Housekeeping How-Tos
How To: Fold a fitted sheet like a pro
Fitted sheets can be quite a hassle if you are unsure how to tame the elastic edging and odd form. Cure Wrinkles, with Erin Bried, teaches you how to fold a fitted sheet correctly. Start by having the sheet inside out and place one hand in one of the corners and the other hand in the corner closet to the first corner. Then put one of your corners into the other corner so that one hand has two corners and the other is free. Watch the rest of the video to learn how to turn that clump of a sheet...
How To: Make an all-natural dryer ball from yarn
Tired of static cling? You can make your very own dryer balls that will prevent your clothes from having static clean and it only takes some yarn and pantyhose. You can even make scented dryer balls using this method.
How To: Wash pillows
Remove all those dust mites and pet dander from your pillows on a regular basis with a good wash in hot water. Pillows can be a little trickier to wash than other linens so keep you pillows fresh and new by following proper washing instructions.
How To: Fold a clean fitted sheet
Are you tired of your bed sheets looking like a crumpled mess? How does something this simple turn into something so difficult to achieve properly? Learn how to fold your bed linens neatly and without unsightly creases. The easy to understand video will turn you into a household ace! It will show you secrets to the easiest and most painless ways to keep your bed linens neat, folded, and organized, without tearing your hair out! Learn how to tame the largest sheets with ease. You’ll always hav...
How To: Remove stains with strong solvents
In this video Wally Makowsky from Coin Laundry Association shows you how to remove stains with strong solvents. Drop off laundry services use various strong solvents for cleaning stains but Wally Makowsky gives two recommendations. One is Laundry Wetspo which is an excellent general solvent. It can remove lipstick, paint, shoe polish, inks and regular food stains. The other recommendation is yellow go laundry which removes similar stains. Out of the two recommended methods, Laundry Wetspo is ...
How To: Clean your dirty tile grout
Dominick from AskMeDiy demonstrates what he says is the right way, and the easy way, to clean your tile grout.
How To: Organize a linen closet at home
The following are the steps to be followed to organize a linen closet: 1. First, you need to clear a work space. This works really well because you need to remove the contents from the linen closet.
How To: Sharpen kitchen shears
It’s frustrating trying to cut with a pair of dull scissors. Make sure you have a good time in the kitchen by sharpening your shears. Just stack several pieces of aluminum foil and cut through them with your scissors to get those blades sharp.
How To: Clean your gutters
Removing the gunk from a gutter but with proper methodically will ensure a clean job and keep you safe while doing activity on top of a ladder. Don’t let this chore get you down, with a little work you’ll have free flowing gutters all season.
How To: Organize and declutter your closet
Solutionsbyscott teaches you how to organize and declutter your closet. You start out by taking all of your clothes out of the closet first. You then place them in piles of things you wear daily, things you only wear sometimes and things you don't need anymore. You have to be honest in order to make room in your closet. Now you only have one horizontal pole for hanging clothes. To make more room you elevate the first pole and add a second one. Now you have doubled the space in your original c...
How To: Clean artificial flowers
Artificial flowers are a wonderful way to add joy and color to your home without the cost or mess of freshly cut flowers. They don’t need to be watered but they can get dusty. Keep your artificial flowers shining brightly with this simple trick.
How To: Organize your garage
This video demonstrates the process for organizing your garage. The video interviews an employee from The Container Store which offers organizational products for every room in the house. They stress that organizing a garage is not a one day project. The Container Store recommends taking three full weekends to organize a garage, start out by focusing on one wall at a time. Labeling is a big part of The Container Store's organizational plan, everything has its own place with a label. The label...
How To: Fold a fitted sheet for neater storage
This video is a crash course presented by Murphy, Sam and Jodi on how to fold a fitted sheet for neater storage. The guy presenting the video picks up a fitted sheet and shows you how your fitted sheet usually ends up - like a ball in your closet. He then takes you through the steps to fold it neatly. First you have to take the long side of the sheet and put your hands inside the cover on the sheet edges. Next, stretch your hands with the plain side of the sheet facing outside. When you have ...
How To: Create furniture polish from scratch
This video describes how to make a cheap and effective furniture polish from scratch. To start, you should find some sort of dispenser to put the polish in. The video suggests an oil and vinegar dispenser because it works effectively with the furniture polish. Put a funnel in the container to make pouring easier, and add 1/4 cup of organic olive oil (make sure it is organic for cleaning). Then add 1/4 cup of vinegar and 20-30 drops of essential oil. The olive oil will keep the wood looking ni...
