Around the home tips and tricks to do things better thread

[Sundancefisher]

Hi all

Many of us have found work around or ways to fix common problems. So this thread is a good place to share anything of that nature. People can passively read and learn and save time and money.

Hope people find it interesting.

[Sundancefisher]

I have used repair folks from time to time. I have als discovered parts can be bought locally at Amre and online. Videos on YouTube really actually work. I have repairs dishwasher, dryer and washer.

[Sundancefisher]

I have a few different pans. Gray and black etc.

When I see any food sticking, after I finish using it I wash it normally. I then take a wet Mr. Clean magic eraser and scrub the hell out of it. Doesn’t take a ton of elbow grease. You should see black/brown residue on the sponge. Keep cleaning till it is clean and or you find the sponge glides smoothly over the surface.

It works really really well.

[Sundancefisher]

I find a wet Mr Clean magic eraser sponge and wiping with paper towel works awesome to get grease and grime off.

[dmcbride]

Use news paper, water and wood ash for cleaning the glass on fireplaces and wood stoves. Just wet the news paper, dip in ash and scrub. Works better then anything I have bought.

[calgarychef]

One of my students told me this trick (thanks Flora!). When you have a stinky wash cloth or j-cloth get it good and wet and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. The bacteria will be killed and the stink will be cops gone.

Works well for those funky tshirts that just won’t wash out too.

[KGB]

Old newspapers- you can use them for cleaning the glass windows or use them to dry your shoes or boots. Bunch them up and stick into the boot, they will absorb the moisture like crazy!

[liar]

as you mentioned , youtube has tons of info on everything , on a cold or rainy day when you have time to killtype in " life hacks " . pretty interesting things come up

[Austin]

I youtube everything first. Truck, Small engine repair, electrical, plumbing etc. If it’s too big of a job,,, it goes to a professional but at least I have educated myself in the process too.

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by liar

as you mentioned , youtube has tons of info on everything , on a cold or rainy day when you have time to killtype in " life hacks " . pretty interesting things come up

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

One I have used is Crazy glue/baking soda. Great for doing small repairs.

Google is your friend on this and other hacks.

[amosfella]

If you get grease on your clothes, put a folded up paper towel under the stain and squirt it with brakecleen till the stain is gone.

For clothes that have ground up grime in them, either a quick spray down with dawn heavy duty degreaser or a quick rub in with dawn ultra dish soap and leaving to sit for an hour then washing with regular detergent makes them a lot cleaner than anything else I've tried.

Also, adding a squirt of dawn dish soap to the laundry helps get things a lot cleaner than just laundry detergent alone.

If you have really dirty laundry on the regular, do not buy a high efficiency washer. Your clothes will take multiple washes to get clean. Get an old dumb washer and fix it up. Or a new commercial washer like Speed Queen.

[huntinstuff]

Recessed lights can be a bugger to change if you have big hands. Put a rubber glove on and push against the light and turn with 3 fingers

[Greatwest]

If work clothes or coveralls are real dirty/oil/grease stained. Put them in wash machine (preferably not same one you use for your good clothes I use laundromat). Put your normal amount of laundry soap in and set to heavy duty wash cycle. Then before closing the lid dump in a can of Coke (not Pepsi doesn’t have same effect). Your work clothes or coveralls will come out 10 times cleaner then just washing with normal laundry soap.

[Mr Flyguy]

Wet ones, Baby Wipes or whatever are really useful for quick cleanup of cat hair balls on carpets, rugs and bed spreads! A daily chore for me.

[Lornce]

Don't throw out those empty margarine containers. Stockpile them for the fall for freezing raspberries tomatoes etc. A great many of those plastic products can be reused not only for food but for projects.

Remove marks on wood furniture using a walnut by cutting it in half and rubbing it into the scratch. Pecans, Brazil nuts and Almonds all work fine. The oils from the nut soak into the surface of the wood then buff it up with a cloth.

