Amanda Bell

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Stories By Amanda Bell

  • How To Convert A Shed To A Doghouse

    To convert a shed to a doghouse, you'll need to insulate the shed to provide climate control and add a soft material or bedding on the floor to help with warmth. Here's how to make it comfy for your best furry friend.

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  • How Big Is The Average Bathroom?

    The average bathroom size in houses today is much larger than in the mid-20th century, when houses were half the size they are today. Bathrooms in today's homes range from powder rooms to master bathrooms.

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  • How Do I Get Rid Of Ceramic Heater Smells?

    If your space heater smells like burning, it could be that the unit is new and just needs to be broken in, or it could need a good cleaning. If it is new, follow the instructions in your owner's manual for proper first time use. Otherwise, clean it gently with a toothbrush, vacuum and damp cloth.

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  • How To Use A Bissell Proheat Carpet Cleaner

    The Bissell Proheat carpet cleaner is a good way to keep your carpets and upholstered furniture clean and fresh. You simply dilute some cleaning solution in the appropriate reservoir and let the machine heat up. Pushing in the trigger disperses cleaning solution and releasing it soaks it back up.

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  • How To Get Makeup Stains Out Of Carpet

    If you need to remove makeup from carpet, you want to use the right products based on the type of cosmetics making the mess. The ingredients in specific types of makeup can impact what type of cleaner, solvent or household product you use to break up and remove the stain quickly and effectively.

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  • How To Whitewash Stained Wood

    White washing furniture is a great way to give it a more lived in or country style look. It's also an excellent way to update used furniture. There are two ways to whitewash your wood furniture: applying liming wax or diluting paint or primer and brushing it on before quickly wiping off the excess.

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  • My Carpet Feels Crunchy After Cleaning

    A single misstep when cleaning carpets has the potential to turn once-soft flooring into a stiff, crunchy mess. Add in the fact that some carpet fibers naturally stiffen as they dry no matter how thoroughly you clean, which makes the chances of plush carpets turning brittle increase. No matter what the cause is, you don’t have to deal with matted, stiff fibers between your toes.

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  • How To Make Your Wood Burn Slower In A Fireplace

    Although sitting by a fire can be incredibly relaxing, especially on cold nights, nothing ruins that relaxation more than having to add wood to the fireplace constantly. Thankfully, you can use a variety of ways to make the wood burn more slowly.

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  • How To Bring Shine Back To A Dining Table

    Dining tables often have an oil-based polyurethane finish. The hard, mostly clear topcoat protects the stain and wood underneath. Over time, this finish starts to dull, and damaged areas and water rings further reduce the surface's shine.

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  • How To Remove Zinc Cream From Fabric

    Zinc oxide acts as the starring ingredient in many diaper rash creams and works as a barrier against sun exposure in certain sunscreens. In these products, the zinc included is a white powder that can stain fabrics.

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  • DIY: Carpet Binding Tape

    Carpet tape with decorative cord trim along one edge is readily available premade, but the limited availability of colors and styles doesn’t always work with the endless array of patterns and colors present in carpet.

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  • How To Clean Cork Stoppers

    A large collection of cork stoppers opens the door to an array of DIY projects, from creating an eye-catching backsplash in your kitchen to crafting a unique mat for your bathroom. But cork is porous, and after spending time keeping wine inside of a bottle it may become stained or develop an unpleasant odor.

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  • How To Clean A Rusty Cast Iron Dutch Oven

    Few things capture the idea of rustic form and function as effortlessly as a cast iron Dutch oven. It allows you to cook a mouth-watering casserole to perfection, and lends a country air to your kitchen decor when displayed on an open shelf.

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  • How To Remove Musty Smells From Furniture Drawers

    Excess moisture results in a musty scent in furniture and the offensive odor tends to concentrate in the drawers, which see little air movement or light. Thoroughly cleaning the drawers usually solves the issue, although very old furniture or items stored in a damp area for a long length of time may require sanding.

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