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Home Repair Tutor

Blogger | Pittsburgh, PA http://www.homerepairtutor.com
538 Followers 1.4KLikes 15021 Shares
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My Recent Boards

  • Home Repair Tutor's Clipboard
  • Cleaning Tips
  • 10 Weekend DIY Projects
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Featured Photos

About Me:

Hi Everyone, My name is Jeff and I got my DIY degree from working on homes older than your mom. You'll discover all sorts of weekend projects by visiting me at Home Repair Tutor where I share my adventures (both good and bad).

Favorite area of home improvement:

One of my passions is turning outdated spaces into works of art. I have to say bathrooms are my favorite because honestly that's where I do a lot of my thinking (LOL).


Recent Activity


  • Replace a standard switch with the Maestro motion sensor light switch
  • The installation is easy
  • This is a standard single-pole light switch and it can be replaced with the Maestro
  • You can program the Maestro to turn off after a certain timeframe.
  • See 1 more photo

Your Laundry Room Needs This: The Maestro Motion Sensor Switch

This by far is one of the best weekend DIY projects we've ever done.

Primarily because it solved 2 problems: ...»

-Not being able to turn on the lights while holding a basket full of dirty laundry

-Forgetting to turn off said lights before leaving for work

This ringa true for many of our friends, too. And that's why I installed a motion sensor light switch in our laundry room.

I chose the Lutron Maestro because I heard great things about it on a few podcasts and you can find it in any hardware store. The installation is super simple if you have a single-pole switch but it can also be used in three-way switch situations. You can program the switch to turn on and off automatically. What I like best is that you can set it to turn off after 1, 5, 15, or 30 minutes.

Lutron's website has a few nice videos explaining the basic installation but I put together a tutorial that goes a bit more in depth and shares basic wiring tips. In case you're interested here's the link to my blog post http://www.homerepairtutor.com/maestro-motio...

My wife was skeptical of how well the Maestro would work but now she's requesting a second one for our closet!! If she's impressed I think you'll be too.

45 Minutes 30 Easy
Home Repair Tutor
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA 4 hours ago
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  • Wet and Forget Shower is  a good cleaner because it uses surfactants instead of noxious chemicals 3
  • Untreated grout became discolored and reddish (familiar?)
  • Treated grout remained clean over the 11 weeks.
  • Great side by side comparison. The left wall was treated and the corner/right wall were not.
  • Our glass shower door remained clean on the right and the left side (although not real apparent in this photo) had soap scum film.
  • See 2 more photos

Shower Cleaning Made Easy without the Use of Noxious Chemicals

Shower cleaning has to be one of my least favorite chores.

The tight space combined with cleaning solutions is just flat out aggravating. ...»

Plus, if you have mold or mildew sometimes you're forced to use chemicals like bleach or ammonia (which I try to avoid since my wife has asthma & allergies!!).

All these things persuaded me to try Wet & Forget Shower because it uses surfactants instead of harsh chemicals to clean.

Plus, I did an 11 week experiment to see if it really would work. One half of our shower walls and doors got the Wet & Forget while the other half didn't.

The most striking result was the elimination of the red or orangish film that forms in grout lines. Wet & Forget did an awesome job at stopping this from happening.

Mildew and mold were also prevented in the treated versus untreated area. This is good news for anyone who can't bend down to get to these hard to reach places.

The only kind of surface that you shouldn't use Wet & Forget Shower on is natural marble because of its porosity. I checked this out before using it :)

And finally, the soap scum formation was halted on our glass shower door.

In case you're interested I shared a video of my results along with other tips on my blog. And there's a special surprise for anyone who reads to the end of the post!! So don't miss out. Here's the link http://www.homerepairtutor.com/wet-and-forge...

3 Minutes 20 Easy
Home Repair Tutor
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA
53 Comments | Post Comment | 30879 Views
  • Home Repair Tutor
    Commented 6 days ago
    Hi The Violet Letter, ...»
    thanks for your question. I have the same issue!!

    Unfortunately I think the only solution is to remove the old caulk and clean off the grime or mold. I did a nice tutorial on how to use Lift Off to remove old caulk. In case you'd like the link here it is http://www.homerepairtutor.com/how-to-remove...

    This project isn't that bad and you'll definitely be able to do it in less than 2 hours. That includes removing the old caulk, eliminating the mold with a 50/50 solution of water & bleach, letting the surface dry, and adding new clear caulk. Make sure your new caulk has Microban in it to eliminate the possibility of new mold growing.

    Hope this helps.

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  • Full instructions and materials are listed on my blog: http://www.empressofdirt.net/most-useful-garden-accessory-this-year-squirrel-screens/
  • These simple screens will protect your young seeds and plants from birds, squirrels, and moths.
  • The squirrels can't dig in the bed anymore (hee hee) but sun and rain still get through as needed.
  • Mounted on the side of a raised bed, the screen can also be used as vine support. I used it here for cucumbers.
  • Given a good start, my veggies now do really well. Nom nom!
  • While I'm winning this round, you know the squirrels will find some other way to mess with the garden! Such is life. ;)
  • See 3 more photos

DIY Garden Screens: A Multi-Purpose Solution

It's funny sometimes how something so simple can make such a big difference. These homemade garden screens are now a favourite accessory in my garden. ...»