How To: Clean up a cracked egg
Those smooth oval shells just seem to jump right out of your hands. When an egg hits the floor it is a gooey mess but not need to use an entire roll of paper towels trying to pick up the pieces. Cover with salt and the mess and be swept up after only a few minutes.
How To: Folding a traditional fitted sheet like an expert
Ever have trouble folding your sheets perfectly? Well follow along as we are given quick and simple instructions on how to fold a traditional fitted sheet like an expert.
How To: Clean antique porcelain and pottery
Show your antique porcelain and pottery a little TLC. Spruce up your favorite antiques with these safe cleaning techniques. Remove the dirt and let the beauty of porcelain and history shine through. Just because your pottery is old, doesn’t mean in needs to look like it came out of a tomb.
How To: Carry a heavy cardboard box
We can't actually lighten you load but we can make it seem that way. This simple trick of stacking your heavy box on top of an empty box will make it feel lighter. Moving a heavy box is a unpleasant so try this fun trick.
How To: Develop lazy habits that are good for you
Next time you don't want to make your bed, dry the dishes or clean the house there's no need to feel guilty. You may be doing yourself a favor. There are legitimate scientific reasons why some chores aren't always the best health choice.
How To: Clean a couch
No need to go on living one more day with a dirty couch. It's a good idea to thuroughly clearn your couch to remove any seen or unseen dirt. Include a good couch cleaning on your next chore wheel and see if you notice the difference.
How To: Make a bed military-style
Grab your long-handled wooden spoon and let's get to bed making. There is a science in making the immaculate and consistent military-style bed. Use this method at home and know that your making your bed just like soldiers do every day.
How To: Clean a sink drain
A clogged drain is not only an unpleasant but seems to happen at the most inconvenient time. Good thing there is a simple way to unclog most minor stoppages with a few household products. Be your own plumber and keep those drains free and flowing.
How To: Remove stickers
We have all had a sticker stuck on something that just will not come off. No need you scrape all day. Use a handy science trick and apply some heat to loosen up the adhesive and remove that unwanted sticker.
How To: Restore a stainless steel refrigerator with olive oil
Learn how to remove marks from your stainless steel appliances using olive oil. 1 Apply a little bit of olive oil to a clean rag and rub the olive oil all over your stainless steel appliance. 2 Fold the rag in half. Make sure that there is no olive oil on the exposed part of the rag. 3 Pour white vinegar onto the rag. 4 Rub the white vinegar soaked rag onto the appliance to remove the olive oil. 5 Using a clean rag, remove all residue from the appliance and let dry.
How To: Pack hanging clothes and drapes for storage or moving
Here you will learn how to pack clothes and drapes for storage or moving. Follow these easy steps to pack clothes and drapes the right way. Hanging clothing or drapes need to be packed in a standup wardrobe. This box comes with an aluminum bar that spans two sides. Place the wardrobe box near the closet. Secure the bar with packing tape and place clean paper at the bottom of the box. Hang clothing, distributing them evenly. You can also place quilts, and bedspreads on hangers. When you are do...
How To: Get up tough stains using things around the house
Bob Schmidt from Home Remodel Workshop teaches how to remove persistent carpet stains. Clean up the source of the stain as quickly as possible. Once the source of the stain is removed, mix one teaspoon of dish detergent with a cup of hot water. Pour the mixture on the stain. Soak clean rags in a bucket of hot water and place them over the spot. Place a hot iron over the rags and force steam into the carpet.
How To: Prevent Fruit Flies
Fruit flies are an incredible nuisance, as anyone in any warm climate knows all too well. In this video, with Chef Keith Snow of HarvestEating.com, we learn a simple but effective countermeasure against these aggravating little pests. Most successful, he says, is the use of vinegar.
How To: Remove blood stains on carpet
This video is a tutorial on how to remove blood stains on the carpet. The first step is to mix 1 teaspoon of dish detergent with a cup of water in a spray bottle. Spray your mixture on the stain and blot gently with a rag. Be careful not to soak the stain so it doesn't go through to the other side of the carpet. The second step is to mix 1 teaspoon of ammonia with a cup of water in a spray bottle. Once again, spray onto the stain and blot gently until the stain is gone. The third step is to u...
