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This insect killer aerosol spray is made with a blend of natural oils, including clove oil and cottonseed oil. (The Home Depot)
An All-Natural Solution
Safer Home Ant, Roach & Spider Killer is a multi-insect spray that works on various household insects like ants, roaches, spiders, flies, silverfish, fleas, and more.
It’s made with natural oils like clove oil and cottonseed oil and it contains no harsh chemicals, so it’s safe for use around children and pets when used as directed.
The contact-kill formula works fast to kill 100% of ants, flies, and roaches within three minutes.
Plus, the aerosol spray and contains no CFCs, so it’s ozone-friendly.
This aerosol is CFC free, meaning it contains none of the gases that damage our ozone layer. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Easy Application
The aerosol spray bottle makes application a breeze. Holding the bottle eight to 12 inches from your target, spray directly on pests until wet, but not to the point of saturation.
There’s no residue to wipe up — the spray will dry without cleanup.
It is perfect for use in pantries, behind baseboards, in cracks and crevices, around windows and doors, and in attics, basements, crawl spaces, and other areas of your home.
Effective Pest Control
This insect killer solution eliminates a variety of insect pests, including:
Spray foam is an economical way to fill gaps around your home, but applying it can get messy. The folks at Great Stuff have solved this sticky situation with their new Pestblock Insulating Spray Foam Sealant, which features a Smart Dispenser straw.
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Small straws on expandable foam cans make it harder to control the amount you apply. (BanksPhotos, Getty Images Signature)
The Problem With Expandable Foam Sealant
Small straws on most canned expandable foam sealants make them harder to control. Foam spurts out in bits, and drips quickly clog the straw.
Even if you use an extension tube, it can easily slide off and release foam everywhere except where it’s needed.
Great Stuff’s Smart Dispenser allows for more precise application. (greatstuff.dupont.com)
Most foam sealants are a “one and done” application, so you need to use the whole can in one go.
Great Stuff Pestblock Insulating Spray Foam Sealant can be reused for up to 30 days with the straw left attached to the canister. Just clean the tip after your first use, then you can save the rest for another project!
It’s tack-free in five to 15 minutes and trimmable in one hour. And once it’s dry, you can sand, paint, and stain it to match the surroundings.
Great Stuff’s Pestblock formula is specifically designed to block out spiders, ants, cockroaches, mice and other pests from entering your home without pesticides. So no bees are harmed!
This week, learn tips for preventing buckling floors and removing wall mirrors. (Banepx, Getty Images/DmitriiSimakov, Getty Images)
Hour 1
In Hour 1, listen to learn about fire concerns with open floor plans, fixing a sticky vinyl floor and more.
Fire Safety and Open Floor Plans
Open floor plans are easy on the eyes, but they also make it easy for a fire to spread. (PC Photography, Getty Images)
Nowadays, everyone wants an open floor plan, but keep this in mind: The National Fire Protection Association warns about fire concerns that go along with them.
Since 1980, the number of house fires has been cut in half, due to smoke alarms, but since 2010, house fire deaths have been on the rise.
Part of the reason for this is open floor plans. With fewer walls, fires can spread more quickly. Also, modern homes are built mostly with synthetic materials that burn much faster than natural materials.
30 years ago, you had about 15-17 minutes to escape a house fire. Today, the National Fire Protection Association says you only have about three to five minutes.
To increase your chances of surviving a house fire, make sure your smoke alarms are in working order. You should check them at least twice a year. A good time to do this is when time changes in the spring and fall.
The National Fire Protection Association also recommends new homeowners go a step further and seek out homes with fire sprinklers or ask for this technology when building a new home.
Having a combination of smoke alarms and fire sprinklers in a home can significantly cut your risk of injury or worse from fire; the home fire death rate is an astounding 90 percent lower when hardwired smoke alarms and fire sprinklers are present.
And of course, make sure your family has an escape plan.
Sticky Vinyl Floor
A sticky vinyl floor might mean its protective coating has worn off. (Adobe Stock)
Jeffery Winig has 20-year-old vinyl flooring in his Saratoga Springs, N.Y., home.
“I’m having problems trying to keep the floors clean and non-sticky. Any suggestions on products that will clean and/or seal the floors would be greatly appreciated,” he asks.
It sounds like the protective coating on the vinyl floor has probably worn off.
All vinyl floors have a clear wear layer on the top to protect the floor. Over time, it can wear off and expose the flooring’s resilient core. This can make the floor feel sticky, which then attracts dirt and makes them harder to clean.
The easy way to tell if the wear layer is missing is to test a spot that hasn’t had a lot of foot traffic. If that spot is easier to clean, then the coating has probably worn off.
Try installing luxury vinyl tiling over the existing vinyl floor. It’s fairly easy to install and holds up great to foot traffic.
Hour 2
In Hour 2, hear how to prevent laminate floors from buckling, remove floor-to-ceiling mirrors, get rid of moles and more.
Preventing Laminate Floor Buckling
Buckling floors can be caused by too much moisture in the air. (Banepx, Getty Images)
A listener has a vacation home that’s only occupied a few months out of the year, and he wants to know the best way to prevent buckling and shrinking on the laminate floor.
