1.)   Purchase a pre-treatment that you can place on your lawn.  You can look at your local hardware store or your local nursery in order to find the right type of treatment.  Ask for assistance if you can not find it because you do not want to purchase something that will kill your grass. 

2.)   Try not to cut your grass really short.  If you are the type of person that really enjoys having a short lawn you may need to reconsider.  The crabgrass needs the sunlight in order to grow. If you let your grass get a little bit higher it will block some of the sunlight from reaching the roots and it will not grow as frequently or as quickly.

3.)   Consider digging it up the roots. This may be a good idea if you do not have a lot of crabgrass in your yard.  Just remember to wear thick gloves if you are going to be taking this approach.

Here are some simple tips on how to repair your screen door: 

1. Be sure to ascertain how the original screen was attached. Is the original frame wooden, with the screen nailed or stretched into place, or metal, and stretched and screwed into place?

2. Measure the original piece of screen and how large the piece was, and how much overlap must be provided to enable the screen to be fastened back to its frame.

3. Determine if any additional parts are required for the repair and have them on hand as you work.

4. Perform any incidental maintenance to the door that can be completed at the same time as the screen replacement.

5. Consider painting the door if  it has a wood frame; the effect will be to  have a completely new door once the door is repaired and painted with the new screen in place. 

The flexibility of a screen door at your home is a pleasant amenity and will permit you to enjoy beautiful weather from inside the house. Enjoy the beauty of summer days and cool nights through your screen door.

There are some steps that you can take to help remove the odor from your drains without much effort! 

1. If you have a garbage disposal, start by running water along with it to try and rid some of the smell debris or water buildup left inside your disposal.  Things like milk can cause a bad odor after some time. Make sure you always run the water for a few moments after you have turned off your garbage disposal. For more maintenance tips on your garbage disposal check out our “Quick fixes for Your Garbage Disposal”

2. If you have a lemon, squeeze half of one down the drain and cut up the remainder into smaller pieces and place inside the disposal.

3. Now, turn on the disposal again and let the grinder do its magic.

4. If you do not own a disposal let the lemon juice sit in the sink overnight without running the water.  Do not put the rind down the sink unless you own a disposal as this will cause a clog.

5. You can also try ½ cup of vinegar and let it sit for a couple of minutes.  After, run very hot water down the drain for about two minutes.  After that, add some baking soda and leave it sit for at least an hour or more.

6. Run hot water.

This is usually all it takes to get the smells out of your drains.  If you are still struggling, perhaps purchase a commercial drain cleaner.  Bleach is another alterative to the vinegar but it is much stronger and should be used in a well ventilated area.  This is sure to do the trick!  Your kitchen will be smelling great again in no time.

Here are a few tips you can try to keep spiders away from your home:

1. Use a spider-killing chemical around the outside of your house to provide a barrier against spider invasion. If you have pets, make sure you buy pet friendly chemicals or that you block any areas where you have placed the chemical so your pets will not have access to it.

2. Knock down any spider webs when you see them hanging in doorways and corners. Destroy the web materials in the event the web contains eggs.

3. Eliminate any unnecessary storage where spiders could hide and live.

4. Do away with places in your closets where spiders can hide, like old shoe boxes.

It is not always possible to ascertain whether or not the spider you see is a biting one or not, and if it is poisonous or not. Some spiders are beneficial and eat other insects, others are just plain scary! It is good to be familiar with the spiders in your midst, and not to get too friendly with them! See if you can find a local guide advising you about the spider population in your area; a local garden shop or hardware store are a good place to look for both information and bug treatments.

Try following these simple tips and tricks in order to help you keep your garbage disposal working as it should.

•    Always run water in it before and after you use it. This will help you keep it running smoothly.  The water will help things wash down smoothly and it will keep it clean.  You should allow the water to run for 20 second before and after the use of the garbage disposal.

