Show Notes: Flies, Mildew and More – On the House
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Show Notes: Flies, Mildew and More

By on July 18, 2014

Flies, Mildew, Singing In The Shower, Finding A Contractor, Cooking Hardware and More Great Tips This Week At On The House

 

5 WAYS TO CONTROL FLYS

 The best ways to combat flies is to go after them where they breed, outside of your home, and keep them out of the house in the first place.

Keep It Clean

Flies feed and lay their eggs on garbage, old food, animal remains and feces in your yard. Take out the trash regularly, this goes for inside the home as well, don’t let plates with old food sit unwashed. Outside, clean up any animal waste you find on the ground.

Composting

Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems you’ll run into when composting is flies. There are ways to combat them by turning and stirring the compost pile every two or three days. If that doesn’t work, try pouring boiling water on the pile. Your compost needs water anyway, and the heat will effectively kill the flies and their larvae.

Flytrap

Put some kind of flytrap in place. There are all kinds of traps — some use liquid, some are electrical and others use some kind of food source as a bait. Typically, they all function by luring flies into a confined space and either keeping them there or killing them instantly in some way.

The University of Arizona’s Center for Insect Science Education Outreach even has great tips on how to build your own using a two-liter soda bottle and some raw meat.

 Screens and Caulking

Putting screens on your windows is one of the very best ways to keep flies and other insects out of your home. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln also recommends caulking your windows and covering entrances to the house from the outside. Make sure to do all of this before the spring and summer months.

Last Resort – Spray Your Yard

There’s a variety of pesticide sprays available specifically designed to treat a yard for flies, as well as other insects like fleas and ticks. A thorough and proper application of these sprays should be enough to put down the flies living in your lawn.

 

THE CAREY BROS. EVER FAMOUS MILDEW CLEANING FORMULA

It’s summertime humid and great for growing fungus….. So here is the way to make it go away!

All you have to do is add one quart of liquid chlorine bleach and one cup of powdered laundry detergent (less if concentrated) to three quarts of warm water. Add the bleach to the water first and then the detergent. Mix the ingredients until thoroughly blended and pour into a spray bottle or pump garden sprayer. Scrub the solution onto the mildew-affected area, and make sure to keep it wet until the black mildew turns white. When the mildew changes color from black to white, it’s dead. Although this formula is a relatively safe, make sure to use eye protection, wear rubber gloves and make sure there is plenty of ventilation. Although our mildew-elimination formula is relatively safe, take all safety precautions.

 

DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER?

 Everyone Is Elvis in the Shower

Is it the acoustics? The privacy? The splashing water accompaniment? Whatever the reason, the Westin survey reveals that 3 out of 5 people sing in the shower, and that country is the most popular musical genre (12%) followed by “rock” (10%), “popular” (7%), “classical” (7%), “Christian/religious” (6%), and “alternative” (5%).

Thank to Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/bathroom-habits-_n_4987018.html

 

HOW DO YOU FIND A CONTRACTOR?

PERSONAL REFERRALS

Advantages of personal referrals:

  •       Referring friend or family member may have already shopped around to find the best offer in the area
  •       Their opinion of the contractor’s service is trustworthy
  •       Homeowners can view the quality of the work

Disadvantages of personal referrals:

  •       Homeowners may not need same type of work done on their house
  •       Friend or family member may be able to afford a higher budget
  •       Friend or family member may have a different style of house or be in a different neighborhood

PHONE BOOK OR YELLOW PAGES

Advantages of phone book:

  •       Homeowners can choose from companies at their own pace.
  •       Homeowners are able to call as many companies as they would like.
  •       Homeowners can review company details in advance to determine how close they are, possibly how big the company is, and what services are offered.

Disadvantages of phone book:

  •       Homeowners have to call each company individually, describe their requirements, and answer the same questions.
  •       Homeowners tend to only call one or two companies. Receiving fewer bids on a project could mean the homeowner will end up paying a higher price.
  •       No direct referrals from trusted friends or family members to rely upon.

ON LINE

Advantages of online referral services:

  •       Homeowners will receive multiple bids, which allows them to get the best rate on the work.
  •       Homeowners only have to post their project requirements once and answer questions one time, which saves time.
  •       Homeowners may be able to find additional online resources, such as financing and informational articles.

