Painting Cement

Just outside both sets of my patio doors there are two slabs of cement (and also the floor in my outdoor storage room). They had become weather worn over the past 14 years. I purchased a garage floor kit (made by Rustoleum) at Lowe's and painted all of the cement areas 9 years ago. We had a rough winter (had to use some salt on the cement) and it was time to do it again.

There are two cans in the kit--one with the paint (half full) and the other is a can of epoxy. After you've cleaned, swept, and dried the cement, open the can of epoxy and pour it into the can of paint--stir well according to the time on the directions. It takes quite a bit of stirring before it's ready. After stirring, let it sit for 30 minutes, then stir again. From that point you have two hours to use the paint. Do small sections at a time and then sprinkle the colored flakes (included in the kit) over the painted areas. Allow it at least 24 hours before light walking on the surface.

I did this same thing about 9 years ago. It lasted quite awhile before having to do it again.

Clean Snow From Spouting/Gutters

We had three really heavy snows this year (not normal for our area). After the first heavy snow, I heard dripping in the kitchen. I looked around and saw water slowly dripping from the heating vent. After looking around a bit online, I figured the front spouting must be clogged with snow/ice. Sure enough, it was solid ice in the spouting. I used a small trowel to chip away and remove the ice, then poured just a little table salt where the gutter meets the downspout (since I couldn't get in there to remove the ice). A few seconds later, I heard ice fall down and water start running as it should.

If you're going to get a heavy snow, get out there during (not after) and start getting the snow/ice out of the downspouts and gutters. Water will find a place to go (like backing up under the shingles and into your house). You can avoid the mess that I dealt with.

Getting Rid of Many Landline Unwanted Calls

If you have Caller ID service with Verizon (not sure about other companies), you can dial *77 on your phone and you will hear a message that anonymous caller blocking has been enabled. People who call you and block their phone number will hear a message that you do not accept calls from people who block their numbers.

I enabled this feature last month and it dramatically cut down on unwanted callers.

You Don't Need Long Distance

I got tired of seeing a $5 charge per month on my Verizon landline phone bill as a penalty for not using any long distance (also a charge per month for having the service). I do all of my long distance calling on my cell phone. Called Verizon today--they helped me remove both the service and the non-use charge.

Many people have dropped their landlines altogether. I'm keeping mine for two reasons: 1) Sometime cell phones may be down and I don't want to be without a phone, and 2) my Directv Tivo doesn't have an ethernet port so it needs to connect through the phone.

If I ever need to make a long distance call on my phone, I can still use a service like 10-10-220 in case of an emergency.

Clean Shower Heads Easily

Depending on your water type (hard or soft) you will get a build-up in your shower heads in the bathroom. Fill a deep cup (large fast food plastic cups work well) halfway with white vinegar. Place the cup under the shower head and push it up so the shower head is covered with white vinegar. Your arms will get tired but it's easier than removing the shower head. Hold it on for a few minutes to give the vinegar a chance to work. After a few minutes, run the shower on hot for a minute or two. Turn off the shower and repeat with the vinegar one more time. If your shower head is really clogged, you may have to repeat the process a few more times. When completely finished, dump out the vinegar and fill the cup with water--dump the water over the top of the shower head to remove and lingering vinegar.

Get Rid of Burn (Burnt) Smell in House

So my roommate didn't use the microwave correctly (he thought he had set it on 50% power but had not) and his microwave pot pie burned to a crisp, ruining the microwave (yes, he bought a new one). Now we had to deal with the awful burnt smell (imagine burned popcorn times 100).

First, we opened up all of the doors and windows. Next, we set bowls of vinegar around the kitchen and living room. Finally, we used small paper plates with a teaspoon of fresh coffee grounds on each plate. We left both the vinegar and coffee grounds overnight. Today we boiled water on the stovetop and added a few tablespoons of cooking vanilla.

This morning, most of the smell is gone. We threw out the coffee grounds and just left the vinegar. Seems like another day or so and the smell will be completely gone.

Clean Sliding Patio Door Tracks

If your sliding glass patio doors aren't gliding as easily as they used to, start with a bucket of soapy water and a rag. Clean as much of the debris out of the patio door tracks as you can, then wipe them dry with a dry rag. Wait until the next day (to make sure the tracks are dry) and then spray the insides of the tracks with WD40. Slide the doors back and forth a few times to make sure the tracks get well lubricated.

