Itch Preventer

Try sprinkling baby powder on your exposed face, neck, hands and arm skin before working with fiberglass insulation. The powder keeps the insulation from sticking to your skin and causing any irritation!

CLOGGED SHOWER NOZZLE

If the spray nozzle in your bathroom shower has become clogged because of hard water, immerse it in vinegar and soak it overnight. Or, boil it in a half-cup vinegar and a quart of water for 15 minutes.

NAILING INTO INSIDE WALLS

Warm the nail in hot water for a few minutes or dip it in melted paraffin, to avoid cracking or crumbling the plaster.

STARTING A NAIL

Use a bobby pin to hold the nail so you don't hammer your fingers. A slight pull releases the pin after the nail has started. Or, if the nail needs to be started too high to reach with two hands, press the nail through a small square of aluminum foil and wrap the foil tightly around the hammer head. You can also cut a strip of lightweight cardboard about 1 inch by 4 inches. Cut a slot in one end with a razor blade. Then you can slip the nail into the slot and use the cardboard as a "handle" as you hammer.

How to rid your garden of slugs.

First get a shallow dish and pour some beer in it. You then take a soda bottle big enough to cover the dish, make sure it touches the ground. Cut the end off the soda bottle, but leave the cap on and at then where you cut then end off, cut some doorways all the way around it 4-6 will suffice. The purpose of the soda bottle is to keep the rain out.  Leave over night and will you soon start to see slugs down in it.  Slugs love starch and are attracted to it like magnets. Dump the container of beer ever now and then or when you see a lot of slugs in it.

HOUSEHOLD GLUE

Mix a little water with one cup of granulated laundry starch until it is of whipping cream consistency. Bring to a boil and allow to cool.

GLUE METAL TO WOOD

Soak the metal in acetone and when dry use household cement to attach it to the wood. Make sure you do not touch the cleaned area of the metal before cementing.

MEASURING

Forgot your tape or rule? Any dollar bill measures almost 6 inches long and 2.5 inches wide. Fold it in half for 3 inches and 1.5 inches.

HAMMERING PIPES

If you hear hammering in your water pipes whenever you turn off one of the faucets too quickly, you may have caused an air cushion. The hammering is caused by the abrupt halting of the water as it courses through the pipes. The banging sound is the water bouncing against the sides of the pipe as it stops. Install, as near as possible to the waer meter, a three foot length of pipe capped at the end, and screwed into the main pipe. When the water supply is arrested at the faucet, the water that is stopped will force itself up into the air pocket in the air cushion and will slow down gradually against the compressed air, without knocking the pipe. Hammering can also be caused by incorrect support of the pipe at some point along its length. Check the pipe wherever it is exposed in the basement to see that all mounting straps are tight. The pipe should be solidly anchored at frequent intervals along its length. Look for places where the pipe has given or sagged out of line. The vibrations are set up when water rushes rapidly through it. If the water you receive from the main supply is already pressurized, you may have an unnecessary air pocket in your pipes. Check with your plumber.

ELECTRICAL SAFETY TIPS

Don't run electrical cords where they can become worn or frayed. Keep cords away from heat, water and grease. Never handle cords with wet hands. Even rubber overshoes and gloves are not an absolute guarantee against electrocution. Never use a cord with current-carrying capacity too small for the job. It can overheat, melt the insulation and cause a fire. Never pull on the cord to get the plug out of the wall socket. It can cause fires. Never clean or inspect an electrical appliance without turning it off and unplugging it from the power supply.

Does your paint brush have dinkle berries?

Remember to wash you paintbrush after each time that you paint to avoid it from caking together. As humans, it's very easy to forget to do this, so what if it does cake up? Simply soak it in a jar of oil or boil it in vinegar. Remember where you will find some more helpful handyman hints that make work so much easier.

Make Sawing Easier

When you are trying to saw but the saw keeps getting stuck, placing candle wax on the both sides of the saw. Now watch as it easily slides in and out with ease.