“What should I keep the A/C unit set to as far as the high and the low settings?” he asks.
Preventing buckling has more to do with humidity than temperature. Moisture in the air causes expansion and contraction, so get a dehumidifier to remove as much of it as possible.
Since this is your vacation home and you’re not there all the time, get a small one that can be set on your countertop and have the drain directed toward the sink. That way there’s no chance of any overflow causing water damage to the floor.
Also, keep this in mind: buckling usually happens if there isn’t enough expansion space left around the perimeter of the room. Check to see if there is enough space between the flooring and the wall for the boards to naturally expand.
As for the temperature setting, I keep the air conditioner in my vacation home set at 76 degrees Fahrenheit. At one time, I set it at 78 degrees Fahrenheit, but mold and mildew started to form. I’ve found that at 76 degrees Fahrenheit, there’s enough air exchange to prevent that.
Removing a Mirror From a Wall
Large wall mirrors can be dangerous to remove. (DmitriiSimakov, Getty Images)
Shirley in Anchorage, Alaska says: “One wall in our dining area has floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and I hate them. Is there an easy, safe way to remove them?”
Removing floor-to-ceiling mirrors can be dangerous, because broken glass can cause serious injuries.
Take all precautions to protect yourself. Wear long sleeves, leather gloves, and a full face shield so you won’t get injured if any glass breaks away.
Use a large putty knife to pry off the edge of the mirror to see how they’re fastened. Most of the time, there’s more than one way it’s fastened to the wall. They could be glued or held in place by clips.
If they’re clipped to the wall, simply unscrew the clips to remove the mirror.
If the mirrors are glued to the wall, take a putty knife and slip it behind the mirror. Sooner or later, the drywall or glue will eventually give, but it could shatter.
You also can try running a nylon string or a piano wire behind it. There’s also a tool you can get from the auto parts store called a windshield cutout wire. It’s a long wire with teeth on it and handles on the end. Run it behind the mirror and saw it back and forth to remove it.
If you’re not comfortable with removing it yourself, call a professional.
Moles Vs. Voles
Moles and voles — both can wreak havoc on your lawn. (Tuned_In, Getty Images/Leopardinatree, Getty Images Signature)
William recently purchased a home with a small pond, and he says he has a large vole problem. He’s tried sonic noise devices, but they haven’t had any effect.
“Is there a non-toxic way to get rid of the voles and grubs they eat? I don’t want to harm the fish in the pond,” William asks.
One part of eliminating any rodent problem is to get rid of their food source.
One clue here is when William mentions “the grubs they eat.” Voles are vegetarians, so the problem might be moles, not voles.
Here’s an easy way to remember the difference between the two: Voles are vegetarians, and their name starts with a “v.” Moles are meat-eaters, and their name starts with an “m.”
Voles look like field mice with short tails, compact heavy bodies, small eyes, and partially hidden ears, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension. They are 5-8 inches long and have prominent orange teeth for gnawing plant roots and stems.
Moles, on the other hand, are 4-7 inches long with paddle-shaped feet and prominent digging claws. They have an elongated head and snout, small eyes, and no external ears.
You can try treating your lawn with an herbicide to kill the grubs. However, this will only help slightly, because moles eat other insects as well.
If you really want to get rid of the moles in your yard, the only surefire way is to trap them. Follow trap directions exactly, because improper placement of the trap will doom your efforts!
While you can’t control whether or not new moles will move in, trapping lets you know for sure that you’ve eliminated the ones you have. Before you begin, make sure mole trapping is legal in your state.
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Simple Solutions
Using vinegar to clean a clogged showerhead. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Unclogging Showerheads — High mineral content in water can create a crusty buildup on showerheads, creating a weak, erratic spray. Fix this by soaking the showerhead in white distilled vinegar.
You can remove the showerhead and submerge it in a bucket of vinegar, or fill a plastic food-storage bag with vinegar, slip it over the showerhead and secure it with twine or twist-ties.
Allow the showerhead to soak in vinegar for 24-48 hours.
Mount a PVC pipe underneath a shelf to conveniently store cordless tools. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Cordless Drill Holster — Make a convenient storage holster for your cordless drill from a 12-inch length of 3-inch-diameter PVC pipe.
Use a jigsaw to cut a slot in the pipe slightly wider than the tool’s handle, and about 6 inches long. Then screw the pipe to the underside of a shelf.
Now, slide the drill into the slot, leaving the handle hanging below. This is a great way to save shelf space and keep the tool at the ready.
In this week’s episode, we provide solutions for out-of-control Asiatic jasmine and a dripping range hood. (Carey Bradley, Today’s Homeowner Media/Osvaldo Maldonado, Getty Images/BillionPhotos)
Hour 1
In Hour 1, we share a listener’s tip on how to track down rats in an attic, offer solutions for an invasive ground cover and more.
Tracking Down Rats in an Attic
Find where rats have been in your attic by using a black light. (Photo illustration: MikeLane45, Getty Images Pro/Adobe Stock)
In the July 30 show, Chris Welsh in Florida called to ask about eliminating the rat urine smell in his attic. He wanted to install new insulation and asked us if he should remove the old, soiled insulation before he installs new.
