Saving money on home improvements during a recession is difficult, but not impossible. Even if you are unable to complete an entire job by yourself, doing part of the job may save you some valuable cash in the end. One way to save money is by tearing out your own carpet before having new carpet installed. It is an easy process and it does not require very many tools. The following will provide simple steps to follow to help you remove your old carpet.

What You Will Need

• Face mask (to prevent inhalation of airborne particles)
• Wonder Tool
• Hammer
• Flat Head Shovel
• Stiff Bristled Broom
• Wood Block (to help remove trim)

Steps for Removing Carpet

Step 1: Before you begin, completely clear the room where you are tearing up the carpet–remove all furniture. You may also want to vacuum the carpet really well to help reduce the amount of dust and other grime released in to the air as you remove the carpet.

Step 2: Remove the baseboard and any extra nails in the room.

NOTE: Removing the baseboard is not always required. If you are not replacing the baseboard you can leave it in place, just take great care when pulling out the carpet so you do not tear up the baseboard.

Step 3: Put on your face mask and find an exposed edge usually near a register, around a door, or in a closet and begin pulling up the carpet using a Wonder Tool. You can expect the carpet to me nailed or tacked down and depending on how old the carpet is you may encounter glued surfaces.

Step 4: Pull back the carpet exposing the carpet pad. Use care when handling the old carpet pad because it may break apart creating a mess. Plan on pulling up the carpet and then going back to pull up the carpet pad.

NOTE: The best way to pull up the carpet is to roll it up. You can compact it and place in your trash for disposal.

Step 5: Once the carpet is removed, begin removing the carpet pad using the flat head shovel. This will help to release the glue used to hold the carpet pad in place during instillation.

NOTE:  The best way to dispose of the carpet pad is to place it in and industrial sized garbage bag. The carpet pad contains dust, dirt, dander and other items such as mold. To reduce the spread of these particulates in the home place the old carpet padding in the plastic bad and tie shut before removing it from the room.

Step 6: Using the Wonder Tool and a hammer, carefully remove the carpet tack strips (small boards with tons of tiny nails along the walls) and discard.

Step 7: After the carpet and carpet pad have been removed from the room, remove any extra nails from the floor and use a sturdy brush to remove as much of the old glue and dirt from the floor.

Step 8: Vacuum and clean the floor before installing new carpet.

Removing the carpet yourself can reduce the overall labor cost when having new carpet installed. Check with your service provider to find out how the cost of installation is calculated and if you will save money by removing and disposing of the old carpet yourself.

Do you have any home improvement tips to save money?

Planting Hyacinth Bulbs in Six Easy Steps

Step 1: Clear the area in your flower bed where you are planning on planting your bulbs. Make sure to remove any mulch, sticks, or grass and other debris. This will allow the garden planter to easily penetrate the soil. Make enough room for your flowers to grow. Hyacinth bulbs should be spaced roughly four to six inches apart and 6″ deep. Group flowers in clusters to get a more dramatic effect from the early spring blooms.

Step 2: Using the bulb hound garden planter or a bulb hand planter, create holes deep enough to meet the depth on the planting guide. For Hyacinth bulbs the recommended dept is 6 inches.

Step 3: Place the soil in a container such as a bucket or wheelbarrow to use later.

NOTE: If the soil is hard or contains a great deal of clay, you may want to consider mixing in a bag of top soil from your local stores like Home Depot or Meijer. You can also add in Peat Moss to break up the soil and help to retain water.

Step 4: Place one Hyacinth bulb in each hole pointed end up.

NOTE: You can tell the flowers will be a different color based on the color of the bulb. Plant in groups or separate to create beautiful clusters.

Step 5: Cover with soil and lightly pack over the bulbs.

Step 6: Water your bulbs and cover with mulch.

NOTE: You can also apply a fertilizer specially formulated for bulbs to promote strong blooms in the spring. Using a specific bulb fertilizer such as HOLLAND Bulb Booster Fertilizer 9-9-6 available at Home Depot or other local garden supply stores will help your plants survive harsh winters and produce beautiful blooms in the spring.

