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You can easily disinfect your dish cloths and sponges in the microwave with the right technique. Disinfect your dish cloths and sponges in the microwave with help from a cleaning expert known as "The Green Cleaning Coach" in this free video clip.
Using bleach on your hair won't necessarily fry your hair so long as you follow the right steps and use the right techniques. Use bleach on your hair without frying it with help from a stylist with over 10 years of experience in this free video clip.
If you’re using soap instead of toothpaste to brush your teeth, you want to keep a few important things in mind. Here are some tips from a dentist in this free video clip.
Different furniture cleaning solvents are designed to be used with different types of furniture. Learn more about furniture cleaning solvents with help from a master precision craftsman in this free video clip.
Cleaning exterior windows is a lot easier (and a lot safer) with the necessary equipment. Clean windows safely and with the right equipment with help from an experienced window cleaner in this free video clip.
Canine parvovirus, also known as parvo, is one of the most common causes of puppy diarrhea and can be fatal for young or adult dogs. Parvo emerged as a problem during the late 1970s, and in the 21st century it is a very common dog disease, especially in shelters. Certain breeds -- Labradors, German shepherds, pit bulls, Dobermans and rottweilers -- are generally more susceptible to the disease. Dogs under 6 months of age are more susceptible to parvo than adult dogs. In a shelter, measures to prevent parvo are of vital importance to each dog's health.
A disposable cosmetic sponge is a sanitary and versatile tool for applying makeup. Use a foundation sponge with help from the creator & CEO of Rae Cosmetics in this free video clip.
Ridgid products, made by the Ridge Tool Co. at plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, include tools and equipment for professionals in industries such as construction and plumbing. Ridgid’s products include a line of professional-grade drain cleaning tools. The drain cleaning tools are used for unclogging home and commercial drain and sewer systems.
Bleach and ammonia are both powerful cleaning agents that should never be used together. Learn how to work with bleach and ammonia with the help of a cleaning coach in this free video.
WD-40 is a petroleum-based maintenance and cleaning product that is used to lubricate hinges, protect metal surfaces against rust, prevent short-circuits and remove or dissolve grease and adhesives. If your can of WD-40 begins to leak, you accidentally dispense too much or you are using the product as a cleaning agent, clean up the excess with a dry cloth or sponge.
Applying sealant to tile floors creates a glazed, shiny finish and can give your floors a new, fresh appearance. Regrettably, glazed finishes are often temporary and they eventually dull. Glaze on tile surfaces can dull unevenly, but you can reapply sealant to restore your floor's beauty. So your kitchen or bathroom tile floor doesn't ever have to look old, as long as you are willing to put in a little effort to reglaze it.
Located on the inside of the door, the dishwasher soap compartment is designed to release detergent at a preset time in the wash cycle. One of several fully automatic dishwashers produced by Sears Brands, the Kenmore Elite dishwasher soap dispenser operates when a timer sends a brief pulse of electricity to an electromagnetic switch known as a solenoid. If the soap dispenser fails to operate, the malfunction can be isolated through the process of elimination with a standard multimeter.
Adding texture to a ceiling allows you to increase the interest in a room's decor without overwhelming it. Vary the look of the ceiling with subtle texture by creating patterns in joint compound before it dries. This isn't too challenging -- but if you have artistic capabilities, you can create elaborate swirl patterns. A basic swirl pattern is created using overlapping swirls that give a soft, half-moon pattern to the ceiling.
Fireplaces require some maintenance to keep the crackling fires burning safely. Firebrick is a special type of brick located inside the firebox of the fireplace. If the firebrick becomes loose or damaged, it creates a gap that encourages more damage from the heat, smoke and ash produced in the fireplace. Inspect your firebox each fall before you begin using the fireplace to identify loose firebricks before they lead to major damage. Using the correct materials to fix the loosened bricks is key when making the repairs.
The dishwasher detergent dispenser works on a motor. A frozen door can cause the appliance to fail to distribute soap during a wash cycle. The door on the dispenser gets stuck when a piece breaks or soap residue clogs it. Cleaning out the unit can fix the problem, but if a crucial piece is broken, replacing the entire dispenser is the best option.