[realist]

2007 RAV4. Tried some of the tips on YouTube for cleaning cloudy headlights, didn't work or just poor results (on small areas). Then found one that said to use Brake Fluid, just rub it in like you would wax . Worked perfectly, 2yrs now and headlight lens are crystal clear.

[CaberTosser]

If a heavy impact left a dent in your real wood floor or real wood furniture you can improve it with a wet dishtowel and a steam iron for clothes. The steam will swell the crushed wood fibres and you can get results anywhere from making it significantly improved to nearly unnoticeable. I've done this on floors as well as dining room and coffee tables. Care is taken to do it minimally so as not to overheat the wood and ruin the finish, I'll do it with the iron set to the lowest temperature at which it will make steam and repeat 15-20 second long applications of heat with progress checks in between.

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by realist

2007 RAV4. Tried some of the tips on YouTube for cleaning cloudy headlights, didn't work or just poor results (on small areas). Then found one that said to use Brake Fluid, just rub it in like you would wax . Worked perfectly, 2yrs now and headlight lens are crystal clear.

Brake fluid will strip paint, so its not ideal to be using right next to paint. I've used the 3M headlight polishing kits with a polishing compound and the drill attachments for the applicator. Keep moving it around so as not to overheat a spot which could wind up misshaping the lens.

[Mayhem]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

One of my students told me this trick (thanks Flora!). When you have a stinky wash cloth or j-cloth get it good and wet and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. The bacteria will be killed and the stink will be cops gone.

Works well for those funky tshirts that just won’t wash out too.

Good tip, just tried it with the ol dishcloth...Side benefit, any dried up and stuck on food particles on the inside the microwave are now softened and easy to clean.

[propliner]

Aquarium glass is easily cleaned of algae with steel wool, or better yet, stainless steel wool.

[barbless]

Wanna clean the inside of microwave. Put a bowl of water and vinegar in, heat to boil for 30 sec to a min and wipe with a damp towel
Your glass top stove? Baking soda and water and lay a wet towel over the whole top for an hr or two. Use the towel to scrub top. Use a clean towel to wipe dry. No abrasive compound used
Wanna perk up the senses of your friends when they walk in the door. Put 3 cinnamon sticks in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and they will think you made them cinnamon buns. They will be totally ****ed when you tell em they are here to help replace the toilet

[barbless]

This is an awesome thread OP

[omega50]

When my wife tries to slice potatoes partially through for wrapping in foil for the BBQ , she has problems. They always end up cut in halves or worse.
So, I get her to place a chopstick on either side to the potato. She can cut down to the chopsticks without cutting through. Then I place thin butter pats and chives between the slices before wrapping in foil.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by propliner

Aquarium glass is easily cleaned of algae with steel wool, or better yet, stainless steel wool.

I use regular dish sponge once a week (the “green” or rough side against the glass). Sometimes, rarely, once in two weeks when I am lazy or don’t have the time. Works really well.

[Attilathecanuk]

Excellent thread!!

One I use is that awesome brake cleaner for cleaning any stain from carpets, spray on stain and wipe gently with paper towel.

[Skoaltender]

Dryer sheets work really good for cleaning stainless appliances.

[RandyBoBandy]

I like using the dishwasher to cleaner "carburetor" parts

[brslk]

Originally Posted by Austin

I youtube everything first. Truck, Small engine repair, electrical, plumbing etc. If it’s too big of a job,,, it goes to a professional but at least I have educated myself in the process too.

I'm a licensed Red Seal Mechanic and I still sometimes YT something that I'm not familiar with before doing it.

[Justfishin73]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Brake fluid will strip paint, so its not ideal to be using right next to paint. I've used the 3M headlight polishing kits with a polishing compound and the drill attachments for the applicator. Keep moving it around so as not to overheat a spot which could wind up misshaping the lens.

After screwing up trying to do this, dealer did it for $60, like new

[Hiwa]

Put a bike inner tube around the chain on the storm door . ( slip it over after estimating length)
No more banging of the chain on the glass.