Home How To Category
15-Minute Fixes For Around The Home
October 26th, 2010 categories: Home How To
Fall is here and it that time of the year when I make a few quick checks around the house before winter gets here.
Home maintenance is an ongoing project. There’s always something to do around the house, or something to fix. The problem is, you may not have the time, or the skills, to get it done yourself.
In this 4-minute piece from The Today Show on NBC, you’ll see some projects are quite simple.
Dubbed “15-Minute Fixes”, see how simple it can be to handle 3 common household chores:
- De-calcification of a shower head
- Clearing hair from the inside of a bathroom drain
- Sealing a granite counter-top
Each clean-up job is cheap, quick, and can be handled sans handyman. As Spring Fever sets in, put these fixes on your To-Do List.
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Fall Is Here..Time To Clean The Gutters
October 12th, 2010 categories: Home How To
Gutters are designed to funnel rainwater away from a home. Properly working gutters help keep a home’s basement from filling with water, and protect a home’s foundation from long-term, structural damage, and keep a roof in tip-top shape.
In other words, keeping clean gutters is essential for homeowners. Thankfully, gutter maintenance can be a do-it-yourself job.
There are four main steps in gutter cleaning, summarized cleanly in this 4-minute video from Lowe’s.
- Gather your tools. You’ll need a ladder, a bucket, a hose, and a trowel.
- Scoop large debris from the gutter, using the trowel for hard-to-reach places smaller sticks and leaves
- Flush the gutters using a garden hose and spray attachment
- Remove clogs in the downspout and check for proper sloping
Gutter maintenance is a twice a year task and the Lowe’s video offers helpful safety tips, too. Of course, if you’re uncomfortable on a ladder, or prefer to hire a professional, reach out to me anytime.
I’m happy to make a local gutter-cleaning recommendation.
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How To Replace Your New Home’s Deadbolt Locks
June 1st, 2010 categories: Home Decor, Home Gadgets, Home How To, Home Improvement, Kitchen Gadget
After moving into a new home in Knoxville , you should immediately replace its deadbolt locks. It’s not just the home’s former residents that have the key, after all, but so might a relative, a friend, a neighbor, a dog-walker, and others.
You may call a locksmith for the job, but you can save some money if you can do-it-yourself.
In this detailed, 2-minute video, you’ll learn how to remove and replace a deadbolt lock using nothing but a Phillips screwdriver and a deadbolt from a hardware store. It’s a simple project that requires little mechanical skill.
And one that can make your new home more safe.
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Do Your Spring Cleaning Like Martha Stewart
March 29th, 2010 categories: Home How To
Spring is here and Farragut homeowners are starting their respective Spring Cleaning rituals.
In some households, Spring Cleaning is best tackled in a single weekend filled with rubber gloves, ratty clothes, and sweat. In other homes, it’s a less serious undertaking. Either way, to clean a home from top-to-bottom, you need to have a plan.
If you’ve never used the Martha Stewart, 9-step Spring Cleaning Organizer, check it out. It covers the basics:
- Cleaning shades and windows
- Sorting through wardrobes for “old” clothes
- Cleaning and rotating mattresses and cushions
For most of the cleaning, everyday household cleansers and a vacuum or rags will do the trick.
There are a few items on the list, however, that require heavy-duty appliances; ones you may not keep at-home. For example, cleaning carpets is best-handled with a steam cleaner. You can choose to rent cleaning equipment from a local hardware store, or considering hiring an Angie’s List contractor to do the job. It’ll be more expensive, but the job will be done properly.
Also on the list is a reminder to check batteries in smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and flashlights.
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How To Replace Your HVAC Air Filter
February 22nd, 2010 categories: General, Home How To
If you are challenged like I am around the house. I’m always looking for little tips on “How TO” do easy things like replacing and air filter.
Replacing a home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) air filter is one way to keep the unit’s motor running right. It’s an oft-forgotten part of keeping a well-run home. And, it’s simple, too.
In the two-minute video above, you’ll learn how to replace an air filter from start-to-finish. There’s no need for tools and no need for experience — the job is about as basic as home maintenance jobs come.
Air filters should be changed at least quarterly but it’s okay to change on a monthly rotation, too — especially if your home has shedding pets, or is under construction or repair. Just remember that not all air filters are created equal.
In this famous video, we see how $0.99 filters can fail to get the job done. Spending $10-15 for a filter that works is a better idea.
Save money by buying in bulk.
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Knoxville Home Buyers Now Is The Time To Buy!!!
February 18th, 2010 categories: Buyers, FOMC Minutes, General, Home How To, Market Trends
Looks Like Those Low Interest Rates Are Heading North…..
Mortgage markets reeled Wednesday after the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its January 26-27, 2010 meeting. Mortgage rates in Tennessee are now at their highest levels since the start of the year.
The Fed Minutes is a follow-up document, delivered 3 weeks after an official FOMC meeting. It’s a companion piece to the post-meeting press release, detailing the debates and discussions that shaped our central bankers’ policy decisions.
The Minutes is a terrific look into the Fed’s collective mind and, yesterday, Wall Street didn’t like what it saw. Specifically, the report disclosed that:
- The Fed plans to break support for mortgage markets after March 31, 2010
- Raising the Fed Funds Rate will be a key part of the Fed’s strategy to tighten monetary policy
- The fundamentals behind consumer spending strengthened modestly
Furthermore, the Fed Minutes said that there is a growing risk of “higher medium-term inflation”. Inflation, of course, is awful for mortgage rates.
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How To Remove Stickers And Adhesive-Based Price Tags From Just About Anything
February 16th, 2010 categories: General, Home How To
Sometimes, price tags just don’t want to unstick. No matter how hard you scrub and scrape, tacky residence stays behind. Turns out, getting “the stick” off your stickers isn’t so hard when you have the right tools.
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