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Since making improvements to my garage a few years ago, we've noticed a crack in the ceiling that has grown to stretch from the garage door to the back wall!
Steph decided it was time to investigate why it was happening. She contacted Gary, a good friend of hers that has professional drywall experience to help her troubleshoot the problem. With Gary's assistance, she was able to determine why the crack was getting worse, stabilized the problem, and then repaired the cracked drywall.
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Steph is continually on the lookout for new products that easily solve a simple problem. This screen patch is one of those products.
The very first Mother Daughter Projects DIY video and post was re-screening Steph's porch screen. That was almost six years ago and in all that time, the screening never required a repair, well, that is until after Tosh joined the household back in November! Tosh is a retired racing greyhound. There is a bit of a learning curve as the retired racers learn about doors and windows and all things house related. In Tosh's case, she didn't "see" the screen door and ended up putting a small hole in it. Actually, Steph was a bit excited as she could finally try out this new screen patch kit!
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We had some very thoughtful and helpful comments posted our video about the resin shed assembly. We though a couple of the comments had merit so we decided to implement them.
Here's what we did to improve the shed based on viewer comments.
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One of the most frequent asked questions about the enclosed fan we installed in Steph's office (and in my sewing room) is "How do you clean the blades?"
Since Steph doesn't really clean, she's more of a tidier, cleaning the blades hasn't seem to be a priority for her! But since the question was asked, she set about to show you how it is done. text by Vicki Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! It doesn't happen very often, but we sometimes have to revisit a project. This time, we had to tweak the PVC pipe gate due to damage it sustained.
With few exceptions, there are very few unannounced visitors to Steph's backyard, but recently there have been a few neighbors back there. It was nothing bad, they had come into the yard to look for their cat. Unfortunately, the gate was broken in the process. You see, the gate opens inward, but the neighbors pulled it out causing damage. The damage was extensive enough that we had to take it down to make repairs.
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It's been a year since we first used the 30% vinegar/salt/dishwashing soap solution, but the weeds were back. Are they new weeds or ones that were not killed the first time around? We don't really know, but we do know, that in a couple of areas the weed growth has been effectively stunted since the first application.
That first post has been extremely popular and has generated so many comments and questions. In this video/post, we answer some of those questions. Here's part 2 of using this method.
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Yeah, that title expresses truth about Steph's floor. Yes, she's spot cleaned because she is not a total cavewoman, but mopping the entire floor has never been on her to-do list! The greyhound living at Steph's house pushed the need for daily cleaning because shed and drool happens!
Hoover sent us four different ONEPWR cleaning tools recently. We used three in a previous video, but felt the ONEPWR floor cleaner warranted its own closer look video. The floor cleaner, we felt, would be the perfect tool to help Steph manage the care and cleaning of her floors. Take a look at this cordless cleaning machine.
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This post is sponsored by Hoover. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Steph and I were introduced to the Hoover ONEPWR system at a conference in the summer of 2019. The bandana wearing puppies in the booth drew us in, but it was the ONEPWR system that kept us intrigued.
After yet another frustrating experience with my corded, heavy vac, I said enough is enough and purchased a ONEPWR stick vac last fall. I kicked that old vac literally to the curb and haven't looked back! When Hoover asked us to showcase some of their newest pet products, we said 'yes' without any hesitation. My experience with the stick vac has been positive and I was sure we'd find the same ease of use and quality with these products. Follow along as we share our experience with these tools and how Hoover has helped us to "simplify pet life" which is sorely needed as Steph is the pet parent of Mac, the greyhound, who does shed---a lot!
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Like many have done during this season of COVID-19, we have been cooking all our meals at Steph's house. Her oven, which is 16+ years old, has been getting a workout. While baking bacon for our favorite BLT sandwich, we realized the oven was on but not getting hot enough to cook. It was then we realized the oven bake element had failed and lunch was going to be late!
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
With lots of time spent at home because of the lockdown plus beautiful, mild spring weather, Steph and I have been busy checking off a lot of maintenance projects that had been put off far too long!
Luckily, many of the tools we received for this quarter's The Home Depot ProSpective tool campaign to use and review lent themselves to our outdoor home maintenance projects. The most versatile of the bunch was a 23 foot multi-positional ladder by Gorilla Ladder. We've purchased many Gorilla Ladders products over the years so it came as no surprise, that we were expecting great things from it! We put together an entire video just to showcase all the things it can do. We used it to install a new garage lighting fixture, clean the screen porch inside and out, clean out the gutters and try out the scaffolding feature to clean the tallest windows at Steph's house. It did not disappoint. I should point out that we have a love/hate relationship with ladders, especially the really tall ones. We learned that we both are afraid of heights while painting the house when neither of us could go past the sixth rung of an extension ladder. We finished that painting trim work with a creative brush we safely used from the ground! Anyway, if you are looking for a ladder that feels secure, this is the one. Order online at The Home Depot and pick up curbside! It's a super convenient way to shop! Read on to see what other tools we used to clean, maintain, and to make improvements at Steph's house.
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With the increased use of fabric and medical masks, the need for ear savers has grown. Ear savers are most often worn by health professionals to ease the discomfort of wearing a mask for a long time. As the general population adopts the use of masks for every day use, we all could benefit from these simple little devices.
