Home & Garden — How-To Videos, Articles, & Inspiration « Home & Garden

How To: Identify the switched live wire in a lighting circuit

Before undertaking any electrical project, it is imperative that you know precisely what it is you're doing and to keep in mind that electricity can kill. With that said, this electrical tutorial presents a guide to identifying the switched live wire on a lighting circuit and also explains how to rewire a ceiling rose. For detailed, step-by-step instructions on completing this home project, take a look.

How To: Purge, clean, and fill a butane lighter

In this tutorial, we learn how to maintain a butane lighter. There are a variety of butane lighters available, but basics for all of them are all the same. First, adjust the flame dial all the way down to negative. Then, purge the lighter using the back of a wooden match. You will hear a hissing noise as the butane and air escape. Do this until you can no longer hear the noise. You will now clean the lighter by holding a canister of air at a 45 degree angle 3 inches away, spray a few times an...

How To: Install a dimmer switch in a snap

How many handymen does it take to install a dimmer switch? None, you can do it yourself in a snap. A dimmer switch can make a room more comfortable, by allowing you to adjust the light to just the right brightness at the moment. You will need a screwdriver, a circuit tester, a wire cutter, a wire stripper, and 3 twist-on wire connectors. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to install a dimmer switch.

How To: Make a secret compartment in your wall

Have something you want no one else to find? The best hiding places are in plain sight. Follow these steps to create a shockingly sly storage space.

How To: Remove Almost Any Stain Using Alcohol

There are countless methods and cleaners aimed at eliminating stubborn stains from everything to clothing, carpet, and furniture. But completely removing every last trace of a stain doesn't require an arsenal of chemical cleaners and repeated cycles in the washing machine. Most stains can disappear in a matter of minutes with a dose of alcohol.

How To: Separate Two Glasses That Are Stuck Together

Learn how to separate two glasses that are stuck together with this Howcast video tutorial. You nested two glasses when you put them away — and now they're stuck! Gently pry them apart with this system.

How To: Remove a Shark Bite Fitting Without a Special Tool - Adjustable Wrench Trick

Here's a fast easy way to remove and disconnect your Shark Bite quick connect fitting, without a special tool to do it. We'll show you a awesome little trick using an adjustable wrench. This will work an all different size Shark Bite fittings.

How To: Save Your Tomatoes From Rats And Rot

Every summer my husband and I plant a tomato plant. We do this to enjoy the plump red tomatoes right off of the vine.

How To: Pick the lock on a garage door

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to pick the lock of a garage door. It is not recommended for users to learn this technique to use to open other people's garage doors to break in someone's home or steal their possessions. The tools needed for this technique are a L-key and a diamond pick. Put the L-key at the bottom of the lock hold and fiddle around with the diamond pick on the top part of the hole. Do this until your able to rotate the lock. This video will benefit those viewers wh...

How To: Fit and replace a Bosch grill element

Check out this home repair tutorial video that demonstrates how to fit and replace your grill oven element in a Bosch and Neff. Follow the step by step instructions in this domestic appliance repair video to remove your oven grill element. Please note that all work should be performed by a qualified person. Make sure to take the necessary precautions to ensure a safe removal of the Bosch oven grill element.

How To: 10 Ways to Whiten Clothes Without Using Any Bleach

Whites are the hardest color to keep looking bright and new after just a few months' time. Your sweat and oils quickly become stains, and colors from other clothes will eventually bleed into the fabric, discoloring your bright whites into something merely whitish. But before you reach for the bleach, the ultimate chemical cleaner, try some a few of these safer, less-toxic DIY solutions out instead.

How To: Remove and repair a Neff oven door

Watch to learn how to remove and repair a Neff oven door. You'll remove and replace parts on an oven door, as well as how to remove the oven door. This oven maintenance video demonstrates removal and replacement of the oven door outer glass, oven door inner glass, door hinges and door handle. Use a professional oven cleaner and ceramic scraper to remove burnt on stains from the oven inner door glass.

How To: Use Dryer Sheets to Clean Soap Scum Off Shower Doors

How often do you fight with your shower doors? Maybe not literally (although my elbow has smacked the hard glass many times), but when it's time to clean the bathroom, getting a few weeks' worth of soap scum and grime off the shiny, clear surface becomes an insurmountable task. Whether you use a special cleaner and squeegee or a carefully selected wipe, chances are you still battle the streaks and grit left behind. Although it might not make sense to steal cleaning supplies from the laundry r...

