How To Erase Furniture Scratches With A Walnut

Over time, wooden furniture shows signs of age. Wear-and-tear from everyday use can lead to dings and scratches that are both distressing, and unsightly. But before you bring your piece to a specialist for repair, you can try the much-less-expensive, do-it-yourself route.

In this 50-second video from HowCast, you'll learn how to use a walnut and a soft cloth to "erase" scratches from furniture:

1. Remove the nut from its shell
2. Rub the nut on the scratch
3. Wait 3 minutes
4. Buff the area with a soft cloth

The repair works by allowing the nut's natural oils to soak into the wood, which reduces the "white" appearance of a scratch. Other nutes work, too, including almonds and pecans. Or, you can opt for a professional product like what's offered at Amazon.com.

Anything deeper than a surface scratch, however, and you'll want a specialist involved.

How To Install Motion-Detector Lighting On Your Home

 Activated by infrared waves, motion-detector lighting can illuminate a dark driveway, a dark sidewalk, and a dark yard, thwarting would-be thieves while also giving homeowners a lit, safe path to their own front or back door.

If your home is not already equipped with such lighting, this video from Lowe's will be helpful. It's a step-by-step tutorial on how to install motion-detector lighting on your home.

The basic steps are as follows:

1. Cut the power at the circuit breaker
2. If applicable, remove the existing light fixture
3. Install the mounting strap
4. Connect the junction box wires to the light fixture wires
5. Mount the fixture to the mounting strap

Lowe's marks the the skill level to complete the job as "intermediate". So, if you don't want to tackle the job yourself, or if the idea of working with electricity frightens you, reach out to a handyman.

Motion-detector lights sell for as little as $25.

How To Find Air-Leaking Windows And Seal Them

Preventative care will minimize your home repair costs and, at this time of year, it's a good idea to sweep your home's exterior for sign of air leaks and drafts around windows.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafty windows can account for 30% of a home's heat loss in winter so it's best to find them, and seal them.

In this 4-minute video from the DIY Network, you'll learn how to identify your home's leaky windows, and how to seal them with caulk. The job requires a little bit of elbow grease, but it's manageable for even the notice handyman.

Some of the tips include:

• How to use a lit candle to find windows that leak air
• How to remove existing caulk using caulk softener
• How to "push the bead" of caulk for proper application

The video concludes with a brief tutorial on setting your home's programmable thermostat so, when taken with the window caulking exercise, homeowners in Phoenix could stand to save a bundle on their winter heating bills.

How To Clean Window Blinds

31 percent of homeowners say "cleaning window blinds" is their least favorite household chore. Perhaps that's because they haven't seen how simple blind-cleaning can be.

In this 2-minute video from HowCast, you'll learn the basics of blind-cleaning with nothing more than a dust cloth and towel, a sponge and all-purpose cleaner, and ordinary dryer sheets.

The steps are basic:

1. Get the dust off with the dryer sheet
2. Remove the blinds from the window
3. Go outside, or find a bathtub
4. Wash, rinse, and dry with the towel
5. Re-attach the blinds

Cleaning window blinds is a monthly activity, but with regular dusting, you could push that schedule to quarterly, depending on your home's airborne particles and overall cleanliness.  The trick is that when you do wash your blinds, you wash them properly.

Homeowner Maintenance : Twice-Annual Gutter Cleaning

Gutters are designed to funnel rainwater away from a home. Properly working gutters help keep a home's basement from filling with water, and protect a home's foundation from long-term, structural damage, and keep a roof in tip-top shape.

In other words, keeping clean gutters is essential for homeowners. Thankfully, gutter maintenance can be a do-it-yourself job.

There are four main steps in gutter cleaning, summarized cleanly in this 4-minute video from Lowe's.

1. Gather your tools. You'll need a ladder, a bucket, a hose, and a trowel.
2. Scoop large debris from the gutter, using the trowel for hard-to-reach places smaller sticks and leaves
3. Flush the gutters using a garden hose and spray attachment
4. Remove clogs in the downspout and check for proper sloping

Gutter maintenance is a twice a year task and the Lowe's video offers helpful safety tips, too.  Of course, if you're uncomfortable on a ladder, or prefer to hire a professional, reach out to me anytime.

