24 of the Easiest Ways to Keeping up on Your Home’s Maintenance.
When you decide to purchase your first home, or even if it's not your first home, you know that there is a lot of maintenance involved. Nobody ever said it would be easy from finding a lender all the way to paying your mortgage. Then there is escrow and you have to wait another month while you check to see if there is more problems in the home than you anticipated. When you find problems, you can either lie in bed and pretend it’s fine, fix yourself or hire a contractor. you decided to buy qit. Once it is your house you are stuck doing every thing. Nobody is going to come over and save you. When you rent an apartment, you just pay a monthly fee and everything is taken care of. There is no landlord that you can call to say that your toilet is broke or that your refrigerator is not cooling at the right temperature. That is what is so hard for first time home owners. They aren't used to the know how of fixing their own appliances, roofs, installing floors and everything else. Hopefully these emails will prepare you a bit better and make your repairs go a lot easier.
Lone Ranger
These jobs are all up to you now and you can either hire a contractor to do your home maintenance or learn how to do some things on your own. Buying a starter house is the perfect way to learn how to do household repairs. Buying a couple hundred thousan dollar house before you know how to even fix a problomatuc cabinet falling off may not be the best idea at first. It is definitely cheaper if you can maintain taking care of your home basically on your own instead of hiring someone else. You should be proud of yourself for taking the initiative to learn how to fix the issues in your house on your own. Now of course there are some things that you may need help with, and there is no shame in that. This article will teach you 24 things that you can do yourself or with a friend with a little bit of skill. Not all tips require any skills, just following simple directions. Stop handing your money away in labor and save it. The house caused you enough as it is, start buying the items you have always dreamed of having instead of giving it to the bank.
The Dreaded Gutter Situation
This is one of those things we dread. Gutters just suck. They are filled with leaves, muck and much worse, stagnant water When we think of gutters, We think of the worst possible situation, A dirty muck filled stagnant water pipe that needs cleaning. It really isn't nearly as bad as you think. You can clean your gutters yourself without having to pay someone up to a few hundred to do it. There is also the option of gutter covers. There are pros and cons to doing either. Getting gutter covers like mesh screens or clip on grates, require frequent cleaning as well. They do protect them better however.
How often do I Have to Clean them?
This depends largely on where you live.If it's clear sky above, once a year and after big storms. If there is trees directly above them, then you will need to clean twice a year. They protect your gardens and the foundation of your home. Without gutters, your flowers would drown and your home would sink. Saturated ones can ruin your house in up to 10k damages to fix. Maintain before repair is the motto here.
Gutter Maintenance and What You Need to do and Have
In order to deal with the most common problem, you will need a few things in order to get the job done.
Some type of scoop to get the debris out
A plastic tarp or bag to collect the gunk
A long enough ladder to reach them all. Some are at odd angles and on the roof way too high.
Rubber gloves so you can hand scoop if needed.
Gutter sealant
Garden hose
Common Issues
Clogged gutters and small leaks and holes are common issues that you will face as a home owner. Too many storms, leaves and branches will cause them to not work properly. You are going to get dirty and be climbing a ladder frequently. Scrape out all the debris and collect it on the tarp you have set up. Once you have gotten all the gunk out, check for holes and seal them with the sealant. Then flush them out with a hose and you are done. Another great tip is using a handheld leaf blower and blowing the gutters right out. That is much easier, or a snow blower would work in a pinch too!
2. Refacing Your Kitchen Cabinets
If your kitchen needs a major overhaul, but you don't have the money or the time to invest into a huge project, then refacing the cabinets can be a great way to give your house a new look. This means you are basically covering up areas that are showing with different types of materials, which this article will get into. There are many benefits to going this route instead of taking out all of your old cabinets and replacing them with new ones. It can be a lot of fun imagining your new kitchen.
Why is this Beneficial for Me?
This is a great thrifty idea to give your kitchen a makeover. It is going to cost you less than half it would to replace them. Shopping for the materials is so much fun as well.
You can finish the job in under seven days. Traditional jobs take weeks to tear a kitchen out and replace everything.
It's a lot less messy than yanking out old wooden cabinets.
Your kitchen isn't tied up while you work on this project. You can still go about your regular routine business.
You aren't taking a bunch of old kitchen materials to the dump and filling up the landfills. It is reducing your carbon footprint.
What Are the Choices?
You have basically limitless options when it comes to refacing your kitchen. It's one of the most cost effective ways to go as well as relatively easy to do on your own with some studying and shopping around for what you want. The best part is that the kits come with directions and adhesive on the back to be able to install them yourself.
Types of Finishes that Work for You
There is more than one way to go about this project. When your cabinets are done, they won't even look like they came from the same place. You can use a few different materials. You aren't stuck with wallpaper like the old days.
Veneers are a popular choice. They are because of the limitless opportunities for change. You can get many different patterns, colors, textures and grains. They can also be mixed and matched with other veneers or other materials for a unique look.
For kitchen doors, RTF or Rigid thermofoil, is extremely durable and cheaper than a new wood or laminate door.
Laminates that are plastic are priced cheaply enough to mix and match and have fun with your kitchen. You can either make them all the same or pick contrasting colors. This is popular for drawers and the fronts of them.
