Cheaper, Better, Faster (20 page)

Decorating—bookends

Go to the home improvement store and pick up a pair of glass blocks to use as bookends. They are heavy enough to hold the books and small enough to fit on a shelf. Because they are clear, they go with any décor.

Decorating—dye to change your
look

When redecorating, remember Rit dye. Light-colored curtains, bedspreads, and throw rugs can be dyed a darker shade of another color and will give a room an entirely new look. Remember to wash
these items separately in cold water. Drying in the dryer or direct sun will fade the colors quickly, so remember to allow time for air-drying indoors or in a shady place.

Decorating—headboard

Use a length of picket fence as a headboard. Cut it to size, stain or paint it to coordinate with your room, and bolt it to the wall or bed frame.

Decorating
—lamp shade pizzazz

Brighten up a boring lamp shade. Sponge or stencil designs on the shade with fabric paint.

Decorating
—paint, custom-blend

If you have miscellaneous quantities of leftover paint sitting around, you can pour it all into one container for your own custom blend. As long as you are careful to mix only latex with latex or oil-base with oil-base, it won't matter if you mix flat, glossy, and semigloss. If your garage is a typical one, it won't be hard to come up with a full gallon that easily covers an average-size bedroom. You'll achieve the best results if you mix colors that are similar. Store tightly sealed paint cans upside down to extend usable life.

Decorating—paint, goofs for sale

Most home improvement centers, paint stores, and hardware stores have bins of “goofs”—gallons and quarts of high-quality paint in custom colors that have been tinted wrong. Typically these items are available at near-giveaway prices. A gallon of paint is plenty for the typical-size kid's room or bathroom. There's nothing wrong with the paint or the colors—it's just that for some reason the color didn't exactly match someone else's expectations.

Decorating
—paneling

If you want to give a room with dark wood paneling a new look but a complete
remodel is not in the budget right now, consider painting the paneling. First treat the paneling with a paint de-glosser. This will remove all grease, dirt, and the high gloss. Next apply a coat of white primer and follow with regular wall paint. This is a very inexpensive way to redecorate a room. Check with the paint professional at your home improvement center regarding the kind of products that would be best for this job.

Decorating—photograph rooms for reference

If you have a wall arrangement you are fond of or a furniture arrangement that works particularly well, photograph it to use as a reference when you change your decor for the holidays or you move.

Decorating—pictures, groupings on walls

To hang a group of pictures, try arranging them on a big piece of butcher paper first. When you have a grouping you like, trace around each frame with a pen, and mark where to put the nails. Tape the paper to the wall and nail through the marks; then remove the tape and paper.

Decorating—pictures, hanging

This is the formula that professional picture hangers use: (1) Measure up 60 inches from the floor. (2) To this, add half the height of the framed picture. (3) Subtract the height of the wire (the height of the triangle that the wire would form if the frames were actually hanging in place). This magic number is the distance from the floor at which you should nail the picture hook regardless of the height of the ceiling or even your height.

Decorating
—pictures, prevent marks on the wall

Put masking tape on the backside of the corners of a picture to keep them from marking the wall.

Decorating—pillows

To save money on decorative pillows that match your room's decor, you can stitch them yourself from elegant cloth napkins.

Decorating—quilt
tablecloth

A baby-size quilt draped over a plain table rather than hidden in a drawer can give a room an instant face-lift.

Decorating—repaint appliances

If you have a home appliance that runs well but is simply the wrong color, have it repainted at an auto body shop. This type of finish looks great, holds up well, and isn't terribly expensive.

Decorating—shop with a photo album

Fill a purse-size photo album with paint, fabric, and wallpaper samples organized by room. Take the album when you go shopping or to garage sales, and you'll take the guesswork out of finding coordinating accessories for your home.

Decorating—shower curtain

Give your current shower curtain a brand-new look. Remove the rings, slip pieces of ribbon through the holes, and tie the curtain to the rod with big bows.

Decorating—wallpaper, not over wallpaper

It is best not to apply wallpaper over wallpaper. Proper adhesion of the new paper to the old paper can present a problem, and even if you can finally get it to stick, years later the layers will be very difficult to remove.

Decorating—wallpaper, removal

To remove wallpaper, mix equal parts white vinegar and hot water. Dip a paint roller into the solution, and apply until the paper is thoroughly wet. After two applications,
most paper will peel off in sheets. Patience is the secret.

Decorating—window boxes inside

To show off your plants, hang a window box under the window, inside the room.

Doorstop

If you would like a nice-looking and functional doorstop but don't want to spend a small fortune, fill a tin box that has a lid (the kind that holds cookies or candies at holiday time) with dried beans. You can choose a size and style to coordinate with your room's decor for a fraction of the cost of a ready-made doorstop. What a simple way to add a unique and functional decorator item to any room in the house.

Drain—jewelry drop

If you drop an earring or pin down the drain, attach a small magnet to a stiff piece of twine or wire, put it down the drain, and use it to attract the item and pull it out.

Drawer—liners

Place mats, because they're washable, make excellent drawer liners.

Faucets
—leaky

Until you can get that leaky faucet fixed, tie a piece of fabric, long enough to touch the drain, around the faucet. The water will run down the fabric, eliminating that annoying drip.

