A freestanding kitchen counter, or a kitchen island, is a benefit in older homes. Many kitchens are not designed to accommodate more than one cook at a time. A freestanding counter allows a second person to make a salad, mix up a batch of cookies, chop vegetables or sit at the counter and visit with the cook. Designing and building your own freestanding counter provides a frugal solution to this common kitchen problem.
Although some old technology isn't practical for modern usage, some methods -- especially cooking methods -- may come in handy during camping trips, bonfires or during an emergency situation. Before gas and electric stoves, people cooked over fires, usually in earthenware clay pots. While time-consuming, cooking in clay isn't complicated as long as you stick to a few key rules.
Cook delicious stews in clay pots over open flames.
Make your own concrete cleaner from water, dish soap, borax and washing soda. These ingredients team up to remove grease, grime and dirt.
Instead of using harsh chemical cleaners to wash up a concrete floor, patio or driveway, make your own safer version from borax, dish soap, washing soda and water. This homemade formula is powerful enough to scrub away basic dirt and grime, as well as lift greasy stains from the concrete.
When you go camping in the woods, take a boat out on the water or roar off for adventure in your recreational vehicle, you may be leaving civilization, but there’s no need to leave all the comforts of home behind—at least not the flush toilet.
Use a Visa Porta Potty 248 when you go camping. One option is the Visa Porta Potty 248, a portable chemical toilet made by Sanitation Equipment, which has been producing toilets for use on land and sea since 1949.
Rust is the process of oxidation--the process in which oxygen and moisture change the composition of metal surfaces, turning them an orange color. Rust can be an irritating and inconvenient occurence, especially when it happens to a useful tool such as a screwdriver. You don't have to throw that screwdriver away.
Things You Will Need + Sandpaper Spray-on rust remover Soaking rust remover Clean rags/cloths Protective rubber gloves Mask and goggles Small tub or container Removing the rust from it is easy.
A quality leatherette has the good look of leather without the high-maintenance requirements for cleaning and preservation. Regular vacuuming and cleaning keep this leather-like vinyl material in top shape. You don't need a specialized vinyl or faux leather cleaner; regular mild soap and water will do.
Things You Will Need + Vacuum cleaner with crevice tool Dust cloth Bowl of warm water Mild dish or hand soap Soft, white hand towels or rags Cotton swabs Vacuum leatherette upholstered furniture to remove dust and debris.
A backyard sanctuary with the musical sounds of a babbling brook is within reach of a suburban gardener with a plan, a shovel, some water and a pile of rocks. A rocky stream flowing from a small waterfall into a modest rock-lined pond is all you need for your own private nature reserve that will attract some local wildlife. A shallow draft at one end of the pond, sunny basking stones for butterflies, bee- and bird-friendly vines and bushes along the edge of the rocks, and water will make a newly built environment seem as if it has always been there.
Stone veneer used on fireplaces consists of thin pieces of natural stone that have been split, sawed and tumbled to smooth out the rough edges. Without any kind of treatment, the stones remain dull in appearance.
The right sealant can capture the look of wet stones on your stone fireplace. Enhance the stones by applying a sealant on them that makes them look wet and shiny, as if they were just plucked from the riverbed.
To work on the drum or any other component in a Whirlpool Thin Twin washer, you will need to remove the front panel. Unlike standard cabinets washers, the top panel of the Thin Twin will need to come off to access the front panel retaining screws.
The piece of metal between the bottom of the dryer and the top rear of the washer is the key to removing the rest of the washer cabinet.
Sitting in a hot tub filled with bubbling, steamy water is a wonderful way to relax after a long day at work or a day busy with activities. Hot tubs take up less space and are less expensive than swimming pools.
Clean your hot tub every three months. You should drain and clean the acrylic or vinyl shell about once every three months, according to the Hot Tub Guide website.