Hyacinths are a beautiful addition to your early spring garden. The plants require very little maintenance and can be placed nearly anywhere in your yard. You can also use Hyacinths in patio pots, window boxes, or in springtime flower arrangements.

Do you have any gardening tips for our readers? Feel free to post questions or comments.

Taking control of maintenance not requiring special tools or skills can help reduce the overall cost of required maintenance for a vehicle. The following will show you the steps of replacing an air filter on a car. Not all air filters will be the same and some may require a screwdriver, wrench, or pliers, but for the most part this is a simple, yet essential, procedure you can do to improve the performance of your vehicle and keep it running longer. Check your owner’s manual for the specifics on your vehicles maintenance requirements.

Changing the Air Filter on a Ford Taurus

Step 1: Purchase a replacement air filter from your local automotive store, Walmart, Meijer or Advance Auto Parts.

NOTE: Parts books are available at most locations where air filters are sold. Be prepared to look up the make (Ford, Chevy, etc.), model (Taurus, Cavalier, etc.), and year of your vehicle in one of the parts books at the store. Or you can take your old filter with you to the store to find a match.

Step 2: Once at home, park your car and pop the hood. Allow your engine to cool before changing the air filter. This will help reduce the risk of injury to the person performing the maintenance especially if they are not as experienced.

Step 3: Locate your air filter. It will be non-metallic and located near the top of the engine. In a Taurus it is located slightly off to the right on the top of the engine.

NOTE: Some older vehicles such as an American made truck may have a round air filter (shaped like a huge doughnut) and is held on with a wing nut. Other vehicles may require you to remove long screws that hold the air filter box closed.

Step 4: Once the air filter box is located you will need to determine if you require any tools. A flat head screw driver, pliers, or a Phillips head screw driver may be needed to open the box. On many models the box is held closed with self-releasing clamps. Simply open the latch and the box will begin to open. On a Taurus the air filter box is held closed with two clamps and can be opened without any tools.

Step 5: Remove the old air filter. It should be covered with dirt and grime. Properly dispose of the filter in the garbage.

Step 6: Clean out any debris in the air filter box. Larger pieces sucked into the air intake such as leaves and litter will be caught here.

Step 7: Remove the new filter from the packaging material.

NOTE: Higher end filters may be coated with oil or some other substance to help trap dust and particles more efficiently. You may want to wear gloves while handling an oil coated air filter.

Step 8: Insert the new filter in the air filter container making sure the filter fits securely in place.

Step 9: Replace the lid and close the latch (or replace the screws) as necessary.

The job is complete. Make sure to change your air filter about every 12,000 miles or 12 months or as often as recommended by the manufacture. A clean air filter will help your vehicle run more efficiently and last longer.

Replacing the filter on your own can save you more than double your money. Next time the mechanic says you need an new air filter, simply say “Thanks! I’ll look into that later.” Changing a vehicle’s air filter is like changing the windshield wipers: simple to do and will save you some money when you do it on your own.

Do you have any car care tips? Feel free to post suggestions on how to improve your vehicles performance without spending a lot of money.

Changing Windshield Wiper Blades

Step 1: Go to the store such as Walmart or Advance Auto Parts and head to the wiper blade department. There you will find a manual for wiper blades hanging from the shelf. Look up your Make, Model, and Year of your vehicle to find the correct length.

NOTE: Each manufacture will have a specific code such as C-20-UB or use the length of the blade (22″) to help customers identify the right blade. In the manual each vehicle will have several codes listed along with the length required. Use this to purchase the right blades.

NOTE: Some vehicles such as a Chevrolet Caviler or SUVs with a rear wiper blade will have different sizes required. Be sure to review the manual for the correct length for each blade. Even the front blades may be different sizes.

Step 2: After you have purchased the blades, remove them from the package.

Removing a Wiper Blade

Step 3: Remove your old wiper blade by pressing the small latch release on the bottom of the wiper blade (1 below) and the wiper blade arm attached to your vehicle.

