Hot Home & Garden Posts

How To: Build a raised garden bed & hoop house

In this video you are taught how to build a raised garden bed and hoop house. You first begin with a layer of gravel and then place the layers on top of it. You can use leaves you can find to fertilize the soil. The video also teaches you how to build a hoop house using PVC pipes. This video is for urban gardeners or anyone who wants total control during the planting process of beautiful plants and flowers.

How To: Get rid of the smell of garlic on your hands

When you are using garlic or cooking with it, getting the smell of garlic off your hands can be really tricky. Washing your hands will not to the job by itself. The next time you are using garlic and want to get rid of that smell, wash your hands thoroughly with both soap and water, and then rub them against the stainless steel faucet because the metal with neutralize the odor from your hands and get rid of the smell.

How To: Test electrical receptacles

This how to video shows you how to test electrical receptacles. The video covers 5 simple test rules. The first test is to simply attach an electrical device to the socket. The video also suggests the use of market product testers and even voltage testers. This video is perfect for people who are having electrical problems or are just beginning to learn how to take care and maintain their own home. The video is about a minuet and a half long.

How To: Make indoor garden basket & container arrangements

Take a common indoor hanging basket plant and use it to make a great water plant. You take a stem of tradescantia with the roots attached. Wash off all the soil. Put the stem into a vase with rocks and water in it. Anchor the plant stem down in the rocks. Add some charcoal pebbles to inhibit bacteria growth in the vase. The tradescantia will grow roots in the water. To keep it healthy also add some hydroculture fertilizer to the plant about once a month. Also you may want to change the water ...

How To: Install invisible shelving brackets

Hardware and home improvement expert Ron Hazelton describes his strategies for using invisible shelving brackets. To begin with, he advises that a shelving installation, invisible or not, be installed beginning at the center point, because upon attaching the main support, it will automatically be leveled. Ron suggests that mounting brackets have the same color as the background, so that the brackets depend not only on being hidden for the most part, but that the portions that are present do n...

How To: Make a DIY whiteboard for under $5

This video will teach you how to make a white board at half the cost and a better quality than you can buy and it will last a lot longer. You start with an 8x10 piece of Plexiglass with only surface scratches and spray paint. Try not to touch the side that you're going to paint. Remove only one side of the Plexiglass protecting plastic. Sand any sharp areas and paint in a well-vented area or outside. Paint lightly with the color of your choice and let it dry before adding a second coat. You c...

How To: Make a humidity tray

This video tells you about humidity trays and how they are good for tropical plants like orchids. The tray consists of gravel or small stones and water in the tray. You have to have enough gravel to keep the plant out of the water. This video also discusses ways on how to make sure the humidity tray doesn't scratch your furniture. After watching this video you will have gained some insight into keeping and maintaining tropical plants as well as ferns.

How To: Make a flower arrangement using old CDs

In this video, Steven Marin shows us an interesting method to recycle old CDs to make beautiful flower arrangements along with other recycled materials. In order to make the flowers, you need to take your old CDs and heat them up in a toaster oven. As demonstrated in the video, the CDs are very hot when they are taken out and should be handled with care. They are easily molded into the interesting flower shape by pressing them down over the neck of a bottle or by holding them in a cloth and s...

How To: Set up drip irrigation for a container garden

Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, shows how to install a drip irrigation system in a container garden for growing herbs and vegetables. Container plants also need more fertilizer. First, at the spigot, connect a manifold/timer with a fertilizer dispenser and a filter to remove particles. Then run a half-inch main tube line to the patio, using clamps to secure the tubing to fencing and elbow joints at any corners. For each container, punch a hole in the main tube and attach a quarter-inch tube wi...

How To: Multiply succulent Kalanchoe cuttings

Succulent Kalanchoe plants are very easy to multiply. The first thing that you need is a healthy mother plant. Take a small leaf section from the base of the plant. Clean the dirt up on the leaf. Set the leaf out to dry in a nice warm area where you don't get direct sunlight because you don't want the leaf to dry out. The area around the stem of the leaf will get calloused over. Once it is calloused over you are ready to plant the leaf. You need some well draining soil such as seed starting m...

How To: Clean a faucet aerator

Ron Hazelton describes how to clean a faucet aerator to get a sputtering faucet flowing freely again. First unscrew the aerator housing, then remove the black rubber gasket and the aerator underneath. Next remove the screen from the housing. Rinse out the screen from both sides to remove debris. Use a needle to clean particles from the aerator holes, then rinse the aerator. Reassemble the housing (screen, then aerator, then gasket). Lastly, screw the housing back onto the faucet for a smooth ...

How To: Plant lingonberry in a container garden

Lingonberries are really popular in Sweden. One fact about Lingonberries that people don't know is that they are high in vitamin C. Lingonberry plants produce berries once in the summer and once in the fall, so you get two harvests from this crop which is a really nice. The Lingonberry bushes grow to be one and a half feet wide and one and a half feet tall. So they don't get too large. Take the plants out of the containers very gently. Place the plant in a pot and add some potting soil to fil...

How To: Create a sunprint cork board & jewelry tray

Grace Bonney from Design-Sponge shows how to create a corkboard and tray from sun print fabric (similar to the craft sun print paper, and available at bluesunprints.com). First iron the sun print fabric, far away from a light source. If printing leaves, first flatten them in a book. Arrange the leaves, then put the fabric in the sun for 10-30 minutes. The longer the time, the darker the print will be. Rinse the fabric in water until the water runs clear, then dry the fabric and re-iron. To ma...