A nonabrasive mop that applies water-based and other types of finishes, a finish mop contains fibers that release finishes quickly and evenly on hardwood and other types of flooring. The mops come in a variety of sizes and their fibers don’t break off or leave behind lint on your flooring. Finish mops are available at hardware stores, home improvement centers and flooring-supply stores.
Clogged sewer lines and backed-up drains are no fun to deal with. A drain cleaning process called sewer jetting uses high-pressure and special attachments to direct water into the pipes for a thorough cleaning. In many cases, the sewer jetter can remove stubborn obstructions and buildup and return the drain to like new conditions.
Brick is one of the most durable building materials. It is very hard, resists water and other damage and needs very little maintenance. The weakest part of a brick wall is the mortar used to connect bricks. Water can sometimes get into those joints and erode them. Repairing those joints is called tuckpointing or repointing and it is a simple way to repair and restore a brick wall.
Homelite – part of the TTI umbrella company, which includes branches such as Ryobi and Hoover – produces a wide range of lawn and garden implements, including chainsaws, generators, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, pressure washers and trimmers. Among these products, the original Homelite Yard Broom took a central place among the company's leaf blower offerings.
A homemade whisk broom is as attractive as it is utilitarian. The simplest whisk broom design consists of a rustic round broom head, instead of the flat broom head style of commercial brooms. Broomcorn, a corn-like plant related to sorghum, provides the bristles for handmade brooms. The broomcorn produces long stalks with whip-like fibers that resemble straw. These durable fibers are rigid enough for sweeping but flexible enough to resist breaking and cracking. Broomcorn is available from broom-making suppliers and some craft stores.
The kitchen is among the most active spaces in a home. It is a center of family life and entertaining and as such, its layout and function are important. Part of keeping the space functioning well is basic maintenance. With a great deal of electrical and plumbing present, in addition to cabinets, countertops and other essentials, the modern kitchen is a potential source of frequent repairs, many of which are simple enough to be done on a do-it-yourself basis.
Making a polished wooden table is quite work intensive, as there is a lot of elbow-grease needed to achieve a glasslike shiny finish on the wood. The result, however, is well worth all the effort that goes into polishing the table, as you will achieve a durable finish that looks high-end and sophisticated. The construction of the table itself is quite simple and the basic design is offset by the elegance of the finish.
Certain video games allow you to create custom levels that let you play with the game characters; these are in addition to preset game activities. The "LittleBigPlanet" game that is played on your PS3 encourages you to become creative by placing objects -- such as blocks and rotating sponges -- on your game level as challenges. To place a rotating sponge, use your controller and options menus.
The Swiffer WetJet makes cleaning your floors almost fun. Combining the sweeping action of a broom with the cleaning benefits of a mop, the WetJet makes quick work of removing crumbs, dust, dirt and spills from your hard-surface floors. The disposable pads are textured to pick up grime and grit, and attach quickly to the base of the WetJet. Just spray cleaning solution from the attached bottle, then sweep the WetJet over the floor to absorb excess liquid while sweeping up dirt and grime.
Maple is an attractive, durable wood that's suitable for making many different products. It's used to make items such as furniture, flooring, woodwork, trim, bowling alleys, bowling pins and pool cue sticks. Maple is divided into two categories: soft and hard. If you're going to build with maple, then you need to know some of the common characteristics of each type. That way, you'll know how to cut, shape and finish the wood, as well as pitfalls to avoid.
Muriatic acid is a form of hydrochloric acid that is sold in hardware and home improvement stores as a super-powerful household cleaner. It is a potent stain remover for residential swimming pools, bricks and other masonry, metals and toilets. But it can cause burns on exposed skin and eyes, and the fumes can be quite irritating to the lungs. You can use muriatic acid to clean porcelain, but it may damage the surface.
With all the buzzwords floating around, including “biodegrade” and “non-toxic”, it’s difficult for a homeowner to know how to clean a kitchen and bathroom without breaking the bank or harming pets and family. An ideal cleaning solvent removes stains from around the home without harming the environment. Save your money by making biodegradable cleaning solvents at home.
