Hot Home & Garden How-Tos — Page 2 of 158 « Home & Garden

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.

How To: Completely remove an interior door in your home

Have a new door that needs installed? Well, first thing you're going to have to do is remove the old one! Check out this home improvement video tutorial on how to completely remove an interior door in your home.

How To: Identify the switched live wire in a lighting circuit

Before undertaking any electrical project, it is imperative that you know precisely what it is you're doing and to keep in mind that electricity can kill. With that said, this electrical tutorial presents a guide to identifying the switched live wire on a lighting circuit and also explains how to rewire a ceiling rose. For detailed, step-by-step instructions on completing this home project, take a look.

How To: Check out foundation cracks below your carpet

Danny Lipford shares some tips on foundation cracks. Watch this video tutorial to see how to check out foundation cracks below your carpet.

How To: Build an anchor-retaining wall system

Are you interested in learning how to construct an anchor wall? Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build an Anchor Retaining Wall System. This a must-watch for everyone in the construction business.

How To: Steam remove paint

John Leeke demonstrates using steam to remove heavy paint build up from wood surfaces in this five minute video. Steam paint removal softens the paint film so it can be more easily scraped away. It works well with the heavy paint buildup commonly found on the exterior of older buildings during house restoration and historic preservation projects.

How To: Make a box seat

Downing drinks while perched on the bed, the floor, and the arms of the couch is totally awesome!!! (If you're a college freshman.) Otherwise it sucks. Don't get us wrong; living small doesn't mean you can't party like a rock star, it just requires a little creativity. This project offers dual functionality: wall art on quiet evenings, and extra seating and side tables on nights when friends roll in to bring down the house.

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: Grow Cold, Hardy Running Bamboo

Bamboo is easy to grow, but there are a few things you should know before starting. There are hundreds of species of bamboo and they can be roughly divided into either running or clumping bamboos. Almost all cold hardy bamboos are runners and almost all tropical bamboos are clumpers. Running bamboos send out root like rhizomes underground and can spread many feet each year. Clumping bamboos slowly expand and stay in a tight clump with canes close together. We grow dozens of cold hardy bamboo ...

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: Identify hardened steel compared to mild steel

Hardened steel is very durable, but nearly impossible to work with at home. If you are trying to choose a piece of steel and can't tell if it's hardened or not, you're in luck, because this video contains a quick method for doing so. All you do is try to file an indentation in the steel with a file. If that doesn't make a mark, you've probably got hardened steel.

How To: Make a wind turbine using a ceiling fan

Scott Brown teaches us how to make a wind turbine using a ceiling fan in this video. First, place steel banding around the middle of the ceiling fan base. Now, cross all the combinations of the wires and keep them close together so you don't confuse them. Hook these up to DC terminals so you get around 50 volts on both of them. Hook them parallel so you keep the voltage down to around 50 volts together. Then place the wires into a connector that has a pipe connected to the bottom. This will c...

How To: Treat bed bugs & get rid of them

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to find bed bugs and how to get rid of them. When users are aware that their home is infested with bed bugs, it is critical for users to locate all of the bugs. There are many areas where bed bugs inhabit. Bed bugs can be found on the bed, headboard, electrical sockets and telephone jacks. Bed bugs may also be found in cracks. The best treatment to remove bed bugs is to use Delta Dust, bed bug spray or any other bed bug products. This video will benef...

How To: Make your own eco-friendly toilet cleaner

If you are in desperate need to clean your toilet, don't rush to the store just yet. What you might need to clean it, is probably already in your home. Most of the toilet cleaners out on the market contain harmful, toxic chemicals that are inhaled during the cleaning process.

How To: Replace the brushes in a cordless DeWalt power drill

Cordless drills may seem complicated, but only if you've never take one apart before. They have a really simple design, compared to other power tools, and this means easy fixing! When it comes to brush replacements for your DeWalt cordless drill, it's super easy and super fast to replace yourself. This step-by-step guide will show you just how to remove and install drill brushes.

How To: Use old tennis balls

Tennis balls aren't just for playing tennis, so when you are getting ready to trash those tennis balls… DON'T. There are many different uses you can find for them, from donating them to fluffing up laundry. Recycle them using these 7 helpful tips.

How To: Read a ruler

Everyone has used a ruler at some point in their life, whether for art sizing, blueprint plans, or sizing up your widescreen television on your living room wall. But there's a lot of little ticks on the ruler that you may not be aware of. Your ruler shouldn’t be used only to draw a straight line. Make sense of all those little lines and take advantage of its intended use.

How To: Use a fireplace insert to keep your home efficient

A fireplace is a great tool to use during the cold winter months. It can be used to help set a mood or just to keep you and others warm. But when the fire is out, it's important to close off the entrance to prevent any cold air from coming in and any warm air from leaving. The best, and cheapest, way to do this is by creating a fireplace insert.

How To: Unclog a toilet in 11 seconds like a pro plumber

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to unclog a toilet in 11 seconds. Users will need a plunger. It is recommended to use a pleaded plunger, instead of the regular plunger. When clogging a toilet, the rubber of the plunger is filled up with water, pushed down and squeezes out the pressurized water. The force from the pressured water will remove the clogging of the toilet. Slowly place the plunger into the water and let it be filled with water. Align it with the toilet hole and then push...

