Housekeeping How-Tos

How To: Use Diatomaceous Earth to kill bed bugs in your home

There's a new way to kill bed bugs and it's with Diatomaceous Earth - a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. Get those bed bugs out of your home with help from this video presented by Canada Bedbugs on how to get rid of those trespassing pests!

How To: Kill bed bugs with Diatomaceous Earth

Have a sneaking suspicion that bed bugs are sneaking around house? Unfortunately, bed bugs is a common problem amongst households and it's even more common to have trouble getting them to leave! In this video presented by Bed Bug Central, learn how to kill bed bugs by using Diatomaceous Earth - a naturally occurring, soft sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white powder.

How To: Clean items with bed bugs you can't put in a washer

Do you have bed bugs hiding throughout the home? If they've gone from your blankets and bedding to say, you're child's toys... you might be a tad clueless as to how about cleaning items you can't throw in a washing machine. In this video presented by Bed Bug Central, learn how to clean those items with bed bugs you can't throw in a washer.

How To: Easily organize your wallet

It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman, but organizing a wallet is an important task for your daily life. Besides the fact that it is your main storage area for cash and credit, but it can also contain information about who you are and what it is you do. So in this helpful tutorial, find out how to keep your wallet nice and organized so when people see you, the first word that doesn't come to mind is messy. Enjoy!

How To: Detect bed bugs inexpensively

Do you have an suspicion that your bed and home is being taken over by bed bugs? Are you waking up with small bites on your legs and arms? In this video, learn how to detect bed bugs in your home, the inexpensive way, with help from this video presented by Ask the Exterminator.

How To: Kill bed bugs by applying dusts

Are you suffering from bed bugs? Does "goodnight... don't let the bed bugs bite" hit closer to home these days? In this video from Bed Bug Central, learn about one technique to try and get rid of those pesky bed bugs: By using dusts.

How To: Organize your kitchen pantry

Is your kitchen pantry cluttered and disorganized? Do you have spices and boxed foods that are decades old? It's time to clean house. Insightful Nana shows you ways to organize your cluttered kitchen pantry with the help of a professional organizer from Harmony Within. Use the stack organizing method to get your pantry lookng together and organized.

How To: Unclutter your kitchen

Is your kitchen out of control cluttered? Do you have paper work, utensils, and junk mail scattered in the one room in your house that should act as your sustenance sanctuary? In this episode of Real Women Scrap, the hub of every household is attacked as well as other ways to unclutter your kitchen.

How To: Dry your sports shoes fast

It's a bummer when your running or playing basketball and all of a sudden it begins to rain. Now you may not feel harmed, but one thing the rain can hurt is your shoes. Enough water can have them out of commission for some time and make it difficult to wear. Now drying them in a dryer may seem like an obvious choice, but there are a lot of disadvantages to doing that. The best choice? Use a fan! This tutorial will show you how to dry your shoes fast. Enjoy! Dry your sports shoes fast.

How To: Install a slatwall shelving system

Using wall space to store and organize items can keep your home nice and tidy. It's especially helpful for keeping your garage nice and clean too. This tutorial will give you the know how to installing a slatwall shelving unit. There are many different products that can be used to customize the space and is perfect for storing tools and other items. So check it out and good luck! Install a slatwall shelving system.

How To: Protect your non-stick cookware

Non-stick cookware is a great way to cook and not have to deal with foods that stick to regular pans or deal with the cleaning up after cooking. A few rules to keep in mind are to not preheat a non-stick pan and do not use a heat level above medium. If you break or damage the surface of the pan, it could cause more damage than you think. There have been reports where you could develop flu-like symptoms just from cooking with a bad pan.

How To: Cook with concentrated orange juice

Using frozen concentrated orange juice to cook with is a great way to add vitamin C to your meal and you can marinate your meat with it. By using the frozen juice it helps you save money and space in your freezer. Not only can you use it for meats, you can make desserts and use them with your veggies.

How To: Make your detergent and your money last

If you have done hundreds of loads of laundry you might be in a habit of not measuring your detergent and just pouring it into your washing mashing. Although you may think you are taking a short cut, you might be causing more damage than you think. You could end up with too much detergent in your load and have residue on your clothes and even have detergent build-up in your machine, which can be more costly in the future. There are many ways to improve your laundry technique, some even have a...

How To: Organize Your Home with Kids

One of the most difficult things about owning a home is being consistent with how you organize things around the house. Some have perfected and see it as a science, others have a hard time putting things in the right place and that can lead to confusion. When you have kids, organizing your home is especially important since nobody wants a cluttered home with unsafe items laying about. This tutorial shows you how to organize your home with kids. Enjoy!

