Bathtub slightly filled with water
Removing a tub drain can prove tedious if you aren’t sure where to begin (AdobeStock ©Johanna Goodyear)

This week on the Today’s Homeowner Podcast, we tell you how to remove a tub drain when the crossbars are corroded.

“The tub doesn’t have the crossbars on it to use the proper tool to remove the drain,” a fan says. “It’s all corroded so how do I get it out so I can replace it?” Skip to [skipto time=01:50][01:50][/skipto] to find out the solution!

Listen to the Today’s Homeowner Podcast for the answer to this tub drain problem along with more home improvement tips. Here are other topics featured in this episode:

  • A fan tells us a simple idea for under the sink storage
  • Advice on how to install a bathroom exhaust fan
  • Maintenance tips for a tankless water heater

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Simple Solutions

No-Harm Holiday Light Installation — Here’s a quick way to hang holiday lights on the outside of your home without causing any damage with nails or screws.

First, buy some adhesive-backed plastic mounting bases, which you can find in the electrical department at home centers and hardware stores. The bases are about 1/2 inch squared and each has four slots that accept cable ties.

Next, clean the surface well, peel off the paper backing and press the mounting base in place. 

Now slide a cable tie through the slots, hold the light strand against the base, then snug up the cable tie to securely hold the lights in place. Install more mounting bases while spacing them no more than 2 feet apart along the house. Repeat this process to secure the light strand.

At the end of the season, you just snip off the cable ties but leave the mounting bases in place and you can reuse them next year.

Watch: The Damage-Free Way to Attach Holiday Lights and Decorations to Your Home

Reviving Leather Work Gloves — Leather work gloves are ruggedly tough and offer superior protection against splinters, blisters and puncture wounds. However, when they get wet, they dry out and become stiff and brittle.

Here’s how to resuscitate the driest, stiffest leather gloves: First, coat your hands in a thick layer of petroleum jelly and Bag Balm.

Then, slip on the gloves; that’ll condition the inside of the leather. Next, take a big scoop of mink oil and rub it into the outside surfaces of the gloves, including in between each finger. Wait overnight, and treat the outside of the gloves with a second application of mink oil.


Question of the Week

Q: I am wanting to insulate the crawl space under my home. As of now, there is no insulation between the floor joists. Can I use faced insulated with the paper facing up? Also, should I staple plastic sheeting across the joists?

A: You can use faced insulation, but there’s really not a need to because of the face that the paper has to face the area that is heated and cooled. Having the paper facing up is the correct way to have it!

But we recommend mineral wool insulation for insulating a crawl space. It doesn’t absorb moisture and has great insulating value — and it only comes unfaced. Press the stay wires in between the joists so you don’t have to worry about stapling!



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Editorial Contributors
avatar for Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford

Founder

Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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