How To: Unclog Your Toilet the Right Way

Stephanie and Julie teach us how to unclog a toilet the correct way in this video. First, remember to turn the valve off on your water that goes to your toilet. This will help prevent unwanted floods in your bathroom. You will also need a plunger, making sure to take the lip out for better suction. After you stick the plunger into the toilet, plunge rapidly around twelve times. If this doesn't work, try adding more water and plunging again for around twelve times. If it still doesn't work, yo...

How To: Clean items with bed bugs you can't put in a washer

Do you have bed bugs hiding throughout the home? If they've gone from your blankets and bedding to say, you're child's toys... you might be a tad clueless as to how about cleaning items you can't throw in a washing machine. In this video presented by Bed Bug Central, learn how to clean those items with bed bugs you can't throw in a washer.

How To: Replace a shower drain cover

To replace your old rusty drain cover. First, some masking tape over drain cover, to prevent screws from falling into drain. Sweep debris away, as so not to clog up the hole. Remove old shower drain cover to measure, take it to the store, to get the exact size. It's best to take along the screw too, just in case there isn't a screw thats of the same length. Chip away debris from old drain cover, as to make new drain cover fit in easily. If you follow this video, you'll able to replace your ol...

How To: Lay Straight Tile with a Crooked Wall

Tiling always looks so easy when you see it done on a straight wall! But how do you do it with a crooked wall? Use a Measureright Pro to get the angle right. So if you've tiled from a straight right angle and you're just reaching the 'odd' shaped spaces between your last row of tiles and your crooked wall, you can use the tool to mark your final row of tiles so that when you cut them, they will fit right into the irregular shaped spaces between your final row of tiles and the slanting wall. T...

How To: Clean cut using a table saw, mitre saw or power saw

This short video tutorial Bob Schmidt will show you how to make clean cuts in wood. The blade rotation of any pretty much dictates the best way to run your material through. To get the cleanest cut possible remember these tips: Whenever you run wood through a Table saw, always make sure that your finished side is up. Do the exact opposite when you are using your Power saw. The finished side of your wood must be at the bottom. When you use a Mitre saw, make sure the finished side of the wood i...

How To: Make towels fluffy and absorbent again

Learn how to ensure that your towels feel new, clean and fluffy after every wash. Using a Soda Crystal Pre-wash technique and adding white vinegar to your wash, you can easily make towels fluffy and absorbent again. Watch this video tutorial to learn all about it!

How To: Build a playground slide

In this video tutorial, you'll find instructions for building a standard joist design playground slide, supported by 3-by-4 posts and secured with galvanized fasteners. All fasteners exposed to the outdoors must be weather-resistant, galvanized, zinc-coated brass or stainless steel. Standard homeowner tools are all you'll need to complete your slide—a tape measure, post-hole digger, circular saw, sawhorses and a level. A good drill/driver is a great tool if using decking screws as fasteners. ...

How To: Build a deck sunroof

Decks and patios are a major source of America's entertainment and relaxing enjoyment, but they can be hot in the summer sun. They can actually be dangerous if they reflect the sun's ultraviolet rays. And running your grill during a rainstorm that arrives the same time as your guests can be a real frustration. One answer is a sunroof over your patio or deck. If designed properly, a sunroof can cut the summer sun, but still allow winter sun rays to warm the house. The sunroof shown is a typica...

How To: Arrange rising and inclining forms in ikebana style

Check out this flower tutorial video to learn how to arrange the Rising Form and Inclining Form in the ikebana style. This instructional video offers basic Hana-isho techniques. This is a simple type of ikebana that can be created and displayed anywhere. Follow along and create your own Ikebana flower arrangements.

How To: Fit and replace a Neff oven grill element

Check out this home repair tutorial video that demonstrates how to fit and replace your grill oven element in a Bosch and Neff. Follow the step by step instructions in this domestic appliance repair video to remove your oven grill element. Please note that all work should be performed by a qualified person. Make sure to take the necessary precautions to ensure a safe removal of the oven grill element.

How To: Build a semicircular concrete pad in the backyard

Get professional tips for measuring, marking and pouring a concrete pad. This how to video is a quick excerpt from a DIY show. Watch and learn all the little details that go into planning, measuring and installing a semicircular concrete pad in your homes back yard.

How To: Adjust an uneven inside door

Have a door that is uneven and hitting the floor when opened? Adjust an uneven door with tips from a professional handyman in this free home repair video series.

How To: Install a Rain Bird 5000 Series Rotor sprinkler nozzle

See how to install a Rain Bird 5000 Series Rotor sprinkler nozzle in this video tutorial. All you need is a screwdriver to get your grass watered in time for lawn competition. Installing sprinkler nozzles on a Rain Bird 5000 Series Rotor sprinkler is easy, and explained by Sean Stefan of Sprinkler Daddy in this landscaping video right here.

How To: Replace a belt on a Kirby vacuum cleaner

Once in awhile, however, you will run into the issue of having to replace the belt on a Kirby or any other type of vacuum cleaner. Even the most experienced repairmen will admit that replacing the belt on the Kirby is one of the most difficult repairs they face. However this how to video will show you how to do make this vacuum belt repair yourself. Go through the step by step process of dismantling the powerhead and swapping out the belts on the roller brush.

How To: Install steps in a retaining wall

This video tutorial shows you how to add steps to a retaining wall system. This video is a must-watch for everyone in the construction business.

How To: Install a window in a metal frame

A good way to install a window in a metal frame construction is to use some light gauge angle and screw it onto the sides of the window leaving a 10mm space for plaster. A flat head, self tapping screw is used to fix the window to the frame. Watch this video tutorial for a demonstration on how to install a window in a metal frame.