Whether you’re a DIYer or have something that’s SO simple that you know you can do it yourself, we all come face-to-face with that time when we need a screwdriver and just can’t find one.
One of our brand promises at Valor Home Services is to keep projects on-budget, and that includes even the smallest things. We’ve even organized screwdriver substitutes for you in this week’s blog, just to keep you from buying a new screwdriver when you don’t have to.
Buckle up for three simple tricks to get a screw unscrewed when you just can’t find that screwdriver.
1 – Use a butter knife
This one is a classic. First, grab a kitchen butter knife. Favor whichever one is oldest or already a little beat up—don’t go for your best silver.
Carefully insert the end of the butter knife into the longer groove of the screw, then turn counterclockwise to unscrew.
If your butter knife is extremely worn or the screw is especially tight, it is possible you’ll bend the butter knife instead of unscrew the screw. Be careful while you work, and be aware of this possibility.
2 – Use a coin
You can also try using a coin to do the same thing. Dimes and pennies are usually the best for this since they’re thin enough to insert (if only diagonally) into the longest groove of the screw, but they’re also the coins with the shortest diameter, so it’s sometimes hard to get a good trip.
Maybe you have some foreign coins from some bucket-list trip that can be used! Just be aware that a hollow or extra-thin coin could bend just like a butter knife.
3 – Pliers
Maybe you can’t find a screwdriver, but you do have other tools. If you have pliers or vice grips, you can use those to try to unscrew a screw instead.
Do note that this will only work if the head of the screw is raised above the surface around it.
Take the pliers or vice grip and grab the sides of the screw head. Turn the screw counterclockwise to twist it out.
There are some other more elaborate methods we’ve seen people try, too, like melting the plastic tip of a toothbrush until it’s good and soft, then pressing it firmly into the screw head so it can cool and harden in that screw head’s shape. But now we’re talking pretty advanced methods, and the last thing we want is for someone to get hurt.
If it’s easier, give us a call. You probably have something else that needs to get done by a handyman, so the screw can be taken care of on a bigger visit. You can schedule with Valor Home Services right here on the site!
