Wall anchors are a wanted software program for safely securing heavy wall-mounted devices spherical your individual residence. Not solely that, moreover they defend the encircling drywall, give you flexibility of placement, and evenly distribute the burden of irrespective of you’re hanging, from floating cupboards to flatscreen TVs.
The strategy for eradicating these little gadgets comprises extracting anchors from the wall so to patch and paint the holes. In case you occur to’ve ever wrestled with one, you already know they’re much harder to remove than they’re to place in. The most recent viral home enchancment video displays a simple (and utterly sudden) software program for eradicating pesky drywall anchors: a wine corkscrew.
Be taught to try the sample and which types of anchors the bar software program will work on. We’ve got moreover included totally different anchor eradicating methods for these that will’t be pulled out with a corkscrew, so that you just’ll in no way ought to battle with one as soon as extra.
What Is the Wine Opener Hack, and Does It Actually Work?
A few months previously, DIY content material materials creator @megank_home posted a viral TikTok video (which in the meanwhile has 1.2 million views) demonstrating how she used a wine bottle opener to easily take away a drywall anchor from the wall. In under eight seconds, she displays off a typical corkscrew-style wine opener, inserts the tip into the middle of the wall anchor, affords it quite a few twists, and slides the plastic piece correct out of the wall.
Over on Instagram, content material materials creator Orima Kamalu posted a reel displaying off the hack to an astounding 15.9 million viewers. Suggestions on every motion pictures range from commending this wise thought to admitting to leaving the anchor in and patching over it. Relying in your specific state of affairs, the latter may not be attainable, significantly within the occasion you’re a renter . So, you in all probability have a corkscrew wine opener and a drywall anchor that have to be eradicated, why not try it?
Sooner than getting started, phrase that this trick gained’t work for every kind of wall anchor. Don’t strive to remove metal anchors, like toggle bolts, or threaded plastic anchors with a wine opener. As a substitute, solely apply it to non-threaded plastic wall anchors, which are fortuitously comparatively frequent and harder to remove than threaded variations. One caveat to remember is that if the anchor you’re pulling out may very well be very slim, the corkscrew gained’t match.
How one can Use a Wine Opener to Take away Drywall Anchors
While you’ve determined that you just’ve acquired the proper kind of anchor for the job, observe these three easy steps to remove it.
- Insert the wine opener: Line the corkscrew tip up with the center of the anchor’s hole and completely press the tip in about an inch.
- Start twisting: Use the wine opener’s take care of to point out the corkscrew clockwise, an identical to you’d to open a bottle. As quickly because it reaches the middle, it’s best to actually really feel it seize the anchor, letting you already know to maneuver on to the last word step.
- Take away the anchor: Everytime you start to actually really feel the resistance, slowly begin pulling straight once more. Likelihood is you may need to wiggle it gently, nonetheless the anchor ought to easily slide out from the wall with little assist.
Totally different Strategies to Take away Drywall Anchors
In case you occur to’re going by way of a threaded, metal, or too-small drywall anchor, try actually certainly one of these methods for simple eradicating—no drill required.
- Pliers: Use needlenose pliers to remove small plastic anchors or molly bolts. Clasp the knowledge throughout the sting, wiggle the anchor forwards and backwards, and concurrently pull it in direction of you until it’s free.
- A screw: In case you occur to’re working with a toggle bolt or totally different kind of metal anchor, press an appropriately sized screw roughly halfway inside. With each your fingers or a set of pliers, seize the screw head and pull it (with the anchor) straight out.
- A screwdriver or drill: If neither of those methods works, you’re going to get additional aggressive by rigorously utilizing a screwdriver or drill to once more the anchor out of the wall.
Lastly, as a remaining resort, truly stubborn anchors could also be pushed further into or flush with the wall with a hammer so you’ll a minimum of patch the realm so it appears to be just about nearly as good as new.