Quick Fixes

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To cut down on noise in general, think weather stripping. Noise can't travel from one room to another if you weather-strip the door just as you would do for an exterior door.

Reduce Swelling

You don't need a plane to fix a door that won't open or close due to swelling. Instead, blow hot air from a hand-held hair dryer directly on the places that are causing the doors to stick. Once you have removed the moisture from those spots, the swelling will go down.

When you're done, place a wood sealer on the area to prevent any future humidity from getting into the wood.

This Is a Hole Up

Repair a hole or gouge in a slab door with auto-body filler. After it sets, hide the repair by sanding it smooth and then painting over it. If you are filling a hole in an interior door, substitute water putty for the auto-body filler.

Windows

Make Your Own Cleaner

1) Here's a homemade formula for window cleaner that cleans away stubborn spots. Mix two cups of kerosene into a gallon of warm water. When you wipe the glass, the kerosene leaves an invisible film that forces water to bead and run off.
Or
2) Add 1/2 cup of ammonia, one cup of white vinegar, and two tablespoons of cornstarch to one gallon of warm water.
Or
3) Add three tablespoons of denatured alcohol for every one quart of warm water.

A Tea Party for Windows

Leftover tea makes a super window and mirror clean er — the stronger the tea the better.

Be Shady

Don't clean windows in full sunshine; the sun will dry the cleaner before you have a chance to shine the glass.

Tension Headache

Window shades that act up can be fixed by adjusting the tension in the roll. A shade that has problems snapping back up needs more tension.

Pull the shade down, take it out of the brackets, and hand roll it back up two or three revolutions. If it still hasn't got what it takes, roll it a few more times.

Cleaning With Art

To remove spots and stains from a shade, rub an art gum eraser over them.

Floors

Silence!

A squeaky floor is usually caused by two or more boards rubbing against each other. Silence the noise by sprinkling talcum powder over the boards and sweeping it into the cracks. Another option is to pour liquid wax (which acts as a lubricant) between the cracks. Or rub a bar of soap back and forth over the cracks.

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