Hot Home & Garden How-Tos
How To: Cut through hard to reach PVC pipe with a simple nylon string
Have a PVC pipe that's in an awkward position and you're having a hard time reaching it to cut it? This video demonstrates that cutting a PVC pipe is as simple as wrapping a nylon string around it. Now you can cut through a PVC pipe without a saw or knife.
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: Grow dry beans in your home garden using soup beans
Did you know that you can grow beans in your garden just by buying ordinary packs of soup beans at your local grocery? Once you start growing beans, you can keep growing them for a lifetime--just keep the seeds around. Soon beans will be sprouting in your garden every year!
How To: Inject Your Drill Press Table Crank with Steroids
First, I would like to explain that among my family members, I am considered somewhat of an oddball. Mostly because of some of the mods that I have performed on a few of my woodworking tools. After I show you what I did to my drill press, you may be inclined to agree. When I first hatch an idea in my little pea brain, the first thing I take into consideration is whether or not this mod is irreversible and will destroy my tool. In the case of my drill press, I determined that it was safe to pr...
How To: Create a New Lawn From Turf or Seed
Preparation When creating a new lawn it is essential that the soil is prepared properly to ensure a satisfactory outcome when laying turf or sowing lawn seed. Whether you decide to lay turf or seed, the preparation is the same.
How To: Make the Best Kitchen Multi-purpose Cleaner
Think you have a stain on your stove or countertop that just won't come off? Think again! This simple trick will have your kitchen surfaces gleaming in no time!
How To: Make Safe Homemade Glass Cleaner
Supplies 2 parts water
How To: Grow Plants With Compact Fluorescent Lights
I like to grow vegetables all year round, and I couldn't afford the big gas bulbs, or the power to run them. The big gas bulbs:
How To: Improve the Soil to Grow Healthy Plants
Every experienced gardener knows that the secret to better blooms, brilliant greens, and tastier fruits and vegetables is a healthy soil. Improving the soil before you plant is the best head start to growing healthy, hardy growth in your garden.
How To: Replace the ballcock valve to stop your toilet moaning
Are you tired of having to listen to your toilet moan all the time? Toilets are like children, they should be seen and not heard. If you've got a moaning toilet, you need to replace the ballcock valve. Watch this video to learn how to do this toilet repair without making a mess.
How To: Make Your Own Whitefly Sticky Trap
This is a cheap and easy way to make a sticky fly trap that can catch tons of whiteflies. Get a can of Tanglefoot’s Tangle-Trap Sticky Coating. I stored this in the greenhouse which may not have been a great idea, as you can see by the amount of rust there is on the can.
How To: Speed Up the Composting Process
Composting is said to be every gardener’s gold, but making compost and getting it ready could take up to a year. Professional growers have discovered that compost activators can help speed up composting quickly…sometimes to as little as 30 days!
How To: Make your own aquatic tabletop biosphere in a mason jar
Feeling inspired by the incredible Biosphere 2 project? Make your own aquatic biosphere and witness the incredible phenomenon of a self-contained marine ecosystem right on your desk. This is a simple project that won't take more than an afternoon to put together, but could last for years.
How To: Install a new over-the-range Panasonic NN-SD277WR microwave oven
If you are looking to replace your old microwave with a new one, or making your first foray into the world of microwave cookery, this video can be your guide to installing you microwave in the wall. The Panasonic NN-SD277WR is used as an example.
How To: Solder copper pipe for use in plumbing
Take on the challenge of home plumbing repair- how else are you going to get an excuse to use a blowtorch? Watch this video to learn how to solder, or "sweat", copper pipe. Make simple plumbing repairs a breeze by learning the basics.
How To: Replace or install a vanity light in your bathroom
You're so vain, you probably think this how-to video is about you! You can update the look of your bathroom by simply replacing the vanity light above your sink in the bathroom. This video shows the simple step-by-step process required to replace or install a bathroom vanity light.
How To: Replace or install a hand shower in your bathroom
Bring the luxury of a hand held shower head into your home. Follow the step-by-step instructions in this video to learn how to install a hand help shower head unit in your bathroom. It doesn't take many tools or much time!
How To: Install recessed lighting in your home
If your home needs a makeover, why not take things into your hands instead of waiting around for some reality TV pretty boy? This video shows you how to install recessed lighting, a sleek look for any room in the house.
How To: Install a new programmable thermostat
If you are concerned about your electric bill, you might want to take control by installing a programmable thermostat. This will allow you to manage the temperature- and amount of electricity being used- in your home. The installation is simple and requires almost no tools.
How To: Replace and install a pendant lighting fixture
Bring a touch of elegance into your home with a gorgeous pendant lighting fixture. Lighting is one of the easiest ways to dramatically transform the atmosphere in your living space. Whether its an apartment of a house, pendant lighting fixtures make for a stylish home.
How To: Use the Atmos meter bypass tool to hook up a methane tank for gas supply
If you are interested in hooking up and using a bypass tool to incorporate a methane tank in your supply gas system, watch this video and follow the instructions. This video demonstrates how you can use the Atmos meter bypass tool.
How To: Restore and Sharpen Rusted Scissors
Leaving scissors wet or forgetting them outside can cause them to rust. Rusty scissors, if you can even open them, will leave brown marks on everything you attempt to cut through. Attempt is the truth—rust dulls the blades of the scissors making it virtually impossible to cut through any type of material, ranging from paper to fabric. But don't toss the scissors in the trash just yet. You can restore rusted scissors to a usable condition provided they are not completely covered and have rust ...
