How To Clean a Bathroom Exhaust Fan
The most efficient tips on how to clean a bathroom exhaust fan.
13Jun
13Jun
Mold & Mildew: How To Clean Black Spots In the Bathroo
What Causes Black Mold on a Bathroom Ceiling?
Mold on the ceiling is caused by moisture that has no where to go. Mold loves moisture. Steam from hot showers and bathtubs rises to the ceiling, and without proper ventilation it can settle there. If the moisture remains too long, mold spores begin to grow. In addition to being unsightly, mold can also cause health issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mold can cause “nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing or wheezing, eye irritation…or skin irritation.” And even more alarming, serious lung infections can occur in people with weak immune systems. Is black mold deadly? Find out what is true versus what is myth when it comes to mold.How to Clean Mold From a Bathroom Ceiling
To clean mold from the ceiling, wash the affected area with a store-bought mold cleaner, or a mixture of dish soap and water. Let the area dry. Now it’s time to get out the big guns to kill the mold—bleach. Mix one-quarter cup of bleach with one quart of water and apply the solution with a spray bottle or sponge. Remember when working with bleach to crack a window for ventilation and wear gloves and eye protection. If you prefer to not use bleach, white vinegar can also be effective. Apply straight vinegar to the area with a spray bottle and allow it to sit for an hour, then wipe the area clean and allow it to dry. Are you making these 10 bathroom cleaning mistakes?How to Clean Mildew From a Bathroom Ceiling
Think of mildew as mold’s less threatening cousin. They’re both fungi, but mildew is not as invasive and is easier to clean because it only lives on the surface. Mildew is usually light gray or white in color and has a flat, powdery appearance. To clean it from your bathroom ceiling, simply wipe it with a damp cloth sprayed with any household cleaner. You can use a bathroom cleaner specially formulated to clean mildew, or white vinegar will also do the trick. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water, spray the mildew, and wipe away. Here’s how to use essential oils to get rid of that mildew smell.How to Clean Mold in the Shower or Bath
Cleaning mold from the shower or bath can be done with the same methods used on the ceiling. Clean the area with a household bathroom cleaner first, then use either a bleach solution or vinegar to kill the mold. To prevent mold from growing in the shower or bath again, keep the bathroom ventilated and control moisture as much as possible. Use a bathroom exhaust fan, crack a window when showering, and make sure to wipe away any leftover moisture with a squeegee. Take further measures by keeping a spray bottle full of vinegar in the bathroom, spray your bath and shower after use to prevent mold growth. Psst! Now that you know how to clean black spots in the bathroom—prevent mold and mildew from growing back with an exhaust fan. Here’s how to clean your bathroom exhaust fan to ensure it’s running properly.
03Jun
Tips for Painting Kitchen Cabinets
DIY KITCHEN CABINETS
The best choices for cabinet paints
Paint options for painting kitchen cabinets
Painting kitchen cabinets brightens a shabby kitchen. Choose an oil-based paint or a water-borne acrylic enamel. Both create tough, durable surfaces.
Prime before painting
If you want to give new life to old wooden kitchen cabinets, painting is a great choice. You have several good paint options. Before painting, a careful sanding and good primer set the stage for a smooth, durable top coat for painting kitchen cabinets. For the best adhesion and a harder, more durable finish, an oil-based (alkyd) paint is tough to beat. But you must be willing to put up with the strong odor and solvent cleanup, along with a longer drying and curing time than you’d get if you used an ordinary water-based paint. Plus, the color may yellow over time. The best paint for cabinets solution to avoid the hassle of oil-based paint is a new-technology waterborne acrylic enamel paint. This type of paint delivers:- Good flow
- Leveling
- Hardening characteristics of oil-based paint without the odor and long drying time.
- These new paints dry fast and clean up with soap and water.
- Surface preparation (degreasing, cleaning and sanding)
- Priming (use a top-quality primer)
- Brushing (use the best-quality brush for the type of paint)
- Drying (follow label directions).