Get New Washer Hoses

There are two incoming hoses to your washing machine--one for hot water and one for cold water. The vast majority of these hoses are rubber. Go to a home improvement store and get hoses that are covered with wire mesh--this prevents old hoses from getting a bubble and bursting. Turn off both the hot and cold water coming into the washing machine (be careful because there will still be some water in the hoses) and replace them with the new wire mesh covered hoses. If you don't do this, you may come home from work or vacation sometime with water all over the floor from a hose that burst while you were gone.

Clean the Inside of the Microwave Oven

The inside of your microwave will get lots of drips and spatters, and these drips and spatters get dried on (making the difficult to remove).

In a small microwave dish add 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Microwave the juice on high for 1 minute. Try wiping off the drips and spatters--they should wipe off easily. If not, heat the juice again in :30 second increments until the drips and spatters can be easily wiped away.

Clean Your Gas Fireplace

At the end of the heating season, you should clean your gas fireplace. Use your manual to find out how to remove the front glass panel of your fireplace. Use a mini shop vac to vacuum out all of the dust and black powdery soot that forms at the bottom of the logs, and also underneath where the controls are located. Carefully remove each log and vacuum off the black powdery soot. You will need your manual to correctly replace the logs back in their normal position. If your gas fireplace is vented to the outside, you very well may find spiders down in that area. Vacuum any cobwebs that you find, then go outside and spray the outside vent with Ortho Home Defense bug spray to keep the bugs away from that area. They usually climb into the vent looking for a warm place and end up in the bottom of your fireplace.

While you have the glass off, use Windex to clean both the back and front of the glass (the back of the glass will be very dirty). You may have to repeat the cleaning a few times. Replace the glass in its correct position and you are ready for the next heating season.

Drain Your Hot Water Heater

At least once a year, if you have a standard water heater you need to drain it to get rid of the dirt and sediment that collects in the bottom of the tank. Not only will it make your water heater last years longer, but your water heater will run more efficiently (saving you money).

--shut off the power to your water heater at the electric breaker panel
--turn off the cold water running to your tank
--at the bottom of the tank is a stem which will attach to your garden hose; attach one end of the hose to this stem, and run the other end of the hose outside of your house (away from the foundation)
--go to your kitchen and turn on the hot water and keep it running
--open the drain valve at the bottom of the tank
--go outside and look at the water coming out of the hose; it will start off very brown in color; once the water turn to clear again, go back inside and close the drain valve
--turn off the hot water in your kitchen sink
--turn the cold water valve back on at the top of the water heater
--wait a few minutes until the water tank has filled back up with water (you will hear it filling)
--turn the electricity to the water heater back on at the main electric panel
--remove the hose

It's a good idea to keep a small bucket at the bottom of the water heater where you had attached the hose. If your water heater builds up too much pressure, it will automatically let a little water out. Keep an eye on the bucket every week or so. If it's filling up with alot of water, your heat is set too high (this happens in alot of places that have very high water pressure).

Clean Out the Dryer Vent

Have you been in your house at least a year? Do you use your dryer alot? If so, it's time to clean out the dryer vent.

This is the vent that goes from the back of your dryer to the outside of your house. You can pay someone to come and do it, but it's not that hard.

Start by unplugging your dryer and moving it away from the wall. Disconnect the foil tube that goes from the back of the dryer to the dryer vent--clean it out carefully so you don't puncture the tube. Put the foil tube back on, put the dryer back and plug it back in.

From the outside of your house you'll need to clean the vent. I use a retractable sink snake that attaches to a power drill. I slide the end of the snake into the dryer vent, then attach the power drill and turn it on. The drill spins the snake all around the vent and loosens dried on lint. Be prepared to do this a few times, and if the vent is really dirty you are going to be covered with lint by the time you are done.

Not only is a lint filled vent a fire hazard, but it also costs you lots of money in extra power that your dryer needs to run.

Lighting a Gas Fireplace in the Fall

I've had my gas fireplace about 8 years. At the end of the heating season, I always turn off the gas at the main tank. In the fall when I'm ready to light the fireplace for the first time, I turn the main gas valve back on. I've found that the button under the fireplace that needs to be pushed in when pressing the starting button has to be held in for a few minutes before trying to light the fireplace. This is because any gas left in the line between the propane tank and the fireplace evaporates over the summer. Hold the button in for a few minutes, then let it go. This gets gas back flowing from the tank to the fireplace. Once you've done this, light the fireplace with the starter button as usual.

