A spool of nylon string can be used for many things — general crafting, fishing and hunting, and laying mason lines.
When used for masonry, it’s one of the simplest quickest and most accurate ways to create a perfectly straight line.
That’s why a spool of nylon string is often sold as mason’s line — because brick masons use it to get nice straight brick walls.
The string is easy to unwind off the spool, but it’s not as easy to get back on after you’ve used it.
Winding it by hand back onto the spool can lead to tangles and uneven distribution. And eventually, you’ve got an unusable mess that you have to cut up.
Using a power drill to wrap nylon string around a spool will speed up the process and lessen the likelihood of tangles. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Here’s a much better, and faster, solution:
Take a screw and drive it through the end of the plastic housing that the spool is on. Then, chuck it into a drill.
Turn on the drill to the lowest setting, and just like that, you can now use the power of the drill to put the line back on the spool.
It only takes a few seconds to wind the nylon string back onto the spool!
As you’re winding up the nylon string, slowly move it back and forth along the spool.
This way, you don’t overload one side or the other, and the string winds up neatly every time.
Did you know you can recycle coffee grounds for plants to use in your garden?
Horticulturists praise coffee grounds for acidifying soil and enhancing plant growth.
Coffee grounds are slightly acidic (5.5 to 6.8 pH), so certain acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons and gardenias love them.
Azaleas prefer soil with a pH of 5 to 6.5. (c11yg, Getty Images)
They contain about 2 percent nitrogen, 0.06 percent phosphorus, and 0.6 percent potassium by volume, according to the University of Wyoming Extension. They also contain many micronutrients including calcium, magnesium, boron, copper, iron, and zinc.
Use a garden shovel to spread a thin layer of coffee grounds around the base of acid-loving plants. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Here’s how to use them in your garden:
After you’ve had your morning cup of joe, save the used coffee grounds in a plastic container. You should have enough grounds after about a week or so to use in your garden.
To use them as a soil amendment for your plants, rake back the mulch to expose the soil. Then, use a small garden trowel to spread the coffee grounds around the base of the plant. Only spread the grounds about a quarter of an inch thick.
And then, of course, rake the mulch back just to protect the soil and keep the weeds down.
Add a thin layer of grounds to the plants about once a month, and you’ll see a much healthier plant with many more blooms.
By the way, if you don’t have coffee, you can also use tea leaves just be sure to take it out of the tea bag first.
Did you know you can recycle coffee grounds for plants to use in your garden?
Horticulturists praise coffee grounds for acidifying soil and enhancing plant growth.
Coffee grounds are slightly acidic (5.5 to 6.8 pH), so certain acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons and gardenias love them.
Azaleas prefer soil with a pH of 5 to 6.5. (c11yg, Getty Images)
They contain about 2 percent nitrogen, 0.06 percent phosphorus, and 0.6 percent potassium by volume, according to the University of Wyoming Extension. They also contain many micronutrients including calcium, magnesium, boron, copper, iron, and zinc.
Use a garden shovel to spread a thin layer of coffee grounds around the base of acid-loving plants. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Here’s how to use them in your garden:
After you’ve had your morning cup of joe, save the used coffee grounds in a plastic container. You should have enough grounds after about a week or so to use in your garden.
To use them as a soil amendment for your plants, rake back the mulch to expose the soil. Then, use a small garden trowel to spread the coffee grounds around the base of the plant. Only spread the grounds about a quarter of an inch thick.
And then, of course, rake the mulch back just to protect the soil and keep the weeds down.
Add a thin layer of grounds to the plants about once a month, and you’ll see a much healthier plant with many more blooms.
By the way, if you don’t have coffee, you can also use tea leaves just be sure to take it out of the tea bag first.
If you have tile in your home, chances are you’ve spent some time cleaning grout.
It’s impossible not to end up with dirty grout. Everyday foot traffic and occasionally spills leave behind stains that can be hard to clean.
And while there are several grout cleaning products on the market, you might have something in your home right now that works just as well — toilet bowl cleaner.
That’s right — regular old toilet bowl cleaner that comes in a squeeze bottle can clean grout!
Toilet bowl cleaner contains bleach, so it will not only lighten grout stains, but it will also kill any mold or mildew. Plus, toilet bowl cleaner is a lot cheaper than grout cleaner.
Toilet bowl cleaner is perfect for cleaning grout because of its small spout and thick gel consistency. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Just squeeze it directly into the grout joints. Because it has a gel consistency, it fills up the joint lines and stays put.
Once the lines are saturated in toilet bowl cleaner, let it set for a good 30 to 40 minutes or so. Then, scrub them with a stiff-bristled.
Want to use less elbow grease? Convert a standard hand scrub brush into a power attachment for your drill! Just watch How to Clean Tiles Faster Than Ever to learn how.
After you’re done scrubbing, wipe the surface clean with a microfiber cloth to absorb the cleaner. You can come back later with a little water to clean up the excess toilet bowl cleaner.
Once you’ve cleaned it to your liking, seal the grout lines to keep them cleaner for longer.
Corey and Grace really like a dark green color for the guest bedroom, so to keep the room from feeling dark and uninviting, they’re only going to use that color for an accent wall.
And to add some visual interest to the accent wall, we’re going to add some board and batten.
We space each batten about 16 inches apart — about the standard width each stud is spaced. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
For the battens, we space out ½-inch by 2¾-inch boards about 16 inches apart on the wall, then attach them with finishing nails and construction adhesive.
Once all the battens are in place, we caulk the edges and apply two coats of paint to the whole wall.
To save space, we install floating shelves next to the bed instead of placing bulky nightstands. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Build/Install Floating Shelves
Bulky nightstands can make this guest room feel cluttered, so instead, we’re attaching floating shelves to the sides of the bed.
The floating shelves are essentially a box made from To make the floating shelves, we build a box with a 1-by-6 board on top, a half-inch-by-6-inch board on the bottom, and 1-by-2 pieces wrapping the edges.
We mixed two stain shades to create a color that matches the headboard. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
Once assembled, we sand the shelves and stain them to match the headboard.
To keep the floating shelves secure, we add wood glue to the cleat before we slip them on. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
To hang the shelves, we first screw cleats into the wall, then slip the shelves on and secure them with finishing nails and wood glue.
For additional lighting, we’re adding some wall-mounted sconces on either side of the bed.
Rerouting the wiring was simple because the wall had two outlets where we needed to place our wall sconces. (3 Echoes Content Studio)
To do this, we first have to reroute the wiring from the electrical outlet to where the sconces will be hung on the wall. We cut a hole in the drywall where the sconces will be mounted, then fish the electrical wires up to the hole.
Once the wires are set, we follow the instructions to install them.
Corey’s extra bedroom was just that — it lacked any real identity. The hardware and paint color lifted by the previous homeowners didn’t make the welcoming statement they wanted for their guests.
But now, the room has a clear purpose and that’s to make guests feel right at home. The board and batten accent wall draws you into the space and the custom trim around the windows tells you they were intentional about making this room nice for you.
The floating shelves and nightstand are functional for short-term guests without taking up as much space as larger pieces of furniture. And the warm wood tones complement the cool green accent wall, just as the gold wall sconces do.
