Hot Home & Garden Posts
News: Catch a Mouse! (Humanely, Of Course)
Simple enough. You will need: 1 toilet paper tube, a dab of peanut butter, and a bucket or trash can.
News: Mod Your Sewing Machine Into a Scroll Saw
From sewing machine to scroll saw, check out Instructables member bongodrummer's in depth HowTo. Says bongodrummer,
How To: Create a kitchen sink backsplash
Meg Allan Cole from Decor It Yourself shows you an easy way to make your kitchen look amazing by just adding a creative, do it yourself backsplash.
How To: Remove the garlic smell from your hands
Removing the garlic smell from your hands can be a very difficult thing to do. Sometimes you just can't stand the smell. Maybe you have a date and don't want to stink, but just can't get that smell out of your skin. There is a way to neutralize the odor so that you can get on with your life. After you get done cooking with either garlic or onions or any other stinky food, run your hands under some warm water. Then get some coffee grounds and mash them up and get them wet. Once the grounds are...
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: Revive a dying plant
Don't throw out your wilting plants! There's a chance you can bring it back from the dead. Your wilting plant can be spared and revitalized with a little help & these easy steps.
How To: Grow wheatgrass
Looking to grow your own wheatgrass? Wheatgrass is equated with health benefits and contains provide chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. Growing your own wheatgrass is easy and fun – even if you don't have a green thumb!
How To: Dust-proof your home
Some homes are more prone to dust than others and just dusting doesn't always work. Arm yourself with these proven strategies in the battle to banish dust from your home.
How To: Make a window planter
Looking for a new DIY project? Follow the steps in this video to get a great view of big blooms and colorful posies with box planters hung beneath your windows.
How To: Make a garden maze
Looking to be the talk of the town? Do you love gardening and have some time to spare? Build a garden maze and make your yard the neighborhood sensation.
How To: Bleed a heating radiator
Is you radiator acting up and making impossibly loud noises? Does banging in the pipes sound like someone's running a sledge hammer? Try this easy do-it-yourself fix with this video on how to bleed your radiator.
How To: Deal with cockroaches
These hearty bugs are here simply to elicit screams and revulsion – or so it seems. Apparently they can survive nuclear waste, but that doesn't mean they impossible to get rid of. Deal with them pronto with this video on how to get rid of those pesky bugs.
How To: Remove water stains from walls and ceilings
Are you sick and tired of staring at that water damage on your ceiling? There’s no need to sleep staring at that annoying water spot on the ceiling when it's so easy to get rid of! Loose the spots with the easy steps listed in this video.
How To: Put on a duvet cover
Envious of all those professionally made beds in decorative magazines? Make your bed look picture-perfect with this technique for putting on a duvet cover.
How To: Clean an LCD screen
Is your computer's LCD screen getting so dirty you can barely make out what you're typing. Use a few household ingredients to keep a clear, sharp image on your LCD screen without clouding or scratching it.
How To: Test an electrical fuse
There's more than one way to test a fuse, and it doesn't have to be expensive. In this video tutorial, see how to test an electrical fuse with a screwdriver tester or multi-meter. A test screwdriver is relatively cheap and simple to use. A multimeter is a little more expensive and a little more complicated, but once you get used to it, fairly simple.
How To: Find a stud inside a wall with a magnet
Buying expensive stud finders maybe the easiest route for most handymen to take, but it is costly. There are easier and cheaper ways to find a stud inside a wall, but you need patience. This handy video tutorial will show you how to find a stud with a magnet in a studded wall partition. But what if your stud aren't aluminum or steel? That's okay, the magnet searches for the metal screws inside the wood studs. You find a spot that sticks, then go up or down in a vertical direction to see if th...
How To: Use PTFE tape (Teflon tape) on threads
PTFE, which stands for polytetrafluoroethylene, is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, most commonly known as Teflon. Teflon tape is a very thin, white tape used to wrap around the threaded ends of pipes to improve the watertightness of a joint. Though PTFE tape is fairly common thing to use, not many people know how to actually use it properly, or where to use it. A lot use it on compression joints, but you really don't need to unless it leaks. You would use it on a radiator va...
How To: Wire a Type G electrical plug
The Type G plug is the standard plug in the United Kingdom, usually 230V and 50Hz, and is referred to as the BS1363 (British Standards 1363). It's most commonly referred to as the "13-amp plug" because it has a 13-amp fuse inside. The wires consist of a hot (or live) wire, neutral wire, and an earth (or ground) wire.
News: Teeny Tiny Winter Terrariums
Design Sponge has posted some very pretty, tiny terrariums and air plants to brighten up these cold winter months. Buy them through Etsy seller Tortoise Loves Donkey or make your own. Scroll down for Design Sponge's terrarium how-to.
How To: Remove household odors
Life stinks. Literally. Daily living leads to lots of lingering smells. Household odors from cooking, kids, pets, bathrooms, and guests can accumulate. Get rid of them with some simple remedies.
