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What’s New

Is Your HVAC Choking? | Pretty Handy Girl

Day 22 – Is Your HVAC Choking?

Is your refrigerator running? Then go catch it. Is your HVAC choking? Time to administer CPR! When was the last time you looked at your HVAC unit? Specifically the condenser which is the big box usually located outside the house. At…

Scrub Away Hard Water Stains | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, cleaning, Dremel, Home & Auto Maintenance

Day 20 – Scrub Away Hard Water Stains

Do you have hard water? If you do, you probably understand when I say, "It's the bane of my existence when it comes to cleaning sinks!" However, I have a trick to scrub away that stubborn hard water crusty stain in no time! And I use a little…

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Build It, drill, Home & Auto Maintenance

Day 19 – Drill Holes to a Certain Depth

Occasionally you need to drill a hole to a specific depth. Or you want to drill a hole into but not through your wood. This simple trick helps you do just that! Day 19 - Drill Holes to a Certain Depth When I was drilling the top of the…

5 Ways to Find a Wall Stud (without a stud finder) | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Fix It, Hanging Blinds, Hanging curtains, hanging shelves, Home & Auto Maintenance, renovation

5 Ways to Find a Stud (without a Stud Finder)

Using a stud finder is the quickest and easiest way to find a stud. But, if you don't have one or are too lazy to find yours (I'm often guilty of this), you can use one of these ways to find a stud. 5 Ways to Find a Stud (without a Stud…

2 Ingredient Ant Killer | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, cleaning, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance

Day 17 – Two Ingredient Ant Killer

It's no picnic when you realize your home has been invaded by sugar ants. Instead of spraying your kitchen (or wherever you find them) try this Two Ingredient Ant Killer. Photo by Stephen Ausmus - https://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/dec04/k11622-1.htm Licensed…

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, Trash to Treasure

Day 16 – Holes in Your Trash Can

Take out the papers and the trash...ummm take out the trash? Grrr, don't you hate when the trash bag gets stuck in the trash can? No worries, I have an easy fix that will make taking out the trash a much easier chore. It may sound…

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, curtains, Fix It, Hanging Blinds, Hanging curtains, hanging shelves, Home & Auto Maintenance, repair

Day 15 – Use Good Wall Anchors

Curtain rods, towel bars, and other wall mounted accessories are relatively easy to hang. The trick is securing them to a stud so they can hold up to the abuse. But, how often have you found that you don't have a stud where you want it…

Non-Toxic Drain Opener | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, cleaning, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, Plumbing

Day 14 – Non-Toxic Drain Opener

Unclogging a tub or sink drain is a common maintenance task for any homeowner. Before you reach for the toxic drain cleaner, try this easy and inexpensive Non-Toxic Drain Opener first. It's always the case, you are brushing…

cleaning, Home & Auto Maintenance, Mudroom, organizational tips, storage

Day 13 – Remove Your Shoes at the Door

Want to cut down on your vacuuming? Want to make your carpets last 10 times longer? Want to keep bacteria out of your home? Wow, sounds like a miracle product right? Actually you can accomplish all of the above by simply training…

Protect Spigot from Frozen Burst Pipes | Pretty Handy Girl

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

Day 12 – Protecting Spigots from Frozen Burst Pipes

Winter is coming and this year I want to help you protect your home from a burst pipe because it froze. Much like your water pipes (which should have foam insulation sleeves on them,) it's important to protect your spigot on the outside…

Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, cleaning, cleaning paintbrushes, Home & Auto Maintenance, Paintbrushes, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques

Day 11 – Easy Clean Up Paint Tray Liner

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…

Easy Tricks to Remove Walls Scuffs | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, painting

Day 9 – Easy Tricks to Remove Wall Scuffs

Do you have a ghost in your house? I do! Want to know how I know? Because we have scuffs that magically appear on the walls. It doesn't bother me because I know a few easy tricks for removing wall scuffs. Day 10: Easy Tricks for Removing Wall…

Replace Water Lines with Braided Metal Hoses | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, bathroom, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, kitchen, laundry room, Plumbing

Day 9 – Replace Water Lines with Braided Metal Hoses

Welcome to Day 9 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Would you believe that a burst water line can cause tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home? It's true! If one of your water supply lines is not braided metal, you…

vacuum out your dryer duct | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, laundry room

Day 8 – Replace Foil or Plastic Flexible Dryer Duct Hoses

Welcome to Day 8 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Today I have a VERY IMPORTANT tip to prevent a fire from starting in your laundry room. I'm going to show you how to replace your flexible foil or plastic dryer vent duct with a much…

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, cleaning, Home & Auto Maintenance, laundry room

Day 7 – Clean Out Your Dryer Vent Duct

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…

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, cleaning, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, laundry room

Day 6 – Keep Your HE Washer Funk Free

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…

Adding Foam Weatherstripping | Pretty Handy Girl

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

Day 5 – Add Weather Stripping to Doors and Windows

Welcome to Day 5 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Winter is fast approaching and now is a good time to assess your doors and windows. Do you feel a draft by your window when the wind kicks up outside? Can you see daylight seeping through…

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance, screwdrivers

Day 4 – Removing a Stripped (or Painted) Screw

Welcome to Day 4 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. What happens when you strip a screw head just enough that the screwdriver won't get a good grip? Or the screw has been painted over so many times that you can't get the screwdriver…

How to Fix Stripped Holes in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Fix It, fix stripped holes, hole filling, hole repair, Home & Auto Maintenance

Day 3 – Fixing a Stripped Hole in Wood

Welcome to Day 3 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Have you ever tightened a screw 1,485 times before you finally admit that the hole is stripped? Procrastinate fixing that stripped hole no more! Grab some wood glue and tooth picks…

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes, Door, Door Hardware, Fix It, Home & Auto Maintenance

Day 2 – Fixing a Sticking Door

Welcome to Day 2 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. Today I'm going to show you a tip for fixing a rubbing or sticking door. Day 2. Fixing a Sticking Door Do you have a door in your home that rubs on the frame or gets stuck certain…

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

31 Days of Handy Home Fixes – Day 1 – Protect from Water Leaks

Welcome to Day 1 of my 31 Days of Handy Home Fixes. I am always amazed at how a great house can fall into disrepair. This doesn't have to happen. Each day you can learn a quick fix for your home. For the entire month of October I'll be bringing…