31 Days of Handy Home Fixes Archives - Page 2 of 7

Day 28 – Keep Old Toothbrushes for Cleaning

Use Your Old Toothbrush for Cleaning | Pretty Handy Girl

Never throw away your old toothbrushes again! These worn out dental tools make fabulous scrub brushes for cleaning.

First be sure to mark the old brush with a permanent marker so no one will use it in their mouth again.

Then use this mini scrub brush on hard to reach spots like between the faucet handles…

…and behind the faucet.

Around toilet hinges and other hard to reach spots are all perfect places to clean with your old toothbrush. You can even use an old toothbrush dipped in baking soda and water to clean dirt out of the grooves in your wedding rings. (Although, I might use a separate brush for jewelry and a second one for toilets. Just sayin’.)

October 28, 2014/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, energy conservation, fireplace, Home & Auto Maintenance, weatherstripping

Day 27 – Put an End to Fireplace Drafts

You may sense a theme here, yesterday I talked about weatherstripping the garage. But, as the temps are dropping, it’s important to take some time to seal your home and eliminate drafts wherever they are lurking. One of the biggest offenders in our home was the fireplace. On cold nights, it is cozy to light a fire. But, on the evenings we didn’t light the fire, I had to bundle up in a blanket to combat the drafty fireplace. Even with the flue closed, it just isn’t weather tight.

The solution can be as simple as cutting a piece of rigid foam insulation to fit into the opening of your fireplace. If you want some more attractive ideas, you could wrap the insulation with fabric. Or use construction adhesive to attach thin plywood and wood slices to the fireplace insert like Pepper Design Blog did:

Another option would be to cover the insulation with black craft paper and draw a chalkboard scene on it:

Inspiration from Sophia’s Decor

Finally, if you want an attractive reclaimed wood fireplace draft stopper, you can build your own following my tutorial here.

At the very least you can cut a piece of rigid foam insulation to fit under the flue. Just remember to remove it before you light a fire.

Stay cozy and warm this winter.

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October 27, 2014/8 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, energy conservation, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, weatherstripping

Day 26 – Weatherstrip Your Garage Doors

Do you have a garage? Are your garage doors insulated or weather stripped? Or do you have big gaps in the sides like this:

If you don’t have weather stripping on your garage doors, you could be throwing away money on heating spaces above and/or next to your garage. Not to mention, making it uncomfortably cold for any of us Handy Peeps who work in the garage.

Day 26 – Weatherstrip Your Garage Doors

In an hour you can seal the gaps around your garage door. This could make a huge difference in the temperature of your garage. And you could improve the temperature in adjacent rooms. After installing the weather stripping we noticed a huge difference in the temperature of our bonus room that sits on top of the garage.

A Garage Door Side and Top Weather-strip Kit costs less than $20. Be sure to measure the sides and top of your garage doors and order enough to cover.

Use the nails included in the kit to secure the garage door seal against your doors.

For a time saving tip and more detailed directions you can follow my full tutorial for installing garage door weatherstripping.

These were the resulting temperature shifts after I installed the weather stripping on our garage doors:

Before Weather Stripping:

Outside Temperature	Inside Garage Temperature	Temperature Difference
45˚F	55˚F	10 degrees
30˚F	45˚F	15 degrees

After Weather Stripping:

Outside Temperature	Inside Garage Temperature	Temperature Difference
45˚F	65˚F	20 degrees
30˚F	58˚F	28 degrees

Go ahead and seal those gaps and enjoy a warmer garage and home this winter.

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October 26, 2014/14 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, energy conservation, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, repair

Day 25 – Do You Open or Close Crawlspace Vents

Do You Open or Close Crawlspace Vents | Pretty Handy Girl

Do you leave your crawlspace vents open or closed? The great debate ends now.

If you guessed open, you are right. If you guessed closed, you are also right!

Crawlspace vents should be opened in the spring and closed in the fall. The reason being that you want to preserve any heat in your crawlspace in the winter. This will help protect your water pipes from freezing and keep your home a little cozier on those cold days. Once spring arrives, go ahead and open the vents to allow better air flow in the crawlspace and to eliminate moisture build up.

Adjusting the vents should take you 5-10 minutes total.

Usually, they will slide freely open and closed with your own hand strength.

Occasionally you’ll run into a stubborn vent that might be rusty or stuck. Use pliers or a wrench to grab the vent tab as close to the base as possible and gently tap on the wrench with a hammer.

The only time you shouldn’t close your vents is if you have high radon; an appliance that can build up fumes; or excessive water and moisture problems. If you have these issues, you have bigger problems than worrying about your vents being opened or closed. Consult with an expert to remedy those situations immediately.

October 25, 2014/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Home & Auto Maintenance

Day 24 – Two New Tips using a Flashlight

Do you have a flashlight? Silly me, of course you do. But, if you only use it when the power goes out or to send your child out trick or treating, you are missing out on two additional uses for a flashlight.

Day 24 – Two New Tips using a Flashlight

1. Before you prepare to paint a room, double check the wall for any imperfections. Turn on the flashlight and shine it parallel to the wall to highlight any imperfections that need spackle or sanding.

2. Next time you drop something tiny on the floor (like a pill or earring backing) shine a flashlight at the floor level and it will illuminate any tiny objects. Beware, you might find some dog hairs that need vacuuming too.

Do you have any other uses for a flashlight?

Update: Two readers asked for recommendations for a good flashlight. By far, this is my favorite flashlight:
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It is extremely bright and comparable to a floodlight. Sadly, it looks like these flashlights are being phased out. And even sadder is that they no longer sell them with the Ryobi TEK4 batteries and charger. Instead they include a AA battery converter. If you do buy this flashlight, spend the extra money to buy two TEK4 batteries and the charger. You’ll save money in the long run not replacing AA batteries. In short, best flashlight I’ve ever owned!

October 24, 2014/8 Comments/by Brittany Bailey