Embellish

4. Cleaning a carpet causes it to mold and shrink.

Beware do-it-yourselfers. This can be true if water is not extracted from the carpet quickly after cleaning. Carpets may mold, smell or shrink if left wet for too long, but any professional company should get the job done right.

5. Always use wood polish after dusting.

Excessive use of wood polish may cause a buildup on furniture that will actually attract dirt and fingerprints. Excessive dusting, however, won’t harm furniture, though it may cause a sudden allergy flare up.

6. Bleach is the best household cleaner.

Bleach is actually a disinfectant, so areas should be cleaned first then disinfected with bleach. If dirt particles aren’t removed before bleach application, germs may linger.

-Taniesha Robinson

There are so many things that you’ve challenged your parents on over the years. Now it’s time to break rinsing rituals and toweling traditions. Let’s debunk a few cleaning myths passed down by mom and dad.

1. Use old newspaper to clean glass and mirrors.

There are mixed opinions about this one. Some say newspaper leaves a newsprint residue on.  Many have used this method for years and would sincerely disagree. I’ve used newspaper to clean glass in my office and compared it to the use of paper towel.  The glass cleaned with newspaper had less streaks and no newsprint. Still, for top notch glass cleaning, a squeegee works best.

2. Hair spray removes ink stains

If you have a can of hair spray left over from the 80s, this cleaning notion may be true.  Then, hairspray contained more alcohol, which is a big stain remover. These days, hairsprays are low-alcohol or alcohol free.

3. Baking Soda clears out odors in the refrigerator.

This odor-removing trick is so popular it has to be true. But here’s why it works.  Baking soda is nearly neutral in pH level so it stabilizes the pH of odors caused by both strong acids and highly basic solutions.
-Taniesha Robinson

Vine-ripe tomatoes are not only delectable; they’re decorative. Author and Westchester, N.Y.-based lifestyle expert Colleen Mullaney shows you how to create a ripe and respected work of art for an intimate outdoor gathering this summer.

Materials:

40 cherry tomatoes

1 large green cabbage

12” topiary form

6” clay pot and saucer

green moss

raffia

hot-glue gun and glue sticks

How to:
1. Cut bottom of topiary form to fit pot. Glue to secure. Cover foam at top of pot with moss and glue in place. Start gluing tomatoes to form, placing them close together, alternating with top and bottoms showing. Continue until form is completely covered.

2. Using the points of a pair of scissors, fill in small gaps between tomatoes with moss. Glue in place.

3. Cut large cabbage leaves and place on sides of pot. Trim bottoms of leaves so tops just graze rim of clay pot. Fold bottoms under pot and glue leaves in place.

4. To finish, wrap several strands of raffia around pot and tie knot.

To make votives:

1. Cut smaller leaves from cabbage head.

2. Wrap around votive, trimming bottoms so that tops leaves graze rims of votives. Fold bottoms under votive and glue in place.

3. To finish, wrap several strands of raffia around votive and tie knot.

Tip: Other possible fruits and vegetables for topiary (all with the same round shape) are lemons, limes, small peaches and apples or any large berry.

Mullaney is the author of several crafts books, including Crafting On the Go: Shells, Crafting On the Go: Felt, Faux Fabulous Florals (Sixth&Spring Books) and One-of-a-Kind Weddings (Creative Publishing). Check out her blog!

-Taniesha Robinson

Can you explain a cool DIY project in 30 seconds or less? Videotape yourself presenting and teaching others your interesting craft or skill and send it to Instructables.com and Forbes magazine Teach Me Fast Contest! Six first prize winners will receive a Flip MinoHD camcorder, an Instructables Robot t-shirt, patch and stickers.

Your project idea can be practical or fun, just make it interesting and short. Read more about and the contest and find how to enter here. Entries are accepted August 5 through September 13.

-Taniesha Robinson

Photo by e-magic on Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Wouldn’t you love to call an expert in home improvement or remodeling projects free at anytime during your DIY endeavors for advice? Remember this number: 1-888-MONEYPIT. Dialing this toll free number at anytime to get your questions answered by how-to gurus Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete. On their podcast radio show, this former home inspector and carpenter take calls from listeners all over the U.S. advising them on home improvement projects from roofing to flooring. You can even submit questions online at MoneyPit.com if you’re shy about picking up the phone. To get DIY tips at anytime, subscribe to their podcast on ITunes for free.

Kraeutler and Segrete aren’t the only ones streaming DIY tips at ITunes. The digital media player features an entire DIY section of free podcasts with video and audio streams full of step-by-step instructional guides, tips and ideas for décor and repairs. To subscribe to a free podcast visit the ITunes store. You’re sure to learn something new from One Minute How-To.com and Make magazine’s DIY technology projects. At the least, you’ll be entertained for a few minutes.

-Taniesha Robinson