How To: Adjust the float cup/ball height in your toilet tank to save water

Trim down your water bill and do the planet a favor by adjusting the water height in your toilet tank. The Fluidmaster's float cup on the fill valve can easily be adjusted to set water height in the cistern, just by fine-tuning the water level adjustment clip. This process is very similar for regular fill valves, too, with float balls instead of float cups. All you need to do is hit the sweet spot—the lowest water height needed to properly flush the toilet.

How To: Remove A Very Tight Lid

How to... Remove A Very Tight Lid? Use Items You Have Around The House! Step 1Want to remove a very tight lid? Do you have a weak grip or arthritic pain in your hands? Have you already tried tapping the lid with a spoon? Thumping the bottom of the jar with the palm of your hand, and it still won‘t come off? An easy, quick way to remove a very tight lid is to put on rubber gloves! Yes. Ordinary household rubber gloves. Hold the jar in one hand, then use the other hand to twist the lid off. Thi...

How To: Replace the hinges on a Smeg oven door

Opening and closing an oven door is quite possibly, one of the most important aspects to an oven. If you aren't able to do that, then it becomes useless. One of the main reasons for it being useless is that fact that it might need some new hinges. These can easily be replaced and save you quite a bit of money.

How To: Refill a butane lighter

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to refill a butane lighter. For this you will need any kind of butane lighter that has an opening for refill and any kind of butane refill can. Shake the butane can properly. Then remove the cap and you will see the nozzle. Now hold the lighter upside down and insert the nozzle in to the refill hole. Now press the can down and hold for about four seconds. Repeat this for three to four times. Then replace the cap on the can and try out yo...

How To: Get past a mortice lock with a drill

This lock can certainly be picked, but what if you don't know how, or you don't have anything on hand that can serve as a good lock pick? That's what this video is here for! It will show you how you can drill out the stump of a mortice lock, allowing you to get past the lock entirely. It is not a difficult procedure, and all you really need is a power drill with the appropriate bits, and maybe a template showing you where to drill.

How To: Kill bed bugs with a dry ice trap

In order to kill bed bugs with a dry ice trap, you will need the following: a dog bowl, a towel, a cooler, a cotton ball, painter's tape, and talc powder.

How To: Sharpen your chainsaw with a hand file

In this tutorial, we learn how to sharpen your chainsaw with a hand file. First, take the cover off of the chainsaw and jam something into place so the chain stays in place. Put gloves on before you touch the chain, and use a hand file to file down on the chain. Look for the shortest tooth and put the file in, holding it well and giving it two or three strokes. When filing, be consistent on each different tooth you are sharpening. You will be able to feel the blade being taken off. You might ...

How To: Completely remove an interior door in your home

Have a new door that needs installed? Well, first thing you're going to have to do is remove the old one! Check out this home improvement video tutorial on how to completely remove an interior door in your home.

How To: Diagnose washing machine bearings

Check out this home repair tutorial video that demonstrates how to fix and diagnose your appliance. These videos are for information purposes only. A qualified and proficient engineer should be employed to replace any faulty parts on your domestic appliance.

How To: Install carpet transition trim between vinyl & carpet

Mark Donovan shows how to install carpet transition trim between vinyl and carpet flooring. A new transition strip can be placed over an existing strip to both dress up and freshen up the look of the doorway. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to install a carpet transition strip between vinyl and carpeted flooring.

How To: Create French pleats with four prong drapery hooks

French pleated drapery adds decorative touches to any window treatment and room. Watch this Home & Garden how-to video to learn how to instantly create triple pinch pleats with 4-Prong drapery hooks and deep pleat tape. Once you learn to use the four prong drapery hook you will want to create French pleats on all your window treatments.

How to Build a Shed, Part 9: Building & Installing Gable Ladders (Rakes)

Using ladders (Rakes) to build your gable overhangs on the shed is one of the fastest and easiest ways to do this. Henry shows you how to layout, build and install the ladders on our shed.

