DIY Projects: Do it Yourself Home Improvement: Home Repair

Exposed: The Shocking Truth about Air Fresheners Before you spray Febreze or plug in a Glade Plug-In, light a scented candle, or use some so-called air freshening wick, mist, aerosol, or other car or room deodorizer, think twice. You’ll be shocked to learn their ingredients and the harmful effects they can cause. That “Cleansing Rain,” “Summer Breeze,” “Fresh Country,” “Cool Morning Air” or “Berry Burst” might be having disastrous effects on your health or the health of your family, including children and unborn fetuses. Hormone-Disrupting Phthalates: The Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC)—an international environmental organization—conducted a study called, “Clearing the Air: Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners” in which they found 86% of air fresheners tested contained dangerous phthalates. Phthalates are used as plastic softeners, anti-foaming agents in aerosols, in vinyl found in children’s toys, automobiles, paints, pesticides, and in cosmetics and fragrances.

22 Ways to Make Stuff Last Longer (And Save Money!) Here's why you end up replacing outdoor faucet washers that have worn out long before they should: When you turn off a frost-proof faucet, water continues to trickle out of the long pipe even after the valve is closed. When people see that water, they often assume the valve didn't close, so they crank down harder, which overcompresses the washer, greatly reducing its life. Patience is the key.

untitled There are more than 80 types of products eligible for ENERGY STAR® certification in Canada. The list of eligible products has grown over the years and new products continue to be added. The list below is grouped into these product categories: Appliances - residential; Appliances - commercial; Electronics; Heating equipment - residential; Cooling and ventilating equipment - residential; Heating and cooling equipment - commercial; Lighting; Office equipment and Data centres; Water heaters; Windows and doors and Other products (electric vehicle chargers, lab grade fridges and freezers, pool pumps and water coolers). To start looking at available models in Canada right away, go to our searchable product list. Or click on the links below to see a short energy-efficiency profile of the product.

2 Easy Ways to Paint Over Wallpaper Steps Cleaning and Prepping the Wallpaper <img alt="Image titled Paint Over Wallpaper Step 1" src=" width="728" height="410" class="whcdn" onload="WH.performance.clearMarks('image1_rendered'); WH.performance.mark('image1_rendered');"> Over Wallpaper Step 1.360p.mp4 00:03 -00:09 00:13 spaceplay / pauseescstopffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster (latest Chrome and Safari)←→seek . seek to previous 12…6 seek to 10%, 20%, …60% to Paint Over Wallpaper1Clean the entire surface thoroughly with TSP or a TSP substitute. TSP stands for tri-sodium phosphate; it's an excellent cleaning agent that is often used after mineral spirits, but can absolutely be used on its own.

NES Cartridge Hides Sweet Homebrew Nintendo Emulator Nintendo emulators aren’t hard to find by any means, but this is the first time we’ve seen one made out of an old NES cartridge. Specifically, it hides inside of the Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt cartridge, which is the very game combo that most of us used for the first time with our old-school NESs. Besides the nostalgia value of the cartridge, the emulator is pure genius. Pruning Tips to Salvage an Overgrown Landscape Pruning Tips to Salvage an Overgrown Landscape by Bob Westerfield and Adrianne Todd #Landscaping #Pruning #Shrubs As a horticulture specialist for the University of Georgia, I certainly get my share of frustrated homeowners that want me to help them recover their house from their overgrown landscape. Where they once had a beautiful vista of their backyard or swimming pool, they now suddenly have a blob of green obscuring the view. Many times, they are uncertain whether they should try to prune the bush down a few feet in hope of getting their window back, or go through the arduous task of yanking out the beastly plant altogether.

100 Home Improvement Hacks You'll Wish You Knew Sooner Vacuum dust and chips right at the source! Bolt a 2-in. pot magnet (available at home centers and hardware stores) to a 4-in. x 2-in. PVC pipe reducer and position it near the sander, saw, router or lathe that's making a dust storm in your shop. 10 Silent Signs Your House has a Major Plumbing Problem If your water pressure suddenly drops or completely ceases in the middle of winter, there’s a chance that your pipes have frozen. This is a major issue and needs to be dealt with immediately. An especially common problem in homes where the supply lines run through an attic, crawlspace, or other unheated space, frozen pipes hold the biggest danger once they thaw. That ice is acting as a plug, holding back the water from rushing out any splits that may have occurred.