The biggest grass mistake homeowners make is not keeping their lawn mower blades sharp. Dull mower blades can be spotted easy by all of the dents on the blade edge. A sharp blade will be smooth. Using a worn mower blade can leave your grass blades torn and susceptible to diseases. Sharp mower blades give you an even cut. Use a flat file to sharpen the blade. Or, you can evnen pull out your Dremel motor tool if you have on to speed up the sharpening.

Your Top 5 Lawn Mowing Tips:

1. Cut your grass more frequently and never cut off more than 1/3 of the leaf blade.

2. Mow at a higher cut.

3. Look out for high spots so you don’t scalp your lawn.

4. Cut across hills, not up and down them.

5. Alternate mowing directions.

Here’s how to fix your Sink Pop-up Stopper Problem:

1) With a slight twist, try to lift out the stopper. If it seems to be linked to the mechanism, reach under the sink and unscrew the pivot rod retaining nut and pull out the pivot rod to disengage it.

2) Lift the stopper from the drain. Clean off all hair and debris. If the stopper is broken or its seal looks worn, replace it.

3) Face the hole at the bottom of the stopper toward the pivot rod’s location, and drop the stopper back into the drain hole. Insert the pivot rod so that it engages the hole in the bottom of the stopper, and tighten on the retaining nut with the stopper in its up position

4) Loosen the set screw on the clevis, and adjust the strap up or down so that it operates the pivot rod to open and close the stopper. Re-tighten the set

I just ran out of dishwasher detergent. What can I do to finish off that load of dirty dishes before my guests arrive? If you find yourself in that situation these tips for Homemade Dish Washing Detergent may help you get out of a jam.

Here are a few ideas that were sent in to one of my other sites to help when you run out of Detergent.

Basic Recipe for Dishwasher Soap

Dishwasher soap is easy to make, and cost effective. I mix up a batch in an empty canister, and pour it in the dishwasher as needed.

Mix and use per dishwasher load:
1 Tablespoon Borax
1 Tablespoon Baking soda

OR

Mix equal parts Borax and Baking Soda, and add 2 Tablespoons per load. Increase proportion of soda for hard water. Use vinegar in the rinse cycle.

Dialing in the correct combination.

I personally tried using just baking soda, just borax, and a mixture of the two but none of those worked. What does work for me is mixing baking soda and borax with my dishwasher soap. I fill a container half full with the dishwasher soap then a quarter baking soda and quarter borax. I also use vinegar instead of Jet Dry in the rinse dispenser.
Wrote in Carroline.

Extend Dishwasher Detergent

For several months, I used a simple combination of 1/2 Borax and 1/2 baking soda and found that my dishes came out sparkling and spot free. I liked this mix because I felt it was easier on our aerobic septic system than regular dish detergent alone. However, I discovered some of the dishes were not getting totally clean (I like to just throw them in the washer with only minimal scrubbing). I began to pour a tiny amount of Cascade (bought with a coupon, of course) in the dispenser then covered it with the other mix. I am very pleased with this combination and it takes only seconds to do! I add Borax to my powdered laundry detergent as well to make it last longer. With four children, Borax and baking soda have been major dollar stretchers to our budget.
Wrote in Barbara.

Getting The Correct Amount Saves Money

We find that even the brand-name dishwasher detergent is very inexpensive when you use the “correct” amount! You only need one or two tablespoons of detergent in your dishwasher! That’s right, and 1 tablespoon is almost always enough. Your dishes will come clean without any of that chalky residue. The big box of Cascade (155 oz) that we purchase at Sam’s Club for $5.99 lasts us for one year! No kidding and we run our dishwasher an average of once per day. Our dishwasher is a 1997 model. If you have hard water you may need to use the 2-tablespoon amount more often, but not always. Today’s dishwashers are so efficient that they don’t need those both chambers filled with detergent. Save money and have cleaner dishes by using less detergent!
Wrote in Laura.

