Hot Home & Garden Posts

How To: Design an asian quince design for your home

TheFlowergod teaches you how to design an Asian quince design for your home. You start with an empty vase for this flower arrangement. You will need four types of plants for this: one with lots of small leaves and no flowers, one with red or pink flowers, one with only one large leave and one with a long stem and only branches. For the design to work, you have to layer the plants according to length. Add the plant with the long leaves, then the one with lots of small ones. Below that make you...

How To: Assemble a kitchen flat pack

This video demonstrates how to assemble a kitchen flat pack. Everything needed comes packed flat, plus cupboard doors and bench tops are included. The flat pack is a pre-cut custom designed kitchen that can be assembled by yourself. First assemble the cabinets according to the instructions that are provided. The holes are pre-drilled making assembly quick and easy. After you have completed the assembly of your cabinets, attach the adjustable feet to the base so you can level the cabinets with...

How To: Organize your home office if you are visually impaired

This video tutorial demonstrates tips for how to organize your home office when you are visually impaired. Here a rehabilitation specialist is helping a visually impaired person. The person who is visually impaired should know what is visually important to him/her. Mostly these people obviously need to know where every thing is because they don’t have their eyes to depend anymore. Here visually impaired person is 66 year old Deanne Jackson. She has wet macular degeneration. In order to set up...

How To: Use a Breville Juice Fountain Plus 850 Watt

This video fully explains how to correctly use the Breville Juice Fountain. The product is 850 watts and has both a high and low setting for your convenience. Everything, except the motor itself, is dishwasher safe. One container collects all the juice, and another container on the opposite side collects all the skin from whatever it is you are juicing. Using a whole apple (with a sticker still on it) as an example, our demonstrator inserts an apple into the top of the machine, pushes down wi...

How To: Build makeshift outdoor stairs

In this video, Andy Bell shows different ways of how to build temporary makeshift stairs for use during construction or remodeling projects. He will teach you how you can easily measure your own stringers (the sides of the stairs, that the steps rest on to cut them on your own, or, as he tells viewers, you can also build stair building kits that come with the stringers precut and ready for use. Learn about the variations of precut stringers, as well as their affordability! Then, the procedure...

How To: Sew a blind hem stitch to make Roman shades

This video demonstrates how to sew a blind hem stitch to make Roman shades. This stitch is very easy to do. You need a sewing machine that has a blind hem stitch already programmed in it and a blind hem foot. The video shows two different kinds of blind hem foot for two different sewing machines. The one for Viking machines is used here. Fold and pin a one inch hem on your panel, making sure that the pins are pointing off the edge of the panel. Lay your panel on the machine with the hem side ...

How To: Use sushi rollers to make a Japanese-style flower vase

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a Japanese-style sushi roller flower vase. This flower vase uses recycled items. The materials required to makes this vase are: a newspaper, scissors, raffia, sushi roller, acrylic paint, brush, tin foil, tape (or glue gun) and an empty bottle (300 ml). Cut the newspaper to about 3" x 12". Paint the newspaper to your preferred color. Cut the top part of the bottle. Roll the bottle in the sushi roller. Wrap the newspaper around it and tape it. ...

How To: Unclog your shower drain

In this video from prohandymanlv we learn how to unclog a shower drain. Often people with long hair will have this problem as it falls out and combines with oils and shampoos to form a ball of blockage in the drain. Use gloves when working with drains. First remove the shower strainer. If you don't have the tools to grab the clog, use long screwdrivers. If it's deeper, a zippet will work. Stick it down the drain and it will grab the clog. He actually can see the clog when he unclogs this drai...

How To: Maintain and troubleshoot your home garbage disposal

In this video tutorial from RenaissanceRentals you will learn how to maintain and troubleshoot your home garbage disposal. First thing to do is to keep the water running during garbage disposal. Ensure that the leftovers are cut into small pieces and you put only small quantities for disposal at a time. Things like plastics, glass pieces, rocks and food items like egg shells, starchy foods like pasta or rice should not be put into the garbage disposal system. If you follow these simple tips, ...

