

3

Use a Grease Gun

greasing tractor piston
Getty Images

Clean the grease fitting with a rag to avoid injecting abrasive dirt. Flexible, right-angle or other specialized ends for the gun help access odd or hard-to-reach fittings. Pump the gun until grease oozes out of the boot.

TIP: Load the gun by hand with the best synthetic wheel-bearing grease; it has double the lifetime of the cheap white lithium chassis grease that comes in cartridges.

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4

Use a Framing Hammer

builder hammering nail into framework
Getty Images

It looks easy, but hammering a nail is a skill. Right-handers, stand or kneel with your left foot forward. Hold the hammer just above the knob at the handle’s base, with most of the gripping action coming from your thumb, pinky, ring finger and middle finger. Hold the nail between thumb and forefinger with your left hand and tap until it stands in the wood. Take your fingers away and draw back the hammer until the claw is at or just behind your shoulder. Swing forward with a fluid stroke.

TIP: To prevent a stud from moving laterally when toenailing it to a plate or header, place the toe of your boot behind the stud.

5

Unclog a Toilet

close up of toilet bowl in bathroom
Getty Images

It’s that dreaded moment—when you flush, and the water (and everything in it) starts rising instead of flushing away. But no need to panic. Here are a few options to break up the clog yourself if you can’t get a plumber and don’t have a plunger. First, RESIST the urge to flush again. Turn off the water valve, located near the floor behind the toilet.

If you still have room in the toilet, pour in a gallon of hot (not boiling) water. (You may have to scoop some water out first if the bowl level is too high.) The heat and force should help turn the blockage into smaller bits. Alternatively, add a half cup of dish soap to the toilet, as this will also help break down the clog. You can pour in the soap and then the hot water, for extra strength unclogging. These methods may take 15 minutes to work.

If you have a half-filled bowl, pour a cup of baking soda into it. Add vinegar gradually, and it should start fizzing and breaking up the clog in about 20 minutes. Just Epsom salts (no vinegar) should have a similar effect.

For physical breakup of the blockage, untwist and extend a wire hanger and poke around in there. It works like a toilet snake.If you can’t or won’t tackle any of these solutions, here’s some good news—given time and gravity, the blockage will eventually unclog itself. But you’ll have to find another toilet in the meantime.

Learn More: The One Surefire Way To Unclog a Toilet

6

Escape a Sinking Car

escape a sinking car
Getty Images

The moment your car hits the water—or before, if you have the presence of mind—lower your window. (The electric motors should work, even in saltwater.) If the car floats for a few seconds, slither out the window. If it sinks right away, water will rush in and fill the interior. Sounds bad, but it’s actually good: It equalizes water pressure, allowing you to open the door. If the windows don’t open, “keep a tool like a spring-loaded center punch to break a door window,” says Jamie Hyneman of the MythBusters, who escaped from a sinking car in an episode of their TV show. Co-host Adam Savage adds: “You’re not always in your own car, so in that case the skill is not to panic as you hold your breath and wait for the car to fill with water.”

Learn More: How To Escape a Submerged Car Using Science

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7

Parallel Park Perfectly

an empty, available car parking space between two cars on a british street
getty images

Use the parked car in front of the space as a guide. Start turning the wheel to the right when the side mirror lines up with the front car’s front door. When the front seat is even with the rear bumper of the front car, straighten the wheel and aim straight back for the far corner of the space. When the right front bumper just clears the left rear bumper of the front car, cut the wheel quickly to the left and finish backing into the space. To straighten out, turn the steering wheel to the right and pull forward.

Learn More: How to Parallel Park Perfectly Every Time

8

Fix a Flat

flat tire on a bicycle
getty images

Once you remove the wheel, force the deflated tire off the rim, starting opposite the valve, then separate tire and tube. If the leak is a large tear, throw the tube out. To locate a pinhole leak, inflate the tube and feel for escaping air. If necessary, dunk the tube in water and look for bubbles.

Apply a patch over the hole. The repair should last the life of the tire. Before remounting the tire, wipe the inside of it clean with a dry cloth to remove any sharp objects that might puncture the tube. Then work the lip of the tire onto half of the rim.

Tuck the tube inside the tire, and insert the valve into its rim hole. Pump some air into the tube to reduce its chances of getting pinched between rim and tire. Then work the tire onto the rest of the rim, starting at the valve. Split the wheel into quarters. Work one-quarter down either side from the valve. Then repeat the process on the other half of the tire. This final step may require two bike levers.

Learn More: Ultimate Cycling Guide

9

How to Make a Campfire

campfire wooden fire in black
getty images

To find dry fuel, look for standing deadwood and broken branches stuck in tree limbs, says Tom Laskowski, director of Midwest Native Skills Institute.