If you want to spend a bit more, you can get real wood veneers. You get options of many different types of wood however and a truly authentic look. You can also stain them any color you choose. Just make sure to seal off all areas so no water leaks in. There is no xReal wood
3. Changing the Hardware in Your Kitchens
Everyone loves shiny new objects. Changing out the hardware in your kitchen will make a drastic difference. Whether you choose to do a cabinet refacing first or not, the hardware will still bring a major overhaul to the appearance. This is a quick job that can be done on a free day on the weekend. Once you have picked out your designs and ordered them, installing is a breeze. It can lighten up an existing area without a lot of money.
How Much Will it Cost?
This depends on what you like. If you want really nice hardware then you will have to pay a lot more for it. There is unlimited options when it comes to hardware. There is many different types of metals, porcelains, glass and other materials you can use. If you are doing a kitchen that is around 250 square feet, each new drawer pull or knob can cost you anywhere from a dollar up to 20 dollars. For a space of this size, you are looking at 50 hinges, knobs and pulls. Do the math before you go crazy on spending money. Little items add up fast.
Definitely a Do it Yourself Task
You can do this easily solo or with a buddy. You will want to measure carefully however to get the right sizes for the hardware. You want to make sure that the screws fit similarly as well. There are so many types of screws and hardware that it can get confusing so take plenty of photos and do measurements. Both front and back angles will help the salesperson assisting you and keep you on track. Write the sizes down as well. Be prepared so they know how to help you and you aren't returning 100 things. You also want to get the distance between the screws. Always count how many new pieces you need. You can use measuring tape to get the distance between the screw holes.
What if I screw up a Measurement?
This may happen your first or even tenth time. No one is perfect. Whether you mistakenly measured wrong, forgot or just fell In love with hardware that doesn't exactly fit, you aren't totally screwed. You can get something called wood filler and stain or paint behind it. There are also plates that can go behind the handles or knobs known as backplates. Hinges are the hardest to do because they come in so many shapes and sizes. If you can't see them in an area, then don't bother. Save yourself the money if it's a hidden hinge. Don't take them all off at once before going to the store. Grab one off a cabinet or door, and see what they have that will fit your cabinets. You may need to change a few things and make a few new holes to make things work. Get a plastic jig to help you do this and a drill. They make drills that are inexpensive for easier jobs like hinge and knob changes. You can get one that is just a couple volts for under twenty dollars.
4. Deck Repairing Made Easy
As rough as you think it will be, repairing your deck is easier than it sounds. It is definitely something that you can do yourself with some instruction. It can be done in as little as a few steps. You have to make sure to clean it up nicely first and repair the damages and add a protectant. Weather can be harsh and take a toll on even the best protected and built deck and eventually, everything needs repairs. A neglected deck will fall apart in half the time as one that is properly cared for.
First Step is Repairing
The first thing you want to do is do a full inspection of the deck. Look for points that are hitting the ground. This could be stairs, posts or anything that is level to the ground. You can use a simple tool like a screwdriver to see if any wood is rotting. If the tip easily sinks in, then you do. You may have loose bolts or screws which rust outside. You want to use flashing and spacers. Look for anything rusted or missing and replace it with new parts. Also look for any mold which indicates water and moisture damage. Look for loose pieces of wood and railings and splintered pieces. Tighten all the parts that connect the deck to the house. Push down any screws that may have popped out or put new ones in. Some boards may need to be replaced. Pry them off carefully. Always remove anything fastening them down first. To be able to match them up with the current boards,you use a table saw and a roundover
bit of ⅜ inch.
Wash the Deck
Depending on how closely you have maintained your deck, a deck cleaner will work wonders. It is usually a gallon that has applicators and hooks to a hose. Use a stiff brush to get any of the really moldy or dirty areas clean by scrubbing hard. Don't forget to wear goggles and gloves. This is strong stuff you are dealing with. Cover up your plants, bring pets and kids inside until it's completely dry. You can also use a pressure washer to get really tough stains out. That is always the easiest way. Buy one for $100 or borrow one from a buddy. You can also use a fan type nozzle that digs into the mold into the wood. Keep the wood damp so the cleaner really soaks in. You can choose from a variety of solvents which usually have one of four things in them.
Mixing Sodium percarbonate with water creates hydrogen peroxide. It can help take care of Mildred and dirt.
Chlorine bleach or Sodium hypochlorite gets the mold off.
To get rid of tanning and iron stains use Oxalic acid. You still need a mildew cleaner with this option.
Lye or Sodium hydroxide is in most finishes. Time it out carefully or the wood can get eaten away.
Putting Stain On
Now that you have repaired and cleaned the deck up, it's time to protect it. Depending on how new the wood is, you can use clear stain but if it's older then use a semi transparent one. Use a 2 inch brush and sprayer to apply it. Spray it first and then really get it into the wood with the brush. The wood will absorb it.
5. Getting the Most Space Out of Your Bathroom
We go to our bathroom multiple times a day. It can become the most cluttered room in the house. You can have make up, hair supplies, men's grooming tools all laying all over. Generally the bathroom is the smallest room in the house so it's the hardest to organize efficiently and effectively. It generally can end up looking quite bland.
