Browsing Category
Cleaning & Laundry : Home & Garden
Can Regular Vinegar Be Substituted for Balsamic Vinegar?
Balsamic vinegar is an aged reduction of white sweet grapes. It's made in a fashion similar to making wine and aged a minimum of three years up to 150 years. The taste is not at all like regular vinegar, but sweet, deep, complex and more like a fine wine. Comparing regular vinegar to balsamic vinega
How to Clean Up Spilled Lamp Oil
Lamp oil may be kerosene, paraffin or a vegetable oil, such as corn oil or olive oil. Some lamp oils have coloring and/or scent added. No matter what lamp oil is made of, spill clean up is the same. You should act quickly, especially if the oil is colored and spilled on carpet or fabrics, to preven
How to Remove Grease Stains From Painted Walls
Grease stains on your walls and ceilings prove particularly problematic in the kitchen, where the splattering of food and oil leaves stubborn marks on your painted surfaces. It is important to remove as much of the grease stain as possible, though--especially because you can't simply paint over a gr
How to Fix Unlevel Concrete
An unlevel concrete floor can be an annoying problem, especially if you plan to tile the floor. In order to lay down a proper flooring material onto the concrete, you must ensure that the floor is level, otherwise you risk damage to your flooring material. Thankfully, self-leveling compounds are ava
Water Damage and Carpet Mold
Carpet mold is often caused by high humidity levels in a home or by damage from a water leak. Cracked water pipes, roof leaks and tiny gaps around windows can all lead to water damage and mold if left undetected.
Black Algae Turf Mold
Turfgrass is susceptible to many different diseases strongly influenced by environmental conditions of weather, care and maintenance. Algae appear on turfgrass during times of high humidity when the grass is overly wet and in low, compacted areas.
How to Hide a Hairline Guitar Crack
Guitars can easily develop hairline cracks through regular wear and tear and changes in humidity. Dry environments in particular can cause the wood to shrink and crack. It is important to repair cracks at the earliest opportunity as they can quickly worsen and affect the long-term playability of you
How to Remove Wax Buildup on Furniture
Furniture wax can build up on fine wood furniture, trapping dirt and creating a dull, dirty finish. Removing waxy buildup from wood furniture is easier than you think. Here's how to remove built up furniture wax from wood furniture without ruining the finish.
How to Remove Wine Stains From Canvas
Wine stains are notoriously challenging to remove, especially when the wine is of the red variety. Thankfully, wine stains affecting cotton-based fabrics are generally easier to treat than those affecting other types of fabric. Made from cotton, canvas will respond favorably to stain-removing effort
How to Clean a Bathtub Drain With Baking Soda & Vinegar
No matter how well you clean your tub, occasionally, clogs happen. Before shelling out large amounts of money for expensive and caustic drain cleaners, try an old home remedy with baking soda and vinegar. Even if you do not need to unclog your bathtub drain, this mixture freshens the drain and tub.
How to Get Rust Off of a Porch Swing
A well-maintained porch swing offers a welcoming corner for relaxing on hot summer days. Porch swings, like any other outdoor furniture, require regular maintenance, though, to keep their good looks. Apply a sealer or paint to wooden surfaces, and remove any rust on metal porch swings each season. R
How to Remove a Roman Tub Spigot
Roman tub faucets sit on the deck of your tub rather than extending from the wall. Some Roman tub faucets have separate hand-held sprayers similar to a kitchen faucet. Repairing the diverter stem or cartridge requires removal of the Roman tub spigot. Unlike a typical faucet spout that usually unscre
How to Clean Dura Cool Swamp Cooler Pads
Dusty, dirty swamp cooler pads cost you money. They make your evaporative cooler run less efficiently, which means it has to work harder and longer to keep you cool. Some types of pads, such as those made of aspen fiber, are usually replaced when they get clogged with airborne debris and mineral dep
How to Make a Natural Insect Repellent
Ok...so the snow's still on the ground in many areas and spring is yet to be sprung!But, be prepared and have this great recipe ready for when you need to have those pesky insects driven out of your plants, flowers or vegetable gardens.This was given to me by a friend who visited f
How to Clean Pottery Barn Wool Rugs
The Pottery Barn line of home decor appeals to people with a variety of home decorating tastes. Pottery Barn sells distinctive lines of furniture, bedding, rugs, window coverings, bath accessories, lighting and other home decor both for children and adults. If you purchase a wool rug from Pottery Ba
How to Make Crystal Glasses Sparkle
The Clemson University Extension website states there are two kinds of cloudiness that affect glassware and crystal: one results when water minerals or detergent form a film on the surface; the second kind is a type of cloudiness called etching, which results from leaching out of metal ions due to s
How to Clean Pet Hair From a Rug
When you have pets in the home, carpeting requires regular care and cleaning as pet hair builds up. Since you do have pets, you want to use something that safely cleans the carpet without any ingredients that may be harmful to you or your pets. Luckily there are a few easy things you can do to colle
How to Fold Shirts Without Wrinkles
Laundry, home organizing and travel often entail the task of properly folding shirts. This space saving tool can keep garments looking better for their next use. Folding shirts right after ironing will ensure less wrinkles and less care required when coordinating your outfits for work, school or wee
How to Flatten Out a Sloped Backyard
A sloped backyard can complicate your landscaping plans, create soil erosion and lead to flooding issues, but flattening the yard must be done correctly to address these problems. Depending on the extent of the slope, a perfectly flat yard may prove difficult to achieve. The task involves not only r
Does Pewter Rust?
Rust happens when a metal reacts with oxygen and water. This oxidation begins to flake and decay the metal. Some people like the look of rusted metal, while others are concerned about it staining the areas around it or weakening and ruining the metal completely. Caring for pewter does not involve re