Today’s Homeowner Radio
“Mom your clothes stink!” That’s what a listener tells us she’s hearing all the time from her family. According to her hygrometer, humidity is high. What may be causing the smell and how she can kick it to the curb.
Also, we get a lot of questions regarding deck care on the radio show. A listener from Alabama started the heavy lifting repairing rot damage. The boards need to go but the posts are still solid. How he can move forward and get his deck ready for summer.
Plus, Joe has a simple solution that will allow you to build a mosquito trap without using any harsh chemicals.
Listener Questions
Repairing a Rotted Deck
Matt from Alabama says, “While repairing my deck that had water damage and rot to the deck boards and joists. I found the deck’s support posts are buried under the ground 1-foot 1.5 feet deep. The posts are not rotted yet, they are 6×6 and do have some water absorption into them but are still solid and a deck screw will go into them properly. I am want to know how I could prevent these posts from rotting out. If it would be okay to pour more Quikrete around them to cover the 1-foot that has been touching the dirt.”
Mystery Musty Smell
Linda from New York says, “My husband built our ranch 16 yrs ago. It’s not every day but some days really bad when you walk in. The smell is also on clothing. It was raining very hard the day foundation was put in if that means anything. My question is what kind of a company could I contact to help me solve this problem if it is solvable? My husband is at a loss as to what to do and I’m tired of my daughter saying your clothes stink mom! Thank you for any direction you can steer me on this.”
How to Fix an Uneven Floor
Janet from New Hampshire says, “I recently removed a stained overstretched ugly-colored carpet from the bedroom of our newly purchased house. I removed all the staples and the edge strips because I do not want to carpet–I’m considering tiles. Apparently, there had been another carpet with foam backing that had been glued to the floor prior to the carpet I removed. The floor is fairly level and is plywood. There are some gouges and unevenness that need fixing. What should I use to do this? Do I need to remove all the glued-on foam rubber or can I just scrape the heaviest residue and proceed from there? Thank you for any advice you can offer.”
Cleaning Red Brick
Dean from California says, “What will take the white calcium stains left by potted plants off of the red brick caps on a planter. I have tried a lot of cleaners and a wire brush. Stains are still present.”
Simple Solutions
Clean Hardened Paintbrushes Naturally
Hardened paint can often be removed from a paintbrush naturally using household vinegar. Here’s how.
Homemade Mosquito Trap
Here’s how to make a simple, but effective mosquito trap.
Best New Products
6,500-Watt Gasoline Powered Portable Generator
Portable generators are great to have around when the power goes out. But one of the biggest concerns with people using these things is Carbon Monoxide poisoning. That’s why RYOBI built their 6,500-Watt East Start Portable Generator with a Carbon Monoxide sensor and automatic CO shutoff.