How To: Organize a home library
How much time have you wasted, wandering around your home trying to find one particular book? Without a good system of organization, finding the book you're looking for can become a hopeless task. Organize your book collection at home by following this tutorial.
How To: Choose the right frame for a picture
Stumped on what frame to use for your favorite piece of artwork or photo? The perfect frame will make your painting, photograph, or piece of artwork stand out on your wall. Here's how to find an ideal match.
How To: Stock a small kitchen with everything you need
Feel you have too small of a kitchen to keep everything you need inside it? Not true. Even if you have a small kitchen and a small budget, you can still save money by stocking it efficiently.
How To: Use compression fittings on copper pipe
Copper pipe is perhaps the most versatile of all piping types in that you can use virtually any fitting with it. Copper pipe, however, is not particularly flexible, which can make it a little unwieldy to work with. Simplify your copper piping projects by using compression fittings. This home plumbing video tutorial shows you how. For detailed, step-by-step instructions on using compression joints in your copper plumbing projects, take a look.
How To: Cut and join plastic pushfit pipes
Learn how to cut and join plastic pushfit piping using pushfit connectors and compression fittings. While plastic piping has its drawbacks and, depending on its application, actually be carcinogenic, it is, at least, very easy to work with. For step-by-step instructions on cutting and joining plastic pushfit pipes, watch this home plumbing tutorial.
How To: Restore rusty ceiling grid systems
Update your nasty, ugly ceiling grid in your home or office. With this video tutorial, see how to restore rusty ceiling grid systems. Ceiling Armor Grid Cover will update rusty and discolored ceiling grid systems for a fraction of the cost of replacement. This unique cover snaps on to a standard grid system without any special preparation. This washable solid vinyl cover is suitable for standard ceiling grids in kitchens, restaurants, bakeries, pools, rest rooms and outdoor ceiling locations.
How To: Restore water stained ceiling tiles
Are there dastardly, ugly chilling tiles in your home or business that have been rind by water damage? It happens sometimes, and the ceiling tiles will look awful, either needing replaced or fixed. Well, this video will show you how to restore water stained ceiling tiles. Hide those ugly stains instead of buying a whole new tile! Save a trip to the home repair shop.
How To: Clean a toaster oven
Cleaning a toaster can be tricky if you've never done it before, but this appliance only requires a little bit of your time to keep it clean, safe, and functional.
How To: Paint your kitchen cabinets
Need a change? Brighten up your kitchen and give your cabinets a new look with a fresh coat of paint. In this tutorial, learn how to paint your kithcen cabinets a fast and efficient way.
How To: Choose the best burglar alarm system
Looking to up the ante in the home secuirty department? If you are concerned about the safety of your family and home, consider purchasing a burglar alarm system by following these helpful tips.
How To: Clean a clothes dryer filter
Keeping the filter clean improves your dryer’s performance and avoids the risk of fire from lint buildup. By leaving your lint filter full, you run the risk of also breaking your dryer, leading to an expensive repair or an expensive new dryer.
How To: Re-pressurize a combination boiler
Wondering how to repressurize your home boiler? In this DIY video tutorial, you'll learn how to fill or repressurize a combination (or "combi") boiler. For more information, including step-by-step instructions on the pressurization process, take a look.
How To: Install motion detector lights
Looking to take some safety precautions for the exterior of your home? Motion detector lights are a good way to ward off unwanted intruders. Installation of motion detector lights isn’t as difficult as it sounds, since most are pre-wired and preassembled.
How To: Clean and sanitize the kitchen
Looking to give your kitchen a good cleaning this spring? Don't go out and spend a ton of money on sanitizing sprays and cleaning equipment. Cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen is easy, effective, and inexpensive, because everything you need is likely in your kitchen!
How To: Make your own fruit & vegetable wash
In this tutorial, learn how to wash your fruit and vegetables with a DIY mixture you can make in your kitchen. Wash your fruit and vegetables with this environmentally friendly and economical mixture.
How To: Choose wall paint colors
Looking to spruce up your living room or bedroom? Learn to combine a vivid imagination with good paint sense to choose the right colors for your walls and feel good about your surroundings.
How To: Save water in six easy ways
Are you aware of your water usage? Are you really doing all you can to conserve water, our most precious resource? Here are some simple ways you may not have thought of and some facts about the amount of water wasted on a daily basis in America.
How To: Polish out aluminum
In this DIY video tutorial, learn how to polish aluminum using greasless and greased abrasives. It is extremely important to have the right equipment and a well-made breathing respirator as this process can be very dangerous and toxic. The products and tools used in this video to polish a piece of sand blasted aluminum, can be found at www.englishcustompolish.com.
How To: Use a Rockwell reciprocating saw
Mark Donovan of Home Addition Plus goes over the key features and benefits of the Rockwell reciprocating saw with active vibration canceling technology. A reciprocating saw is a type of saw in which the cutting action is achieved with a push and pull reciprocating motion on the blade. A positive feature of the Rockwell is that there are no tools needed to replace the blade and it acts great with all materials including wood, metal, plastic, and/or aluminum.