Vinegar Plus

I go to the “Dollar Store” in our area and buy their brand of dish washing detergent. It’s much cheaper then even Wal-Mart. Then in addition to the dish washing detergent, I add white vinegar. I buy it by the gallon and put it in the reservoir where you would put the “name brand” stuff. This does a wonderful job for me. If you are low on dish washing detergent you can use just the vinegar. It does a wonderful job keeping your glassware clear and clean if you have hard water in your area as well.
Wrote in Pat.

Vinegar And Pre-wash

I am the kind of gal who can’t put the dishes in the dishwasher dirty. I have to wash them first. I guess I have had too many come out with spots on them. We have hard water and I have been fighting that nasty build up of gunk. I couldn’t tell whether it was residue from my detergent or minerals. I would have to buy that dishwasher cleaner at least once every two months. I had almost given up on the dishwasher, until the light dawned on me one day. Now, since I already clean my dishes, I just put white vinegar in the drawer. Our dishes and the dishwasher have never looked so good. Also I have found less spots on my dishes. My jet dry rinse has vinegar in it also. Just make sure vinegar mixes ok with your rinse aid.
Wrote in Danny.

Baking Soda Shine

I buy the large box of Dollar General brand dishwasher powder at the local Dollar General. It is $2 and I then mix equal amounts of baking soda and the dishwasher powder. The baking soda is a great extender! By mixing the two my dishes are extra clean. The dishwashing powder and the baking soda not only makes my dishes sparkle but makes my dishwasher smell and look clean. A lot of value for just a couple of bucks!
Wrote in Sandy.

Using Washing Soda

We have used a mixture of washing soda (not baking soda) and borax. It worked for awhile and then the glasses got dingy. Then I read about adding white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Check it out. Can be found in the laundry aisle.
Wrote in Nickie.

Go ahead and give a few of these Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipes a try and let us know how it turned out for you.

At least once a year you can try this to get that extra shine out of your bathroom grout. Just make yourself this cheap homemade grout cleaner. Spray a 50-50 solution of chlorine bleach ( Clorox ) and water onto the dirty grout. Just don’t try this on colored grout. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Using a grout brush wet with clean water, brush to remove excess bleach and build up. Blot up with a dry, clean cloth.
You can also water this solution down to a 25% bleach mix and wipe down the tile surface to give it an extra shine. More grout cleaning tips.

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Did you forget to clean out your lawn mower deck before putting it away for the winter? Do you now have grass clippings stuck to the underside of your mower like cement? This will help speed removal of grass.

Help clean your lawnmower deck of dried grass by idling it for a few minutes or so while spraying water under the blade. This will force feed the water into the hard grass and quickly soften it up.

Just use a putty knife or even a piece of wood and scrape the remaining softened grass from under your mower deck. After shutting it down first of course.

To keep from having spots from your dishwasher scrape off all food and rinse dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Most dish detergent manufacturers claim that it is not necessary to rinse dishes, the best practice is to rinse your dishes first.

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Decking materials don’t come cheap. If your deck looks in bad repair, don’t run out to buy new planks just yet. Climb underneath your deck of patio and see how the underside of the planks looks. More than likely, the bottom side of the wood not exposed to the beating rain and scorching sun probably still looks in good shape.

This can lead to a long day, but prying up the boards and turning them so that the weathered side is down and the under side is up can give you years more service out of the same old decking. You’ll be out some hours of hard work and—depending on the size of the deck—around $40-50 for new deck screws and some deck stain.

Watch this appliance tutorial video that provides a quick DIY lesson in how to clean air conditioning coils. This can save you a lot of money. Pay close attention. This is a very simple process and with the proper precautions, you can safely clean your own cooling coils.

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It is best to deal with spilled lubricants and auto fluids while they’re still in a liquid state. They’re a lot easier to get up in that form than after they’ve soaked into a concrete floor.