Maximizing Storage
If you look around at your space, analyze it, you can be efficiently creative. Here are some ways to keep all your personal items stowed away neatly.
Storage ladders are a great way to add new colors to the mix as well as space.
Change your shower curtain. That makes a huge difference In the look. You can also get a round expanding one so you have more room in the shower. Straight across rods cut off a tremendous amount of room.
Add a new longer rather than wide shower caddy or ones that suction to the wall. You can store all shower supplies inside neatly. Recessed shelves also save space.
Try a few floating shelves on the walls. Use a couple of the stackable kind and your items that are smaller will clear up space on the sink and in the drawers.
6. Make Your House Number Stand Out
This may sound like an odd thing that is important in anyway, but how many times have you dealt with the pizza guy, UPS man, or even a friend having trouble finding your house in the dark? Wouldn't doing something unique make your house stand out more than number stickers from the dollar store?
Have your house number be easily visible from inside the car while driving by on the street. Nothing is more embarrassing than showing up to the wrong house for someone at an odd hour. It could really upset a sleeping neighbor if it starts to happen too often.
Get a unique mailbox that stands out from the rest. Make sure the numbers can be seen on it easily and aren't weathered off easily. Stickers fall off.
Use a brightly lit neon sign. Not a tacky one of course, but have one that looks aesthetically pleasing from the street.
Try putting the house number on an area where it will be easier seen like a large tree in the yard.
7. Tree Trimming Like a Pro
Everyone knows that overgrown trees overtaking a house or fence are not attractive to look at. It is also a very simple way to keep up the maintainable appearance of your property. Trimming your trees can also protect the neighborhood and electric lines during a lightning storm as well as looking more attractive.
Learning the Basics of Clipping Your Trees
Your trees might not look horrible or full of dead branches hanging all over the place, but it still doesn't mean it can't benefit from clipping them a bit. Pruning a tree can cause new growth and flowering to occur. You may also find branches that weren't easily seen that are dead and can wreck havoc in a storm.
You can lightly trim your trees anytime if you see dead branches. It is best to do it when your dormant season is so that when spring comes, the healthiest leaves will grow from those areas.
You can also do it during the summer when you can easily see what is dying and what is growing. If you want more blooms to come after blossoms, prune after the first ones have faded.
Don't prune in the fall unless you are completely reshaping the tree because cuts don't heal as quickly in the tree and more fungus grows.
Start at the top and work your way to the bottom.
Don't take more than one quarter of a tree's crown per season.
Use extremely sharp tools. Raggedy ones can injure the tree.
Treat Your Trees like other Plants in Your Garden
Watering your trees when you water the rest of your flowers and plants will keep them much healthier. They need just as much water and good soil as any other plant would. There is a misconception that you just stick them in the ground and that is it. If you want gorgeous trees in your yard, follow these basic rules like you would leave other shrubs and plants. Add mulch around the base to keep the roots healthy and look for diseases before they progress. It can be an enjoyable part of your gardening routine once you begin seeing the amazing results of a little work.
8. Fixing an Automatic Sprinkler
Automatic sprinkler systems are an awesome way to go water your lawn until they malfunction. No worries this article will teach you how to find the leaks and check for damaged sprinkler valves before they become a huge problem. When there is an issue, you will see some low water pressure and it not spraying with as much force as it used to in your yard. Fixing an automatic sprinkler system isn't that difficult to do with a few tips on what to look for.
Things to Check
Before you panic, here is the easiest thing to do to see if there is a problem. See if there is any stagnant water areas in your yard that are more soaked than usual and areas that haven't been wetted down properly. If so, look for anything that is trapped or stuck inside your valve. If this is the case, you can clean it out instead of having to replace anything. When you find the valve, always look at it thoroughly. See it there are any rips that are causing a malfunction. It could be underground so contact who installed it to see where things are located before you start digging unnecessarily. It's the law in a lot of places as well to call before you dig anything.
Check the wires on the system for any damage that is electrical or could be a loose or torn wire.
Shut off the power before you begin playing around with electricity. That is a big mistake that people make who are trying to do home projects. Safety is always your first concern. You can replace a sprinkler, oven, home and anything else but your life.
Make sure all wires are properly attached and not frayed.
Solenoid Valves and Coils
Now that you have assessed the situation and know more care is needed, next check solenoid coils which basically tells the system when it’s time to spray each day. These are magnetic and much simpler to replace than a whole valve. There are a few steps to this process.
Shut off electric and water that goes to the system at your home’s main control panel if you haven't already done so.
Find the valve box and undo the connectors to the solenoids and un assemble.
Use wire cutters that are waterproof. Ask at your local hardware store. Reattach the fixed solenoid with a screwdriver to the main valve of the sprinkler system.
Go to the control box and turn the power back on. Next, very slowly turn the water pressure back on so that no more damage occurs from a burst.
Check regularly for any issues so that you can catch them early. Prevention and maintenance is always much easier than repairs.
9. Fixing a Bathtub Drain Stopper
A clogged bathtub drain is no fun, especially in the shower when you are in two inches of standing water that won't drain. It's not a hard thing to replace but can be time consuming and take a few tries. This article will give you the know how the next time this happens.