How To: Make homemade laundry detergent with 3 ingredients

This video shows how to make homemade laundry detergent with three ingredients. There are three ingredients required. The first is soap. The demonstrator recommends natural laundry soap which can be bought at a grocery store. The second ingredient is washing soda. Washing soda is not the same as baking soda, though some people have used baking soda successfully. Washing soda is recommended, however. The last ingredient is Borax, which can be found in most stores. To make the laundry soap mix ...

How To: Make homemade laundry powder/detergent

This video is a demonstration of how to make environmentally-friendly homemade laundry detergent. This recipe uses soap flakes, soda crystals, and borax substitute. You may also add oxy-action bleach if you like. Put half the back of soda crystals (500g) into a container, or more if you have hard water. Add a 500g pack of borax substitute and 2 tablespoons of soap flakes. If you like, add 2 tablespoons of oxygen bleach. Put the lid on the container and shake it up. This laundry detergent must...

How To: Detect bed bugs with tape

Rick Steinow shows how to detect bedbugs using tape. Rick shows that obvious signs would be fecal matter and blood stains. If you're still unable to detect bed bugs, you can purchase a roll of double-sided carpet tape. You're also going to need a roll of painters tape. Apply a strip of the double-sided tape all the way around the mattress. Place another strip of tape around the head board. Make sure to add a strip of painters tape first when doing the headboard. You'll do this because the dou...

How To: Make your own laundry soap at home

In this video, we learn how to make homemade laundry soap! To do this you will need: one bar of ivory or handmade lye soap, borax and washing soda. First, grate your bar of soap and place into a large plastic container. Next, add 1/2 cup of Borax to your shredded soap followed by 1/2 cup of washing soda. Now you will need to mix this thoroughly, making sure everything is well combined. Now put this into a container with a lid on it and store for future use. You will use one tablespoon per loa...

How To: Clean a microwave using only cheap, green products

The instructor shows us how to clean a microwave using green products in this video. First, take a microwave safe dish and pour some white vinegar into it. You will want to cover about 1 inch of the dish. Once in the microwave, turn on for around 2 minutes and remove the dish. Now, you take a wet wash clothe and rub ivory soap all over it. You can now clean the inside of your dirty microwave with the soapy clothe. Make sure once you're done scrubbing, you take a clean wash clothe and wipe all...

How To: Get candle wax out of your carpet

Want to remove dried wax from a carpet? You'll need four items: a white towel, a regular electric iron, a carpet cleaning solution and a hot-water extraction machine. For a complete, step-by-step demonstration of how to remove pesky paraffin wax stains from your own carpet, watch this free housekeeping video tutorial.

How To: Make homemade liquid laundry detergent

In order to make Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent, you will need the following materials: A dutch oven or a large pot, a grater, a spoon, ¬O cup of Borax, ¬O cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, a bowl, a measuring cup, 3-5 gallon cleaning bucket, empty plastic detergent bottles, and Fels-Naptha soap or Ivory bar soap (grated).

How To: Iron a dress or sport shirt

Need to iron a shirt for an important occasion? Smooth out your ironing technique with this housekeeper's how-to, which demonstrates the proper technique for pressing a men's dress or sport shirt using an electric iron and ironing board. For more information, including a step-by-step breakdown of the process, watch this free video tutorial.

How To: Wash exterior windows

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to wash exterior windows. Get your window bucket with Dawn dish soap and water. Use your house brooms to remove cobwebs and dust from the windows. You will also need the utility belt with window applicator and squeegee. Couple of cloth pieces, plastic scrapper, steel wool and razor blades will also be needed for removing paint and other hard, sticky stuff. Dust off with the broom. Apply the solution with the applicator. Wipe off near the...

How To: Sterilize a Toothbrush to Remove Germs

Did you know germs can travel pretty far? If you store your toothbrush in the bathroom like almost everyone does, you may need to give it a good wash now and again. In this tutorial, learn how to remove germs from your toothbrush, and stay healthier. This video will show you how to use common, natural household items to clean your brush instead of harmful chemicals.

How To: Quickly fix a skipping DVD with toothpaste

How annoying is a skipping DVD? Picture it: you're in the middle of your favorite flick, and suddenly the characters freeze and seemingly melt away right before your eyes. Sure, you can skip ahead and start watching again at another point in the film, but that's no fun. And it always seems like the disc skips at the best part, doesn't it? Well, this tutorial will show you how to do a quick fix with a tube of toothpaste. It's not just for your pearly whites anymore!