Place the material next to your cheek; if it feels cool, it’s too wet to burn efficiently. To fuel a 1-hour fire, gather two large fistfuls of tinder—such as cattail down and crushed pine needles—and about 30 twigs, 20 pencil-sized sticks, and 10 wrist-thick pieces. Form a tepee with three 6-inch-tall sticks, and place smaller sticks on the floor as a platform for the tinder.

Lean the smallest sticks on the tepee, leaving a doorway to face the wind. Place the next size of sticks on top; repeat twice. Pack the tepee with the tinder and light it. Slowly add the 10 largest sticks in a star pattern.

TIP: If it’s raining, Laskowski uses a cotton ball smeared with Vaseline (or ChapStick) as a foolproof fire starter.

Learn More: Build the Perfect Bonfire

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10

Split Firewood

close up of firewood splitting on four
Kosijerphotography

Seasoned splitters use a maul, not an ax, to prep firewood. (With its slim taper, an ax head often gets stuck in the end grain.) Don’t use a chopping block—it reduces the arc of the swing, which decreases power. Instead, place the log on the ground, 5 inches closer than the length of the maul handle.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart; place your dominant hand at the bottom of the handle and the other hand three-quarters up the handle. Rest the maul on the wood, then lift it all the way up—your bottom arm should be straight and your top arm slightly bent.

As you begin the downward motion, slide your top hand down to your bottom hand. Use your whole body, not just your arms, and bend your knees slightly, snapping them back a split second before hitting the wood.

Learn More: The Ultimate Guide To Cutting and Splitting Firewood

11

Wax Your Car

polishing a blue car with machine
getty images

Park the car in the shade, or work after sunset to keep hot sunshine off the paint. Wash the car thoroughly with a cleaner that won’t strip off old wax; note that household detergent does. Rub the wax on using a circular motion, one panel at a time. Give it a few minutes to haze up, then buff off with terry cloth or microfiber polishing cloths.

More: How to Wash (And Wax) Your Car Like a Pro

12

Paddle a Canoe

portrait of a girl canoeist
getty images

For flat-water cruising, the sternman’s J-stroke is key: It keeps the canoe tracking in a straight line. Reach forward so the “catch”—the start of the blade’s pull through the water—is well in front of your knees.

At mid-stroke, the blade should be vertical and fully immersed. The upper arm extends diagonally across your body as though delivering a cross-punch and finishes on the outside of the gunwale (top edge of the canoe). The motion delivers power through a lever action; use the shaft hand initially as a fulcrum on which to pivot, then pull back on the shaft.

The second half of the stroke traces the hook of the letter “J.” When you draw the blade out of the water, the power face (the side pulling against the water) is parallel to the canoe, with the thumb of your top hand pointing down. Your paddle is acting as a part-time rudder.

Get inspired: My 450-Mile Canoe Trip

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13

Use a Chainsaw

chainsaw testing
Trevor Raab

Chainsaws are extremely handy tools, but they are also unforgiving and demand your undivided attention when using. Follow these rules every time you use your chainsaw.

  1. Stand properly, using the boxer stance. For right-handed people, that means putting the left foot slightly in front and at a 45-degree angle, with the right foot slightly in back. Keep your feet approximately shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees.
  2. Keep both hands on the saw, and never take your eyes off the bar as you cut.
  3. Plan your cut so you know exactly where the saw’s bar (note: it’s called the bar, not the blade) will exit the log. As the old timers used to say: It’s not where you start the cut that counts—it’s where you finish. That is, you don't want to sweep right through the log, out the other side, and into your leg or foot.
  4. Don’t be caught by surprise when you feel the saw’s pull. Cutting on the bottom of the bar pulls you toward the log; cutting on the top of the bar pushes you away.
  5. Beware the kickback zone, the top of the tip of the chainsaw bar. Don’t dig the bar into that zone, or you could suffer injury due to the sudden, rapid upward motion of the chainsaw’s guide bar.
  6. Unless they’re formally trained in chainsaw use, homeowners should always use a reduced kickback saw chain. Yes, it cuts more slowly than what the pros use, but it’s much safer.
  7. Wear appropriate safety gear: chaps, boots, gloves, and eye and hearing protection. Learn more here.

Learn More: The Best Electric Chainsaws of 2023.

14

Do the Perfect Pushup

how to do a push up
Trevor Raab

Feet should be no farther than 12 inches apart, hands about shoulder-width. “Your body is in a straight line from heels to shoulders,” Kaplan says. Bend your elbows to lower your body as a single unit until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Return to the starting position, with arms fully extended. Repeat until ordered to stop.

15

Bleed Car Brakes

"car brake and gas pedal close up, shallow depth of fieldplease also see"
getty images

When the brake pedal starts to feel spongy, it’s time to bleed your brakes. Make sure all four bleeder bolts at the wheels turn readily, then use a turkey baster to suck old brake fluid out of the reservoir.