Finding effective ways to clean steamers and other steaming units can be challenging, especially if there is a buildup of lime or other hard water material. If stubborn buildup persists, finding something stronger to clear the waterlines may be needed. While there are several cleaners that aid in removing rust, calcium and magnesium, one solution that should be avoided at all costs is muriatic acid. If using muriatic acid to clean any type of surface, be sure to protect your eyes and skin while avoiding breathing in fumes and vapors.
Occasionally, brick and concrete walls emit efflorescence, which is a powdery or crystalline white substance largely made up of salts and minerals. This efflorescence is harmless to the walls themselves. However, brass oil pipes running along the wall are quite sensitive to these salt deposits. Over time, the efflorescence will corrode and eat away at a brass surface. To successfully treat the problem, you must clean and protect brass exposed to efflorescence as soon as possible.
The process of French polishing is a classic wood finishing technique renowned for its superior shine and finished gloss. While many wood floor finishers elect to use a simpler-to-apply varnish, French polishing is an option if you seek a superior finish. While the process, which consists of many steps and the following of a specific procedure, may initially appear intimidating, many find the results worth the effort.
Many bleaching agents exist for many different purposes. Chlorine bleach whitens clothes and removes household stains, oxygen bleach cleans household surfaces using natural oxygen ions, and wood bleach safely lightens the color of wood surfaces. When bleaching a wood fence, reach for the wood bleach first, as it is specially formulated for that type of surface.
In 1821, Thomas Jennings was the first black person to receive a patent through the U.S. Patent Office, according to The Black Inventor Online Museum. He made history through his invention that he called a “dry-scouring method,” which was the beginning of our present-day dry-cleaning method. Concerns about toxic dry-cleaning chemicals have prompted many people to use homemade stain removers using other solvents for dry cleaning their clothes.
The purpose of the Mop & Glo product is contained in its name: the cleaner claims it can both clean and shine almost any type of hard floor with a single swipe of the product. Like many well-known commercial cleaning products, however, Mop & Glo isn’t exactly inexpensive compared to homemade cleaners. Play with substitutes to find an acceptable alternative, focusing on the type of floor you’re cleaning for the best results.
Concrete steps can be a hazard, especially when wet. Adding treads increases safety by adding both traction and, in many cases, a reflective or colorful strip, that warns people of an impending step. Installing treads is a simple process, as long as you properly prepare the existing concrete first, making it possible for the adhesive to form a strong bond between concrete and tread.
Magnetic window cleaning tool manufacturers claim their products make cleaning windows easier, faster and safer. According to a 2008 survey of consumers by the American Cleaning Institute, 47 percent wish they could get someone else to do the job for them. Magnetic tools may be helpful for cleaning exterior windows from inside as long as a ladder is not needed. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns there are over 164,000 emergency room visits annually due to using ladders. Rather than risk a fall, you may wish to hire a professional window cleaner. Weigh the pros and cons of magnetic…
Mop & Glo is a floor cleaner manufactured by chemical company Reckitt Benckiser and formulated for use on sealed hardwood, tile, vinyl, marble, linoleum, ceramic and no-wax floors. Used properly, Mop & Glo will leave a fresh, clean scent and a high shine on your floors. The chemicals in Mop & Glo can build up after time; if your floors begin looking dull after using this product, remove the buildup with 1/4 cup of all-purpose cleaner and 1 cup of ammonia, mixed together in 1/2 gallon of warm water. Apply to the floor and let it sit for five minutes,…
No matter how hard you try to keep your fountain clean and attractive, algae is a perennial problem in all fountains. While harmless, algae diminishes the appearance of the water feature. When properly applied, bleach is a useful way to remove algae quickly and easily from fountains. The amount of bleach needed as well as the method of application varies based on the type and size of the fountain.
Detergent remaining in the dispensing cup after your dishwasher finishes its cycle doesn’t always mean there's a problem with your appliance. Although a malfunctioning timer switch can cause the cup not to open, more often the problem is dishwasher detergent that is too old or improperly stored. Other possibilities are that your water is not hot enough or you’ve loaded the dishwasher incorrectly.