I'm happy to make a local gutter-cleaning recommendation.

How To Change A Showerhead

There's plenty of reasons to want to change a showerhead in your head. Perhaps you're trying to fix a leak in the faucet; or, remodeling your bathroom; or, trying to conserve water via a low-flow showerhead. 

Whatever the reason, changing a showerhead can be a basic do-it-yourself project. The tools aren't complicated and the job is a quick one.

In this 2-minute video from AOL, you'll learn:

• What tools you'll need to change the showerhead
• How to remove your old showerhead
• How to firmly attach your new showerhead to prevent leaks

If you get stuck, or just want to outsource, call a professional handyman to finish the job. Changing a showerhead should take less than a hour to complete.

How To Reduce Home Energy Costs By Sealing Air Leaks

With Labor Day looming, the autumn and winter months aren't far behind. It's a good time to reflect on your home's heating and cooling costs, and take steps to lower your energy bills. Finding air leaks may be a perfect first project.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, up to 30 percent can be cut from a home's energy costs just by reducing drafts. For example, a 1/16-inch gap unsealed gap around a window is equivalent to leaving the window 3 inches open. 

That's a lot of wasted Scottsdale air.

The good news is that air leaks are rather simple to identify, and simple to fix. The key is to know where to look. And, to make the job easier, the government offers a complete DIY Guide To Sealing and Insulating a home.

Some of the key tips include:

• Focus on the attic and basement, where most air is lost
• Locate problem areas on a chimney
• Check recessed lights which allow air flow between conditioned and unconditioned air

The government's website also provides a 13-page PDF with detailed images, instructions, and recommendation to help you with the work.

However, if the job is beyond your skill set, be sure to call a qualified contractor. Sealing your home from air leaks will reduce your monthly energy bill and the money spent to pay a professional will be just a fraction of what you'll save over time.

(Image courtesy: US Department of Energy)

How To Re-Grout And Caulk Bathroom Tiles

Over time, the grout in a shower can become dirty and discolored, and start to separate from its grout lines. This is a potentially dangerous condition for a home because broken grout lines allow water to seep into the walls, which can then lead to the growth of mold spores.

Fortunately, keeping your grout in tip-top shape is simple.

In this 2-minute video, you'll learn how to clean the existing grout in your shower and to prepare for a new coating. You'll also learn how to replace its caulk.

The video's tips include:

• Why you should remove excess grout diagonally with a sponge
• How to protect your tub from damage while the re-grout is in process
• Choosing the right caulk for the job

The North American Tile Cleaning Association also offers helpful grout-cleaning advice. Visit their website at http://www.tilecleaning.org.

Home Renovations That Increase Your Resale Value (2010 Edition)

Not all home improvements are created equal. Especially if you're looking for "resale value" back from your work.

An article from the Wall Street Journal lays it out cleanly. Function beats flash these days so be wary of where you spend.

Environmental upgrades such as home insulation and energy-efficient steel entry doors are recovering a much greater percentage of their cost these days than major remodels including kitchens or bathrooms.  This is especially true for homes that are already "over-improved" relative to the neighborhood.

Upgrading the biggest and best homes on the block can be a losing proposition.

The article's findings include data from groups such as the National Association of Home Builders, Remodeling Magazine, and Consumer Reports.  It lists the following home improvements among its top "paybacks":

• Steel entry door replacement : 129% cost recovery
• Wood deck addition : 81% cost recovery
• Vinyl-replacement window : 77% cost recovery

Energy-efficiency projects also recoup costs monthly in the form of lower heating and cooling bills.

Remodeling Magazine says a larger number of homeowners will remodel their homes in 2010 with less emphasis on upgrading kitchens and bathrooms, and more emphasis on adding new rooms.  From an appraisal perspective, this is a terrific way to increase your home's value -- especially if your home's bed/bath count lags your neighbors.

Before starting a home improvement project, regardless of whether your goal is increase resale value, talk with a real estate agent about other homes in the area and how they're built. At worst, you'll gather some ideas you can work into your plan. At best, you'll keep yourself from over-improving.