How To: Clean a Flag
We hang flags to proclaim our patriotic spirit. This is especially true for retired veterans or those who have loved ones serving in the military. Others hang flags representing the seasons, important events, favorite teams or just a cute and whimsical design as decoration. An American flag can be particularly tricky to wash. Red, white and blue all lying together in one inseparable panel can cause the blue or red dye to bleed onto the white. This is not just a problem with an American flag; ...
How To: Keep socks paired and never lose a sock ever again
It happens to the best of us—missing socks. No matter how hard you try, no matter how careful you are when doing laundry, you always end up with that one sock who's lost its soulmate. And what do you usually do with that buddy-less sock? Throw it away? DON'T! This video will gives you some tips on how to keep your socks from disappearing, like A). don't throw away your sock because you might find its missing mate later, and B). roll your socks to keep you from losing one when not in the laund...
How To: Combine Two NYC Penthouses into One
Here's a rich man's problem for you: two NYC East Village penthouse condos and the need for one combined living space. What do you do? Simply add a helical slide! When the homeowners came up with this fun idea for combining their two condos, they contracted architecture firm TCA to design and construct two separate options to descend and ascend between the two living spaces— an Italian-made "Rintal" stair (an open spiral staircase), or the much speedier and much livelier option: a stainless s...
How To: Graft a bunch of cherry trees
Want some cherries? Better have some cherry trees. OH! Who cut down the cherry trees!? Guess it's time to get grafting and grow some new trees. This informative video shows how to graft cherry tree stalks onto existing cherry tree trunks. It looks primitive, but this is what you need to do to get some new trees growing! Cut and stick, cut and stick. Water, wait and grow!Watch this video and think of Anton Chekov when you do!
How To: Make a spark and fire with a 9 volt battery and steel wool
If you're out in the wilderness at night and it's starting to get chilly, you sure as hell better know how to make yourself a campfire. But let's just say you forgot your matches and don't feel like rubbing two sticks of wood together hoping to create a spark.
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: Build an outdoor rabbit run
Run rabbit run! Well, your rabbit can't run unless you build it a place TO run! Check out this video and see how-to make a space in your backyard for your bunny to get its hop on. You'll need some tools, including a saw, screw gun, or hammer and nails and a skill saw. The dimensions are 80L x 43W x 36H. (measured in inches) This project takes about 4.5 hrs to build. Get building and give your fluffy little pet some outdoor love. Know what? He'll return it in leaps and bounds. And hops.
How To: Choose the right grow light for your indoor hydroponic garden
The key to a successful indoor hydroponic garden is in both irrigation and lighting. This video can't help much with the irrigation, but if you want to decide what the best lighting systems are, this video is for you! There are a wide variety of bulbs and power sources that you can choose from when constructing your own hydroponic grow operation. The key is wattage, and the more wattage you can get out of your bulbs, the better your garden will be.
How To: Build a walk-in shower step by step
Most of us would love reclining into a steaming, soothing bath of warm water with a glass of champagne and a good romance novel, but let's face it: With all that we have to do these days, we're lucky if we have ten full minutes in the bathroom to ourselves.
How To: Repair a leaking pipe caused by a loose washer
Drip, drip, drip. Other than maybe a fly buzzing around your head in concentric circles, a leaky pipe is possibly the most annoying thing you can hear in the middle of the night when you're trying to get some sleep. Thankfully, though, a leaky pipe is one of the easiest plumbing problems to fix all by your onesies.
How To: Prune a rose tree (standard)
If you'd like to have a rose tree, or rose 'standard' as opposed to a rose bush, this video will show you what to do. You'll need some pruning shears and of course, a rose bush. This video is really helpful in instructing what to look for when you're trimming, and what branches to take and leave in order to avoid your rose treasure getting a disease. A rose tree by any other name would smell the same, but it would be called a rose standard. FYI.
How To: Fight Mildew Formation on Your Home's Exterior
Mildew can be the bane of a beautiful exterior paint job, marring its appearance even when the paint is otherwise in good shape. And while there’s no way to guarantee that mildew won’t eventually rear its ugly head on any home exterior, there are ways to fight it. Here are six steps you can take to combat the problem:
How To: Use a power drill to unlock a lock
Some locks are easier to drill through than to try and pick, especially if you need to get through them in a hurry! You will need one large power drill and an assortment of drill bits to be able to use this method. First, drill a 1/8 inch pilot hole just above the keyhole. Then follow through with a 1/4 inch or larger drill. After just a minute or so of drilling, you should be able to get through the lock!
How To: Install a piano hinge on a side door
A piano hinge is also called a continuous hinge, and is a popular hinge to use on side doors and other small doors. This tutorial shows you the proper method of installing a piano hinge on your current project. Besides the door and the hinge, you will also need some basic hardware: a drill and some screws, as well as a chisel to carve out an inset for the hinge to rest. Make sure you always measure carefully before cutting anything!
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: 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: 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: Replace the washer in your shower faucet to stop a leak
Before you pull out your phone book (okay, pull up your laptop and start up Google) to find a number for a handyman, why not attempt to fix your broken shower faucet yourself? Yeah, we know it's kind of annoying to find your tool box and remove your entire shower faucet unit, but it's actually quite easy to fix a basic leak in your shower.