•    Do not run hot water down the garbage disposal.  It is a common misconception that a lot of people do, but it is not advised.  It actually melts any fats and it then builds up on the disposal blades.

•    Only place food in it.  You should never try to crush bones or fabric materials.  The garbage disposal was designed for food only.

Some of these tips are common sense but that does not mean that people do everything they are supposed to with this equipment.  If you would like your garbage disposal to work properly for a long period of time you need to follow these tips. 

If you do run into an issue with your garbage disposal make sure you know quick fixes for common garbage disposal problems. Also, NEVER attempt to fix a broken disposal unless you have unhooked the power to it first. You should never place you hand down a running garbage disposal or a disposal that the power is still hooked up to. So go take care of that garbage disposal!

But you are in luck, because there may be a way to get those wood scratches out of your furniture and a way to repair your hard wood floor. The following information below will help you with this chore. It is not hard and it can be really effective as long as you do it correctly.

•    Make a mixture of olive oil and vinegar.  This mixture will be half and half and while you do not have to really measure the ingredients, you do want to keep it pretty close.
•    Now, rub the mixture over the scratches and leave it there for approximately 24 to 48 hours. 
•    When this time has passed you will want to wipe all of the mixture away from the wood.  You will find that those ugly scratches are gone and your wood looks amazing and new.

You can try this on any hardwood that you have scratches in.  However, you may want to try it in a discrete location until you verify that it does not harm or discolor the wood.  Once you determine that it will work out just fine and cause no further damage to the wood, you can begin repairing the scratches of the larger visible areas that need to be treated. So go get those unsightly wood scratches out of your valuable wood furniture and antiques.

Wood stair banisters generally consist of one or two handrails and several supporting “newel” posts. Over time a stair banister may become weak and can result in a loose handrails or post. To tighten a stair banister lose parts, you may need to insert wedges or screw loose parts for a tighter fit. If your using screws or pilot holes to prevent the wood from splitting, use an electric drill with combination bit so you can sink the screw heads. To conceal the screws or pilot holes, fill the holes with wood putty, preferable colored to match the wood and sand the putty smooth.

Two Ways to Tighten a Stair Banister Handrail:

1. Wedges: Tap a glue-coated wedge between the stair handrail and post. Make sure you do not pry the stair handrail. With a utility knife, trim the wedge flush with the handrail.
2. Screws: Drill a pilot hole at an angle through the post and into the stair handrail. Counter sink the screw and then apply wood glue. Insert the screw and then tighten. Fill the hole with wood putty, sand, and finish.

Two Ways to Tighten a Stair Post:

1. Nail to Treads: Drill a pilot hole at an angle through the stair post to the treads (stirs). Countersink the hole. Insert a wood screw and then tighten the screw. Once you have tighten the stair post and had filled the hole with wood putty, allow the putty to dry then sand and finish.
2. Notch-and-Tenon Post: Using a putty knife or chisel, pry the molding off. Then follow the steps for a nail to treads above, except do not fill the hole with wood putty. Instead apply epoxy around the notch and tenon. Insert the screw and tighten the stair post. Once you have tighten the banister to the post replace the molding.

To prevent stains form vinyl or other resilient tile, wipe up any spills as soon as they accrue. Stubborn stains or stains that you where unable to clean off right away may need some extra attention.

The first thing you should do is  remove the stain from the vinyl floor by wiping with a clean cloth moistened with liquid-detergent floor cleaner. If this dose not work you may use a nylon pad for more heavy residue.

If the stain  from the vinyl floor still dose not come up, try each of the following products, one at a time.

1. Rubbing alcohol
2. liquid chlorine bleach
3. turpentine
4. lighter fluid

CAUTION: Do not apply turpentine, nail polish remover, or lighter fluid to asphalt or rubber tile. Do not  apply bleach to cork flooring.

