HowToDoThings.com Housekeeping & Homemaking

How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Susie254 — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 11:13:00 -0600

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." This common goodnight verse may be truer than you think. Bed bugs are worldwide travelers, notorious for latching on to luggage items and stowing away to a new destination. When you consider all of the travelers and the hotels and motels all over the world, it is easy to understand why bed bugs seem to be making a comeback.

How To Remove Cigarette Odor

Staff468 — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:08:00 -0500

Cigarette odor... unmistakable, pervasive and - to non-smokers and even many smokers - unpleasant to say the least. In cars, homes and businesses, an ongoing battle rages to keep allergies under control, create a more hospitable environment or prevent girlfriends from knowing the truth... Are you fed up with aerosol air fresheners that just layer a nauseatingly sweet odor over the static cigarette odor? Tired of commercial products that don't deliver on their promises? To all of you, whatever your reasons, we at HowToDoThings have some tips for getting rid of that troublesome cigarette odor so you can breathe easier.

How To Wax Your Floor

Elizabeth69 — Mon, 22 May 2006 06:45:00 -0500

A clean, well-waxed floor gives a nice look to an entire room. Many people shy away from waxing their floors because they fear that it will be too much work, but waxing a floor is not a difficult or complicated task. Here are the basics:

The first step is to thoroughly remove all old wax buildup. Visit your home improvement or hardware store to buy wax stripper. There are a number of varieties; read labels to be sure that you are purchasing the correct kind for your flooring type. Removing the old wax is the most physically demanding part of the process, so you might want to consider renting (or purchasing, if you will be stripping and reapplying wax to your floor on a regular basis) an electric floor scrubber to make your work easier.

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How To Clean Up Cat Urine

Staff468 — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:10:00 -0500

As any cat owner will tell you, cat urine has a particularly intolerable - not to mention resilient - odor. On top of that, cat urine can stain carpet and hardwood floor alike. There are many reasons why cats might urinate in improper places - stinky litter boxes, stress, age and illness being among the common reasons. You'll be able to clean up stubborn cat urine using the following techniques.

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How To Clean Cat Vomit Off of Your Carpet

Ken18 — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 04:28:00 -0600

We all love and care for our cats despite their annoying penchant for vomiting on a regular basis. As with most things in modern society, spew removal is not as simple as one might first suspect. The results of my personal research indicate that there are three broad categories of spew that you, as a cat owner, ultimately will have to contend with:

the traditional hairball

the near-instantaneous upchuck of kibble just eaten (this will be designated a "kibble ball")

the ever-disgusting, viscous mixture of partially digested food and digestive juices that comes up several hours after a hearty meal.

Each of these spew-types represents a different level of challenge in the attempt to destroy all evidence of the incident. We shall start with the easiest, the common hairball.

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How To Unclog a Toilet

Brian263 — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:24:27 -0500

Are you tired of reporting to your building repairman or housemate that “someone” clogged the toilet? Most of us hate to admit when we clog a toilet, mainly because we fear what others might think of us, but also perhaps because we don’t want to believe we’re capable of such a thing either. And yet at some point in our lives, whether due to our diets, the person who used the toilet before us, or simply the temperament of our mutual porcelain friend, we’re all bound to encounter a clogged toilet at some point in life.

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How To Polish Stainless Steel

L.500 — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:36:00 -0600

Stainless steel is used for many household items because it resists stains, though stainless steel does have a tendency to become dull with use and it can stain when it is in prolonged contact with heat. But those dull or stained objects around the house can look shiny and new again if they are properly maintained with polishing.

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How To Choose Wood Floor Cleaner

Susie254 — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:13:00 -0600

While many people think that wood floors are high maintenance, this isn't exactly true. What is true, however, is that properly maintaining your floors will extend their lifetime and keep them beautiful for years to come. Choosing the proper wood floor cleaner will help you keep your floors looking great!

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How To Clean Window Treatments

Susie254 — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 10:16:00 -0600

In many homes, cleaning window treatments is typically at the bottom of a housekeeping list of chores. Whether your window treatments are blinds, drapes, or sheer curtains, cleaning your window treatments doesn't have to be a chore that you dread.

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How To Remove Sweat Stains and Smells

Sat, 10 Nov 2001 23:00:00 -0600

How to remove perspiration stains and unpleasant smells

Unpleasant underarm smells on washable clothes can first be treated with a roll-on deodorant to dampen the affected area, then washed in the usual way and given a final rinse in vinegar and water.

Perspiration stains will disappear if a couple of asprins are dissolved in the washing water.