Home & Garden

How To: Build a Passive Solar Garage Door and Keep Your Garage Warm During Winter

I hate being cold. That's why I live in Los Angeles. But, there are plenty of folks who are experiencing some pretty chilly temperatures this year, despite global warming, and one of the worst places affected is the garage. C'mon, who has a freakin' heater in their garage?

How To: Make a Siphon Hose

Get the requirements You will need a plastic cap (from a bottle), PVC pipe, and a tube with a diameter not larger than the cap's.

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: Install the last row without a pull bar

When you end your last row, there are occasions where you can't use a pull bar. The alternative to using a pull bar is to modify the groove side of the plank that's on the floor. Shave the groove and remove the debris, making sure that there's none in the track. Next, take a small bead of glue and run it down the groove side of your plank. Engage the next plank as close as you can get. Set the plank in place with the pull bar. Finally, tape the plank to its neighbor to secure it until the glu...

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: Make a Homemade Cat Repellent - Home Remedies for Repelling Cats

Are you searching for a homemade cat repellent solution? This article will cover natural indoor and outdoor deterrents for every scenario where cats are causing trouble. The first part will cover home remedies for training cats to stay away from furniture and other restricted areas inside your house. The second part will cover outdoor repellents for keeping cats away from your garden, plants and yard. Step 1: Indoor Repellents for Training Cats

How To: Install the moisture barrier over concrete subfloor

This video describes the process of installing a moisture barrier over a concrete subfloor. The presenter is using 6 mil thick poly barrier. The barrier comes in rolls about twenty-four inches wide. When rolling out the moisture barrier you want to go from wall to wall and cover the entire floor. For optimal moisture control you will want to overlap the poly barrier by at least six inches. The barrier plastic does not need to be taped or secured to the floor at all, it simply lays on top of t...

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: Refill an extended reach camping Bic lighter

This video shows you how to take an extended reach Bic lighter (the kind you would use to light a camping stove, charcoal or something similar) and add more lighter fluid to extend it's life. As long as the spark is still good, you can refill your lighter, and this tutorial shows you how to take apart your extended reach lighter and replace the drained lighter. You will need a flathead screwdriver, and maybe a bit of glue to seal everything back up.

How To: Laundry Symbols Deciphered! Here's What the Care Labels on Your Clothes Really Say

Frankly, I never cared about the care labels on my clothing. They supposedly held some secret key to keeping clothes clean and bright, but who wants to look at little icons and a bunch of fine print for every single garment they wash?

How To: Replace an Oven Thermal Fuse

If your oven will not heat, you will probably have to replace your oven thermal fuse. You can follow the steps in this video to help you do this easy repair.

How To: Plant 100 tulip bulbs in 50 minutes

This video shows that it is possible to plant 100 tulip bulbs in less than 50 minutes, and it is easier and less expensive than you think.

How To: Tighten radiator valves

In this video you will learn how to tighten radiator valves using a spanner and water pump pliers. If you find that your radiator valves are leaking, follow these simple steps to remedy the situation: If you take a look at your lock shield valve, you may see signs that it has been leaking. Grip the valve with a pair of water pump pliers. This will prevent you from breaking the copper pipe. Tighten in a clockwise direction. Feel with your fingers to make sure there are no more leaks.

How To: Tighten a Loose Snow Blower Belt - Toro - Tutorial

This video will show you how to tighten a loose snow blower belt on a Toro snow blower. This would work on a Toro 624, 724 and 824. Also many other snow blowers that have a Briggs and Stratton engine.

How To: Pop a Car Lock with a Coat Hanger

You've done it, I've done it, almost everyone who owns a car has done it: they've gone an locked themselves out. Well, this good how-to shows how to get back into your older model car with nothing more than a coat hanger. It will requre some trial and error to get it done, but this video is a good primer.

