Show Notes: Things To Do While Stuck Inside This Weekend – On the House
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Show Notes: Things To Do While Stuck Inside This Weekend

By on April 5, 2020

We’re all stuck inside. But you don’t have to be bored!

And, if you’ve decided that doing stuff makes you feel better, then we’ve got some tasks you can tackle!

This week we talked about

  • Garage projects
  • DIY dishwasher detergent
  • Adjusting your doors
  • How to refresh your home without spending a dime!

 

Plus, we talk to Jim Warren at Engenuity Power Systems!

Missed our live show? Don’t worry! Because we have a podcast of the show. It’s the same thing we aired on the radio, but ready for you whenever and wherever you are! Check it out here. 

6 Easy DIY Garage Projects to Take On While Your Stuck Inside

 Grab some work gloves, and check out our list of six easy ways to spruce up your garage with all that time on your hands. 

  1. Create wall storage 
  • A jumble of wrenches, pliers, and random screws does not make for an efficient workspace. 
  • Now would be a good time to see what kinds of organization system you can set up for tools, whether vertical or horizontal. We like the idea of installing shelving and using bins. 
  • You could also install a pegboard. This easy DIY chore can be accomplished in mere minutes. Amazon has a great selection of pegboards ($36.95) in a variety of colors. To determine how big of a board you’ll need, lay the tools you’d like to hang on the floor or a piece of paper and measure the length and width around them. 
  1. Organize sports gear
  •  Aren’t you tired of tripping over soccer balls and hockey sticks rolling around on the floor every time you unload groceries from the car? Put an end to it! Stock up on mesh bags ($8.99, Amazon) for all those balls, and order wire bins ($11.99, Amazon) for other equipment. 
  • An over-the-door plastic shoe holder ($12.97, Amazon) is ideal for sneakers, golf shoes, tennis sweat bands, and other small items. And you can drill a couple of heavyweight hooks into your ceiling or garage beams to hold bikes that are taking up precious floor space. 
  1. Scrub garbage cans
  • No one wants to tackle this project, but it’s a must if you want to banish odor from the garage. Take your containers to the yard, and spray them with a hose. Next, scrub tough interior stains and sticky spots with a wire brush, and then use a big sponge and liquid cleanser to clean the inside and exterior. Allow the cans to dry in the sun, or wipe them with an old towel. You’ll be glad you did. 
  1. Detail your car
  • Let’s face it—this is one chore you’ve been putting off for much too long. 
  • Give your car a good cleaning, which means vacuuming interior rugs, wiping down the steering wheel, dashboard, door handles, and turn signals, and then washing the windows. 
  • And if the weather’s nice, pull your car out of the garage and get your kids to help you wash the outside, too. 
  1. Designate recycling and donation bins
  • Getting rid of things during the spring season feels like a fresh start, so make sure you have enough containers to corral all of your castoffs. Paper, glass, and metal need their own bins (unless you have single-stream recycling in your area). 
  • Many donation locations like Goodwill or the Salvation Army are not accepting items at this time, but designate a spot in your garage for any items you clean out of your garage. That way you’ll know exactly what to grab when you’re able to drop off your wares. 
  1. Add a home gym
  • You may not have the resources to make over your garage into your personal workout haven, but if you have the space, dedicate a corner of the room to your Peloton or yoga mat. It’s time you moved it out of your bedroom. 
  • An accent wall or bright floor covering is a quick way to designate a sweat zone—and you can add a cushioned exercise mat ($19.99, Amazon) for more comfort. 
  • “Install a TV or some kind of music for ambiance.“

 

We spoke to Jim Warren, Inventor/Co-Founder of Enginuity Power Systems!

The Carey Brothers talked to Jim about getting your home ready for summer. Everything from your home’s efficiency to the emissions your AC units produce and how m-CHP, an amazing Enginuity product, can support your home’s existing solar system and provide energy storage.

To learn more, please visit their website here.

 

What To Do If You Run Out of Dishwasher Detergent  

When leaving your home isn’t an option (less the essentials), you’ll surely deplete your stash of household goods at a much faster rate. But what happens if you run out of something vital—like dishwasher detergent? Do you have to venture out… or are there worthy substitutes already in your home, so you can keep your social distancing at a maximum? 

If your dishwasher is already full and you need a good substitute, stat, mix ½ cup of baking soda and ½ cup of borax in an airtight container. For each load of dishes, pour one to two tablespoons into your dishwasher’s soap container and run the cycle as normal. 

 

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner 

  •  1-gallon water 
  •  Dawn dish soap (2 tsp.) OR 1 cup ammonia
  • 1/2 cup vinegar 
  • 1/2 cup baking soda 

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients. Put in a spray bottle to clean showers, toilets, sinks and counters. Great for most cleaning needs. Use all-purpose cleaner to clean your floors. Just spray on and wipe off as you would counter-tops. 
  2. This is not a disinfectant. To make it a disinfectant too – add about 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol to the bottle. 

 

 Adjusting Entry Doors

Adjusting entry doors is not that difficult. Most of the time the door is sagging and an adjustment to the top hinge will solve the problem. 

Inspecting the Door 

  • The first thing to do is look at the door from the inside when it is closed. There should be an even gap across the top and down the latch side. This gap occurs between the door and the frame or jamb. It should be about an eighth of an inch and be consistent. 
  • Often, you will see that the door on the hinge side is tighter against the frame at the bottom of the door. This is where most of the weight of the door is pushing against. When this happens the gap at the top will be uneven, wider at the strike side of the door. The top of the door will be closer to the jamb or frame at the top. 