Low Water Pressure in Faucets

ow water pressure in faucets is a very common problem. The source of a slow or clogged kitchen faucet can almost always be found inside the faucet. It usually takes a small amount of effort to get the water flow back to normal.
If you have noticed the water pressure coming out of the kitchen sink drop in pressure and get worse everyday but all the toilets fill quickly and all other sinks are fine. Then you need to change the cartridge in the sink faucet.
If you take the aerator apart, you will discover extremely small holes in round disks made of plastic or metal. The water flowing from the faucet must pass through these tiny orifices.
The drop in water volume and pressure at the two faucets was caused by small pieces of sediment or some other debris that clogged a passageway within the valve cartridge and/or the tiny orifices within the aerator and or a flow restrictor.
The sediment can form within a faucet or its parts depending upon the hardness of your water. Sediment also forms as a scale on the inside of municipal water supply pipes and the water lines inside your home. Pieces of this sediment can break off and be transported through the water lines as water moves towards a faucet. Small pieces of sand or rocks can enter a water system, especially those of people who use a private well. These can block the pathways within your faucets.
It is not expensive to correct the problem. The first thing I would look at are the aerators in any faucet that is giving you problems. Carefully remove the aerator and pay attention to how the different parts are assembled. Look at the parts, including the screening at the tip of the aerator, to ensure all parts are free of debris and all pathways are clear. Use tiny straight pins to open up any closed holes in these parts. You may have to soak the parts in warm, white vinegar overnight to removed caked, hard-water deposits that can build up within the aerator.
If, after reassembling the aerator, the water pressure and volume are still low, this means the problem is probably in the valve cartridge. The owner's manual that came with the faucet will show you how to remove and replace this common and inexpensive part. If you do not have the manual, try visiting the manufacturer's website for a technical bulletin showing you an exploded view of the faucet and its parts.

Interior Painting

Want to paint the walls of a room but not the ceiling? Here's a tip to help you get a nice clean break where the wall meets the ceiling without any tedious masking or clumsy paint sheilds.
Start with a good quality paint and a good quality brush. Is a $16.00 Purdy brush really all that better than a $9.00 Generic brush? Yes it is. And the same goes for your roller cover. Stay away from the bargain 3 packs and invest in a sheepskin roller cover. The main advantage with sheepskin is no splattering and no drips. Use a painter's 5-in-1 tool to clean your roller and one roller cover can last through years of use. To get a nice clean line where your wall meets the ceiling take your brush and dab it in the paint on the side that will be in contact with the wall. In this case that would be the left side of the brush. Place the brush on the wall and push it against the edge of the ceiling, bring it down, move it over slightly and push up again. Repeat this until you have covered the area you can easily reach from your ladder. Now take your brush and smooth out the brush marks.
Your end result is a nice clean transition between wall and ceiling. Keep a wet rag handy to wipe up any goofs and drips. You can use the same technique when painting around door and widow casings and above the baseboard.

Cleaning Tile Pool Coping and Grout: 4 Tips

Tile pool coping tends to become dirty easily, particularly if you have an outdoor tile pool. Swimming pool coping may prove difficult to clean. Follow these four tips for an easier cleaning process.
Clean Easier Areas First:
Examine your pool tile. Clean surface dirt and other debris from the coping and grout before you attempt any other cleaning. A tile wipe or detergent can help to address these issues.
Acid Wash in Severe Cases:
If the dirt is widespread or set into the tile, use a chemical acid wash to remove it from the tile. Be careful when selecting and applying the acid wash, as the chemicals may damage certain surfaces or your skin.
Use a Bleach Solution:
Mix a 20-percent bleach solution in a spray bottle. Clean particularly problematic spots with the bleach solution and a toothbrush or rag.
Use a Power Washer:
A water-based power washing system may help eliminate stains from tile pool coping, as well. Ensure that the tile isn't cracked or broken before you use a power washer. The pressure may break or exacerbate existing damage to the tile.

Nailing Tip

Do you have a hard time making a nail slide into something that you are trying to put together? Do you at this point feel like you will demolish it instead of put it together? Then try rubbing the teeth of the nail with a bar of soap, it will go into anything that you want it to. Gone are the frustrating days!