How To: Kill fruit flies
Profisher has a rather unique method of ridding your kitchen of fruit flies. Make sure you start this after you have cleared your countertops of all food. Place any kind of juicy fruit on foil on the open rack of your oven. Leave open overnight. In the morning, close the oven door, set the temperature to 400 degrees and flies will be no more! This can, additionally, be performed in the microwave oven. Set plate of fresh fruit in the open microwave for about an hour. Close the door and set tim...
How To: Organize your closet with tips from Lowe's
This how-to video from Lowe's demonstrates how to install a closet organization system. He explains that the first step is to clean out the closet and take inventory of the items that go in the closet, then choose what type of racks, shelving and bins will work for your space. He explains the options and shows wire and laminate components, and encourages the viewers to take measurements to create a design based on their needs. Using this advice and the materials available at Lowe's, along wit...
How To: Wash & clean your hardwood floors
The best way to clean a hardwood floor is to make sure that you don't use excessive moisture. For the actual process, you should just get a dry mop. You should try to make sure that your hardwood floor never gets wet at all. In the event that someone steps on your floor with their muddy shoes, damp mopping is the way to go about dealing with that. Even if it looks messy, it is better not to douse the floor; the moisture seeps between the cracks in the boards and gets underneath it, doing dama...
How To: Clean your hardwood floors
AskAuntPattie is providing you with some how-to tips when it comes to cleaning your hardwood floors. Use a microfiber pad to dry dust on your floor. There are all different sizes of pads for your needs. You should clean the floor as often as you like. You can test your floor with a mineral smear. Yellow residue is wax finish. Clean smears are polyurethane. If you have a wax floor you should use a base wax. For a polyurethane floor use a type of floor wax from a good company. Go to a place tha...
How To: Prevent fruit flies from entering a compost pail
Using simple materials in most any home, this video provides a novel solution to fruit flies in your compost pail. Composting is a great idea, but if you are not careful, the fruit flies will start to take over and you'll wish you had never started. But this simple idea will keep you composting without the bugs! Starting with a large container from something like a peanut butter jar, you can cut out a large hole and secure a scouring pad to the underside of the lid. Then, place the lid on the...
How To: Pressure or power wash home siding with Lowe's
Back again with another in their great informational series for do it yourselves at home, Lowe's presents this video hosted by Mike Kraft demonstrating how to pressure wash your home's exterior siding. Mike describes in detail the tools, supplies, and steps you will need to take to remove dirt, mildew and mold from your home's exterior. Experienced do it yourselves and beginners alike will appreciate the detail and tips provided in this video, as well as some useful safety tips on using your ...
How To: Get rid of gnats
The method explained in this video is a very simple method to get rid of fruit flies. Materials required for this method are:
How To: Fix a Scratched Disc with Toothpaste
Here's a great homemade remedy to fix that pesky scratched CD, DVD, or game disc. Who knows when that old Rush album you found between the couch cushions might come in handy...
How To: Clean and flush gutters
Cleaning gutters is really not that hard. Get out your ladder and position it so that you can reach the gutters. Start by removing all the big stuff such as twigs and bigger sticks that have gotten into the gutter. These bigger items can be removed with your hands. What is left can be pretty yucky? There is a mud like substance that is made up of water, decomposing leaves, newer leaves, and smaller sticks that you won't want to touch. So use a scoop made out of a mild container that is cut in...
How To: Remove melted candle wax using heat or cold
This video explains two different ways to remove wax from candles left on furniture. Both heat and cold are used to accomplish the removal of wax. Heat generally from a hair dryer will provide enough heat to remelt the wax without damaging wood furniture. Ice or even a pack of frozen vegetables is suggested when using the cold method since it makes the wax brittle and easy to remove. These are two great ways to remove wax from wooden furniture without damaging the furniture itself.
How To: Make homemade cleaning wipes
Learn how to make your own homemade cleaning wipes and save money with this video tutorial. You will need a roll of paper, 2-3 cups of you favorite cleaner, and a storage container with a lid, a cutting board, and a knife. Cut the paper towel role in half using only one half now. Put the half paper towel roll in the container and soak with the cleaner. Remove the cardboard from the center of the roll and the cleaning wipes will be pulled out from the center of the roll.
How To: Scent your home
This video chronicles various ways to scent your home. First of all, you can use scented candles. However, if you do not wish to constantly burn your candles and would like to avoid the risk of fire, you can use a candle warmer to just warm your candle, which also is effective in spreading the scent. Oil warmers may also be used to heat up scented oils that will fill up and scent your room. Using the many different techniques outlined in this video, you should be sure to create a nice, pleasa...