Keep the Mice Out

About ten years ago I had a mouse in the house. If you've never had one, you're lucky. I searched all around the perimeter of the house to see where he could have come in from. I finally found a half penny sized hole between my pantry and powder room (right near the clean out for the toilet pipe).

Most people just put caulking into holes like this and let it dry, but rodents will eat right through it. Instead, tear some pieces of steel wool and fill any holes (believe me, mice can get into very tight spaces). Once the hole is filled with steel wool, patch the hole with caulking or wall spackling.

I also keep DCon packs (the kind with the small green nuggets) in a few places around the house just in case.

Keep the Trash Can Fresh

I have a large steel trash can in the kitchen, and smaller steel trash cans in the bedrooms and bathrooms. To keep all rooms smelling fresh, I sprinkle baking soda and Carpet Fresh in the bottoms of the cans before inserting the trash bags. Not only does it keeps the rooms smelling great, if something leaks from the bottom of the trash bag and into the trash can, the baking soda and Carpet Fresh soak it up. About every six months, I wash and dry the cans and add new baking soda and Carpet Fresh.

Get Rid of Your Dust Pan

The most worthless thing I every bought was a dust pan. No matter how many times I tried, it never picked up everything from the floor using the attached brush. I bought a rechargeable Dustbuster and have it hanging on the wall. It's always charged, ready to go. When I sweep the floor in the kitchen, it takes 2 seconds to use the Dustbuster to grab up the crumbs. The Dustbuster also saves alot of time when I want to clean the bathroom floors. I use it directly on the floor to pick up lint and hair, then I'm ready to mop the floor quickly.

Cleaning Carpeted Steps and Stairs

Most large vacuum cleaners have hoses to help you clean stairs, but it's a pain dragging around the large vacuum. Purchase a mini shop vac (available at Lowe's, etc.) and use it with a long extension cord. It is very powerful and has a carpet attachment. You can also use it to clean the carpet in your car. Very handy. It's about 12" tall and very easy to carry around.

Keep Sinks Running Smoothly

Eventually you will find one or more of your sinks (and shower drains) making gurgling noises when you turn off the water, meaning something is preventing the water from draining correctly. Many newer homes have plastic pipes (especially in the bathroom sink area) so using a corrosive product can do more harm then good.

Get 1 cup of baking soda and 2 cups of vinegar. Spoon all of the baking soda down the drain. Pour all of the vinegar into the drain (it will start to foam). Let the mixture sit for THREE HOURS. After three hours, pour a bucket of very hot tap water down the same drain. Works wonders.

If it gets better but not completely clear, wait a day and repeat the process.

Keep Your Garbage Disposal Fresh

If you use your garbage disposal on a regular basis, it will eventually start to stink up your kitchen. Food pieces get stuck to the blades and then rot. Once a month run cold water in the sink containing the garbage disposal. While the water is running, fill the garbage disposal with ice cubes. When no more ice cubes will fit, pour some Mr. Clean or other good smelling cleaner on the ice cubes. With the water still running, turn on the garbage disposal and keep running it until all of the ice cubes are gone. This cleans the blades and freshens up the inside of the garbage disposal.

Hanging Things on Drywall

If your home has drywall and you want to hang anything heavy (framed pictures, mirrors, etc.) make sure that you use drywall anchors. You can get them in packs at Lowe's where the screws match the size of the drywall anchors. You drill a hole, insert the anchor using a hammer, then insert the screw into the anchor. If you don't use anchors, there's a good chance your mirror or framed picture will fall eventually due to the weight.

Keeping Bugs Out

Twice a year (fall and spring), I use a product called Home Defense (available at Lowe's, BJ's, etc.). It's made by Ortho. Inside I spray around all the baseboards, at the bottom of every wall where it meets the floor, and all around the perimeter of the kitchen. Outside I spray around the windows, in the corners of the vinyl siding, at the bottom of the doors, etc.

If you do this twice a year, you will see less and less spiders coming into your house. If you have pets follow the label directions.

Welcome!

As a 13 year homeowner, I will be posting tips and tricks that I've learned along the way.