We told Chris that since it’s been a few years and the smell is still there, plus he’s already going to install new insulation, he should get rid of the soiled insulation. Although it can dissipate over time, there’s no guarantee. Plus, this could be his only chance to remove it, because once the new insulation is installed, it’s there for good.
One of our listeners, Dean, heard this and called to give this tip: Use a black light to find rat urine in an attic.
This is a great tip because it’s often hard to see how widespread the rat infestation is on smell alone.
According to chemistry expert Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., urine glows under a black light primarily because it contains the element phosphorus. Phosphorus glows yellowish green in the presence of oxygen, with or without black light, but the light imparts additional energy that makes the chemiluminescence easier to see.
A black light also works well to find pet urine. So if you have a problem cat that’s not keeping its business in the litterbox, use a black light to find urine spots.
Water Dripping from a Range Hood
Water dripping from a range hood indicates an insulation problem. (Photo illustration; Osvaldo Maldonado, Getty Images/BillionPhotos)
Water is constantly dripping from the range hood in David Henderson’s kitchen. He’s spending a small fortune on paper towels to absorb the drips on the stovetop.
The duct vents to the outside of the house, he maintains a steady temperature inside, and the new roof he just had installed didn’t make a difference.
“I’ve been beating my brains out trying to figure it out,” David says. “I am 69 years old and have lived in many houses in my life but have never seen this before.”
The vast majority of the time, when a vent pipe is dripping water down through the range hood, it means condensation isn’t forming on the outside but on the inside.
Install some duct wrap insulation on the pipe to minimize the difference in temperature inside the pipe and in the attic. Since the pipe is already in place, get the type that comes on a roll, not a cylindrical form. That way you won’t have to disconnect the pipe to slide the insulation over it.
This will stop the dripping and you’ll also greatly reduce your paper towel budget!
Controlling Asiatic Jasmine
Asiatic jasmine is a great groundcover, but it can get out of control if not properly maintained. (Carey Bradley, Today’s Homeowner Media)
Sue wants to know: How can I get rid of Asiatic jasmine that is taking over our yard?
“It has spread from the neighbors on each side of us. Pulling it up is a never-ending task and we have gotten too old to deal with it. Help!” Sue says
Asiatic jasmine is a perennial evergreen vine that makes for a wonderful ground cover, but it’s very invasive.
First, try cutting it right at the bed, and keep it under control with a string trimmer.
We don’t often recommend using herbicides, but you might need them in this case. Cut it back as far as you can, then spray on an herbicide.
If you don’t want to use an herbicide, spray it with home and garden vinegar.
Hour 2
In Hour 2, learn how to paint unfinished cabinets yourself, when to paint walls in a new house and more.
Painting Unfinished Cabinets
You can get the look of professionally painted kitchen cabinets yourself if you make the right preparations. (Kameleon007, Getty Images Signature)
A caller wants her unfinished cabinets professionally painted, but the professionals have given her “outrageous” estimates.
“Can I do this myself, and what kind of sprayer should I get?” she asks.
It is a fair amount of work to finish cabinets yourself, but the end result is very gratifying.
Because the cabinets are unfinished, you won’t have to worry about removing any old paint.
Basically, here’s what you need to do.
Sand the cabinets so the paint will stick.
Smooth out any imperfections with water putty or epoxy finish
Prime the cabinets with a bonding primer
Apply two coats of acrylic latex paint in either a semi-gloss or eggshell finish
Don’t wait for your house to “settle” to start painting it. (Curtis Adams, Pexels)
Robert Lang in Kentucky just bought his first home — a new build that was completed in February 2022.
“I want to paint the interior to not only change the color but use a better grade of paint. I’ve read that I should wait before painting. If this is true, how long should I wait? Do I need to allow the house to settle before I attempt to paint?” Robert asks.
There’s no reason to wait to paint in a newly built home. There’s no way to know how much settling or expansion and contraction are going to happen.
There are so many factors that could influence it, like how wet the framing got during the building process or how many screws were used versus nails.
If there is going to be some settling, it probably won’t show up for at least five years.
Go ahead and make the house your own. Just, make sure the walls are nice and clean before you paint them.
Who doesn’t love to be outside? Unfortunately, however, sometimes those pesky mosquitos can make you retreat indoors. Luckily, Thermacell has a new product so you can enjoy the outdoors more!
When trying to keep mosquitos away, most of us resort to bug spray or even those scented outdoor candles made to drive bugs away.
However, you may find that these items don’t always work — which can be annoying when trying to enjoy the fresh air.
The new Thermacell Patio Shield Mosquito Repeller works to keep the bugs away while you enjoy time with your family and friends. It creates a 15-foot mosquito-free zone without DEET spray and other unpleasant aromas.
This product will protect your patio or deck for up to 12 hours straight! It features three repellant mats and one fuel cartridge, which fit in its cordless and lightweight unit.
To learn more about this product head on over to homedepot.com!