13May
7 Things to Do Before Listing Your Home This Spring
Putting Your Best Foot Forward
You never know who will feel that special feeling people get when they find the house that is just right for them. But you can turn the odds in your favor if you and your home are both show ready long before you open up to potential buyers. Before you sell your house, you’re going to want to run through this checklist. Hire a Realtor. There’s a reason that 91 percent of home sellers used a real estate agent to sell their home in 2017: selling a home is a complicated process that really demands an expert. Just like you’d not try to DIY surgery, there are serious financial risks involved with selling your home without an education in real estate law. In addition to being your safety net, a Realtor can point out items that you might not realize are big turn-offs to buyers, like dated lighting, so you can get started on the cosmetic stuff to make your home show at its best. Have a home inspection. Wait. Isn’t a home inspection just for buying a house? No! You can have a home inspector out any time you want. Having a full blown home inspection before you put your house on the market gives you a chance to correct items that will likely come up for your future buyer when they have their home inspector out. Get ahead of issues and you’ll sell that house faster. Get to decluttering. If you have to sell your home in order to buy the next, you’re going to be living in a showroom for the next few months. Take anything you don’t really need immediately and put it in a storage unit. Get it away from your house because pushing clutter around doesn’t really help anything. Declutter as much as you can bear to — it’ll make your house look bigger and more appealing to prospective buyers Paint the front door. Your Realtor will probably drive home the importance of curb appeal, or how enticing your house is from the street (the curb). The better the curb appeal, the more likely potential buyers will come inside and look around. The interesting thing about curb appeal is how certain elements of your house affect the whole picture. Case in point, Zillow’s 2018 Paint Color Analysis found that a black or charcoal colored front door can bring in as much as $6,271 extra! Spruce up the landscaping. Along with dressing the front of your house up a bit, make sure that your landscaping is up to par. Prune any unruly plants, replace perennials that may have patchy growth, refresh your mulch, give the lawn a mow. Now that your landscape is radiating amazing curb appeal, keep it that way until your home closes. If you need to hire a landscaper, consider it an investment. Get copies of your utility bills. People will ask what kind of utility costs are associated with your home. Does it just burn through the natural gas? Does the electricity use seem excessive? This is another place where you can get ahead of potential buyers by putting this information together and giving it to your Realtor on the day you sign your listing agreement. Deep clean like you’ve never cleaned before. And hey, maybe you haven’t, we’re not here to judge. Even though painting is a quick fix to renewing your home’s interior, deep cleaning is less expensive and can result in a better overall effect. For example, if you clean your windows, inside and out until they’re super clean, you’ll immediately notice how much more natural light penetrates the room.Is There Time For All of That?
If you find yourself crunched for time, don’t make up for it by skipping important things before listing. Instead, call on your HomeKeepr community to help you find the people who can move your home sale along. Whether you need a cleaner, a landscaper, an organization expert or even a home inspector, we’ve got you covered. Your agent already has a list of recommended service providers who can help, let these experts free up some of your time as you get ready to sell.
01May
How to Build a Rustic Headboard By Thomas Baker of This Old House magazine
SKILL: MODERATE
While the mattress is the key to a bed’s comfort, the headboard is what defines its style. Case in point: this handsome planked headboard, which evokes the warmth and historical character of a stable in an old barn.
This is an easy, straightforward project to build. Working together, TOH general contractor Tom Silva and TOH host Kevin O’Connor managed to complete it in just a few hours, using materials readily available at many home centers. The base is a sheet of ½-inch birch plywood backed by 2x4s, and the rough-sawn boards covering the plywood are stained, kiln-dried poplar from Weaber Lumber. Conveniently packed in boxes, these weathered wallboards are free of the bugs, fungi, and peeling paint that you might find in boards actually salvaged from abandoned barns. Because the poplar pieces don’t line up perfectly edge to edge, Tom painted the plywood black to make any gaps look like shadows.
