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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

It's finally cooling off here in Florida making it less miserable to work outside. My patio is long overdue for cleaning and for a little makeover.

Just keeping it real--that IS the actual condition of my back patio--it's not a place anyone would want to spend time. But, fall means we can actually sit outside, so let the cleaning begin!

Steph's backyard is basically nothing but pea gravel and pavers, with absolutely no grass. It was this way when she moved in. Because it is so shady back there, grass is really not an option. What does grow back there are weeds and lots of them!

It's been a particularly healthy growing season for weeds this summer. It would be impossible to pull all of them so we started to look for a chemical way to kill them.

We wanted to steer clear of treatments such as Round-Up, due to the potential danger to Mac, Steph's dog, should she eat one of the poisoned weeds. We investigated natural methods and came across a method using vinegar. 

Caution: To be clear, we do not know if this method is safe for animals. We do know from research that using the vinegar and salt formula will leave the dirt on which it is used sterile. That is, nothing is going to grow there in the future. So, for example, you wouldn't use it to clear out weeds in a garden and then go back and plant vegetables and expect them to grow. 

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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

If you want to make a big impact in the look of your shower or bathtub, refreshing the caulk is the project for you! Caulk is the white stuff, or at least it starts out white, that is put between surfaces to keep out water. You'll most likely find it wherever two different materials touch each other like the tub and the tile. 

This caulk is very susceptible to mold and mildew, and eventually discolors to the point where it can no longer be cleaned and does degrade over time. If you experience any of these issues, it's time to re-caulk!

The caulk in Steph's shower is probably 25 years old--it was time for a refresh! Take a look at how we tackled this DIY friendly project. 

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This is the third Wet & Forget product that we've tried. Since we had good results with the outdoor cleaners, we decided to head inside the house to see if the Wet & Forget shower product would work equally as well. 

Steph does not like to clean--well, does anyone really like to clean? She's been looking for something that would minimize the amount of shower cleaning that needs to be done on a regular basis. After some research, she found the Wet & Forget shower product and has been using it for a year now. 

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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Who out there has ever used a soldering gun or iron? As a 4-H member back in the early seventies, I made my area of focus electricity projects rather than the traditional clothing projects like most of the girls. I was a rebelled in my youth! Well, sort of one. 

In my electricity projects, I had  many occasions to use a soldering iron. I only had a few hand tools back then and that was one of them. They all fit easily into a VERY small tool box! 

I was probably more excited to get this new Ryobi solder station than maybe most folks! I love how Ryobi has brought it into the 21st century with battery powered portability. I also like the built in safety features--the holder and the indicator lights to help mitigate accidental burning. 

We used the solder station to make a repair on a backyard light. You'll need to watch near the video to see what I thought of doing this project!