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High-Tech Dryers: What They Can Do 1. Handle Wet Sneakers Without Waking up the Neighbors, and Delicates Without Making Them Shrink Look for a drum rack that slides inside so you can stabilize clunky items or block a sweater so it dries while lying flat and retains its shape. 2. Zap Germs—and Clothing Moths Check out the options—they should include a sanitize cycle that eliminates 99.9 percent of the bacteria. With that kind of heat, moth larvae are toast....

Electrical codes require that wires be secured to a framing structure. Traditionally, this means hand-stapling hundreds or thousands of staples on any given job, which, as you can imagine, is quite time-consuming. And while there are manual versions of staplers that attempt to do this work, nothing has come close to delivering the power and consistency necessary for streamlining the wire-stapling process like this stapler. How to Choose a Finish Nailer | This Old House: Live The stapler runs on DeWalt’s 20V Max battery platform and comes kitted with a 2 Ah battery, case, and charger ($249) and is available as a tool-only if you’re already vested in the platform ($199)....

How to Make a Dutch Door Acknowledging that it was a risky move, Lori decided instead to cut her existing wood front door in half, just above its two large lower panels. Before taking it down, she installed a fourth hinge to support what would become the door’s upper portion and added an extra dead bolt. Then she laid the door flat, made a jig using clamps and scrap wood—as she had seen Norm Abram do on TOH TV—and made a straight cut with a circular saw, despite never having used one before....

You don’t have to call in a plumber to investigate and fix this issue, and the only special tool you need is some sort of plumber’s snake, which you can buy at any hardware store or home center. Professional-grade plumbing snakes can cost hundreds of dollars, but you can buy one powered by a drill or by hand for $25 or less. A hand-powered snake may also be called a drum auger if you are doing a product search....

Step 1: Check the Electricity First, confirm that electricity is flowing to the garbage disposal by first checking the appropriate circuit breaker or fuse at the main electrical panel. If the circuit breaker is tripped or the fuse is blown, reset/replace it then return to the disposal and switch it on. If you hear the disposal motor hum, immediately turn off the switch, unplug the disposal (or turn its circuit breaker/fuse off) and proceed to Step 2....

How to add childproofing Tools

Hurricane plywood installation is a two-person job, particularly with large panels. For safety’s sake, get them up before the wind picks up and turns these sheets into sails. Here’s how to board up windows of wood-framed houses. (For masonry houses, see “Tips” below.) Boarding Up Windows For Hurricane Tip 1: If you live where hurricanes are a frequent threat, take time during the off season to screw stainless-steel hanger bolts into the framing every 16 inches, and drill matching holes in the plywood....

The do-it-yourself projects that jump to the top of my list always seem to be the ones that add more function to our home. If a build promises to put wasted space to good use or bring organization to a cluttered area, I find myself feeling extra inspired. So when I noticed charger cords, books, and miscellaneous items accumulating on my bedside table, I decided it was time to make something that would provide more storage than I currently have....

DIY sliding barn door hardware is available in all manner of styles and budgets, and the door options are limitless—from salvage finds to original DIY creations like this one, a mix of pallet wood and common cedar. Follow this tutorial on how to build a sliding barn door from TOH senior technical editor Mark Powers. 14 Steps to Building Your Own Sliding Barn Doors Overview Plan for a 2 day project:...

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Follow this guide on how to clean leather couches and more so that you can ensure they’ll last a lifetime. Grades of Leather Different grades of leather will affect your cleaning choices. Aniline leather is the best quality leather you can buy. It’s the softest, the most natural, and ages beautifully, but it is also the most expensive. And unlike less expensive leathers, it doesn’t come with a protective coating, making it more vulnerable to spills, stains, sun damage, and harsh cleaners....

How to Measure Roof Pitch Knowing the pitch of your roof is useful when designing an addition, installing skylights, or cutting new rake boards. Here’s an easy, safe way to determine the pitch from inside your attic.

What Causes a Faucet to Drip? There are four kinds of faucets: cartridge, compression, ceramic disk, and ball type. A compression faucet relies on rubber washers to seal the valve seat, which can wear out and need to be replaced. With the other three types of faucets, either the O-ring or neoprene seal that’s causing the leak needs to be replaced. We’ll go over each of these fixes in more detail below....

Steps for fixing rotted wood with epoxy Tools

Steps for Installing a Whole House Fan Materials 5/8-inch drywall screws Weatherstripping Spray foam insulation Tools 4 Types of Whole House Air Filters

Steps for Installing a Humidifier for the Whole House How to Add a Humidifier to a Forced-air System

Tom installed a white aluminum rain dispersal system, manufactured by Rainhandler. The system comes with screws, brackets, and extenders if the fascia board is too short. Tools

On a floor, these thin, fragile slices of ceramic require some special care and preparation. Otherwise, they won’t survive the parade of feet through an entry or the sudden spills in a bathroom or kitchen, where floors go from bone dry to sopping wet faster than you can say “puddle.” “Anytime I approach a new job, I make sure the area about to be tiled is stiff enough so it won’t flex when someone walks on it and that it can stand up to wet-and-dry cycles,” says Ferrante....

What Direction Should You Lay Sod? Make sure you lay your first row against a straight edge; this could be along your yard or fence or patio. How Long Do You Have to Stay Off of New Sod? Try to avoid walking on your new installed sod for about a week. (See Step 5 for more details.) How Much Does It Cost for Sod Installation? It costs about $400 to cover a 1,000-square-foot backyard (double that installed)....