1. The first thing you do is remove and safely store the screws that hold the trip lever plate to the bathtub.
2. Get a hold of the trip lever plate with a set of pliers and pull out any waste that is inside. Also, pull out the overflow linkage trap that catches it.
3. Not all brass plungers are sealed to the end of the linkage. In this case use a snake to get down deep and get the plunger.
4. Put the plunger back onto the linkage rod with your pliers and pinch. Make sure it is tight.
5. There will be a lock nut and plastic fitting to make the linkage portion longer. Loosen and rotate these to add a quarter of an inch.
6. Go into the overflow hole and get a hold of the lock nut and tighten them. Push the linkage and plunger back down into where the hole overflows.
7. Flip up the trip level. Put the screws back in place in the overflow plate.
8. Do a test run by filling up your bathtub a bit to see if it stays in the tub. If it doesn't, take the overflow plate back out, lengthen the linkage a little more and put it back together the same way.
9. Test it again by lifting the trip level and filling the bathtub with some water. If it works great! If not you will need to do this process a few times to get it to seal off.
10. How to Fix a Shower Valve
Learning to do a bit of plumbing on your own can save you a lot of money. Once you learn how to fix a bathtub drain stopper, fixing a shower valve should become easier. All jobs become easier with practice in the home. You will be a pro in no time!
Necessary Steps
You will want to go to the main area where your water flows and is turned on and turn off where it flows to the shower. Get a shower valve kit. If you need assistance you can ask your local hardware store. There will be a handle and escutcheon plate in front of the shower valve. Get some pliers and be prepared to pull out the old cartridge from the valve by loosening the locking nut. Get a regular pencil and O ring, a rubber seat with a spring on to the end of it and push deeply into the valve. You will repeat this process for the rest of the portion of the project for awhile until it works. Press the new escutcheon plate which should come with screws to secure it with those and screw in over the valve. You can now turn on your water and install a temperature limit stop and adjust the temperature to a maximum of 120°F to prevent scalding.
11. Changing the Ambiance of a Room by Painting the Ceiling
If you don't have the time or the money to paint your entire house all over again and are tired of looking up and seeing white or beige, just stop. You don't have to. There has been a change in the market where painting your ceiling a totally different color Is becoming the hip thing to do. Whether you go dramatic or subtle is up to you, but the change can be amazing. It can change how the room shape appears.
It Can Class a Joint Up
Even though it seems like it might be a great Addys change just to change the ceiling instead of an entire room, it is not. With the right color and a white trim,One of the fastest, easiest ways to give a space a sophisticated look is to unite the ceiling and walls with a single color set off by crisp white trim. If the color on the wall seems too thick, add a lighter color by a shade or two to offset it. ,
Try a Yellow or Red Kitchen Ceiling
If you want to add zest to your kitchen, paint it with red or yellow on the ceiling and match some simple and cheap decor like:
Silverware
Table cloths
An accent rug that matches the ceiling
Microwave of a unique color, chairs, knobs and pulls.
.
12. Accent Walls
Adding a splash of a completely unexpected color to a room on the sides and leaving the ceiling white is cool looking too. can make a very tiny room seem a lot bigger. It's a trick to the eye that serves this purpose. If you add a dark or warm shade, it can be quite a conversation piece.
13. Maintaining Your Washer and Dryer
Washer and dryer technology keeps changing rapidly and because of this, becomes more expensive to fix a problem when it arises. Here are some tips on easily maintaining the basic functions that can go down here and there.
. In fact washers and dryers are so touchy that one of the biggest reasons for insurance claims is one of them causing water damage to the rest of your home. When you're washing machine leaks it can cause water to drain everywhere . Insurance companies get a lot of claims for the damage caused by leaking washing machine supply lines. If you start to see that the water supply lines have rust on them, you will need to get new ones as soon as possible. As a guideline you should check your washing machine lines once a year and get new ones every three years. The drain hoses are also important. This helps to keep all the water in the drain. You also have to look for any rust and discoloration in those as well. Grab a pair of pliers and a crescent wrench, either is fine. See how snug the drain lines are and tighten them further if they are not. If your lines are plastic, you need to get new ones about every three years.
The Dryer Inspection
People don't realize how important it is to regularly take the lint out of your dryer each time you dry a set of clothes.this is the leading cause of house fires as the lint gets too hot and sets on fire. It is one of the most preventable ways of saving your home from a devastating blaze. Inside of your dryer is something called a heating element. When you clean the lint screen, it allows the hearing element to last a lot longer. So you are not having balls of lint everywhere, grab a bucket to keep it in that is near the dryer. Residue from fabric softener needs to to removed with hot water and dish soap weekly. These are both very easy ways to prevent washer and dryer malfunctions.
General complaints on Hiring a Contractor.
No one wants to handle their own home repair problems if you can call a one 800 number and get a handyman to come over or go onto an app to find someone to fix something for you. You will find out that picking up the phone or tablet isn't always the answer when you own a house. There are many things you can go get at the local store to see you can fix it. Home contractors can be a wonderful thing to hire but are also expensive. Not everybody can afford to have a professional handyman come and repair every little thing that malfunctions on you. A lot of repairs in your home seem really tough and intimidating at first because you would've never done many of them. This is why this 24 part series was created, to save you guys money and the jobs that you can work on yourself before you hire a professional. And, fortunately, performing proper home maintenance does not require a lot of specialized know-how or training, nor does it require a lot of time or money.