Step 4: Pull the blade off of the arm (2 below).

Step 5: Place the new wiper blade on the arm (1 below) and pull down (2 below) until the blade clicks in place (3 below).

Step 6: Test your wiper blades by spraying wiper fluid and using the blades. Inspect the blades after use to make sure the blades are securely attached to the wiper blade arm.

Changing the wiper blades on your vehicle takes between five and ten minutes and cost typically under $10. The time to change your blades is in the fall and right before spring. During the winter months climate changes with snow and ice will deteriorate the blades more quickly and new blades are often required before the spring rainy season. Save yourself money by doing this easy project by yourself.

Do you have any car care tips? Feel free to post questions or comments below.

Installing a Door Hinge with Pre-Routed Spots

Step 1: Choose the type of hinge needed for the door. There are several types of hinges to choose from, but not limited to the following: Radius/Residential, Ball Tipped, Pivot, Residential Square, Decorative, Heavy Duty Radius/ Square, Standard Square/Radius, Radius Spring, Radius / Square Ball Bearing, etc. All hinges are available in different colors, texture variations and sizes. A pre-hung door will come with hinges.

NOTE: One aspect to consider is the amount of screws used in each hinge. Most of the time this will depend on the desired look of the hinge, however some door weights may require certain standards and support.

Step 2: Decide if you are going to replace, install new, or modify your current hinges. Sometimes the easiest path to a new look is to replace the old hinge with new hinges of the same type. Rerouting and modifying new hinge types on your door and door jamb will take extra skill and tools.

Step 3: Replace the old hinges with new hinges by removing the center hinge and match it with the new hinge making sure the size, shape and screw placement are exactly the same.

Step 4: Make sure the pin head of the hinge is facing upward as you attach it back to the door.

Step 5: Install the screws. If using a drill to install the screws in the door make sure you have the drill set on a low torque. If the drill doesn’t have this capability don’t install the screws all the way flush. Use a screw driver to make sure the screws are flush to the hinge.

NOTE: Over tightening the screws to the door could cause them to strip inside the door causing the hinge to not support the door properly.

Step 6: Install the center screw first followed by the top screw and then the bottom. Repeat these steps for the top hinge and then the bottom.

NOTE: The third hinge may not align perfectly to the space for the door hinge on the door jamb. Use a rubber mallet to lightly tap the door back in place to get the hinge to align correctly…never force it.

If you are a novice when it comes to home repair keep it simple at first and slowly increase your skills by replacing other types of home hardware as well as practicing on spare pieces of wood and equipment. Learning to rout door hinges and door installation takes time to learn as well as money to buy the equipment to help you along the way.

What are some tips and tricks you’ve done when installing or replacing door hinges?

How to Identify Crabgrass

There are over 300 species of crabgrass (Digitaria) that can be found throughout the world. The species of crabgrass I have the most experience getting rid of are the Hairy Crabgrass (Sanguinalis) and the Smooth Crabgrass (Ischaemum) mainly found in North America. Crabgrass has a long germination period and to make matters worse crabgrass spreads by seed and rooting from the joints called culm nodes which lie on top of the soil. Another example (maybe not the best example, but easy to relate too) of this type of growth is how the everbearing strawberry grows/spreads by off shoots. Crabgrass seeds have been known to be viable up to 3 years in the soil. Some sources have also reported crabgrass producing up to 150,000 seeds.

How to Get Rid of Crabgrass

I wish there was a quick and simple way to get rid of crabgrass. Given the seeds can last up to three years and the volume of seeds crabgrass produces it takes awhile to get it under control. The key word here is “under control”.

Step 1: Start off your lawn growing season with a turf builder fertilizer with a crabgrass preventer. This will help prevent a majority of crabgrass growth before it happens. For an added extra measure apply this once yourself (in granular form) and then have a company like Scotts or TruGreen apply their liquid crabgrass preventer.

Step 2: For the small patches of crabgrass that pop up around your yard try sprays that target only crabgrass. I like to use Ortho Weed B Gon Max Plus Crabgrass Control which is a weed preventer including crab grass that is formulated not to kill your lawn.

