Picture Problems

Pictures are a favorite part of everybody's home, but hanging them in the right spot and making sure that they stay there can be a hassle. Here are some tips to help you out.

1. Scout the perfect location and mark the wall with a wet finger. It will stay wet llong enough for you to get your nail into position.

2. If you have plaster walls, criss cross some tape over the spot where you are going to drive the nail. It will prevent the nail from cracking the wall.

3. Take a cork from a wine bottle and cut it into 1/8 inch sections. Glue the slices to the back corners of the pictures. The cork will hold the picture in place on the wall and it will allow air to circulate behind the picture so that it won't damage your walls. You can also buy commercial pads that will serve the same purpose.

Resetting Tiles

If you have loose or damaged tiles in your home, you can fix it pretty easily.

1. If you can lift out the tiles, do so and put it on a towel out of the way.

2. If you need to remove a tile, use a grout saw to chip out the grout. Once that's done, cover the tile with a heavy towel and use a hammer to break it apart. Make sure you wear work gloves and eye protection. A putty knife will help you get out the broken pieces.

3. Scrape as much of the old adhesive off of the floor as you can, and then vacuum the area well to remove dust and debris.

4. Repair any damage to the floor before you install the new tiles.

5. Use a notched trowel to spread the back of the tile with adhesive. Keep it about a quarter of an inch from the edge of all sides.

6. Put the tile in place and align it with the surrounding tiles. Lay a towel and a block of wood on the tile and gently tap it until the tile is flush with those around it. Allow the adhesive to dry thoroughly, check your package for the right drying time.

7. Now that the adhesive is set, use a float to spread grout into the joints, spreading it from all directions so you're sure every nook is covered.

8. Wipe lightly with a damp sponge and then let the grout dry for fifteen minutes or so, then wipe the whole area with another clean damp sponge.

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Pillow Talk

Time for some pillow talk, don't neglect your pillows, because if you do you could be missing out on a good night's rest.

1. If you have allergies and are concerned about dust mites, put your pillow in the freezer for a few hours! It will kill them, and then you can clean your pillows.

2. You can wash most polyester, foam and down pillows. Wash them on a gentle cycle with cool water. Don't wash more than two pillows at a time or you could break your washer! (A tip, run the pillows through a second spin cycle just to be sure all of the excess moisture is out of them).

3. Check the label on your pillow to see whether they can be tossed in the dryer on low heat. If it can, put a few clean tennis balls in the dryer with them. The balls will keep the filling even!

4. Don't wash the pillows too often, in between washings, invest in some zip-on pillow covers. These will help keep body oils off of them and keep dust to a minimum.

5. Just remember to wash the pillow protectors when you change your sheets.

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Alternative Uses for Luggage

Wondering what you can do with old suitcases that have been cluttering up the attic? Well I have some ideas to put them to good use.

1. You can stack several suitcases on top of each other to make an interesting accent table. As a bonus you can store magazines, remotes or blankets inside of the suitcases.

2. Stuff a suitcase with an old pillow and you've got a cute little bed for a dog or a doll!

3. If you don't have space for a home office, use a suitcase to store your laptop, printer and office supplies, you can tote it anywhere you need to and it sets up easily whenever you want.

4. This is also a great way to easily tote scrap booking, arts and crafts and wrapping supplies. All you need to do is pull them out when you need them!

5. If you need to deodorize an old suitcase before you use it, crumple up some newspaper and leave them in a closed suitcase for a couple of days. This will absorb some of the mustiness.

Window Air Conditioner

Sweltering summer heat has many of us looking to air conditioners. I have some tips for choosing and using a window air conditioning unit.

1. The single most important factor in choosing a unit is the size of the room you're cooling. Units that are too small or too big for the space will not work efficiently. Measure your room and multiply the length and the width to get the square footage. A room that is ten by twelve is a hundred and twenty square feet, which needs a unit that is five thousand BTU's.

2. Look for a window that doesn't sit in direct sunlight for better efficiency.

3. Once you have the correct size unit, you need to be sure it's installed correctly. Level it out! A leveling bracket is a great way to ensure that your unit is installed correctly and that it has some extra support too! A unit that isn't level will not cool effectively.

4. An air conditioner needs to circulate clean air so remove and clean or replace your filter often.

5. BTU RATING GUIDE: Square Feet to Be Cooled: 100-150 you need 5,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 150-250 you need 6,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 250-300 you need 7,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 300-350 you need 8,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 350-400 you need 8,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 400-450 you need 10,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 450-550 you need 12,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 500-700 you need 14,000 BTU - Square Feet to Be Cooled: 700-1,000 you need 18,000 BTU