How To: Add a door In an exterior brick wall

If you've got a brick house and are looking to install a door in the brick, this how to will get you there. Be prepared, it's a big job and you'll need to be comfortable wielding several power tools. Are you ready to take the challenge?

How To: Read a Tape Measure

If you don't work in construction or are a woodworking master, you probably aren't entirely sure what all those marks are on a tape measure. Sure, you likely know the basics, like there are 12 inches to a foot, but what are all those little tick marks for? Don't let all those little lines dissuade you from using a tape measure. Follow these guidelines to help you read all those little ruler marks.

How To: Replace the filter and lightbulb in a Neff cooker hood

Watch to learn how to replace the filter and lightbulb in a Neff cooker hood. You'll remove and replace a Neff cooker hood filter and a blown cooker hood bulb. Replacement bulbs and replacement filters are common cooker hood spares that need replacing. Banish cooking smells and give your hob light with this cooker hood maintenance video clip.

How To: Build a laminar flow nozzle for fifteen dollars

This video tutorial shows how fifteen dollars and a half an hour of assembly can produce a working bare-bones laminar flow nozzle that attaches to a garden hose for a makeshift fountain.

How To: Replace the Dryer's High Limit Thermostat

The high limit thermostat can be found in gas and electric dryers and serves as a safety feature that helps to prevent the dryer from becoming too hot when it’s running. The thermostat is designed to shut off power to the dryer’s heater when the dryer vent is blocked or clogged. The high limit thermostat on your dryer is something that does need to be replaced from time to time. Fortunately, it is a job that you can do on your own with basic tools.

How To: Remove the wires from a 'Trap Door' power switch

Removing wires from a 'trap door' switch can be a bit tricky to do and of course you don't want to just yank them out. If you get yourself a thin pick to fit into the holes and just circle the wire to hit a spring you need to push down in order to release the wire.

How To: Check out foundation cracks below your carpet

Danny Lipford shares some tips on foundation cracks. Watch this video tutorial to see how to check out foundation cracks below your carpet.

How To: Handy One-Minute Stud Wall Framing Tip: Quickly Squaring Up a Frame

G'day Knuckleheads. Todays one minute stud wall framing tip looks at a really easy way of squaring up your stud wall prior to installing a brace. Check it out and let me know what you think. :-)

How To: Bleed Air Out of the Oil Line on a Boiler Burner

This video will show you how to bleed the air out of the burner oil line on your furnace if you run out of oil. Shown on a Carlin EZPro burner, Weil Mclain Gold boiler. Also would work on most burners the same way including a Beckett.

How To: Hate Ugly-Looking Power Strips? Make This Sleek DIY Power Outlet Box for Your Desktop

One of the biggest downsides to having so many gadgets is that you never seem to have enough outlets to power them all. Most of us have a power strip or two to solve this problem, but Instructables user dlewisa wanted something a little nicer looking, so he built this DIY desktop power outlet. For the housing, dlewisa put together a small wooden box using a nail gun and wood glue. He used a sander to round off the corners, then filled in the gaps with wood filler and painted it. You could als...

How To: Install a T-Mold Transition Between Laminate & Ceramic Tile

Installing a T Mold Transition Between Laminate and Ceramic Tile There are several different types of laminate transitions that you may need when installing laminate flooring. Each one is used specifically for where the laminate flooring ends, such as where the laminate stops at ceramic tile. Other transitions are used where the laminate ends at carpet, vinyl flooring, a threshold or a step down such as a sunken living room or stairs.

How To: Connect your sprinkler system to the water line

Connecting your sprinklers to the water line is actually fairly easy when you're installing your own sprinkler system. Basically, you just go to your outside tap, screw it off and screw in your house connection.

How To: Get rid of that smell coming from your shower

In this tutorial, we learn how to get rid of that smell coming from your shower with Bob Schmidt. First, you will want to clean out your drain pipes to make sure the smell is not coming from there. If the smell is coming back out, you will need to do additional work. If water gets saturated into the base of the shower, then there should be some gravel around it so the water can soak through and go down into the drain pipe. If moisture soaks through the tile grout, then it can bring out the se...