Step 3: During the height of the crabgrass season don’t edge around your sidewalk and driveway as well as weed-eat around your gardens. This causes the ground to be void of grass growth which crabgrass will be the first to take this empty space over.

Step 4: Let your grass grow longer during the crabgrass season. A thicker and longer lawn will help to suffocate any other growth including crabgrass.

Step 5: Water your lawn so that is doesn’t dry out and die.

Step 6: If you have thinning grass or any bare spots in your lawn be sure to over seed those areas. This will help to crowed out possible crabgrass growth.

Step 7: Spread a granulated turf builder with crabgrass prevention using a broadcast or drop spreader at the end of the growing season. This will help the spread of crabgrass before the start of the growing season and will lessen the burden if you forget to fertilize for the next year.

Step 8: Repeat and be aggressive for the next 3 to 4 years. Remember crabgrass seeds can remain viable for around 3 years.

Crabgrass can be tough to get rid of especially if you have neighbors who don’t take as much time as you to make their lawns look nice. It’s not a losing battle, but it’s a battle that takes a little time to win. Give yourself the extra boost by using the steps above as well as trying different lawn techniques like, aerating, dethatching, grub kill, etc.

What are some of your tips and tricks for winning the war against crabgrass? Our readers would like to know!

What You Will Need

• Twine
• Scissors
• Shovel
• Extra Soil
• Water

Transplanting a Balloon Flower

Step 1: Clear the area at the base of the flower.

Step 2: Gently tie the stems of the Balloon Flowers together to minimize damage during transplanting.

Step 3: Insert a shovel about  6 inches from the base of the plant going straight down to avoid root damage.

Step 4: With the shovel inserted in the ground, gently lift up to loosen the roots from the soil keeping the root ball intact.

Step 5: Lift the root ball using your hands.

Step 6: Take the plant to the new location for transplanting.

Step 7: Clear a new area and dig a hole large enough for the root ball to easily fit in.

Step 8: Place the plant in the new hole.

Step 9: Secure the plant with extra soil and cut off string.

Step 10: Water the soil thoroughly.

NOTE: During warmer times of the season, be sure to water your Balloon Flowers regularly.

Transplanting needs to occur during the early part of the growing season while roots are still searching for water. If you choose to transplant in the middle of the summer, be sure to provide your plant with more water than typical until it is growing strong again in its new location.

Do you have any gardening tips or questions? Feel free to comment below.

The following will provide a step-by-step how to on planting a perennial Alpine Dianthus Fire Star.

Planting a Dianthus

Step 1: Determine a good location in your garden providing full sun for the Alpine Dianthus.

Step 2: Clear away any debris or grass in the area for planting.

Step 3: Dig a hole slightly larger than the current plant base and about 3 inches deeper.

Step 4: Remove the Dianthus from the plastic pot by gathering the foliage of the entire plant in your hands near the root ball.

Step 5: Carefully loosen the roots splitting the bottom of the root ball to promote good root dispersion in the ground.

NOTE: Make the root ball do the splits in the hole to promote root growth.

Step 6: Gently place the root ball of the Dianthus in the hole separating the base of the roots.

Step 7: Generously water the plant and allow the ground to dry between watering.

Step 8: Secure the Dianthus with the dirt previously removed from the hole filling in all empty space.

Dianthus grow to a height of about 8 inches making it a great plant to use in the foreground of most flower beds.  The flowers come in many different colors from light pinks to dark reds, white, and purples. Adding a splash of color for the entire summer is easy with a perennial Dianthus. Keep the plant blooming by trimming away or deadheading spent flowers.

Do you have any gardening suggestions? What is your favorite variety or color of Dianthus? Feel free to post comments and questions below.

Every year I see so many people in their yards spreading fertilizer, pulling weeds, and planting grass seed only to be disappointed with their results. Fertilizing and seeding alone will not give you the lawn of your dreams. Other tasks such as aerating, dethatching, cutting your lawn at different heights (depending on the time of year) and lawn cutting patterns are just as important as other basic lawn care tasks.