Many homes have ceramic soap holders installed in the shower. These soap holders have a square plate that mounts in the same space where a tile would normally be placed. The secret to this project is taking your time in prying the soap holder off from the wall so that you don't damage the backing beneath.
Many modern household appliances and yard tools have injectors for different uses. Over time, injectors can become less effective from hard water that creates lime scale build-up, soap and general wear and tear. White vinegar breaks down the build-up to make injectors function properly again and can be used safely on household appliances.
If your dishes aren't getting clean in your General Electric Profile dishwasher, there could be several reasons for the problem, including a broken soap dispenser. In order to fix anything with the soap dispenser, you must troubleshoot the part to determine the cause during a cleaning cycle. For example, a broken detergent door, trip lever or spring could cause the dispenser to not work properly.
Concrete overlays are thin concrete layers placed over existing slabs when a new surface is desired without the difficulty or expense of replacing the existing slab entirely. Installing an overlay requires proper preparation of the slab beneath, along with cleaning and repair of loose concrete materials. Should the preparation not proceed correctly, there can be de-lamination of the overlay, leading to small areas of the overlay material pulling away from the slab. When this occurs, a fill-in of the missing overlay material is necessary to create a smooth overlay surface.
Bacteria, mold and mildew will fester on kitchen sponges left stacked and soaking on your counter. Keeping sponges separated and dry is essential to preventing bacteria exposure to everyone in the household. Use different household items to keep your sponges separate, such as plastic containers, shower soap racks and old napkin holders.
In private chat rooms in the IMVU 3-D chat messenger, room owners can hide unused products located in the messenger’s inventory such as clothing, furniture, posing spots and gifts. Hidden items aren’t permanently deleted. They continue to appear in your Web Inventory on the IMVU website where you can select an option to restore them to the messenger at any time. Although a hidden product disappears from the inventory, a copy of it doesn’t disappear from the chat room if it’s still in use. To remove the product, you will need to delete it manually using the chat room deletion…
Your shoes track in dust. Your dog sheds fur. Your scalp sheds dandruff. No matter how clean you might try to be, your floors will become dirty. Both brooms and vacuums do a serviceable job of cleaning. They vary in terms of cost, usability and the surfaces on which they can effectively clean.
In home applications, marble is finished with a sealant coat. This sealer adds shine and a layer of protection to the marble. Without it, the marble's surface is susceptible to etching by acidic liquids, wear and dulling of its surface. Marble areas subject to high foot traffic, like entry way floors, may need to be resealed yearly to prevent damage from wear and tear, along with spills or excess moisture.
Those amber waves of grain you see billowing in the wind might actually be broom sage, a type of grass with no nutritional value to livestock that was historically prized around the home for use in broom making. Though not an invasive species, broom sage can end up taking over a yard or pasture depending on factors such as soil pH and what types, if any, of other plants exist in the same vicinity as this brush grass.
Cleaning the Cuisinart Classic food processor requires disassembling the work bowl and accessories from the main body of the unit. The Cuisinart Classic has a safety mechanism that prevents the unit from operating until the work bowl and cover are locked into position. This ensures that the bowl or cover does not slip during operation. Removing the work bowl in a Cuisinart Classic requires unlocking it from the main unit.
Mopping your floor with plain water or a general floor cleaner doesn’t always remove stubborn stains from your floor. OxiClean is designed to help lift stubborn stains. The key to mopping your floor with OxiClean is mixing in the correct amount of OxiClean powder. A solution that’s too strong will result in additional floor marks, while a solution that’s too weak won’t remove the existing stains.
Tomato grafting has been practiced in Asia for centuries, but has only been used in the U.S. for about 20 years, according to Washington State University Extension. Seeds of the two major rootstock varieties, "Maxifort" and "Beaufort," are available to home gardeners using grafting to increase disease resistance and yields and to shorten production time in colder climates. The top part of the grafted plant -- the variety that will produce tomatoes -- is called a scion. The most widely used tomato grafting technique, tube grafting, is the easiest and most successful technique for the home gardener.