Apply each of the above products to a clean white cloth. Turn the cloth frequently while rubbing the stain from the vinyl. Allow the product to remain on the vinyl floor for 30 minutes. When the stain from the vinyl is finally gone, rinse the area with water and let dry. Apply a floor finish like polish or wax if you normally have used one on your vinyl floor.

Avoid using any abrasive scouring powders or pads. Before using any cleaning products, test it on an inconspicuous area.

Surface damage, like separated, split. loose, or  warped boards, can be repaired successfully. To preserve the new look of your wood floors, make repairs immediately after damage occurs. When refinishing the repaired area make sure to mach the  color and protective finish as closely as possible. This will hide any signs of repair.

Repairing Surface Damage: You should remove the protective wax or oil finish from the damaged wood floor with a wax stripper. Once you complete the repair, make sue to rewax or oil  the wood floor with the same wax or oil used before. When stripping and rewaxing, follow the product manufacturer’s directions.

Water Marks: After removing the protective finish from the surface, rub water marks stain on the wood floor with fine steel wool and a little paste wax or a solvent-base liquid floor wax. If the marks don’t disappear then you need to  wipe the wax with a soft cloth and rib again with fine steel wool and odorless mineral spirits. Once the water mark is gone, wipe clean and finish.

Burn Marks: For burn marks that just darken the wood’s surface and do not leave a hole, lightly sand and wipe up sanding residue with a damp cloth. When dry, finish as desired by following the steps in “Repairing Surface Damage”. For burns that go deeper, carefully scrape out the burned wood with a sharp knife, use tool safety precautions. Apply one or more coats of a commercial scratch hider, putty stick or stick shellac. Once dry you may add the finish to he wood floor.

Scratches and Gouges: You can conceal a shallow scratch with one or two applications of a commercial scratch hinder or crayon by placing the hinder or crayon within the scratch. To repair deep scratches and gouges however, you will need to remove wax  or oil from the damaged area. Fill the scratch or gouge with matching wood putty, putty stick or stick shellac and let dry. Once dry than sand smooth with fine-grade sandpaper and finish the wood floor.

Fixing Damaged Floor Boards: For long or wide separations between floor boards, fill the gaps with wood strips. For the best  possible fit you need to angle the saw blade to cut strips that taper in slightly at the bottom. Loose, split, or warped boards can be repaired by following the steps below. Make sure to sand any putty, once it is dry, with steel wool  and finish the repair to match the rest of the wood floor.

Split Boards:

1. Drill a pilot hole into the wood at an angle every few inches along the length of the crack. Drive and countersink annular-ring nails.
2. Fill the nail holes and the crack with wood putty.
3. Match the repair with the rest of the wood floor.

Loose Boards:

1. From blow the floor drill pilot holes through the subfloor and just into the boards. Then insert screws.
2. Form above, drill pilot holes; and drive countersink nails.
3. Fill with wood putty and then finish.

Warped Boards:

1. Drill pilot holes every few inches along the warped wood floor board.
2. Insert and tighten screws.
3. Fill the holes with wood putty and finish to match the rest of the wood floors.

If your shower head leaks where it meets the arm, you probably need to replace the washer. To replace the washer, loosen the collar using tape-wrapper rib joint pliers to avoid damaging the finish; then unscrew the head from the ring and remove the old washer with the new.

Weak water pressure from the shower head usually means there is a mineral buildup in the shower head. To remove buildup and restore water flow, clean outlet holes with a pin or unscrew a perforated face plate of the shower head and soak it overnight in vinegar. Once soaked over night scrub the face plate clean and rinse off.

If the shower head will not pivot with ease, check the washer for wear and tear. If the washer is fine than coat the swivel ball with petroleum jelly before reassembling the shower head.

Tip:

If the nuts and couplings are frozen in place, instead of using a wrench to force them loss, place penetrating oil on the connections. Wait half an hour, then loosen the nuts and couplings with a wrench.

Make sure you always have handy the tools to help with plumbing repairs. Most are need for the repairs that are mentioned above for fixing a faulty shower head.