Hot Home & Garden How-Tos « Home & Garden

How To: 10 Ways to Whiten Clothes Without Using Any Bleach

Whites are the hardest color to keep looking bright and new after just a few months' time. Your sweat and oils quickly become stains, and colors from other clothes will eventually bleed into the fabric, discoloring your bright whites into something merely whitish. But before you reach for the bleach, the ultimate chemical cleaner, try some a few of these safer, less-toxic DIY solutions out instead.

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: Refill a disposable Bic cigarette lighter

Everyone knows how to refill a Zippo or butane lighter, but what about the Bic disposable lighters? Believe it or not, you can actually refill those, too! All you need is some lighter fluid and patience. Make sure that you do not accidentally crack the lighter while you refill it - you can prevent cracking by letting the fluid enter in short bursts and then letting the gas out. This will normalize the pressure inside the lighter and help prevent cracking and breaking (because no one wants lig...

How To: Create a home water fountain with Lowe's

Host Brenda Lo, from Lowe's Creative Ideas demonstrates, in this informational video, how to create an outdoor water fountain. Brenda details the entire process, listing the tools and supplies you will need to complete this great do-it-yourself project in just one afternoon with easily obtainable materials. This video is great for the DIY beginner or experienced professional looking for a new project idea for your outdoor garden. do-it-yourself, and save time and money with these great tips.

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: Open a locked bedroom or bathroom door

Getting locked out of a bedroom or bathroom can be a real bummer. Fortunately, these locks are easy to "pick" and get yourself in. This how to shows you clearly what to do to get yourself back inside so you don't feel frustrated all day long. This excellent video takes you step by step through the process. This video talks about 2 different types of locks and the two different types of tools you'll need.

How To: Open a bedroom or bathroom door when you're locked out

Ahhh! You're locked out of your bedroom, or your bathroom! Well, watch this video and you won't be locked out for long. Fortunately, interior privacy locks are very simple to pick. There are essentially two kinds: one that requires a blade, or knife and the other which requires a long sharp "pin" like object to insert into the handle. Check out this video and never be locked out again! You'll need something like a flat head screw driver for locks with a "slot" in them, and something long and ...

How To: Get Rid of Plant-Eating Pests Using 100% Natural Solutions from Your Home and Garden

Navigating through row after row of plants, my tiny fingers would reach into the leaves to pluck all the vile little creatures from their homes and deposit them into a can of gasoline. Potato bug duty, my least favorite gardening chore. Growing up, my family had a small garden every year. And every year, I was recruited to help plant, maintain, and eventually harvest the vegetables from it. There were some tasks I didn't mind, but the ones I hated most usually involved bugs (have you ever see...

How To: Hang Curtains Without Making Holes in the Wall

For anyone who lives in a space that may frown upon making holes in the walls, or for anyone who may not want to take on such a task, there's a simple alternative to hanging curtains or drapes. And the answer is brilliantly simple.

How To: Remove Oil Stains from Fabric

Remove oil stains from fabric. Oil and grease stains in fabric can cause ugly marks. Fortunately, they don't need to be very difficult to get out of your clothes. Oils respond well to most soaps and can often be easily lifted if you catch them in time. First, try dabbing at the stain with some liquid laundry or dish detergent.

How To: Hook Up Your Above Ground Swimming Pool Vacuum & Hose with the Sand Filter

This video will show you how to connect your above ground pool vacuum and hose to the sand filter on your swimming pool.

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: Shapen the blades on a hedge trimmer with a mill file or power grinder

Hedge trimmers are powerful pieces of yard equipment, but even their mighty blades go dull and stop cutting well. Watch this video to learn two different methods for sharpening hedge trimmer blades, one using a mill file and the other using a power grinder.

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: Get Rid of Spiders Naturally

Spiders are common pests that typically prefer to live outdoors. However, insects and warmth will eventually attract them into our houses. They like to spin their webs in corners, crevices and unused areas of your house. Most species are harmless and even act as a natural repellent for getting rid of other insects. However, in some cases, spiders can be very dangerous. Whichever the case may be, they are scary and people are always looking for natural ways to get rid of them.

How To: Clean a pair of white Nike Air Force Ones

Those genuine Nike Air Force Ones might look stylish in white, but once they get dirty, they start looking less than fresh. Fear not, there is a way to keep them looking brand new. You will need bottled water, a bleach pen, and a toothbrush. Watch this video housekeeping tutorial and learn how to clean a pair of white Nike Air Force Ones.

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: Remove permanent marker stains with toothpaste

This shows viewers how to remove permanent marker stains using toothpaste. First, you will want to do this in a bathroom or kitchen. Fill up a cup just barely with water. This should only be about 1 cm deep or full in the cup. Next, you will need to different kinds of toothpaste, preferably one a gel and another the average paste. Now, put the toothpaste into the cup, about quarter size, and use your finger or any tool to mix this with the water. Next, you'll want to put this mixture onto the...