How To: Make a soil sifter with hardware cloth and wood

Danny Lipford shows us how to filter rocky soil in a flower bed in this informative video. By stapling 2 pieces of 2x2 to a hardware cloth, a mesh is produced that can be clipped onto a wheelbarrow. A home-made sifter of this variety, without a solid frame has the distinct advantage that you can pick it up and toss the filtered out rocks to the side after use. The sifter could also be used to filter the clumps that appear in fertilizer bags, or even masonry sand. The resulting filtered soil i...

How To: Get more color in the garden

Danny Lipford shows how to grow a more colorful flower garden in early spring when there is not a lot of overall growth. He displays how he plants tulips and daffodils in the fall so that they bloom in the spring. He digs a troth about 6 feet long and 6 inches deep. After sprinkling bulb food in the troth, Lipford plants the tulip and daffodil bulbs, arranging them so each uniquely appears every other bulb. Lipford's assistant advises that he re-plants the tulips every year, since while they ...

How To: Plant corn

The video demonstrates the process of planting corn in a small soil-patch in your garden. The lady presenting you the video uses a 75g packet of Corn Honey & Cream Bicolor seeds from Heritage Gardens. Be aware that the corn cross pollinates very easily and hence you have to separate the different types of corn by planting time or by distance. The video says that 150 feet distance between different corn types is recommended but in smaller gardens, spacing can be achieved by different planting ...

How To: Build a fire with a Duraflame firestarter

Build a fire with a Duraflame firestarter. This video is going to show you how to do this. Crystal Whole from Duraflame is demonstrating the process in this video. First get your chimney cleaned and inspected. Keep all inflammable material at least 3 feet away from the hearth. Use dry wood that has been seasoned for at least six months. Or you can use stax logs in lieu of wood. Three stax logs are sufficient to keep the fire burning all evening. Open the flue of the chimney, put two stax logs...

How To: Extend the life of your carpet

This video shooting taken at Pacific Home Furnishings explains the way to extend the life of your carpet. The lady presenting the video explains us the ways that can help extend your carpet's life. She says that when you go shopping for the carpet, after thinking about your budget, the next important thing to consider is the underlayment. She presents us with some samples of underlayment ranging in quality and pricing. First she about the least expensive one which she calls the after thought ...

How To: Design an elegant bride's maid flower bouquet

In this video tutorial from The Flower God, learn how to design a flower bouquet for a bridesmaid. You will need two colors of roses (or whatever flower you are using, fern, and baby's breath. This tutorial uses red and white roses. Take a lighted candle and hold the flame close to the bud to speed up the budding process. Take one of the red roses and surround it by about four of the white roses. Then, add additional red roses in between each white rose. Frame this arrangement with the ferns ...

How To: Fold a fitted sheet like an expert

This video explains how to properly fold fitted sheets. The first step is hold the sheet with the pattern, outer side closest to you and put your left hand into the first pocket and your right hand to the second pocket. Put your right hand over your left hand and flip the sheet on top of itself. Keep your hand on the top sheet and follow the edge all the way down to the third pocket. Place your hand on the underside (non-patterned part) and match it to the first two pockets, and then flip it ...

How To: Give old furniture a modern makeover

Rather than throwing out your old furniture, learn how to give your old dresser a modern makeover by following this video tutorial. To begin, pull off all of the old drawers and other pieces that do not work. You will need to sand down the frame of the dresser and then replace all of the problematic parts. You may also need to rebuild the center supports so that your dresser drawers slide in and out easily. Wipe down the dresser with a cloth and then coat it with a latex primer. The primer is...

How To: Manage garden insects & pests in an eco-friendly way

In this Home and Garden video tutorial you will learn how to manage garden insects and pests in an eco-friendly way. For plant lice or aphids, blast them with a strong blast of water. That will dislodge them and they won’t climb back. You can also put some soap water in a yellow jar, they will get attracted to it, drown and die. Lady bugs are good insects that will eat the aphids. For mosquitoes, put the mosquito larva killing flakes into the water and that will take care of the mosquitoes. F...

