Hot Home & Garden Posts
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: Swap an old ceiling rose with a modern light fixture
Modernize your home with a new ceiling light fixture. That old, traditional ceiling rose with the decorative chandelier or light fitting might just not look right anymore, with all of your modern furniture and appliances. The best thing… replace it.
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: Clean wretched vomit smells from carpet with baking soda, water and a vacuum
No sane person likes the smell of vomit. Vomit is especially annoying when the smell lingers and wont leave your carpet. Fortunately, there is a way to get rid of disgusting carpet aromas. It involves the use of baking soda, a vacuum, and a flat tool.
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: Remove an Oven/Cooker Door
When cleaning your oven, you'll want to take your oven door off its hinges first to give you more room to maneuver. Plus, take the door off makes it easier to clean the door itself, especially the glass areas. The following video from Nathan Cox talks about how easy it is to remove an oven door off, and it's very similar from brand to brand.
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: Adjust a Rain Bird 5000 Series Sprinkler spray radius
Check out this video tutorial to see how to adjust a Rain Bird 5000 Series sprinkler spray radius with help from Sean Stefan of Sprinkler Daddy.
How To: Make Your Own Febreze (And Save Up to 97% Per Bottle)
If you're a Febreze fanatic, you're well aware that the "odor eliminator" can be pretty pricey, and that's reason enough to stop buying it.
How To: The Secret to Washing Your "Dry Clean" Clothes—Without Going to the Dry Cleaner
Unless your work clothes require dry cleaning, you probably only go to the cleaner a few times a year. And for those few items in your closet for which you do, you have to then find the time and extra budget to make a trip all the way to the cleaners and back again. In the end, it can be quite the hassle.
How To: Identify a spittle bug on your salvia
Great video by Southwest Yard & Garden. tutorial on how to identify garden pests on your plants & shrubs. Went into detail on the Salvia plants - always be careful spittle bugs, they produce spittle commonly on Salvia plants. Whiteflies and aphids are known to take residence in Ash trees. Aphids commonly take on the look of mildew. Ways to manage moths for apples, you can use insecticide spray but be conservative. Took a look at signs of Cochineal Scale on a Prickly Pear. Went over ways to ta...
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: Replace a toilet ballcock with a fill valve
Most older toilets have older-style fish and ballcock for toilets. But they are prone to fault, like running and constant water. Replacing them with a newer-style fill valve will save water and frustration now and later on. Watch this plumbing video tutorial to learn how to replace a toilet ballcock with a fill valve. It's a little more efficient and it's pretty straightforward, so see how to replace your valve!
How To: Remove water spots from chrome
In this video, we learn how to remove water spots from chrome. This is one of the hardest surfaces to get water stains off of, but it can be done easily. First, grab an empty spray bottle, vinegar, water, a rag, and a paper towel. Now, mix two parts of vinegar to one part of water and spray it onto the chrome item. Use the rag to wipe off the mixture, then continue to spray on once more. Do this around five times total, then use a paper towel at the end for the finishing look! You can use thi...
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: Unlock A Privacy Door Handle
When owning a home one type of lever set you may have in your home is a privacy lever. In a privacy lever set, the main feature is that the door can only be locked from the inside. Sometimes a kid might get locked in or someone may accidentally lock the door behind them. It's really easy to unlock it in an emergency.
How To: Join copper pipe without solder using "Just for Copper" pipe glue
Tired of soldering? Well, there's a solder-less solution to joining pipes together. Check out this handy video tutorial on how to join copper pipe with "Just For Copper" pipe glue. Just For Copper is a solderless bonding solution for copper pipes and fittings. This is very useful in areas where a blowtorch cannot be used.
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: Fix a Dyson DC25 vacuum cleaner that won't suck
If you're trying to vacuum around the house, but realize that nothing is being picked up, you have a big problem on your hand. There are numerous reasons for why your vacuum isn't sucking, and it can be confusing for where to start.
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: Build a storage box for your deck
Building a storage box for your deck is a smart way to add extra storage to an area usually not known for having storage. The great thing about using wood than plastic, is that is adds to the feeling of being outside and can be stained to match the look of your deck. This three part tutorial, will take you through the steps of building a successful storage box and shows you step by step.
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: Create a beautiful window treatment by styling a draping waterfall valance
It's easy to create eye-catching window treatments with draping waterfall valances. So easy, in fact, that this home decorating how-to can present a complete overview of the process in two and a half minutes. For all of the details, and to learn how to style a draping waterfall valance yourself, take a look!