Overview
ILLUSTRATION BY DOUG ADAMS
Tom and Kevin take you step-by-step through the entire building process. If you like what you see, consider giving it a shot. You may soon find yourself dozing off beneath your own handmade headboard.
05Apr
5 Home Projects You Should Tackle Before You List Your House By Ashley Carter
Paint for Neutral Ambiance
Neutral colors are the most appealing choice for home buyers. Painting is a big job, and something that many buyers don’t want to tackle right away. Bold colors are entirely a matter of personal preference. You may love that deep teal on the walls, but it will be more difficult to connect with prospective buyers when you’ve chosen such a distinctive hue. Instead, paint your home in shades that are easy to match, such as eggshell, tan, white or pewter.Upgrade for Energy Efficiency
Smart homebuyers look at more than the up-front cost of the home. They’ll also consider ongoing expenses such as utilities and upkeep. That’s why Energy Star appliances and newer HVAC systems are so appealing. If you don’t have the funds for these major investments, you can improve your home’s energy efficiency on a budget by sealing and insulating. Address cracks or gaps around windows and doors. Replace the seals around doors and windows, repair any damage to the siding, and check your insulation.
“Sealing your home everywhere you can makes a big difference, not only in your energy bills, but in the comfort of the home,” said Julie Jacobson, a Redfin real estate agent in California. “Inexpensive weatherstripping available at your local hardware store will do the trick. Your local utility company or county may even offer rebates and incentives for making these upgrades.”Clean Up for Spacious Impressions
Cluttered homes look smaller and hectic. Clear the odds and ends, and make your home look as much like a showroom as possible. If the idea of organizing all these items is too overwhelming, simply box them up and stash them in unseen areas, such as under the bed. You may even want to rent a small storage space while you’re staging your home so that you can clear out your closets and show off their spacious nature or empty the garage and make it look more appealing.
Landscape Carefully for Curb Appeal
First impressions are critical when you’re selling your home. Many prospective buyers will do a drive-by before scheduling a viewing. If they don’t like what they see from the street, they’ll never step inside the home. Keep your yard well maintained with manicured bushes, carefully tended flower beds, and a clutter-free lawn. Small improvements such as painting the front door, straightening the mailbox, and replacing that missing stone in the walkway will go a long way toward enticing a buyer.
Polish Up the Bathroom for a Like-New Look
You don’t have to remodel your whole bathroom for the same level of appeal. At a minimum, you should recaulk the tub for a fresh, clean look. If you can’t eliminate stains and discoloration completely, reglaze the tub to make it look like new. Keep this room meticulously clean, regularly sweeping up stray hairs, dusting light fixtures, and cleaning the mirror so that it looks pristine.
A well-staged home will draw more buyers and entice the type of bidding war every seller wants. Make the effort to present your home well, and you’ll reap major rewards for your efforts.
05Apr
How to Build a DIY Fire Pit in One Day By Angie Bersin April 4, 2019
Adding a DIY fire pit to your backyard is an excellent way to keep the fun going long after dark.
Instead of an unsightly dirt fire pit, spend a day making a new statement piece for your yard. If you’re wondering how to build a fire pit — we’ll show you how!
When selecting and building your DIY fire pit, make sure you avoid using wet stones. If you are using river rocks, be sure to give them several days of direct sunlight to properly dry.
1. In-Ground DIY Fire Pit
- First, want to create a bottom layer of gravel, then cover it with the “bottom” of your fire pit — larger stones or bricks or an even covering such as quick drying cement.
- Be sure to have drainage or it will turn into a mosquito pond.
- Create your top rim by making small cutouts in the dirt for your bricks or stones.
- Finally, dry stack your desired additional layers, or create a small wall using fire resistant adhesives or quick drying cement.
2. Overlaid Stone DIY Fire Pit
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- If the stones do not feel secure, add in some non-flammable masonry adhesive, landscape adhesive or Liquid Nails.
- For the center, line the bottom of your fire pit with one or two inches of sand.