14. Doing Toilets Repairs
When you begin to get your toilet tank leaking water, it can cause water damage to the bathroom floor and any that are underneath. There is a simple trick to find out if your toilet tank is leaking. You can take some red food coloring in and put it in the water in the tank. The water in the tank will turn pink and look for condensation and moisture buildup coming from the tank. If you have to pay for your utilities, it will cost you a lot of money because when the toilet runs and pushes gallons of water an hour through it.
Changing Your Toilet’s Flapper
If the toilet is leaking, replace your flapper. To do this, you must shut off the supply to the water. Turn the valve that is behind the toilet to empty the tank. You're going to want to grab a bunch of paper towels or regular towels to mop up the water that is still in the tank. Take the flush chain away from the lever and then remove the old flapper off the tube that overflows. Then put the new one in its place back where the overflow tube is. You will then reconnect the chain and turn the valve to the water supply back on.
15. Hot Water Heater
Have you encountered the problem of turning on your shower and having nothing but cold water come out? If so that means your water heater has some problems. All appliances need repair once in awhile and it the better you maintain them the less they need repair and replacing.
Sediment Settlage
Interesting fact is what happens in the water heater. Sediment suspends inside of it as the water sits in the heater. After a little bit it goes to the bottom of the tank and can hurt the floor below it. Now annually you should take the water all of it, out of the water heater and give the inside a good scrubbing on the floor of it and underneath.
Sounds Complicated, How Do I Drain it?
Taking the water out of the water heater that is so heavy sounds like a lot of work. To be honest it is, but you can do it! Be confident. it is is always better to try to fix something yourself than hiring someone if you can. Most people know someone who can give them guidance on fixing things. If you don't that's why we are here, to be your “Uncle Jim” who can fix anything with pliers and a bent fork. Now, to get the water heater up and running, as with most things, clean it up and turn the water supply off and back on. See if that kicks it in.
Most of us have electric water heaters. Go to the power breaker switch and put it in the off position. If you have a gas water heater, turn the thermostat to the pilot position.
Connecting the Hose
Next you have to connect the hose to a fitting that is on the bottom of the water tank. This will be somewhere like at the other end of your yard like driveway, There will be a drain fitting so that hot water doesn't hurt the yard. Most people use a garden hose and it's simple enough to fit a drain fitting. This may sound like the opposite of most other water projects but you will now turn on all the hot water faucet in your home and turn on the valve on the water heater. Get the water back on when the drain valve is open to take out any built up gunk in the bottom of the tank. Next step is closing that valve, filling it up and turning power back on.
16. Pump up the Appliances
Shiny things make the neighbors oh so jealous. What if you could give them a little more appeal without spending a mint? You can with our easy guide.
Matching Appliances...Did You Move Up in the World???
A black dishwasher, white sink, tacky wall paper, red knife holder, grey fridge, and a silver toaster. If you made these all match, your value of the kitchen would go up. When people are going to look for buying a new house, un matching the kitchen appliances “ is a major turn off. It says to the buyers..” If they can't even get a matching stove and microwave, they probably didn't take any good care of their water heater and sprinkler system either. It's a first impression thing.
It Doesn't have to Be Perfect
Giving the appliances a facelift can be a lot of fun when you see the results. If you have one or two things that don't match, don't stress. You can paint a microwave, sink, walls,paper towel holder, handles to cupboards and stuff like that. Dishwashers also sometimes have black on one side of the panel and white on the other. You can flip those around. Unscrew a few screws is all you have to do and flip and re screw.
17.t The Very Best and Cheap Bathroom Changes
This is an easy room to do. If you make a mistake, the room is small enough to correct quickly. They are one of the cheaper rooms to modernize. If you can get your bathroom looking great that can really help make your room more pleasurable to spend time in. Grabbing some really good shower scrubbers and cleaners and put elbow grease into it until it glows, will dramatically help. Another thing you can do is fit a pre-fab bath over the old one if it is too stained. These start at $40 and go up for a completely new looking shower. You could also re-grout and replace broken tiles. Even cleaning the grout out will help a lot.
Toilet and Sink Upgrades
So the easiest upgrade of them all is changing a toilet seat. They start at $9 for a cheap but shiny new plastic one and go up in price. The handles on your sink and showers can also be changed out easy enough. That would really make it match nicely without spending a bunch of money.
Tiles
They make really easy to apply tile that's vinyl flooring to replace an older floor. You can scrub up the old floor and put it it on top. There are plenty of patterns to choose from even at cheaper hardware and dollar stores, many dollar stores have decent tools you can use for small jobs and are worth looking into.
New Decor
This is the cheapest one you can do as most things come in sets or are close together in the store and are made to match. They are not expensive products if you go to some discount stores. A few things you can get in a set for under twenty dollars and get the rest of the stuff for about $50-60$
Shower curtain
Toilet seat cover
Rug under toilet
Bath mat next to the tub.
