Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes | Pretty Handy Girl

I love to paint rooms! It’s one of those meditative tasks that leaves you with instant gratification when  you are done. But, I don’t like the clean up afterwards. Several years ago I came up with an Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner that costs next to nothing!

All you need are two plastic grocery bags and two strips of painter’s tape.

Day 11: Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner

Make sure your grocery bags are clean and don’t have any holes in them. Turn the bags inside out if there is printing on them. (Sometimes the ink is water soluble and can mix with the paint.) Observe as my sister gives her best Vanna White impression and shows you how to invert that bag:

Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

Slip the first bag on from the top of the tray and tape it at the bottom.

Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

Slip the second bag over the bottom this time:

Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

Tape the opening of the bag across the entire paint tray width.

Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

You’re ready to rock and roll, errr roll and paint!

Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

When you are done, carefully remove the plastic bags and throw them away. If you are pitching your roller, you can grab the roller through the bags and pitch it too.

Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

No need to clean the tray (unless some paint seeped inside.) Unfortunately, you’ll probably still need to wash your paint brushes. But, if you clean your paint brushes correctly, they should last you a decade or more!

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paint tray liner plastic bag

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes | Pretty Handy Girl

Welcome to Day 7 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. We’re sticking with the laundry room theme for a few days. Today I have a tip to help protect your home from a fire. Cleaning out your dryer vent duct is an extremely important home maintenance task. The good news is that you can do most of this maintenance yourself. I recommend cleaning out any lint build up at least once a year (preferably in the late summer before the drier and static filled air sets in.) Twice a year is best.

Day 7: Clean Out Your Dryer Vent Duct:

 Pull the dryer away from the wall and disconnect the vent duct tube from the wall and the dryer. Normally the duct is held on with a hose clamp. Use a flat head screwdriver to loosen the bolt attached to the clamp.

Remove the duct and use your shopvac to clean out both the dryer and wall ports.

Then clean as far as possible in both ends of the duct hose.

vacuum out your dryer duct | Pretty Handy Girl

If your duct is long or difficult to clean out, you can purchase a long dryer vent duct cleaning brush like this one:

Brushtech B68C 10-Feet Long Dryer Vent Duct Cleaning Brush

While you have the dryer pulled out, vacuum off the back of the dryer, the washer, and the wall behind both. Eliminate as much lint as possible. A clean laundry room is less prone to fires.

Re-attach the ductwork to the wall and the dryer. Tug gently on the hose to make sure it is secure. Gently push the dryer back towards the wall being careful not to crush the tube.

If you can reach the exterior vent, go ahead and clean it out also. Make sure the vent closes properly when the dryer isn’t running. Otherwise you may get birds, rodents or bugs in your vent. That reminds me when we had our new dryer delivered. As the delivery guys were removing the old one. I heard the sound of the dryer crashing down, followed immediately by squealing and screaming. Apparently a mouse had made his way into the dryer but electrocuted himself. His dead body dropped out on the floor just as the guys were picking up the dryer. I’m telling you, that guy was the size of a line backer and he was terrified of a dead mouse! I tried so hard not to laugh, but couldn’t control myself. Needless to say, I double check the exterior vent more often now.

Tomorrow I’ll be showing you one more way to keep your laundry room from becoming a fire hazard.

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how to fix a dryer vent

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes | Pretty Handy Girl

Welcome to Day 6 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. So you finally upgraded to an HE washer. You have to be careful because if you don’t take care of it you’ll have a stinky funky mess. Funky music = good. Funky washer = bad! The HE washers (front load especially) are air tight, which can be the perfect environment for growing mold.

Have no fear, this tip will take 30 seconds of your time! Keeping your HE washer funk free and like new is super easy.

Day 5. How to Keep Your HE Washer Funk Free

After each wash load,  grab a dry wash cloth or rag and wipe off the door.

Then wipe out the gasket (top to bottom) to remove any water and moisture. This is the main area that will get mildewy first. Gently pull the gasket towards you to get into the fold.

Open the detergent dispenser drawer and wipe out any visible moisture. Finally, leave the detergent drawer and washer door open to thoroughly air out your washer.

If you are already stuck with a funky washer, follow these tips for cleaning it out and eliminate any odors. Be sure to read the comments because my readers have a bunch of tips to help keep your washer clean!

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I’m participating in Nester’s 31 Days Challenge. Check out all the other bloggers who are participating!

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10 Non-Toxic Dust Mite Remedies | Pretty Handy Girl

10 Places You Probably Forget to Dust

I’m putting my Filtrete Ambassador cap on today. And, I have a list of the 10 Places You Probably Forget to Dust (but really should!) Are you guilty of skipping any of them? Read on to find out.

As an allergy sufferer, I know how important it is to dust before vacuuming your home. Recently we spent a week in a condo near the ski slopes in Colorado. I was in AGONY allergy-wise. As I looked closer at my surroundings I realized that although the condo looked clean, there were many places that housekeeping had neglected. ;-(

For you or the allergy sufferers in your family, here are some helpful tips to improve the way you dust and potentially make your home healthier for you and your family.

The Basics of Dusting for Allergy Sufferers:

Dusting if you have allergies is slightly different than for those that don’t have allergies. The goal is to trap the dust, pollen, animal dander (or other allergens), not spread it around or make it airborne. Use damp rags (wet with water is fine) or vacuum cleaner attachments. You might also be able to use a microfiber duster like a Swiffer, but personally I find a wet rag works better (and costs less.) Be sure to fold your rag frequently and use a clean side. Never use a feather duster, it will just launch the dust into the air. The good news is that if you do dust this way, you likely won’t need to dust as often because you will be eliminating it and not spreading dust around.

Always start from the top of your room and work your way down. After the room is dusted, vacuum the floor and rugs. Pay special attention to the edges of the room by using the crevice tool or just taking off the floor head and use the hose.

10 Places You Probably Forget to Dust: Read more

10 Non-toxic Dust Mite Remedies | Pretty Handy Girl

10 Non-toxic Dust Mite Remedies | Pretty Handy Girl

As a Filtrete Brand Ambassador, I’m back to give you more ammunition for fighting allergies! As a lifelong dust mite allergy sufferer, I’ve spent more than my share of times being congested and even suffered asthma attacks from a robust dust mite population. Over the years I’ve learned several non-toxic ways to remedy a burgeoning dust mite population. Controlling dust might seem like the obvious solution to dust mites, but actually there are several specific things you need to do to control the actual mites.

First, let me tell you a little bit more about my nemesis. Dust mites are almost microscopic (you can see them with a 10x magifying glass) and tend to live among the dust in your home. Upholstered furniture, pillows and mattresses are the most desirable environments for their populations. They feed off of skin cells shed from our body. Dust mites like warm (room temperature) and humid environments.

You can never completely eliminate a dust mite population, but you can reduce the population to ease the suffering of those that are allergic to dust mites. You also don’t need to resort to chemicals or drastic measures. You can actually wage war against dust mites with some very simple tricks and tools.

Ten Non-Toxic Dust Mite Remedies Read more