Geranium Care

Geraniums are plants that require a lot of water to keep the roots moist, but do not do well if the roots sit in water. They need proper drainage when planted in a pot or in the ground. A good way to keep the roots moist is to create a mulch from your coffee grounds. Rinse off the coffee grounds and place them around the base of the plant.

Patio moss & weeds in cracks

Use distilled white vinegar as a more environmentally friendly way to get rid of patio moss and weeds growing up through cracks. Just pour the vinegar on the affected areas and let it stay there - do not hose it off - and in a couple of days weeds and moss are dead.

If you want more immediate results boil 1/2 cup of table salt in one quart of water and pour the very hot liquid directly on the weeds and moss.

Removing Splinters

Working with decks and fences as much as I do, I get my share of splinters. Here's two easy ways to remove splinters. Press tape over the splinter and quickly remove the tape in the opposite direction that the splinter went in. Or cover the splinter with glue (not Super Glue!). Let it dry and then peel it off at an angle and the splinter should come out.

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Concrete stain removal

Grease and oil stains on concrete can be removed with liquid dishwashing detergent. Drench the stain with the detergent and let it soak for an hour. Ater an hour pour just boiling water on it. A little scrubing with a stiff bristle brush may be needed. If some of the stain remains, repeat the entire process.

Easy way to remove hard water spots

To easily remove hard water spots on your chrome kitchen and bathroom fixtures, use newspaper. Take some newspaper (not the shiny ads section) and tear/cut off a strip at least 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. Fold it lengthwise a couple of times so that it is a couple of inches wide, making it stronger. Use it like a buffing cloth or just rub the spots with the newspaper.

Stripping paint and stain from wood furniture

Using stripper to remove paint and stain from wood furniture is a messy process. After the stripper has dissolved the finish you need to remove it from the wood fairly quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Using a scraper works great on flat surfaces but is no help on spindles and recessed areas. Washing it off with water just creates more mess and also gets the wood wet.

The best technique I have found to solve this problem is to use sawdust. The sawdust works two ways.

It is very absorbent : the sawdust acts like a sponge and soaks up the stripper quickly and is much easier to dispose of.

It is abrasive : once the majority of stripper has been removed a handful of fresh sawdust can be used like sand paper to complete the removal of any remaining finish and stripper on spindles, crevices, and hard to reach areas.

Check with your local junior high or high school wood shop teacher and you very likely can get a big bag of sawdust free.

Safety tip about washing machine hoses

Leaving a washing machine’s valves open all the time greatly increases the chance of catastrophic hose burst. Any hose that is cracked, blistered, soft, or has corroded fittings needs to be replaced. I prefer the hoses that have a braided stainless steel jacket. You will pay more for this hose but it is much stronger and will last longer. The best preventive measure however is to develop the habit of always closing the valves when the washer is not in use.