Aerating your lawn will boost your lawns performance when fertilizing and seeding your lawn by allowing the fertilizer and seed to reach deeper in the soil instead of lying on top of the soil. As the fertilizer and seed reaches deeper in the soil it promotes a healthier root system resulting in a thicker, deeper, green lawn which helps keeps weeds and other lawn damaging growth like crabgrass and clover out of your lawn.

There are two common aerating systems to use for your lawn. The first is the plug aerator which punches holes in your yard (generally 1 to 3 inches long and a ¼ to ¾ inch diameter). This type of aerating system works best for lawns with high traffic, compacted clay like soil, and lawns destroyed by drought. The second aerating system is the spike aerator, which come in many shapes and sizes. This aerator is good for lawns that are softer and instead of creating holes in the lawn it creates grooves making it cleaner than the plug aerator. However, one common criterion for each system is they each need weight to push the teeth into the ground.

How to Use a Spike Aerator for Better Lawn Growth

Step 1: Choose the right size and shape of spike aerator. This aerator is a good size for a lawn around ½ acre. With enough weight placed on top of the aerator and medium soft soil it will go between 2 ½ and three inches into the ground.

Step 2: Connect the spike aerator to the lawn mower. Some aerators are self powered and other aerators are manual. If you have the luxury of having a riding lawn mower then this spike aerator works great.

Step 3: Add weight to the spike aerator. Most aerators, but not all, are built to handle the weight and size of standard concrete blocks (8x8x16, 40 pound). This example uses two concrete blocks for a total weight of 80 pounds. I tried to use more than the 80 pounds of weight and the frame started to warp on the aerator.

Step 4: Test a small patch of your lawn before using the aerator with weight on the main part of your lawn. Doing this test will allow you to determine if the lawn is too wet or too dry or if the correct amount of weight is used. Your path should look close to the example given in this article.

Step 5: Aerate several times a year. I like to aerate 3 times a year. Once at the beginning of the growing season before I put down turf builder with crabgrass control, second during the middle of the season as I spread fungus control or drought control and third when I put down winterizer.

NOTE: My favorite time to aerate for these three periods is the day after it rains. I find with 80 pounds of weight this spike aerator digs deep enough in the ground for seeding and fertilizing.

Don’t waste your money and time by just putting down fertilizer and seed. A small investment in an aerator and even a dethatching system will go a long way.

What are some of your favorite techniques you use for your lawn?

Many varieties are sold locally at garden supply stores, Home Depot, Walmart, or online stores like Gurneys. Since the plant reproduces so well, it can be shared with other gardeners quite easily. Transplanting should be accomplished in early or late summer before the threat of first frost to allow the roots to take hold.

Propagation of Sempervivum

The longer the “Hens and Chicks” are in a location the larger the coverage area. The plants reproduce by seeds after the plant blooms and vegetatively by offsetting around the base of the rosette. This creates the hens and chicks effect. As the plant matures, more chicks are produced and each develops it’s own root system and becomes independent of the parent plant. Once the root structure has grown, the chicks can be separated from the parent plant and transplanted to new locations in your garden. The following will provide instructions for transplanting a section of “Hens and Chicks” from a mature plant.

Transplanting “Hens and Chicks”

Step 1: Find a location in full sun and clear away any debris or vegetation.

Step 2: Turn over the soil to loosen and allow the roots of the Sempervivum to take hold after transplanting.

Step 3: Using a shovel, carefully remove a clump of the rosettes for transplanting.

Step 4: Place rosettes in loosened soil and firmly pack and cover the roots.

Step 5: Water the Sempervivum generously.

The plants should feel right at home in the new location. During dry seasons, water the plants every few days until the roots are secure in the ground (about 7-10 days). Transplanting this type of ground cover is easy and can be very successful. Depending on how much sun the plant receives daily will produce a different look to the succulent and eventually the plant may look slightly different than the parent rosettes.