Walls and Storage

All notes in this collection

You cannot put a drill through a rented wall, so these notes are about what is still possible under that rule. Adhesive hooks, picture ledges, tension rods, pegboards and floor-to-ceiling poles, with the real load figures, the wall types each one suits, how to peel them off without taking the paint and what to do about leftover residue. Then the furniture worth spending on and the pieces you regret after one move, plus damp and humidity control in the wet season and quietening a thin wall or noisy upstairs neighbours without any building work. Load figures come from the manufacturers' own labels, and anything about liability follows current law and standard tenancy terms.

• The renter's damp & mould handbook: from a humidity meter to a dehumidifier A full damp-and-mould guide for renters in humid climates: reading humidity, the six worst-hit spots, five home types, sizing and running a dehumidifier, a no-machine budget plan, the bathroom, condensation vs rising damp, mould rescue by material, and a wet-season calendar.
• How much can a Command hook really hold? No-drill wall storage, sorted Five renter-friendly ways to hang things without drilling, compared: 3M Command's own load figures, how to read your wall, peeling adhesive off without taking the paint, and a deposit-risk stamp on each one.
• Soundproofing a rental: quieter with no building work A renter's no-construction soundproofing guide: seal the door gap, quiet leaky windows and build a bookcase mass wall — all reversible and deposit-safe.
• Furniture for renters: what's worth buying and what you'll regret after one move What eight house moves taught me about buying furniture: the seven pieces worth the money, the seven you'll regret, plus how to shop IKEA and the secondhand market, and the move-day logistics.