How to Build a Shed, Part 8: Installing LP Smart Side Panels

LP Smart Side Panels may seem like an easy product to install, and it is but there are some important thing to know and the best way to start these panels. Henry shows you how to do this and use blocking to ensure they are square and level. In some cases, building yards may call these Ranch Wall - which is similar but different (typically it does not have a lap edge).

How To: Remove and change out a hose bib (threaded faucet)

If you want to replace a hose bib outside of your house make sure you take a look at this guide to learn what tools to use and how to prepare. For example, you will need to make sure you turn off the water in your home beforehand. So grab a crescent wrench and a set of pliers and install your new hose bib.

How To: Restore and Sharpen Rusted Scissors

Leaving scissors wet or forgetting them outside can cause them to rust. Rusty scissors, if you can even open them, will leave brown marks on everything you attempt to cut through. Attempt is the truth—rust dulls the blades of the scissors making it virtually impossible to cut through any type of material, ranging from paper to fabric. But don't toss the scissors in the trash just yet. You can restore rusted scissors to a usable condition provided they are not completely covered and have rust ...

How To: Tile a kitchen floor with a border

In this video, we learn how to tile a kitchen floor with a border. First, you need to remove the flooring that is currently on the ground and sweep it clean. After this, lay down the paste and then the filling for the middle of it on top of the paste. Make sure this is pressed down firmly, then lay down the white paste on top of it. From here, you will be able to la down the tiles in a pattern that will make all of them line up together. Place the border around the sides and you will be finis...

How To: Replace a Neff oven door seal easily

Just like windows and doors, using the proper insulation or seals can help prevent valuable cold or warm air from leaving your home. The same holds true for oven doors. If you have a worn or broken seal, your oven may not warm up like it should and you can be wasting energy.

How To: Fix a power drill grinding noise and chuck problem

Is your power drill making a funky high pitched noise when you try to use it? Or why your chuck on your drill doesn't spin? You first reaction may be to throw it on the ground in anger, but this could actually be simple fix. Sometimes, the gear switch can get stuck in-between gears, and can be fixed by simply moving the gear switch back and forth on your drill. Try that and see if it fixes your battery operated power drill.

How To: Tap steel to create a threaded hole

In this clip, learn how to tap steel and create a threaded hole. This video from everyone's favorite Ultimate Handyman, will show you exactly how to create this hole without breaking or ruining the metal.

How To: Make a great inlay using a router

Creating a wooden inlay for any piece of furniture can help add a beautiful accent that will be admired by all. In the past, making inlays was a difficult task that required time and patience and was a tough challenge for any woodworker. Nowadays, technology is so advanced, that making these inlays can be an easy task, especially when you use a router. Check out this tutorial on how to use a router in order to create a great inlay for you table, dresser, or whatever you want. Enjoy! Make a gr...

How To: Convert an old fridge into a meat smoker/cooker

Have an old fridge (or, like the creator of this video, easy access to a scrap metal yard)? Convert it into a meat smoker! This DIY guide will teach you how to repurpose a disused refrigerator for smoking meat. For complete, step-by-step instructions on how to make your own cooker from an old metal-body fridge or freezer, watch this free video tutorial.

How To: Install a wall niche

A wall niche is a great way to add a nice decorative look to a wall. The niche is made of lightweight polyurethane. To install the niche choose the location on the wall where you want to put the niche. Put the niche up to the wall and draw an outline around it. Before you start cutting the wall cut a hole in the wall, use a compact mirror and a flashlight to look up in the wall and be sure that there are no wires or pipes where you are cutting the hole for the niche. After checking to be sure...

How To: Make a homemade fly trap

Do you have a problem with flies and you're not sure how to get rid of them? In this video, learn how to make a homemade fly trap to get rid of those pesky insects with wings! If you have too many flies buzzing around your house, here's a quick way to make an inexpensive fly trap.

How To: Identify the model number and ID tag on fridge freezer

Check out this instructional home repair video to learn how to identify and find your manufacturer's label and model number on your refrigerators and freezers. The model number is usually essential. People make the mistake of assuming that the name and number on the front panel is all you need. Many fridge and freezer manufacturers use the model number as well as the serial number. Most have the ID plate inside of the door by the salad bowl, while some hide it behind the kick plate at the bas...