For easy removal of a trash bag from a trash can, leave the lid on a 33 gallon trash container, turn it upside down and cut the bottom out of it. Then, place the can on a hand cart, insert a trash bag, and secure the top of it with a bungee cord around the outside rim of the container. When the bag is full, don't pull it out of the container; just lift the container off of the bag and cart. Now all you have to do is lift the lid with the trash bag and dispose of it - either in the sidewalk dumpster or the back of a truck to haul to the dump. I used this idea to haul about 20 bags of leaves from my backyard and never once ripped a trash bag. You can use either a metal container or a plastic one.
WD-40 is an excellent way to clean oxidization and other unwanted grime from the interior components of fishing reels. Cleaning your reels will add years of life to this critical piece of fishing equipment. For example, to clean a baitcast reel, remove the sideplate, then the spool. Apply WD-40 to a Q-Tip, then clean grease and grime from the spool shaft, worm gear and spool raceway, using new Q-Tips as necessary.
My husband and I plow snow in the winter. Just before I got ready to take the truck out to plow, my eyes were drawn to a can of WD-40. I took the can of WD-40 and sprayed the snowplow, thinking it might keep it from rusting too badly. To my surprise, using WD-40 to coat the plow kept the snow from packing up on the blade like usual. I told my husband to try it on his blade, too.
This system allows you to control exactly how much water will be dispensed, and the water never hits the blossoms of flowers. The conversion takes about 10 minutes. Replace the sprinkler head of your choice with a drip-watering emitter, plug one end of a piece of drip tubing into the emitter and lay the other end at the base of your plant. Hold the tube in place with a small rock or a 10-cent tube stake.
Many older homes still have furnaces with pilots that burn around the clock to fire up when heat is needed. Newer models don't have a pilot light. Instead, they use spark igniters that only come on when burners need to light and then turn off until needed again. If the heat won't come on, it may be the igniter and you'll need to test it. Sound risky? It's easy. Look where the pilot used to be. You'll see two wires, disconnect them and test the igniter terminals with an ohmmeter. A reading between 50 and 100 ohms is normal. If it's way off, it may be time to replace it with a new auto pilot igniter.
Here's how to get wax off of anything made of glass. You'll need extreme cold or heat, a credit card, razor-blade scraper and toothpicks. For wax on a smooth-glass surface, gently nudge with the edge of a plastic credit card. If it doesn't come off cleanly at room temperature, chill it with an ice cube -- and try again. If that doesn't work, use a razor-blade scraper. Go easy so as not to scratch the surface. When glass items are small -- like candlestick holders -- put them in the freezer for a while. Puddled wax and droplets should pop right off. For irregular glass surfaces, use the same cooling and removal techniques, then clean deep into crevices with a toothpick. For stubborn wax in cracks and crevices, heat with a hair dryer or with hot water first. Your best defense next time? A few drops of water wherever wax may fall works wonders.
No matter how well a vinyl floor is installed, bubbles can appear days, weeks or even years after installation. This is because moist air rises from below and gets trapped under the surface, causing a bubble. Here is the secret for removing bubbles in vinyl flooring: For small bubbles, an inch or less in diameter, use a large needle to prick the bubble, allowing the trapped air to escape. Then use a towel and a hot iron to heat and flatten the vinyl. Use a stack of books to weight it down until it rebounds. For larger bubbles, use a towel and iron first and carefully cut an X with a sharp razor knife. Pull back the triangle cuts and add floor adhesive. Press the cuts back in place and weight it down. Be sure to put down a sheet of waxed paper first so you don't wind up with a stack of books glued in place in the middle of your floor.
If you have a project that involves removing plaster, you'll be dealing with plenty of chunks of the stuff. If you undertake such a project, be prepared for lots of work and mess. Depending on how old your home is, plaster will either be applied over lath (wood strips) or directly onto drywall. Using a hammer, make a hole to see which you have. If it's on drywall, pull off chunks as you go. For lath, saw up and down studs first, then pry. Watch for electric wires and pipes when sawing, and be prepared to handle lots of heavy, messy debris.
The placement of ceiling fixtures can be a pain when you hit a joist or when stuff falls in your face. It's an aggravating task because when you cut a hole from down below you don't know what you'Re going to find up above. To avoid having to relocate your placement (once you've cut a big hole and discovered an obstacle that says "not here, my friend, try again"), drill a small test hole first -- centered where you'd like your fixture to go -- and push a piece of coat-hanger wire up into the hole. Then go to the attic and locate the probe. If it's OK joist-wise, clear away any insulation and other debris, and continue cutting the hole from down below. If it needs minor correction, you easily can make it. Repairing a small test drill hole is far easier than patching a large gaping hole that's in the wrong place.
First, mark out the cut lines from below, then drill up through the ceiling at various points. Then, saw through the ceiling from above (following the drill- hole guides), while an assistant stands on a ladder below holding a large cardboard box against the ceiling to catch the dust as it falls.