In the workshop, we we've been wearing masks for years. We tend to take them off as soon as possible because they can be uncomfortable so we wanted a couple of these for ourselves and to giveaway. In April 2020, Cricut added three sizes of ear protectors to Cricut Design Space. They are free, but they did not offer up a tutorial on how to actually use the pattern. Steph found a way to use the file, and we found an inexpensive, readily available resource from which to make them.
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We've been on a cleaning streak these past few weeks since we've had so much time at home and because the weather has been amazing!
Part of the porch clean up was a little maintenance on the sliding glass door. If you have one and it's not moving as well as it once did, it probably needs a bit of cleaning and lubricating. More than likely, you already have what you need in your supplies.
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Over the years, we've used Wet & Forget on the siding at Steph's house. We've used a variety of applications methods with varying success. In this video, we try another method that we think is the best, most efficient way to apply Wet & Forget. Check out what we used and the results six months later.
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So, here we are, five year later in the same space where we started! Five years ago we posted our first video on March 28, where we shared how to re-screen Steph's porch. This time around, we are cleaning those screens, which since it's been five years, are REALLY dirty!
Follow along as we share the simple method we used, as well as the star of this episode, our new multi-positional ladder! text by Vicki Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! Sometimes you just NEED to call in a professional!
That's just what we did when we needed all the tile cleaned at my house. The tile has been down eight years and the thing I like about it is also what makes it so difficult to clean. This tile, which I would NEVER, EVER recommend has a lot of texture and that texture traps a lot of dirt that only comes clean with a lot of tedious cleaning. I don't know if you've notice, but I'm at an age where getting down on the floor to clean is just not going to happen! About six months ago someone I follow on Facebook recommended his brother-in-law's new carpet/tile cleaning business. I tucked that information away and when we needed to find a cleaner for carpets at my son's house, I called Silver Lining Carpet Care and Restoration, which was the recommendation. Robert Johnson, the owner, did such a great job on the carpets, that I scheduled an appointment to clean the floors at my house.
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This project was born out of frustration! While putting away my Christmas crate display, I realized some of the fiberfil "snow" I used had stuck to the top. It was time to do something!
I purchased this cabinet and the matching dining room table and chairs from Craigslist. I didn't really want this piece but the seller offered it to me for an additional $100, which is a steal for a vintage mid-century modern piece, so I bought it. I don't regret buying it as I do like it, but the table top finish has always been sticky. I've actually tried all kinds of methods to clean it--mineral spirts, soap and water, Krud Kutter, Restor-A-Finish, etc. Nothing worked! So, I searched the internet for a solution. I found this article which inspired me to try using acetone. When I did the test to check what kind of finish was on the top, I realized the acetone worked to clean it and didn't seem to damage the wood. That's why I decided to try using acetone on the entire top. Just a word of caution. Acetone will take the finish off your furniture. Anyone who has spilled fingernail polish remover can attest to that fact. Back when Steph was in elementary school, she did just that when a tiny bit of remover spilled on our dining room table. The remover left a quarter size spot where it ate clear through the poly finish on the table! There is no way to fix that other than to completely refinish the table which we never did. If your furniture has a poly finish on it, this is probably not the repair for you. I don't know for sure, but I think this acetone method worked was because there was no finish other than perhaps some kind of oil on the wood. I just want you to be careful because you can damage the finish on your piece with this method.
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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.
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 cleaning that needs to be done on a regular basis in the shower. After some research, she found the Wet & Forget Shower Spray 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!
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
There's a small patch of concrete in my driveway that was broken a few years ago from a falling tree. It's on the edge, so it's not a big deal, thus a repair was not high on the list of DIY projects.
With the arrival of a Bosch self-sharpening wide chisel in this quarter's shipment of The Home Depot ProSpective tools, we knew it was time to make the repair. We got a Bosch hammer drill in the first year of the program so with the new chisel and hammer drill we were ready to break up some concrete! Follow along as we made our very first concrete repair.
A little deferred maintenance was causing the sink in Steph's bathroom not to drain. The resulting standing water was becoming a nuisance! Time for a good cleaning!
Most of our projects are planned out, weeks or months in advance, and we complete them as scheduled. And then there are projects that we do right away because life happens! This is one of those projects!
A few weeks ago, the flushing handle on my toilet broke! As you may know, you can still flush the toilet by taking the lid off and physically pulling the lever up. Well, I did that a few times and then I realized I needed to take a trip to Home Depot to see if I could find a replacement. To my surprise, this is a fast and easy toilet repair, and under $6!
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. THD provided the Bosch bits used in this project.
If I asked you what home maintenance problem you have put off, I would venture a guess that probably 100% of you would immediately name one or more items! We all have them (those little pesky issues, we think that are going to be hard) that we need to get done so we can check them off the to-do list!
The replacement of the flag on Steph's mailbox was her small, but difficult seeming problem. You know, "how do you drill into brick?" It was kind of embarrassing, her sad rusted and dull flag on the mailbox. Definitely a home maintenance issue that needed to be fixed. When we got these Bosch drill bits, that can drill into all kind of material including brick, we knew we could finally take care of replacing that flag! |