Tooth brush, toilet wand and and soap tray that match
Move Things a bit
If the soap dish was on one side of the vanity, put it on the other side along with the toothbrush holder. A shower curtain also doesn't go for too much.they get mold quick but here's a trick for that. Ifyou take the bottom of your shower curtain and put it in the tub filled up about halfway and let it soak in some bleach and dish detergent and then wipe it down with some cleaning pads and rags, you don't have to buy a new shower curtain right away. Mold can build up if you don't regularly clean it. It eventually turns into black mold which is deadly. You will get very sick from black mold some people get sicker than others. Move a few towel bars around into different spots and the toilet paper roll from the left of the room to the right of the room. Little changes help a lot.
18. Car clean up
It sounds strange in the home maintenance category, but your car is right in the driveway and something that people see first. You don't want to have a bunch of clutter and a basket with bags sitting on the front seat. When you pull into somebody's driveway you immediately look at their car. See if it says wash me on the back or if the license plate Is crooked or if they left their windows down after a snowstorm last night. Things like this show laziness and they will assume that the inside looks like this. This is not necessarily true some people are just messy car owners but people make assumptions based on what they see first. Keeping your car washed at the car wash, which only cost you a couple bucks and vacuumed, makes your yard look a lot nicer with a car that is clean as the centerpiece.
19. Get a Hot Tub
These days you can get yourself an inflatable hot tub for less than $300. These hot tubs can go in a big living room or in the backyard. You don't have to leave them up all the time either like an air mattress you can just deflate it and put it away until you want to use it again. They make ones that are as low as $40 for one person. These ones are more like an air mattress that you blow up the hot water in and have some airflow going through it. They also make really nice ones that go up to 1000’s of dollars. These are perfect for all seasons even a really cold winters night because once you get in it feels like ecstasy. Even a couple person one isn't that expensive. You can get one for around $300 that has jets.
Benefits Instead of a Permanent One
If you want a more conventional hot tub that you don't want to ruin the grass by leaving it up all the time, you’re in luck, they have come along way and far as price and stability. They have been around long enough that they are no longer a fad or a joke. A built in jacuzzi could cost you in the double digits of thousands of dollars. The goal is to get hot and wet, not break your bank account.
Easy-To-Install And Portable
As human beings we love easy, this is one of the major advantages of investing in a hot tub that is inflatable. It can be used in the summer or the winter and they usually come with their comps that allow it to be blown up into minutes.I can also be taking on vacation and taking it down in also just a few minutes
Entertaining
Anymore if someone asks you, “do you wanna come over and watch a Netflix movie”? That doesn't sound very exciting doesn't it? If you had a projector and an inflatable screen that you watch while you were in a portable hot hot tub, you would have more family nights, kids sleepovers and mommy and daddy personal time nights. Most of them fit between four and six people so if you aren't lacking in room.
Health Benefits
It has as many health benefits to people who have back problems. It is reported after a few minutes in a hot tub there is a decrease in the amount of back pain person experiences. It helps you relax those muscles. You will feel better after every time you go in.
20. Changing the Lighting in Your Home
In this day and age getting up out of your bed to turn on a light seems so prehistoric. Unfortunately many of us are still doing this because we are afraid they will be hard to use. They usually are not and you can figure out how to use the smart lighting system and control this seems fairly quickly.
The Smart Scene and Lighting Control System
.The best part about smart lighting systems is that you can program them to create scenes that fit the mood that you are having. Most of them also have full spectrum lighting which means you can take almost any color of the rainbow to turn your room into.
More than just Turning it on and Turning it off
The automated light systems are still gaining popularity because many people think they are like a clapper. You can grab a clapper at a garage sale so why spend hundreds on an automated lighting system they say? You can also send one of the kids to shut the lights on and off when you're ready go to bed. It is so much more than turning a light on and off and making your kid get up from the television.
They can be changed to your mood
What activities
They are an integral part of the design and lifestyle element that your household wants to experience.
They make ones now that mimic Christmas or lights around your house that are surprisingly awesome.
Different shades of light make you feel different kinds of ways. It can turn a bad mood into a great one.
You can set the lights to start getting your kids tired for bed.
Controlling Scenes
Lighting scenes are usually preset or numbered based on ones you liked and kept. Then you don't have to go through the trouble of resetting it each time you find this perfect shade of purple that you can't find twice. They work with your daily life patterns and other home automation systems. You can connect your entire home to be what is called a “smart home.” You can also get systems that go with other systems that control:
temperature
Security systems that show any movement in the home or yard,
Home Theater lighting scenes
Scenes to wake you up gently in the A.M for work.
Most are controlled from your phone or tablet for convenience.
They can all turn off at once when you are ready for bed by setting it.
Dim certain lights at certain times of the day
Set the dinner mood with different levels of restaurant style lighting.
21. How to Install Hers and His & Shower Heads in a Regular Shower!
You are not quite ready for a portable spa or a regular spa, you can try installing two showerheads into one regular shower. It really does feel like a spa in the bathtub with your partner. There is no more of one person hogging all of the water while the other person stands there freezing in the back of the shower waiting to just get a drip. They are often called his and her showers.
So What Are They?
When you shower you can install heads to these two sources independently from each other or they come from the same valve. Some people experience water pressure loss with both of them being used. You have to make sure that you are constantly cleaning them with vinegar to prevent clogs. It doesn't always have to be a dry drip shower, you just gotta find the source of the issue.