I first start using them to keep the squirrels and birds from dining in my veggie beds. Not only did they work but the fine mesh screen kept the moths out too! From there I realized I could also use them as vine supports, and to support winter covers over my raised beds (I grow veggies throughout the year). Lots of uses from one item!

Many crops are self-pollinating and can remain covered (lettuces, legumes, spinach...) but for those that benefit from insect pollination, just remove the covers once the plants are well-established.

There's a complete material list and instructions on my blog. You can make them without any power tools and it's simple to do. And better yet, the squirrels won't thank you! http://www.empressofdirt.net/most-useful-gar...

Empress of Dirt - Melissa
Empress of Dirt - Melissa Canada
59 Comments | Post Comment | 14509 Views
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    Clipped 6 days ago to Gardening
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  • http://www.easy-home-made.com/dish-washer-soap.html

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets

These dishwasher tablets are perfect! They use all natural products and they don't clump like other homemade dish soaps
Easy-Home-Made
Easy-Home-Made Grand Junction, CO
1 Comment | Post Comment | 336 Views
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    Liked 7 days ago
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  • Building my raised garden bed took less than an hour to complete and cost under $15
  • After building my bed I protected and stained it with Flood Cedar stain
  • My salsa garden is ready to go in my new cedar raised garden bed!

$15 Raised Garden Bed

I wanted a cedar raised garden bed in a problem area of my backyard but all the ones I could buy were upwards of $100! Since that wasn't in my budget I scoured the internet for other ...»
options..With a genius idea from Ana White I was able to build my own for under $15! It was a thirty minute project, no crazy construction skills required, just a drill and a circular saw! (If only the gardening itself was as easy!)

Melissa-TheHappierHomemaker
Melissa-TheHappierHomemak... Aberdeen, NC
36 Comments | Post Comment | 7764 Views
  • Home Repair Tutor
    Commented on May 09, 2013
    Wonderful job, and for only $15!!
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  • BIG BEFORE!
  • part way through putting in the foam board/contact paper shelf liners
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Linen Closet Rescue Mission - Organizing the Linen Closet

Organize, purge, and update builder wire shelves with contact paper covered foam board. Make faux chalkboard labels using black foam board and thrift store frames. Simple sign to brighten up the closet wall.

Krista @ thehappyhousie
Krista @ thehappyhousie Canada
1 Comment | Post Comment | 385 Views
  • Home Repair Tutor
    Liked on May 09, 2013
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Repurposed galvanized tubs

Old Galvanized tubs I turned into a planter
Kim Harmeyer
Kim Harmeyer Cincinnati, OH
8 Comments | Post Comment | 2446 Views
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    Liked on May 09, 2013
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  • Add burlap to the back of your bookshelves.
  • I used a 12" roll of burlap and a staple gun to create the burlap'ified bookshelf.
  • Such great texture and interest with the burlap background.

Burlap'ified Bookshelves

Our family room bookshelves were looking a little boring. I thought about painting the backs of the bookshelves but then I came up with this much easier idea. ...»

Why not put some burlap on the back of the bookshelves!

I used a 12" wide roll of burlap and a staple gun.

I stapled the burlap to the backing of the bookshelves (trying to place the staples behind the shelves to hide them.

This was much easier and quicker than painting would have been!

I love the texture it gives!

#burlap #bookshelves

Domestically Speaking
Domestically Speaking San Jacinto, CA
14 Comments | Post Comment | 2985 Views
  • Home Repair Tutor
    Liked on May 09, 2013
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  • Cool Projects
  • T-shirt Art supplies
  • Use soap to make fabric to cut
  • Cut shirt to size, leave enough to wrap around canvas
  • Just use hot glue to put T-shirt on the canvas
  • The finished art hanging on the gallery wall
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How to make Custom Wall Art that's easy and cheap

I created custom wall art as part of my teenage son's room makeover. Using canvas purchased with a coupon from Hobby Lobby and T-shirts he no longer wore. It only took about an hour to ...»
cut and glue the shirts to the canvas. It was super easy and my son now has art that is sentimental to him!

1 Hour 7 Easy
Sonya Barker ~ At Home With The Barkers
Sonya Barker ~ At Home Wi... Piedmont, SC
5 Comments | Post Comment | 610 Views
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    Liked on May 07, 2013
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  • Scrabble magnets made from tiles.
  • A hook hangs a clip for photos.

Mini Memo Center

A piece of packing material behind a set of push pins was the inspiration behind this mini memo board. I used materials I had around the house to create a small place to stick a picture or hang a receipt.

Homeroad
Homeroad Greenlawn, NY
3 Comments | Post Comment | 770 Views
  • Home Repair Tutor
    Liked on May 07, 2013
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