- The outside of your fire pit should be lined as well, and no grass or other yard matter should be within two feet of your pit.
3. Tin DIY Fire Pit
4. Gravel DIY Fire Pit
5. Raised DIY Fire Pit with Fire Bowl
6. Grate Drum DIY Fire Pit
For a less formal, down-home fire pit look, simply add a smoker fire basket (sometimes also called a vertical drum) to the mix. You can either buy one pre-made, or you can craft one yourself using flexible metal grating from the hardware store and a few bolts to fasten it into a circle. Quite a few Hometalk DIYers like to use old washing machine drums, which cost about $10 from used appliance stores. Then insert your drum into the center of your fire pit. If you choose to build a solid wall design like the fire pit pictures, make sure you leave a drainage route for rainwater.
Whichever style you choose, just make sure you enjoy responsibly. Hometalk breaks down all the necessary safety precautions before, during, and after building your fire pit in “Stop! Your Must Have Handbook for Building DIY Fire Pits.”
01Apr
How to Change a Furnace Filter
Family Handyman
When to change a furnace filter
If you’re thinking that you only have to change your filter once a year, you may well be shortening the life of your furnace. Actually, you should check your filter monthly and often change it monthly, depending on the type of filter you use. To determine if it’s too dirty, remove the filter and hold it up to the light. If you can no longer clearly see light, change the filter (see photo). Many costly repairs can be avoided with regular filter changing. If you don’t change the filter, lack of airflow through the furnace will cause it to overheat and shut down. Similarly, a dirty filter can cause an air conditioner to shut down because the coils freeze up when airflow is inadequate. Both events stress the system. Filters are designed to protect the blower motor from dirt. When buying filters for this task, an inexpensive glass fiber filter will do the job. But if you want to reduce airborne dust in your home, you could start with the best of the inexpensive 1-in. disposable filters—the standard pleated filter—which costs a bit more. Better yet, to remove even more small particles, install an inexpensive, electrostatically charged fiber filter. 3M Filtrete is one common brand.. Just make sure to check the filter monthly and change it when it’s dirty (not just every three months as recommended). All other options, from a 4-in. thick mechanical air filter to an electronic filter plate system, involve electrical or ductwork changes by heating/cooling contractors. They remove more particles, last longer and cost more. Finally, whatever filter you use, make sure you reinstall it correctly, with the arrow on the filter edge pointing toward the blower motor. Putting it in backward decreases the filter’s efficiency.
28Mar
Well Water Safety: DO’s and DON’Ts
If your home uses well water, then there are some very important “do`s”, “don`ts” and other considerations for which you need to pay particular attention. This article will help you keep your well water supply safe for your family.
DO's AND DON'Ts IN YOUR YARD
Let's start first with the area of the yard where your well sits, and the part of your well that is above ground. When landscaping around your wellhead, be sure to keep the top of your well at least 12” above the ground around the casing, so that surface water can never enter your well. And you will want to ensure the area around your wellhead slopes away from the well to prevent surface water from pooling around the casing, which can cause contamination and damage to your system. Keep the area around your well accessible and clean of leaves, grass, other debris, and piled snow. And take care when working or mowing around your well, as a damaged casing can jeopardize the sanitary protection of your well. And anytime there’s been flooding near your well, do not use water from your well until it has been tested for bacteria contamination (helpful accessory: water quality testers). Your well should be at least 100 feet away from potential contaminants sources such as oil tanks, septic tanks, or chemical storage tanks. Avoid using, mixing or storing hazardous chemicals, such as paint, fertilizer, pesticides, motor oil, gas, weed killer or other pollutants near your well. Do not dump waste near your well or near sinkholes, as this may contaminate your water supply. And if you have a septic tank, be sure to have it pumped regularly to prevent possible contamination of your groundwater from it overflowing. You should routinely conduct a thorough check of your wellhead. Make sure that the well cap is not broken and is free from any holes or corrosion, and it is at least 12" above the ground with a watertight seal (see costs and reviews of well caps). If it doesn’t already have one, you should install a sealed sanitary cap to prevent contamination from insects, small animals, and other surface contamination. And if you have an abandoned well on or near your property, it should be sealed. Abandoned wells can be sources of potentially polluted groundwater, which could make water from your working well unsafe to drink.OTHER DO's & DON'Ts