Disadvantages of online referral services:

  •       The Web site may not be a trusted resource. (Check if any complaints have been filed to the Better Business Bureau.)
  •       The online referral service may not have a contractor, in their network, close to the homeowner.
  •       No direct referrals from trusted friends or family members to rely upon.

Thank you to Zillow

http://www.zillow.com/wikipages/How-to-Find-a-Contractor/

 

COOK  YOUR HARDWARE TO REMOVE PAINT

Hot water paint stripping

Soak painted hardware in hot water to loosen many layers of paint and make cleaning much easier.

If you want to strip paint from metal without the nasty fumes and mess of chemical strippers, just fill a slow cooker with water and set the dial to high. The heat and moisture will soften the paint, and often it will fall off as a single piece.

This works on oil, latex and spray paints, but it may not remove some clear finishes like lacquer. Cooking the hardware may stain or contaminate the pot, so use an old one or buy a new one for less than $20. This method won’t harm hardware made of non-rusting metals like copper, brass or aluminum. You’ll end up with a little rust on steel—not enough to ruin hidden parts like hinge pins or screws, but possibly enough to roughen shiny surfaces. If the steel has a plating like chrome or brass and the plating is already flaking off, this method will cause more flaking.

Some paints will loosen within a couple of hours, but for best results, plan to cook the hardware overnight. If the paint doesn’t fall off by itself, scrub lightly with a stiff plastic brush. The paint will harden as it cools, so scrub the hardware as soon as you pull it out of the water. The paint may contain lead, so catch all the sludge and throw it in the garbage. To clean the metal and restore its shine, use a metal polish like Brasso or Noxon.

Read more: http://www.familyhandyman.com/doors/how-to-remove-paint-from-hardware/view-all#ixzz37qmql1gA

 

SAFE OUTDOOR ELECTRICAL OUTLETS

 Want to have safer outdoor electrical outlets? Ones that are usable

even when sprayed with a garden hose, lawn sprinkler or when they get rained on? Today you’ll learn how to make an outdoor outlet even better with a receptacle cover that defies the weather. All outdoor receptacles should have ground-fault interrupter devices and weatherproof rain-tight spring-loaded covers that keep outlets clean, dry and corrosion-free. However, if you ever had to unplug holiday lights or an extension cord running into the garage because it had started to rain or the sprinklers kicked in, you realize you have a situation that needs fixing. What’s needed is an in-use receptacle cover; they’ve been used commercially for quite some time. They are clear plastic “bubbles” that lift up to allow plugging in, and drop back down to seal everything up with all cords exiting small holes at the bottom. When they’re closed, you can spray, sprinkle and douse them without fear of water leaks or a nasty shock. Look for them at hardware stores or home centers.

 

PRESSURE TREATED WOOD

  Building a deck this year? You are going to need some built-in pest control. Now electrified fences and moats filled with alligators will keep neighbors away, but won’t solve your biggest potential problem. Wherever decks touch soil, framing lumber is subject to rot and termites. Use special lumber that’s been pressure-treated with pesticides to prevent such damage. Pressure-treated lumber can be cut and can take nails or screws as any other wood can. But there are special precautions you should take when using it. First, wear gloves. Pressure-treated lumber often is rough, and its splinters are also treated with pesticide. Always wear a filter mask to avoid breathing in treated sawdust when making cuts. And treat all sawed-off ends with a wood-preservative containing pesticide. Remember: plain lumber is a welcome mat that turns any deck into a science experiment in no time. Pressure-treated lumber keeps bad stuff away while you and your loved ones relax and play.

 

WEBSITE MENTIONS: 

Fluidmaster Toilet repair Parts: http://www.fluidmaster.com

Leviton Fault Circuit Interupter: http://www.leviton.com

O’Keefe Working Hands: http://www.okeeffescompany.com

Merto Balster Side-Kick  SK-2 Dryer https://www.metrovacworld.com

How to Get Rid of Flies With Pennies:http://www.ehow.com/how_8495766_rid-flies-pennies.html

Airvo Industries Power Center: https://www.sierrawave-energy.com/store/#.U8qRbcYu-lJ

Fast 2K: http://www.chemque.com/pages.php?page=Fast_2K

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