This Aluminum Foil Trick Will Help You Save Time On Your Next Paint Job

Whether you're freshening up an existing color or redoing the room entirely, painting is a task that almost everyone has to do at some point. Odds are it's something you don't do frequently enough, either — according to PaintRite Pros, you should be repainting the interior of your house at least every three to five years, if not more. This may seem like a heavy ask, but with general wear, nicks, dings, scratches, food stains, and more, even one fresh coat every few years can do wonders for your home.

Even if you enjoy painting, it is a very labor- and time-intensive task, especially if you do it on the recommended schedule. More than lining your baseboards with painter's tape or moving furniture around, you have to account for other possible areas the paint could accidentally get, like your door handles. Instead of removing them or having to spend hours chipping the paint off, consider the following aluminum foil trick instead.

One of the more troublesome aspects of painting a room is trying to make sure the paint doesn't get on anything it's not meant to, including your floors, furniture, and doorknobs. Paint drip is almost inevitable, though, which is why things like painter's tape and tarps exist. To protect your doorknobs, Home Depot recommends using aluminum foil.

This trick only requires aluminum foil and one incredibly simple step. Unwrap a sizable length of the aluminum foil, and wrap it around the doorknob before painting. Scrunch it up to keep it in place, but if you want a little extra security, you could also add a rubber band or tie. The video also says you can use plastic wrap in the same way, which will conveniently stick to itself. Then, once you're done painting, you can simply remove and discard the aluminum foil or plastic wrap, leaving it paint-stain-free.

Despite your best efforts, accidents still happen, and you may find yourself with paint drips on either your doorknobs, hinges, or other spots it shouldn't be. Get ahead of the problem by having a bowl of water and rag on hand, advises Five Star Painting. If you catch the paint while it's still wet, you can just wipe it up. There are also products available at hardware stores specifically designed to remove accidental paint spills.

You may not always catch the paint drip while it's still wet, though. In this case, your first course of action should be to try to gently scrape it up. If it won't come up, don't cause more damage by digging into it. Instead, Lowe's says to lightly sand the drip down and repaint it, or try to pop it up using a razor edge. This can also be used for paint that gets on windows — just be careful not to scratch the glass.