How To: Paint a vintage shabby rose on your furniture

Artist Kate Bangs shows us how to improve old furniture with a shabby rose design. Take vanilla and fuchsia colored paint and mix them together as you paint them on the furniture to form the background. Let that background paint dry. With a watery brush paint the rest of the areas, including raised sections. It is shabby painting and so it does not have to be super neat. Load your brush with pink and white paint and make arches in a circle to form petals. Mix green, pink and white on your bru...

How To: Build a snowboard workbench

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to build a snowboard workbench. For this project you will need an old snowboard, some wood and the required tools. Pre cut the wood into these lengths: 4 x 31” and 5 x 29. 5”. From the snowboard remove the bindings and stomp pad if possible. Drill 4 holes at both ends with 3/16 drill bit. Flip the board over and draw lines the center piece of wood to help align it later. Now take 3 piece of 29. 5 long wood and make a ‘U’ shape. You can w...

How To: Clean laminate floors

In this video we are shown how to clean laminate floors using HG Laminate products. HG laminate powerful cleaner is used to remove grease, stubborn dirt as well as old layers of HG laminate gloss coating. To use, dilute it with water depending on how severe the staining is. Apply with a slightly damp cloth and work it in briefly. Make sure to mop up well afterwards. Another product, HG laminate wash and shine leaves tiny acrylic balls behind on surfaces that you've cleaned with it. These prot...

How To: Find a leak in the roof of your house

You might notice a brown water stain on a wall in your house and the source of the stain may be a leak in your roof. So, it's good to go up into the attic and look around to see if you can find the source of the leak. When you get up in the attic take a flashlight and look around at the boards that make up the roof. If you see any brown rings that is a sign that you have a roof leak. Water can leak through the roof and run down the rafter and into the wall. The best time to check for a roof l...

How To: Unclog a slow drain without calling a plummer

In this video Erin Bried shows how to unclog a slow drain without calling a plumber. First put 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Then pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the drain. The two ingredients react when put in the drain together. After about 15 minutes have gone by take some boiling hot water and pour it down the drain. Once the water has run out of the bowl you can test the drain to see if it is clear by running some tap water into the sink. The water should run out of the sink ju...

How To: Prep for painting

Expert Real Estate Tips and Andy Sjostrom with The Good Handyman demonstrate how to prep for painting. A good handyman will handle your items with care. Be sure to remove light fixtures. Before you begin to tape off an area, take a damp rag and clean the areas that will be taped so the tape will adhere to them. Use latex gloves to keep yourself clean during the painting process. Then, tape off the area needing painting and put down a drop cloth. If you get your paint from a big box store, mak...

How To: Build a retaining wall for your home

To create a retaining wall all you need to do is follow these simple steps. To begin you will need to get many interlocking wall blocks and either sand or concrete. The first step is to plot and measure the retaining wall's size and shape. Use your measurements to figure out the amount of retaining wall blocks that you will need. The second step is to mark off the spots in your yard that you would like the retaining wall to be. Then dig your trenches in these spots to level out the land and t...

How To: Plant garlic cloves with toilet paper rolls

This video demonstrates how to plant garlic cloves with toilet paper rolls. Take some toilet paper rolls and cut them in half. Fill the halves with damp soil. Put one clove of garlic into each little half, leaving the new shoot poking out of the top. You can make potting soil with peat moss, black dirt and vermiculite. When it is time to plant the garlic, you should just put the whole carton into the ground. When you buy garlic for planting, look for the giant variety. When you are saving gar...

How To: Install mosaic tiles in your bathroom vanity

In this Home and Garden video you will see how to install mosaic tiles in your bathroom vanity using mesh pack sheets of 1 inch mosaic tiles and cap edge tiles. Hold a cap tile against the edge of the vanity and draw a line along the edge of the vanity. This will be the first joint line. Lay off the mesh pack mosaic sheets over the vanity top. The edges should be aligned with the line you drew. Mark the line near the joint on the last full sheet near the back splash. Also draw reference lines...