How To: Fix skipping discs

The Easy Pro home use disc fixing machine is a new way to fix old scratched discs. Everyone has a messed up old CD, DVD or game disc that is in need of some serious repair. Watch this tutorial and find out how to fix that disc you thought was a lost cause.

How To: Remove permanent marker easily with orange peels

This video shows viewers how to use orange peels to remove permanent marker from surfaces. Use a small piece of an orange peel for this. To begin, massage the skin (outer layer) of the orange peel. This will cause the oils in the skin to rise to the surface. Once you have massaged it enough, rub the orange peel over the marker stain. Keep rubbing until the marker is entirely gone, or only faint stains are left. It may take a couple of tries, but the stain will usually be entirely removed. In ...

How To: Easily clean silver and coins

Redneck Productions teaches viewers how to clean silver and coins. This shows you how to clean coins with electricity! This process is good because you do not have to rub or scratch your coins and silver in the process. First you will need to get a battery (AA) and wire. Connect the battery and wire with the wire connected to each side of the battery. Next, you will need to get a plastic Tupperware dish. In this dish mix the solution of equal parts baking soda and Iodized salt and mix this in...

How To: Remove marker from of a compact disc safely

This video shows viewers how to remove permanent marker from the top of a compact disc without damaging it. In order to do this, you will need some hand sanitizing gel and some facial tissues. Apply some gel onto the marks you want to remove by squeezing the gel out from the bottle. Rub the gel in a bit with your fingers. Take a facial tissue and wipe it gently around the CD, using it to remove the gel and the marker from the top of the CD. The marker will now be entirely removed from the top...

How To: Wash your windows with a mop and squeegee like a pro

This video shows how to wash your windows with a mop and squeegee like a pro.This process includes the following steps,Step 1Take a bucket and a mop.Step 2Fill water in the bucket and put the mop in the bucket to wet it.Step 3Take some liquid soap and apply it on the mop and then clean the windows with this mop.Step 4Now rinse the mop in the bucket and squeeze it well so that the soap is drained out of it.Step 5Now clean the windows with this mop, rinse the mop in water again and squeeze it.S...

How To: Install gutter guards for less mess

In this tutorial, we learn how to install a gutter guard. First, clean out your gutters of any rocks or leaves that may be inside of them. Next, gran the gutter guard and place it between your roof and the gutter. Gutter guard is a mesh type of metal that is flexible and easy to use. Now, take your gutter guard and place it on a long and thin piece of wood so it gets to be the same shape as the wood. Now, take the gutter guard and place it into your gutter. This is a great way to keep your gu...

How To: Remove permanent marker stains from a whiteboard

In this how-to video, you will learn how to remove permanent marker sharpie marks off a whiteboard. This is useful if someone accidentally used one on the dry erase board. To erase the marks, you will need a regular dry erase marker. Color over the top of the permanent marker thoroughly with the dry erase marker. Next, take a rag and wipe the marks off the board. Both markers will come off easily. The color of the markers do not matter at all. This video shows you a simple way to deal with th...

How To: Remove permanent marker stains with toothpaste

This shows viewers how to remove permanent marker stains using toothpaste. First, you will want to do this in a bathroom or kitchen. Fill up a cup just barely with water. This should only be about 1 cm deep or full in the cup. Next, you will need to different kinds of toothpaste, preferably one a gel and another the average paste. Now, put the toothpaste into the cup, about quarter size, and use your finger or any tool to mix this with the water. Next, you'll want to put this mixture onto the...

How To: Thoroughly clean tile grout

In this video Rich explains how to maintain a grout and tile floor. He uses a chemical cleaner which he describes as a "grout-smart type product." For regular maintenance of the floor Rich recommends using only 1oz of the product per gallon of warm water but for really badly stained floors using up to 12oz per gallon of warm water. Rich mixes the chemical into his water then applies the mixture to the tile using an ordinary deck scrubber, he then uses an angled scrubber which has bristles tha...

How To: Clean your own inside windows

In this video, David teaches us how to clean the inside of windows easily and quickly. You don't need fancy tools, all you need is a terry cloth towel, a squeegee and dish washing detergent. First, put a little bit of the soap into a bucket and wash down the windows. Next, take a squeegee and wipe horizontally making clean lines. The excess water should drip down and you will catch it with your next squeegee wipe. If you have extra wetness on the edges, grab an old t-shirt and wipe the sides ...