Today’s Homeowner Radio Show Podcast | October 29, 2022

Today’s Homeowner Radio Show Podcast | October 29, 2022

Split image of White stair spindles with wood railing and treads and fabric blinds
This 7 days, hear a tip for replacing stair spindles and master how to thoroughly clean fabric blinds. (EricVega, Getty Illustrations or photos Signature/Adobe Inventory)


Hour 1

Find out a take care of for squeaky floors, moreover how to clean cloth blinds and whirlpool jets.

Take care of for Squeaky Floors

Brown laminate floor with couch and end tables in background
If your floors are squeaky, you will need to examine the joists beneath them to make certain there’s no space to build friction. (Eduardocruzphoto, Getty Photographs)

Ryan’s noisy flooring in his Illinois household are turning into a challenge for his wife, who’s an RN who functions nights and sleeps for the duration of the day.  

“Almost all over the place you stage it is creaking and squeaking, and it carries throughout the property,” he claims.

He desires to know if there’s a remedy to correct the floors without having removing them. The floors are quite new floating luxury vinyl plank installed more than a completely completed basement with a drop ceiling. 

The squeaking audio is a outcome of friction, supplies rubbing with each other. The secret is irrespective of whether the sound is coming from the floor or the subfloor beneath. 

We suspect the squeaking is coming from the house where by the subfloor satisfies the flooring joists. Every time putting down a new ground, usually screw down the subfloor to protect against this squeaking.

The excellent news is Ryan has access to the subfloor from beneath. 

To resolve this, go into the basement and have a person wander on the flooring above so you can see wherever the squeaking is coming from. Then, acquire a picket shim, smear some wood glue on it, and tap it into the joint among the major of the joist and the underside of the plywood subfloor. 

Don’t travel the shim in mainly because it will elevate the flooring. Just tap it in enough to fill the area so the plywood doesn’t bounce up and down. 

Attempt this in just one or two locations to see if it operates. You will know pretty much right away.


How to Clear Fabric Blinds

Material blinds insulate your windows, but they require exclusive care to clean. (Adobe Inventory)

Marjorie in Pennsylvania has many tailor made-designed cloth blinds in her property that require cleaning. 

She asks, “Is there an effortless, safe way to clean up these blinds? They ended up pretty high-priced and I really don’t want to spoil them.” 

We know it’s a agony to get them down, but the finest way to clear them is to consider them down and soak them in a bathtub. Use a combination of heat water, oxygen bleach and Woolite. Oxygen bleach won’t bleach out the color.

Evenly scrub them with a gentle bristle brush and hold them up to dry, preferably outside the house so the sun can enable with the drying system. They’ll drain a great deal of drinking water just before they are eventually dry. 

If you just cannot acquire them down, spray them with rug and upholstery cleaner. Spray it on, enable it dry, then vacuum the blinds. 


How to Clean up Whirlpool Jets

closeup of water jet in whirlpool tub
Mould and mildew can build up in Whirlpool jets on a shut-loop method. (amriphoto, Getty Images Signature)

Just about every time Stephanie in Indiana turns on the jets in her Whirlpool tub, black things will come out. 

“I have attempted anything. I have attempted vinegar, bleach, and blowing out the jets so they are empty, but absolutely nothing is effective. What would you propose?” she asks.

These Whirlpool jets are likely on a closed-loop method, which usually means that they won’t drain out totally when the tub is turned off. As a outcome, the h2o stays in the loops in the line, and mildew will expand since it is darkish and damp in there.

Try out this technique to cleanse them:

  • Fill the tub with sizzling h2o (the hottest you can perhaps get) 2 inches higher than the best jet
  • Increase a fifty percent-gallon of distilled white vinegar
  • Run the jets at the optimum speed for 15-20 minutes. This circulates the vinegar water by the jets
  • Drain the tub, then refill it with chilly water (no vinegar)
  • Run the jets for another 10-15 minutes

Dependent on how considerably developed-up mildew is in the jets, you may possibly want to repeat this course of action two or three instances.

If this does not work, contact the maker and see if they have a business product or service that they advocate. 



Hour 2

Pay attention to a hardly ever-ahead of-heard Easy Option, a idea for replacing stair spindles and additional.


Simple Solution for Catching Wood Chips

Split image of sawdust texture on dark background and upside down umbrella
When drilling huge holes, dangle an umbrella upside down to catch the wood chips. (Marco Livolsi/photopal, Getty Pictures)

Trent in Vermont is functioning a new electrical cable throughout his basement, a overall length of just about 40 ft. That means drilling extra than two dozen 5/8-inch-diameter holes by way of the uncovered ground joists in the basement ceiling. 

“Do you men have a straightforward answer for catching all the wood chips? If not, it is likely to be a serious agony to clear up”

Of class, you can use a fall fabric to catch the wooden chips, but you however operate the possibility of people wood chips spreading in all places when transferring it across the 40-foot span. You can also have someone observe you with the shop vac as you drill. 

But what if you are working by yourself? Here’s Joe’s Straightforward Solution: 

Dangle a tiny travel umbrella upside down from the joist that you’re drilling into. Safe it to the joist with a cable staple, nail or screw, so it’s directly beneath the place you’re drilling. 

The umbrella will catch the wood chips as you are drilling, and you can easily dump the chips at the time the umbrella is full. 


Changing Stair Spindles

White stair spindles with wood railing and treads
If the dowel joints are limited and you use the ideal interior glue, you really don’t have to use finish nails to protected spindles.  (EricVega, Getty Photos Signature)

Sal from New Jersey is updating the stairs in his house to get rid of the carpeted treads and dated spindles. 

“I’ve bought new oak treads in position and the handrails are subsequent. My query is about the spindles. They’re dowelled at the leading and base so I assume they should really be glued, but do I need to strengthen that with finish nails as well?” he asks.

Some individuals do Sal, but if the dowel joints are tight and you use the correct interior glue, you should not have to. 

The benefit to applying glue only is that there are no nail holes to fill so I would advocate using Titebond First Wood Glue. This things speedily builds a bond stronger than the wood by itself. 

Squirt a very little into the holes in the rail and treads, then use a small brush to unfold some all over on the dowel finishes of every spindle. When you get 15 or 20 spindles glued into the handrail and the oak treads, the entire rail method will be super strong and you will not have to fill nail holes or touch up paint.


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Straightforward Methods

Wood fascia boards can rot if rainwater drips at the rear of the gutters. (3 Echoes Articles Studio)

Conserve Fascia Board — If the wood fascia boards on your house are dealing with blistered paint, h2o staining or rot, it is normally because rainwater working off the roof is dripping driving the gutters.

Correct this by slipping a 3/8-inch-thick by 3/4-inch-broad strip of PT wooden, or improved yet, a strip of composite or plastic lumber guiding the current steel drip edge. That will kick out the drip edge and divert rainwater into the gutter, not down the encounter of fascia. 

Wood cutting board with whole lemon and slices and knife
Simply because lemons are acidic, they can destroy germs, mould and germs. (Tina Hsu, corelens)

Cleanse and Disinfect Cutting Boards — Minimize a lemon in 50 % crosswise, and sprinkle coarse Kosher salt on to the cutting board. Then, use the reduce facet of the lemon to scrub the salt into the slicing board.

Scrub for 2-3 minutes, introducing much more salt, if needed. Wipe the board cleanse and let it dry overnight.

If it is a wooden chopping board, address it with foods-quality mineral oil (not vegetable oil) or butcher-block oil manufactured specially for wood.

Look at: How to Clear and Disinfect a Wood Reducing Board


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