How To: Make wooden gears for complex woodworking projects

Most people think of gears as big pieces of metal, but for a long time gears were mostly wooden affairs. In this video you'll learn how to make small wooden gears that you can use in all sorts of complicated machinery oriented woodworking projects.

How To: Build an industrial size BBQ smoker from an old refrigerator

You can take an old, stainless steel refrigerator and turn it into a vertical smoker. Weld steel plates to make a fire box with a door and a removable ash tray, then reconstruct the frame to make yourself a new addition to your barbecue pit!

How To: Change the oil on a John Deere X320 lawn mower

It's important to know that, like cars, lawn mowers need constant maintenance in order for them to work properly through the years. One of the most shared aspects between cars and lawn mowers is the oil. Knowing how to change the oild is very important and not doing so can lead to a machine that has to work twice as hard and can break easily. So in this tutorial, you'll be finding out how to change the oild on a John Deere X320. It's easy to follow and easy to do. Enjoy!

How To: Refinish a six-panel, solid-pine door

Use a hand figuring out how to go about refinishing a pine door? This free video DIY guide provides some much need help. Happily, refinishing a door is easier than you might think. It's so easy, in fact, that this clip can present a complete overview of the process in just over two and a half minutes' time. For more (and better) information, take a look!

How To: Remove a threaded stud from a threaded hole

Ultimate Handyman demonstrates how to remove a threaded stud from a threaded hole. You will often find threaded studs when you are doing car repair. First, remove the nut from the stud. Then, spray it with lubricant. Next, screw the nut back on the stud. Screw another nut on top of the first nut. Grip the bottom nut with a wrench while tightening the top nut. Grip the bottom nut and turn it in a counter clockwise direction. The stud should then pull out of the threaded hole. It may be difficu...

How To: Replace a light switch quick and easy

Do you have a busted light switch, or is it just time to upgrade to new better light switches? In this video, you'll learn exactly what to do to change that light switch quickly and easily. So, don't be intimated this video will show you everything you need and everything you need to know to master this task.

How To: Patch around an electrical box on drywall

Home repairs might seem foreign to some people, but it's not as hard as dealing with contractors. If you have to patch up some holes in your drywall but don't know how, let this video series be your guide. In these videos, lean how to patch around an electrical box on drywall.

How To: Get rid of bed bugs with silica gel cat litter

How to eliminate bedbugs using cat litter * You can use the silica gel in cat litter to eliminate bedbugs.

News: Insanely Cool John Deere Insect-Tractor

Created by a now discontinuted John Deere subsidiary Plustech in Finland, this walking tractor is weirdly alien-monster-insect-esque. Reminiscent of Big Dog and Little Dog, but way bigger... This belongs in a sci-fi movie, not a farm. Amazing. Several videos in the gallery below.

How To: Replace knobs and buttons on a Neff oven

Watch to learn how to replace knobs and buttons on a Neff oven. You'll remove and replace the knobs and buttons on a Neff oven. Lost oven knobs or worn oven buttons detract from the ovens appearance.

How To: Install a towel bar on a bathroom wall or hollow door

This two part how to video series demonstrates how to install a towel rod or towel rack (remember click on chapter two for the hollow door video instructions). In the first video, your instructor takes you through all the necessary steps of installing a towel bar: measuring, screwing, and assembling. The second video demonstrates how to hang a towel rod on a hollow door. Hollow doors require an extra step when hanging a towel bar. You need a few more tools, but the end result is a towel bar t...

How To: Cut masonry with a bolster chisel and club hammer

Interested in cutting masonry like concrete flags and bricks? This construction lesson will show you how, using a bolster chisel and club hammer. For detailed, step-by-step instructions on cutting your own masonry quickly and effectively using simple hand tools, watch this how-to.