Where Does Your Water Come From?
There are many different places that your water can come from. Some people are lucky and they get groundwater or spring water. In many areas where a lot of people live, the city supplies the water. In many areas where it is populated more heavily, you are getting city water. You need to find out how much water is coming out of your shower for a minute. Grab a timer, and a large bucket that is 10 gallons. Set your timer and see how much water fills the bucket one minute. On average, it will be about 5 gallons a minute. If you split that in half, each person gets 2.5 GPM per minute. In this situation you would have to upgrade your well pump or add another water storage tank to get it up to the size of 10 GPM.
Pipe Size
The confusing thing about learning plumbing is that, pipes come in so many different sizes and materials.
PVC
Pex
Copper
Weathering and temperature changes can cause pipes to shrink. Plumbing pipes come in a multitude of sizes. You could have water coming into your house when you first install it in a 1 inch supply line but as it travels and weathers it shrinks to much smaller. This means up to 75 percent loss in the pressure of your water by the time it reaches the shower head. lves to handle 3/4-inch supply as well.
The One Valve Shower System
It gets a little confusing because there are two types of shower valves. It can either be a pressure valve or a thermostatic valve. Sometimes they can both use the same valve and create a pressure type system. This may sound like a good thing but both of these valves a bill be in competition with each other to see who can get the most water pressure. In the end nobody really is going to get any water pressure in the shower with the system going. Available keep trying to keep it going through both of the showerheads and it might get through one but it won't be a great system with both of them getting equal pressure.
Now A thermostatic valve
The thermostatic valve system makes more sense. This is because there is a separate control for volume for each shower head. The water pressure can go up and down depending upon your liking. You still can increase or lower how much water is coming out of the shower head at any time. If your shower buddy is mad at you, you can shut the valve off of their shower and get all the pressure on yourself. Obviously a one showerhead pressure system will have more pressure.
Another Idea is to Utilize Low Pressure Shower Heads
If you are a fan of shower heads, then you know they come in a wide array of sizes and types and shapes. A great type of showerhead to use in a dual shower is one of the rain style showerheads. They appear like a lot of water is coming out because of the style and the ones with the collar make you not even notice how much water is coming out. You get distracted and just have a great time in there even though the pressure is lower. It is intended to feel like rain and rain is more of a low-pressure system.
Other Types
Some showers have a really low GPM but it means it can operate a high-pressure system because the inside of the shower is tighter. You can also find heads for your shower that are made just for low pressure showers Other shower heads have much lower GPM and can operate under higher pressure because the internal size of the shower is tighter. There are also shower heads that are designed just for low pressure showers. . These concentrate the water holding it in a small tank by the pressure starts to build up. these have a stronger below level.
21. Some Ideas For Your Unfinished Basement That won't Break Your Bank
If you are lucky enough to have a basement below your house, even if it is not finished or is just concrete, you have unlimited opportunities If it's dry. You don't have to hide all of your unmentionable boxes and things you don't want people to see down there. It can be a really nice chill spot if you are willing to put a little bit of work and money into it. If you can get creative enough you can help make your house payment by taking on a renter. You won't get much if you're not willing to do a full remodel but you could bring in at least a couple hundred bucks for them to couch surf in your basement.
What Do you Want to Do With It?
If you really are interested in doing a full basement remodel, it will be expensive but you will get back a lot of your money when you resell it. People love having a finished basement because it is a place for their college kids to stay when you're home from school, and extra spot to rent out if there's a bathroom, and a place to hide obnoxious teenagers when they are going through their moody phases. It sounds like a win win doesn't it? In the end yes, but if you can't afford it right now, it doesn't mean all hope is lost. There are still some interesting rooms you can create out of your basement that still may raise the value of your house.
Pool Table and some inflatable furniture
Projector Room in a basement with some lawn chairs and dark feels like a theater
Roller Hockey, if you clear it all out, you can make space to play some games like that or basketball.
22. Time to Organize and Toss the Whole House
This is where a situation like that show “hoarders” tends to come from. Nobody intends to hoard all their earthly possessions in their basement even though they are outdated and never used or never worn. As human beings we tend to build attachments to objects because a certain person gave us this or that. In reality, these people have moved on, it is you that can’t. Something's down here may be:
Old VCR tapes we may one day decide to watch .
Clothes we wore when we were 30 lbs less but it was 15 years ago. No 15 year old ensemble would encourage me to lose weight.
Get Rid of Now
Toys and clothes that our kids have overgrown, we keep them thinking the“what ifs”. Truthfully the what Ifs are are unlikely we don't know become a place of the things we have no idea what else to do with and all the electronics and clothing we can no longer plug into a wall or fit in. As you know, many use their storage boxes that they never even opened from their last five moves, yet they've survived them all without the stuff. Most of the things you have, you don't even need unless you become desperate and have to sell everything. But if it gets that point you're probably going to have to sell your house anyway. If you have hanging closet from the dollar stores just hoping either our wedding dress or prom night dress will still fit from 20 years ago but it never will so get over it. Sell it for a few hundred and make some money to buy something nice to put in your basement. Check out some applications like let go or Close 5 and 5 miles to get some great deals and trade your stuff. What is someone else's trash maybe your treasure and vice versa.
