Sheesh — I’ve been so bored waiting between house showings that I’ve worked on all sorts of weird projects that were easy to quickly put away. Here’s another one. I have a 2006 Xterra. I love my little SUV and plan to drive it until it drops. I bought it used in 2008 and it has been a trooper requiring very little in the way of repairs. The fuel gauge sensor died around 50,000 miles, a known failure, and that’s … Read the full article…
I do a lot of typing so when my space bar started missing about half the time it became incredibly annoying. I have a wireless keyboard so I checked the batteries and they were in good shape. I was typing an email this morning and I was missing almost every space in a sentence and out of utter annoyance I got a small screw driver and popped the space bar off. My jaw dropped. There was so much dog hair … Read the full article…
My son thought the Accusharp was the best knife sharpener you could buy. I’ve researched and he was correct. On his recommendation — he actually bought one for me — I have used the thing for years. I don’t have great, high quality knives. I have the knives he purchased for me as Mother’s Day gifts when he was little. The aren’t the best quality — they ARE the best knives as far as I’m concerned, due to sentimental value. … Read the full article…
Man — I can’t believe how boring it is to have a house up for sale. I have all my projects either completed or put on the back burner so everything can be put away and the house look perfect all the time. I don’t have anything to do. Hence the experiment to see if you really can whiten yellowed pillows without bleach. My pillows are in good shape so no need to replace them, but they were due for … Read the full article…
I have a Moen kitchen faucet that suddenly started dripping right after I put my house on the market to sell. Not exactly the look I wanted for showing – a spattered sink and dripping faucet. A failing faucet cartridge is almost always the reason for a dripping faucet and is usually not a difficult fix. Figuring out what cartridge you need In the past I have taken bathroom faucet cartridges to the hardware store and they have matched it … Read the full article…
Maybe some things you might not think of in the flurry of activity to get your house on the market… Clean Windows — clean them and keep them that way checking before each showing to make sure dogs or kids haven’t left smears behind. If bright and sparkling sells houses, letting the light in through clean glass is the first step. Clean fans blades — you don’t want everything else to be sparkling clean and have a prospective seller look … Read the full article…
After a repairman told me a surge probably fried the electronics controlling the compressor on my refrigerator and suggested I get a single outlet surge protector I started doing some research. Which appliances are at risk? Appliances used to be a lot simpler than they are now. Now everything is digital and electronic. I found the following comment on BobVila.com: Interesting how refrigerators have changed… Now 2013, leading OEM’s include leading electronics manufacturers, Samsung, LG, etc. Today they are laden … Read the full article…
This Sunday I returned from a nine-day camping trip to find a totally dead refrigerator. In fact, the inside of the refrigerator was much warmer than the house since I’d turned the heat way down. Apparently the fans and other parts heat things up when the compressor stops cooling. Oh joy. It must have died several days before because everything was completely thawed and stinky and all the food was a total loss. The good news? It was a terrific … Read the full article…
Bucket + extension pole + brush + rags = no ladder My house sits on very hilly terrain so figuring out a flat surface to prop a ladder is nearly impossible. Mix that difficulty with my lifelong fear of ladders and I was pretty committed to figuring out a way to clean my windows without risking my life. Needed tools My goal was to do it without having to go purchase a bunch of stuff. I have had one of … Read the full article…
Do you like using Magic Erasers to clean? Are you aware they are simply melamine sponges? How they work “Rubbing with a slightly moistened foam may remove otherwise “uncleanable” external markings from surfaces. For example, it can remove crayon, magic marker, and grease from painted walls, wood finishings, plastic-adhering paints from treated wooden tables, adhesive residue, and grime from hub caps.[3] If the surface being cleaned is not sufficiently hard, it may be finely scratched by the melamine material. The foam wears away, rather like a … Read the full article…