LET'S face it, painting your fence is an arduous and time-consuming task that's very unlikely to be at the top of your to-do list.
But with the summer weather finally on the horizon, for many, it's a task that's worth doing before your garden is flooded with friends and loved ones.
However, while many will simply pick up a paintbrush to complete the chore, a savvy homeowner named Charlotte has revealed a quicker way to complete the task - and people are branding it "genius."
In a clip shared to TikTok (@charcharlamps), Charlotte decided to set to work and see whether an old spray tanning gun that she dug out from the loft would work to spray paint her brown fence.
After filling it up with water to test that it still worked, she then de-weeded the garden so that she had complete access to every fence panel.
You're really cutting time down here and also getting in all the little nooks and crannies
Charlotte Lampard
She then filled the tanning gun up with black paint, her new fence colour of choice, and was delighted with the ease of which it worked and sped up the process.
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Charlotte, who was shocked that the paint, which is thicker than tan, was a success, says: "I can't believe this worked.
"It took two hours for me to do three fence panels before, and this took half an hour for me to do two.
"So you're really cutting time down here and also getting in all the little nooks and crannies."
Charlotte goes on to note how she thought of the hack by herself and was "really proud" with the time-saving idea she came up with.
She captioned the post: "Paint my fence with my spray tanning gun! I cant believe this hack actually worked! Game changer!!"
It wasn't long before the post quickly went viral, racking up a whopping 218k views and several comments from very impressed social media users.
"Am so going do this," wrote one social media user.
A second praised: "Brilliant idea!"
A third commented: "My mum used mine for that."
Meanwhile, a fourth noted: "Genius!"
Elsewhere, another added: "Work smarter not harder!!!!"
And one more tagged a friend, writing: "Oi leave off...that spray gun I had under my stairs is finally going to be used for something!"
How to get algae off fences
ABS Fencing shared a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to cleaning green algae off your fence.
- Don’t use household mould or mildew remover sprays as these are generally intended for use on hard surfaces indoor.
- Don’t use bleach in the garden, it kills a lot more than the mould.
- Don’t try sanding back the top surface of the wood, as algae will just regrow back.
- Don’t bother with power hosing – that only opens up the timber grain and allows more water inside, making the problem worse down the line.
- Do use white vinegar mixed with hot water in a spray bottle and work it in with a brush, leave for 30 mins or more, then hose down.
- Do repaint when dry with good quality fence paint.