Garbage Bags
You were going to need plenty of garbage bags and your friends that you trust to help you go through things. They will be more objective then you are when it comes to what to keep and what to toss. In fact they probably been telling you for a while that you should clean your house and make room for a a pretty cool hangout spot. You're going to have to let them do what they need to do and not be a control freak about it or it can turn into a nightmare. You can always donate to some local charities and write them off as tax donations.
By now you should've gotten through all of the junk and are able to look through what is left and store it accordingly.
23. What to Get to Change a Room Completely
Once you have made more space both up and downstairs, you can make the room for a whole other room. You can get hanging closets that you put shower curtains onto separate rooms and people are pretty impressed with that simple idea. Here is some more ideas:
You can get pieces of remnants at carpet at flooring stores and mix and match a few at first or may get lucky and they fit great. Making sure you have covered in concrete floor is the most important part.
Go to Garage Sales, Craigslist, LetGo, Close5 and look for deals on couches,and stands and tables and whatever else you need.
Get a HD LCD TV cheap that is big while the 4K TV’s are taking up the high prices. You can get a flat screen 65 inch HD TV for under 500$
24. Heating With Oil Rules and Tips
This is something if you haven't heard it before pay attention, never run out of fuel oil! But if you do, and your fuel company is closed, don't fret. You can use Kerosene or Diesel and it works just as well! Great news! Bad news is it smells, kerosene you have to sign for because it can be used to do illegal things, so your name gets put on a list. Just be aware.
Pay Attention to the Gauge
If you fuel gauge isn't measuring accurately, you can do something else. Take a tape measure and stick it in the tank to see how many inches are left in there. Take the plug off and put it back on or it gets messy.
Utt Ohhhh
If you screwed up and ran out of fuel oil entirely. The oil becomes a sludgy substance inundated with air and will not heat your home. You will then have to do an air bleed out. That sure sounds fun doesn't it? You will not have heat until the air is bled out. These articles are about teaching you yourself how to do things but we can give you the advice on, that you should first call your oil company to have them bleed it the air out of your oil line before you do it. It's just easier but you do need to know how to do it yourself in an emergency.
Bleed the Line
So if you can't get a hold of your oil company, go to the gas station and fill up some jugs of either diesel or kerosene. You're going to have to leave the line yourself which is dangerous and you could put yourself and everyone living with you in danger so you need to pay attention closely. option,
The tools used in most situations:
Small Jumpers
Hat light or bigger flashlight to see well.
Something to protect your clothes and the earth from dripping oil.
A wrench that is open ended.
Plastic container to hold what bleeds out of bleeding oil line into a type of jar
Find Your Pump That Holds the Fuel
To find the bleeder nut, which you need first is to hunt down where the fuel pump is. This can be located by finding the oil burner and following the copper wire that is attached to it. There may be a few brands of burners.
Beckett
Carlton
Riello
The Beckett or Carlin is much easier to locate and work with. A Riello requires a screwdriver to take the red cover off, not east and then access your pump.
Bleeder Nut, Identify and Fix
This is a hex head nut that is tiny and has a hole in the center of it. If it. Will usually come off at the bottom or the front at a 45° angle. there are other kinds of but you're not sick come off a bit differently like a Webster pump, and DanFoss pump come off at the bottom. if it is super old then there may be no bleed or not so you would have to take a plug out of the return side of the pump. Put a lot of towels down, it will get really dirty.
Get Another Container
You're going to need a container that will hold oil safely and that can connect to a 3/8ths of an inch hose made of plastic. This will go as far as the bleeder nuts nipple, then run it into the good container that won't leak oil.Once you reach the blade or not turn the wrench counterclockwise for one full turn. Grab on as tightly as you can and hold the hose while you hold a wrench because it could possibly pop outside of the container and leak everywhere.
Re-Start the Oil Burner
Once you have done all of this you can restart your oil burner. Make sure all of your switches and thermostat are turned on to heat. . you then press a red reset button. Don't panic if it doesn't start up right away it could take a few seconds before it actually gets started. . when you let the fuel get empty it takes a bit to get it going again and what we just did was prime the fuel system. You know you can begin to get excited and the pump is working when double start coming out of the bleed or not end it will keep bleeding until all of the air in the tube has dissipated. when it's done the oil should be bread and salad and color. If the oil does come out When the pump is activated bubbles start coming out of the bleeder nut and we will keep bleeding until the air is gone and the oil is a good solid red color. If the oil comes out red with no air in it then it is not a run out but a service problem.
air bubbles in bleeder hoseIf the oil line is long or overhead, it will take a long time to bleed all of the air and sludge out so we use a small set of jumpers between the FF terminals that have yellow wires that come from the cad cell eye (which sees the flame and allows the burner to keep running). The burner will not start if the jumpers are put on before hitting the reset button. It is very important that we remove the jumpers after the bleeding is done and that the bleeder nut is tightened. When we don't have jumpers with us we must keep pushing the reset button which can be a problem with a new primary control because they don't allow for unlimited resetting.
I hope this blog gives you a greater appreciation for what a fuel delivery person or service technician must do to get an oil burner restarted, and how messy and potentially dangerous it can be. Please plan ahead and don't let your tank run out of oil - it will save you money and problems in the long run.