How To: Hang heavy objects using toggle bolts

Ron Hazelton shows the most secure way to hang heavy mirrors or art on plaster walls using toggle bolts. Attach a sturdy hanging wire to the piece if necessary. Draw a level line on the wall where the top of the piece will go. Stretch the hanging wire taut and measure the distance between the wire and the top of the frame. A two-bolt system will keep the piece level. Drill two holes this distance below the wall line. Using masking tape prevents the plaster from chipping. Fold the toggle wings...

How To: Remove a popcorn ceiling

Many acoustical or popcorn ceilings that were put in, in the 1970's, contained asbestos. If you are unsure about the contents of the ceiling take a piece and put it in a plastic bag and send it to a lab for testing. Once you know that the ceiling is asbestos free and you are ready to take it down, start by turning off the power to the room. Next put down a plastic drop cloth to cover the floor and furniture in the room and protect it from the water that you will be using in this process. Tape...

How To: Remove and replace decking

If your decking boards need to be replaced it is really not that difficult. Start by removing the facia or edge boards that hold the decking boards in place using a crowbar. Remove the decking boards from the joists. Check the joists for dry rot while you have the decking boards off by poking them with a screwdriver. If the wood is soft and the screwdriver sinks right into the joist then you may need to replace that joint because it is dry rotted. When replacing the decking boards it is best ...

How To: Waterproof the inside of a planter box

Back with another great how to tutorial for your home, Ron Hazelton, from Ron Hazelton's House Calls, and ronhazelton.com is here to bring us another great tip to save us time and money on our household projects. In this video Ron shows us a great way to waterproof the inside of your outdoor planters, which will protect them from water, provide a longer life-span, and help your plants to be healthier, in a quick and easy to understand manner.

How To: Sprout a home terrarium

You can use either an open or a closed container for your terrarium. Because there is no drainage hole in the container it's really important to have a false drainage system. So you can add river gravel or rocks to the bottom of the terrarium as a drainage level. Put about one inch of rocks in the bottom of the terrarium. Add a layer of charcoal on top of the rocks and it will help to keep the whole terrarium fresh. The charcoal will help keep mold and bacteria from growing in the terrarium. ...

How To: Create a birch holiday wreath with terrain

This video will show you how to make a birch holiday wreath step by step. The best part is that there are two options for this project. One for inside and another for outside. The projects focus on using items that you can find your backyard making finding supplies easy and accessible. By following these easy and simple tips you can create a wonderful wreath display for your home during the holidays. All these tips are shown by Terrain staff.

How To: Make a light switch plate out of an old CD

In this video you will be shown an interesting method of recycling old CDs. The creator suggests using old CDs to make wall mountings for circular dimmer switches. He starts be using his router to create a circular indent in a piece of redwood this if for the CD. He then cuts out this circle shape and places the CD in the middle. Attaching the light switch is slightly more complicated than the previous stages and for accurate details please see the video.

How To: Hang drywall

This video shows the viewer how to hang dry wall easily and efficiently. In the video the creator uses a utility knife to score the sheets he will be using to construct the wall. He then snaps the sheets and finishes the cut with his utility knife. He uses a dry wall lift to hold the sheet in place before he screws it to the wooden frame. He specifically fastens the screws working across the sheet - not fastening the corners first. This stops the sheet from buckling due to errors and allows i...

How To: Set-up a home office with an extra room

Starting to work at home? With more and more people trying to make a solid living at home, it's important to know the best way to set up a home office – even if you don't have a spare room. Learn how to set-up a solid work environment with tips from this video on how to create the perfect home office.

How To: Clean your room

Do you win the prize for messiest room in America? That's a difficult contest, but how about messiest room in your house? It’s time to clean your room, so do a good job in the shortest amount of time and get your parents off your back.

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: Line-dry your clothes

Looking for a way to save on your energy bills at home? How about line drying your clothes? According to the Energy Information Agency, clothes dryers account for 5.8 percent of home electricity usage. Line-dry your washed clothes and linens to keep them from wearing out, and save money on your energy bill at the same time.

How To: Install a new garbage disposal

Sick of paying people to do things you could do yourself if you knew how? In this five-part video tutorial hosted by the Handyman Teacher learn how to install a brand new garage disposal in your home with the help of your own two hands. Don't waste your money on hiring a professional, learn how to do it yourself!

How To: Use ThermaPure to get rid of bed bugs

Bed bugs come out and suck your blood in the middle of the night. ThermaPure can get rid of bed bugs in a safe manner. ThermaPure uses probes to heat up the areas of the house such as the bedding, carpets, and wall voids, to a temperature that will kill the bed bugs. The ThermaPure heater is programmable which allows for a precise duration and electrical current needed to rid your house of bed bugs. ThermaPure is a green technology and will not harm you in the process of ridding your home of ...

How To: Water Evergreens in the fall

First of all, he explains that evergreens will have problems if you don't water them late enough into the season. He introduces Ken Mayer who compares two types of evergreens. He shows a tree which has lost its coloration and explains that that tree lost water over the winter. Its roots have been frozen and if the roots are frozen the water cannot circulate where it is needed. When the spring comes, the plant will need water and it will not be able to be supplied with it. It then gives tips o...

How To: Protect your luggage from bed bugs

Bed Bug control for luggage is the best way to protect your luggage from infestation. What you will do is, open your luggage and any zippers you may have on your luggage and spray it down the best you can. You will want to spray the seams and any closed area inside and outside you luggage. You should also spray down your handle and wheels (if available). Bed bug control will keep the germs from different hotels or any where you travel, so that it doesn’t follow you back home.

How To: Kill bed bugs with bug hunting dogs & heat

It's looking like heat is the safest and greenest way to deal with a bug problem. The KTLA Morning News (Los Angeles) did a series of segments on this new development with host of the Discovery Channel's Verminators Show, Mike Masterson. ThermaPure is being demonstrated, as are some bed bug sniffing dogs that Masterson's company, Isotech, uses.