Sagging Doors 

  • If the door is tight against the frame at the top and there is a gap at the bottom, the door is sagging. If the door is hitting the sill, it will still be indicated in the margin along the latch side. Is the gap wider at the bottom and narrower at the top? Yes, then the door is sagging. The sill is keeping it from sagging as much as it wants to. 
  • Sagging doors are the problem most of the time. The weight of the door pulls against the top hinge and over time the door will sag. This is especially true when the screws for the top hinge are not long enough to go into the door frame. 

Problems With Hardware 

  • A sagging door will also cause problems with the door locks and dead bolts. If the door sags too much the latches will not work correctly. Before you start replacing hardware, or moving the strike plates, make sure the door is properly adjusted in the frame. \ 

Fixing a Sagging Door 

  • Open the door back up and remove the two inner screws for the top hinge. How long are they? An inch or less? This means that the hinge is only being supported by the door jamb itself, not the framing lumber for the wall. Are the screws long, say 2 ½ to 3 inches. That’s good, all you will need to do is tighten them up. Adjusting entry doors could be that easy. 
  • If you have long screws, make sure the heads are not stripped. For short screws you need to obtain some 3” number 8 screws. Square or Torx drive are better, but Phillips head will work. Install the long screws, angling them slightly toward the center of the jamb. 
  •  Snug them up and then check the margins again. Still sagging? Tighten them a quarter turn at a time until the margins are even and the door closes properly. 
  • More is not better in this situation. If you over tighten the door will bind in another direction and you will have to start over on your adjusting entry doors project. Tighten until the margins are even and the door closes easily and then stop. With the long screws in place you may have to snug them a little from time to time. Five minutes now that you know how. Door closes, Great! Go to the next project on your list. 

Adjusting the Door In Another Direction 

  • It is possible that the door could be binding in another spot. The door may be tight against the bottom of the jamb. This is more likely due to a door jamb that is out of alignment.  
  • A long screw per the procedure above could be used to draw up the lower hinge. It is rare that this would need to be done, so use caution when trying to adjust the lower hinge. Tightening it could make the top of the door go out of alignment again. 

  

Spruce Up Your Home – Without Leaving Your House or Buying Anything!

 Are you ready to update your decor, without spending a dime?  

 As most of us are spending as much time as possible at home right now, all of the time inside may suddenly be inspiring you to redecorate. There’s nothing like spending 15 straight hours in your living room to make you suddenly start to rethink that rug or begin to give that cluttered corner some serious side-eye. 

 Rearrange your living room 

To make the space as cozy as possible, you may need to pull in side chairs, blankets, and pillows from other rooms. Soft textiles will amp up the comfort we’re all looking for right now.  

 Bring the outdoors in 

As many of us are spending more time inside, consider introducing a natural element to your home. If you have a backyard or can go on hikes, collect a bundle of fresh flower or greenery, or even a branch, to bring a touch of the outdoors in. 

 Shop your home for accessories 

Tired of looking at the same decor as you sit on your sofa for day 10 of self-quarantine? Shop the other rooms in your home for vases, decorative objects, and art. The simple act of taking the candlesticks you’ve always kept on the dining room table and moving them to the living room TV console can suddenly make them feel like new again.  

  Sort through your storage 

If you have an attic or garage that’s full of furniture, paintings, and old books, you might not even know what treasures you already own. Take a peek in storage—and if you have kids, they might love to join the excursion. Style is cyclical and trends often come back, so the “outdated” furniture or accessories you once relegated to the basement may actually be back in fashion. It may be time to dust them off and work them back into your decor.  

 Rethink your windows

Nowadays, we’re spending a lot more time staring out the window than usual. So why not make it a comfy perch? If you don’t currently have a window seat, consider pulling an upholstered bench under the window, or reposition a cozy side chair.  

To let the light in, make sure your windows aren’t currently being blocked by furniture or decor. And consider making a curtain tie-back out of ribbon or a scrap of fabric you may have on hand. 

Restyle your shelves 

For any room that needs a quick refresh, try this trick: remove everything from the shelves. Dust off each shelf, starting with the top one and working your way down. Then place everything back, but try a new arrangement. If you haven’t touched these knick-knacks in months (or even years), this mini move can change the entire room.  

 Refresh your sofa 

If you have alternate throw pillow covers or blankets, now’s the time to break them out.  

 Organize your kitchen counters 

If your countertop is looking a little cluttered, it’s time to try our editor-in-chief’s tray trick. If you have a storage tray (or maybe a serving tray hiding in a kitchen cabinet?) pull it out. Use it to corral everything from mail to medicine bottles. And when it overflows, you know it’s time to cull your collection.  

 

things to do around the bay

 Golden Gate Park is celebrating it’s 150th Anniversary this year!

Mentioned Links 

~ Thank you~ 

A very special thank you to all of our callers! We live to answer your questions, so keep them coming! 

Thank you to our Technical Support: 

  • Danny Bringer – Chief Engineer  
  • Carol “Remodeling Babe” Carey – Executive Producer  
  • Sam Reed – Associate Producer  
  • Rico Figliolini – Digital Master 

 

Thank you for tuning in for some fun things to do this weekend! And check in next week for more cool tips! 

“Things To Do While Stuck Inside This Weekend” Show Notes for On The House with the Carey Brothers aired April 04, 2020. 

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