How To: Install foam gaskets under light switch plates

To install foam gaskets under light switch plates and outlet covers you will need a screwdriver. Installing foam gaskets under light switch plates or outlet covers on an outer wall is a great way to stop air leaks in your home. First, use your screwdriver to remove the light switch plate cover. Install the foam gasket by placing it over the light switch. Next, replace the light switch plate. Return the screws to their original positions and tighten the screws with your screwdriver. Follow the...

How To: Care for fresh-cut flowers

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to take care of fresh-cut flowers. First, make sure you selected good quality flowers. Then strip off the leaves. Cut the stems at an angle to be able to fit in the vase. Make sure the water in the vase is clean. You can also make a preservative by mixing fresh water with a bit of soda and bleach. This video is very descriptive and clearly explains all the instructions. This video provides very good information. This video will benefit those viewers w...

How To: Repair a self-closing door

This video is about fixing self-closing doors. Doors close by themselves when they're not hung plumb, and gravity closes the door. The solution is to remove the hinge-pins and to roughen the bottom of the hinge-pins to create friction, keeping the door open. One removes the hinge-pin with a hammer and small screwdriver. Tap the bottom of the hinge-pin against a cinder block or rough, hard surface. If using this "friction-ized" hinge-pin does not solve your problem, try repeating this process ...

How To: Build a simple miter clamp

In this Home and Garden video tutorial you will learn how to build a simple miter clamp. Chuck Miller in this video explains how simple and easy it is. When you glue in two parts together, you need to hold them in place so they join firmly. A simple way of doing this is by a miter clamp. Take a spring clamp, remove the protective seals from the end of the clamp, put some oil and drill a hole through it. Using a wooden block hold the jaws apart and screw in a fine threaded screw on both the ja...

How To: Set up a generator for a home or business

This video details how to set up a generator to provide back-up power for a home or business. Generators are the ideal emergency power solution for a home or business, generators can automatically transfer the power load from the utility power line to the generator when an outage occurs. To make sure the generator is always ready, generators can self run weekly and perform self diagnostics so maintenance issues are minimized or eliminated. When planning to use a portable generator, it should ...

How To: Replace a GFI outlet & how it works

GFI stands for Ground Fault Interrupter and is used in areas that have water. The first thing you should do before replacing anything electrical is shut off the power in the area you are working. When you remove the old outlet, you will notice a series of wires going into the bottom of the outlet and a series of wires coming out of the top. What is happening here is that the power is coming in from the bottom and then going out through the top. The reason for this is if something trips the fa...

How To: Repair damage around wall elements such as outlets

This Home and Garden video tutorial is going to show you how to repair damage around wall elements such as outlets. The video demonstrates how to repair a gap around a socket that was created due to a miscalculation on the part of the mason. The simplest way of repairing this would be to take the cover off, get a patch which is pre cut to the correct dimensions, peel it off, place it correctly over the opening in the wall and press it on. You could paint the area with matching color. Then put...

How To: Make a tumbler bin composter and compost in 14-21 days

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a tumbler bin composter and compost in 14 - 21 days. The materials needed for the composter are: 1 plastic drum, 6 nails or strong pins, (3) 1 square inch tubes, 3 hinges and lock, 3 yards of wire, and 1 square foot of zinc. Begin by drilling 3/8" holes all over the composter. Use a lawn mower to grind down the compost and then dump it into the composter. Activate the compost by adding some water. This video will benefit those viewers who want...

How To: Repair a damaged garden hose using a coupling sleeve

This video is a tutorial on how to repair a damaged garden hose using a coupling sleeve. Coupling sleeves are available at home improvement stores. First, you being by identifying the location of the lead in your hose. Hold it in a bucket of hot water for a few minutes to make the hose pliable. Second, use scissors to cut the hose right in half on the location of the hole. Put the sleeve clamps over both ends of the garden hose. The man says that the hardest part now is to insert the tube int...