How To: Easily fix a sticking Karcher pressure washer
Using a pressure washer to clean the outside of your home or driveway, is great and easy to use. But what happens when it becomes stuck and there's hardly any pressure? Well you're about to find out. In this next tutorial, you'll see how to fix a sticking Karcher pressure washer easily. It can take you a couple of hours to complete or a matter of minutes. Good luck and enjoy!
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: 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: Adjust a Rain Bird 5000 Series Sprinkler spray arc
See how to adjust a Rain Bird 5000 Series sprinkler spray arc with help from Sprinkler Daddy's Sean Stefan.
How To: Transplant Papaya Trees
Papaya trees are very vulnerable to transplantation shock. Seedlings tend to recover slowly and poorly after replanting in a new location under a sunny sky. Many internet articles advise that papaya trees should be transplanted without injury to their root systems. Keeping the root systems intact is next to impossible if the papaya seedlings are too close to each other. However, you would be surprised to learn how a papaya tree with serverely broken root systems can survive a transplantation ...
How To: Open a supra combination lock box
The supra combination lock box has been one of the most trusted door locks for the past forty years, and is commonly used by real estate agents for protecting their houses. Generally a supra combination lock operates with a four-digit password.
How To: Clean cut using a table saw, mitre saw or power saw
This short video tutorial Bob Schmidt will show you how to make clean cuts in wood. The blade rotation of any pretty much dictates the best way to run your material through. To get the cleanest cut possible remember these tips: Whenever you run wood through a Table saw, always make sure that your finished side is up. Do the exact opposite when you are using your Power saw. The finished side of your wood must be at the bottom. When you use a Mitre saw, make sure the finished side of the wood i...
How To: Clean a Butcher Block Table
A butcher block table (or counter) is a solid, wooden table. Originating in butcher shops (hence the name), this has become a popular household item. Butcher block tables and counters are durable and attractive looking. The downside of butcher block is that the wood is so porous it can stain easily. Butcher block can be sanded and refinished to get rid of stains, but that drastic step isn't always necessary.
How To: Keep a portable generator quiet by building an enclosure
Having a portable gas-operated or diesel-operated generator available for your home can be very helpful, but can also be very noisy. If you want to quiet a loud electric generator, take a look at this video to soften that sound on a budget. With a little wood and a few other materials, you can build a fan-cooled 'doghouse' to keep a generator quiet.
How To: Take a BIC lighter apart for recycling
For on-the-go lighting of birthday candles (those surprise birthday parties really get you), homemade explosives (because making stuff explode is fun), and cigarettes, a cheapo BIC lighter is a totally awesome fix. But most BIC lighters run out pretty quickly and get tossed without second thought.
How To: Make your own vacuum space bags for extra storage
Have you seen commercials on TV for vacuum sealed storage bags? They can be expensive, but you can replicate this space age technology in your own home! All you need is a water bottle, some trash bags, a box cutter... and a vacuum!
How To: Detect bed bugs with tape
Rick Steinow shows how to detect bedbugs using tape. Rick shows that obvious signs would be fecal matter and blood stains. If you're still unable to detect bed bugs, you can purchase a roll of double-sided carpet tape. You're also going to need a roll of painters tape. Apply a strip of the double-sided tape all the way around the mattress. Place another strip of tape around the head board. Make sure to add a strip of painters tape first when doing the headboard. You'll do this because the dou...
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: 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: Fold an eco-friendly shopping bag into a tiny pouch
Shopping bags are an ecological nightmare, so many modern shoppers use eco-friendly reusable shopping bags. If you have a stash of eco-friendly bags and want to store them more easily, watch this video to learn a novel way to fold these bags that turns them into a tiny pouch, which you could even still use to hold things if you wanted.
How To: Clean and Maintain Your Tape Measure
Recently I was working outside forming a driveway in the rain. Working in and around the wet sand was not friendly on my tools, especially my tape measure. About halfway through the day my tape measure would need "encouragement" in order to retract to the closed postion. Not too much later, with force applied, it would remain standing out at 1ft. and the problem progressively got worse.
How To: Adjust the miter and bevel angle on a miter saw
In this DIY guide from the folks at eReplacementParts, we learn how to adjust the miter and bevel angle on a miter saw using an adjustable square. For step-by-step instructions, and to learn how to adjust the miter angle and a bevel angle on a miter saw yourself, take a look.