Clean the reservoir and fill to the brim with fresh fluid. Put a small hose on the bleeder to route the fluid into a container. Have an assistant depress the brake pedal. Open the bolt farthest away from the master cylinder a quarter-turn, then close it. Ask the helper to slowly lift his foot off the pedal, then depress it again, repeating until fresh fluid comes through the hose.

Top off the reservoir regularly. Repeat the process at the other three corners, then do all four corners again. ABS pumps may require bleeding as well; check the manual.

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16

Move Heavy Stuff

boxes in moving van
Getty Imges

The favorite heavy-moving tool of Chris Wells, driver-owner-operator of A-Mrazek Moving Systems, is ...a blanket. “Tilt one end of the object up and bunch the blanket underneath, then tilt the other end up and pull the blanket through, so that the object is sitting on the blanket. Then it’s easy to pull it wherever you want it to go.”

Learn More: Your Moving Checklist

17

Paint a Room

hand holds a thick paint brush and removes it, after dipping it in the paint it creates a droplet of paint which splashes back into the pot the wall behind is painted orange and the colour in the tin is pink, which clashes conceptual with space for copy
getty images

Good paint jobs start before the first can of paint is opened.

Prepare the room by removing all hardware (door latchsets, receptacle, and switch plates). Don’t just fill small holes in the plaster or drywall; enlarge them first so the compound can be pushed in place, and wet the hole to slow drying. Sand rough spots, wash dirty areas, then prime.

Paint the ceiling, then the walls. Use a 2–3-inch brush to cut in the finish color at all corners and against the trim. Switch to a roller, apply paint in a W pattern and fill it in. After you dip the roller in the paint tray, 70 percent of the paint comes off on the first downstroke; avoid splatters by starting at least 9 inches from the corner. Apply two coats.

Finish by painting the woodwork and trim with a gloss or semigloss paint. It’s safest to mask off the walls beforehand, although pros often skip this step. If you do mask, use a tape designed for the purpose so the adhesive doesn’t pull the paint from the wall. Once the final coat dries, reinstall hardware.

Learn More: 20 Painting Secrets the Pros Won’t Tell You

18

Find Potable Water

sourcing potable water
Trevor Raab

Don’t exert yourself in the heat of the day. You may lose more water by sweating than you’ll gain by digging. Ravines and valleys are carved by running water, so head for the bottom.

In deserts, with only occasional flow, look for cottonwoods, willows, and other light-green vegetation that grows in wet areas. When the sun or moon is low in the sky, scan the horizon for reflections that may reveal the location of small pools. (Don’t worry if the water looks scummy.)

Waterborne illnesses won’t kick in for at least three days; dehydration can kill in a single day.) Collect morning dew by wiping grass with a cloth, then wringing out the water. If you have plastic bags, wrapping them around the boughs of deciduous trees yields 1 or 2 ounces a day.

Learn More: Check out our Survival Guide.

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19

Get a Car Unstuck

car stuck in a muddy road
getty images

When you’re stuck, don’t gun the engine to get out—the tires will only dig in deeper. Instead, straighten the steering wheel, then dig out as much sand, snow, or mud from around the front or rear of the tires as you can, depending on the direction you want to go.

Place a floor mat snugly under a portion of each drive wheel (if your vehicle is 4wd, position a mat under each wheel). Ease the vehicle onto the mats. If there’s a passenger, have him push the vehicle in the direction you want to go. Repeat the procedure as needed, slowly progressing in the direction of travel until the vehicle is free.

TIP: To maximize traction, lower the tires’ air pressure by 10 to 15 psi or until the sidewall begins to bulge. This spreads out the footprint of the tire, helping the vehicle float over terrain. Drive slowly and air the tires back up as soon as possible.

20

Filet a Fish

a man filleting a hake
getty images

Set the scene with a flat surface and an appropriate knife—any long, thin, flexible, and sharp blade will do, but for larger fish you might need a stiffer blade. Make your first cut behind the pectoral fin or gill cover, angling the tip of the knife slightly toward the head.
Cut down to the spine, but not through it.

Next, turn the fish end to end and run your knife head to tail along the dorsal fin and backbone, pushing the knife deep enough to bounce the blade off the fish’s rib cage.

Then run the knife carefully over the rib cage until you reach the spine. Pull the fillet back as you cut, which will help you see what you’re doing.

Repeat the process through the bottom half of the fish, and you’re done with that side. Flip and repeat for two boneless fish fillets.

TIP: “One side of the fish is always easier to cut than the other. It’s a matter of physiology: Right-handed people find it easier to cut from left to right; lefties, vice versa. Do the harder side first. The fullness of the fish will make it easier to control on the cutting board.”

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