If you have infants in your home, you should have your well especially tested for nitrates. Most wells will test for high concentrations of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. So to improve doing laundry, bathing and the taste of your water, you should consider adding the appropriate water softener system. And if your well water has too much iron in it, then you should NOT use bleach when laundering, because it will cause a chemical reaction that will stain your clothes. Instead of laundering with bleach, you can use hydrogen peroxide, borax, Iron Out, or pre-soaking and rinsing your laundry in store-bought water and bleach. You should regularly disinfect your well once an inspection has determined that your water system is free from any sources of apparent contamination. Disinfection not only cleans your well, but also helps maintain its production capability. But be careful not to over-chlorinate your well. And whenever you are uncertain about the safety of your water supply you should have your well tested for bacteria. Be sure to install backflow prevention devices on all outside faucets with hose connections, as this will help keep pollutants from being siphoned back into the hose and into your water supply. And when using a hose to add water to pesticides, fertilizers or other chemicals, you should never put the hose inside the tank or container, as this can potentially result in these very dangerous chemicals being siphoned back into your water supply. Always use a licensed water well driller and pump installer for any service done on your well or pump. You will want to keep careful records of your well installation, any maintenance or inspections, repairs, and all water test results and disinfections. And keep your well records in a safe place.TESTING
At least once a year, you should have your well tested for total coliform bacteria, which will give an indication of whether there is a likelihood of more dangerous bacteria present. And every three years have your well tested for pH, TDS, nitrate, and other contaminants of local concern. In addition to ensuring the safety of your drinking water, you can also use the results of your well tests to make the appropriate water filtration decisions for your home. While waiting for your well test results, to ensure safe drinking water for your family, you should only drink bottled water or water from a known, safe, source. Or if necessary, you can make water safe to drink by boiling the water for five minutes. All water tests should be conducted by a certified lab. After you receive your results, compare them to the drinking water standards for public systems by the EPA. And you might want to consider having a downhole inspection done of your well, by a contractor who uses an underwater camera. This can help ensure that you well still has tight construction and that the downhole equipment is working properly.WHAT TO WATCH FOR
If you ever notice any changes in your water (odors, color, laundry problems etc.), You should have your well immediately tested. And if your sinks and toilets are a reddish color, or if you notice your clothes look dingy or slightly orange over time, or develop an odor even after laundering, then your well water may have too much iron in it. And most important of all, if your water is ever cloudy, smelly or discolored, DO NOT drink the water.
28Mar
You have lived in your home for many years, Now it time to sell.
You have lived in your home for many years now you are thinking of selling your home. Do you know what type of repairs are needed to sell your home and streamline the real estate process? Home Detective of Minnesota will do a home maintenance review of your property. It is a Visual only review of your property. We will go through your property and point out items that are needing repairs or upgrading. You will need to write the items down and you may want to take some pictures. As the homeowner you can then make the repairs yourself, hire a contractor or just leave the item along. The Visual only review is $150.00 and takes about two hours to complete. Once you have completed the repairs you are going to make, we will come back to your home and review the items that were repairs plus do a complete home inspection, we will provide a written report that you can share with prospective buyers showing the repairs made. This proactive approach will get more buyers in the door with higher offers for your property. This written report will take about three and one-half hour to complete, you will have the report the same day. We will also offer you warranty protections for your property. If you wish to have the home maintenance review and full home inspection report with FREE warranties we offer a two for one promotion. Visual only review $100.00 Home Inspection with written report and warranty program $350.00. Contact Home Detective of Minnesota at 763-434-3155.