How To: Clean a glass coffee pot with salt, ice and vinegar

Properly clean the glass coffee pot part of your coffee maker using environmentally friendly household ingredients. It is a housekeeping trick that everyone will love. Use salt, ice and vinegar as an eco-friendly safe way of cleaning a glass pot.

How To: Remove bird dropping stains from clothes

Learn a super simple method of getting out bird dropping stains from clothing. Everything's already in your cupboard. Remove bird dropping stains from clothes.

How To: Save Your Tomatoes From Rats And Rot

Every summer my husband and I plant a tomato plant. We do this to enjoy the plump red tomatoes right off of the vine.

How To: Install the shower base and connect it to the drain

Before you whip out your iPhone and call your neighborhood plumber for a job that's sure to cost you a pretty penny, check out this video to learn how to do some impressive plumbing yourself. Using a few tools you probably already have lying around your house, you'll learn how to install a shower base in your shower unit and then connect it with the drain - effectively, you'll be setting up a plumbing system.

How To: Cap off a water pipe

Watch this video to learn how to cap off a water pipe with a push fit fitting within seconds. Useful for when you absolutely have to cut a pipe.

How To: Replace a Whirlpool refrigerator filter

Find the indication light, located at the top of the Whirlpool refrigerator just inside the door. This tells you when to change your water filter. A green light indicates the filter is good and a red light indicates you need to change the filter.

How To: Remove wrinkles from polyester

One of the great things about polyester is that it doesn't wrinkle as easily as cotton and other natural fibers. It still can though, and you can't iron it, so watch this video to learn how to get the wrinkles out of any polyester item.

How To: Keep Swimming Pool Water Crystal Clear Using Baking Soda for PH Level

This video will explain to you, that you can use baking soda to maintain the PH level in your swimming pool, and will also help to keep the water crystal clear.

How To: Use a rototiller to level a yard

Tim Carter of AsktheBuilder.com demonstrates easy ways to level a yard or dig a hole with a rototiller. Watch this video to learn how to do it too.

How To: Fix a Hotpoint dryer that's not heating up

What is the main point of a dryer? To dry clothes, blankets, and other pieces of fabric of course! When you have a dryer that is not heating up, you have a problem on your hands. But, don't call a repairman just yet.

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.

How To: Remove a shower stall and replace it with a new one

You can't go scrub-a-dub in the tub - at least not comfortably so - if your shower faucet is leaking, or if your current tub valve is stuck and not letting any shower water come through. If your shower is broken beyond repair then your best plan of action is to take the whole thing out and reinstall your shower stall. We know this big - and potentially disasterous - procedure has been parodied many a time on popular TV sitcoms, but it's actually realizable if you're careful and follow the ste...

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: Tie a slip knot in a plastic grocery bag

Have you ever wondered how to tie a slip knot on your grocery bags? When we go to the grocery store, the clerks always tie the bags in a carrying knot. With this easy to follow video, tying these knots is made easy. Knots always seem perplexing, but now they are easy to do. This is a must watch video for anyone who goes shopping.

How To: Reinforce a ceiling fan

In this tutorial, we learn how to reinforce a ceiling fan. If you are hanging a ceiling fan, you need to make sure the electrical box is reinforced and can carry the weight. The ceiling fan can weigh 20 lbs or more. First, remove the existing ceiling box and push the wiring through. Next, push the bracket through the hole until it's completely in. Next, twist the brace until it's tight. After this, put the bracket in and then take your electrical box and line it up to the bracket so you can s...

How To: Identify the model number on washing machine and dryer

Check out this instructional home repair video to learn how to identify the model number on your washing machine and dryer. Knowing the model number can be essential in finding the right replacement parts. People make the mistake of assuming that the name and number on the front panel is all you need; many washing machine and tumble dryer manufacturers use the model number as well as the serial number. Most washers and dryers have the ID plate behind the door or on the inside of the door. Som...

How To: Replace a Dryer Door Switch

If your dryer will not run or spin, you will probably have to replace the dryer door switch. You can follow the steps in this video to help you do this easy repair.

How To: Clean up spilled candle wax with a trick from Urawaza

Lisa shows us how to clean up spilled candle wax using an iron and a paper towel, a trick from Japanese Urawaza.

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. Those few items in your closet that have to be dry cleaned cause you an extra, sometimes expensive trip—and then you have to remember to pick them up. But some items that say "dry clean" on the label can actually be washed at home if you're careful with them. Certain garments can't be put through a cycle in the washing machine, but they're not so delicate that you can't still wash them yours...

How To: 10 Reasons Why Your Freezer Is Perfect for Doing Laundry

Your freezer is no one-trick pony. While it does excel at keeping your food fresh for as long as possible, it has a few secret talents it doesn't want you to know about. Like making soda slushies and pyro-friendly smoke mix, as well as reviving dead hard drives. Even better—it can help you do laundry.

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...