Fireplace—bellows

Empty, squeezable plastic bottles can serve as bellows; use them to fan a wood or charcoal fire.

Fireplace—logs from newspaper

Make homemade fire logs for the fireplace. Stack some folded newspaper, alternating the folded sides, until the stack is about 1 inch high. Don't use colored comics or
advertisements. Roll the stack as tightly as you can. Hold it together with wire or by slipping over each end a small tuna fish (or similar size) can from which you've removed both the top and bottom. Don't use string because it will burn off and the paper will fly all over the place. When rolled and secured, thoroughly soak the “logs” in water and set them outside to dry completely. Burn with can rings in place.

Fireplace—logs starter

For a fireplace log starter, stuff the cups of a paper egg carton with lint from the dryer. Melt paraffin or an old candle, and pour the wax over the lint in each section and allow it to harden. To use, place one of these neat fire-starters under the logs. Light it and it will burn for about 20 minutes.

Fireplace
—wood in the bag

When gathering kindling or pieces of wood from outdoors for the fireplace, carry them into the house in a brown grocery bag. Place the entire bag and its contents into the fireplace and light the bag. This prevents that inevitable trail of wood dirt and debris that always follows the person carrying wood into the house, and it's a tidy way to start a fire.

Floors—area rugs

Instead of buying finished area rugs, purchase a remnant from a carpet store, have it bound, and save a bundle. The carpet store can either bind it or refer you to someone who can.

Floors—carpet bargain

If you are not in a big hurry and are fairly flexible as to color and quality, let the carpet stores in your area that offer “Complete Satisfaction Guaranteed” know that you would be interested in purchasing the carpeting someone else rejected. Many times when new carpet is installed, the homeowner for one reason or another is not completely
satisfied with some aspect of the carpet and takes advantage of the carpet supplier's satisfaction guarantee. You should be able to make a real bargain on the like-new goods, including installation.

Floors—carpet indentations

Here is how to make those carpet indentations rebound: Place an ice cube in each indentation. Let it melt, then wait about 12 hours before blotting up the moisture. Gently pull up the carpet fibers using a kitchen fork.

Floors—rocking chair marks

If a rocking chair is wearing the finish off your wood floor, put a strip of adhesive-backed weather-stripping tape on the runners.

Flower frog

Wad up a mesh produce bag and stuff it in a vase. It will act as a “frog” to hold fresh or artificial flower arrangements.

Flowers
—artificial flower base

To hold artificial flowers in place, pour salt in the container, add a little cold water, and arrange the flowers. As the salt dries, it will solidify and hold the flowers.

Flowers—bouquet alternative

If you forget to pick up flowers for the table, set a houseplant in a basket and add a pretty ribbon.

Flowers—daffodils

Place daffodils in a separate vase of water for half a day before combining them in a bouquet with other flowers. They excrete a sap that clogs the stems of other flowers.

Flowers—longer lasting

Here's a remarkable method for greatly increasing the useful life of freshly cut flowers. Add
¼
teaspoon of bleach to the vase water. Recut flower stems at an angle to encourage absorption and arrange
them in the bleach water. Place them in a cool, dark place for several hours, then put out on display. (Flowers should be angle-cut and the water refreshed daily.) The bleach retards the growth of bacteria in the water, which causes flowers to wilt much more quickly.

Flowers—plants
on their own

If you must leave small potted plants unattended while on vacation, push a needle threaded with wool yarn into the soil, and put the other end in a jar of water. The plants will stay moist through this wicking system.

Flowers—refrigerate

Put cut flowers in the refrigerator when you're at work, asleep, or otherwise unable to enjoy them. This will extend their indoor life.

Flowers—roses, drying

Don't throw away wilted roses; dry them instead. They can almost always be salvaged by hanging them upside down, stems and all, and putting them in a dark, dry place. It takes 1 to 2 weeks, but when they're good and dry, they are absolutely gorgeous. Just spray them carefully with shellac or craft glaze and use them in wreaths, vases, or give them as gifts. Dried roses cost up to $12 per half dozen in craft stores.

Flowers
—roses, longer lasting

To keep cut roses looking beautiful longer, remove the roses from the vase and refill the vase with fresh warm water and one crushed aspirin every day. Angle cut a tiny bit from the bottom of each stem and quickly plunge it into the vase. This makes the roses open more slowly.

Flowers—stem
extenders

To give stemmed flowers more length for an arrangement, slide the stems into drinking straws before putting them into an opaque vase. If you need to shorten any stems
afterward, just snip off the bottom of the straws.

Flowers
—stem trimming

Cut flower stems on a slant with a knife. Angled cuts permit absorption even when the stem rests on the bottom of the container. To aid water intake, scrape stem ends for about an inch; split woody stems with a knife or mash with a hammer. Plunge stems into water immediately after cutting. Remove excess and damaged foliage as well as foliage below water level. Fill the container with clean water; refresh as often as possible by holding the vase under the faucet and flushing with tepid water until the old water is forced out.

Flowers—stem trimming
, with lukewarm water

Hold cut flowers under lukewarm water as you trim the stems. It gives them a surge of water they don't get if you cut first, then put them in water. Put heavy and tall stems in the vase first, and use lighter ones to fill out the arrangement.

Furniture—bookcases

If you don't have a free wall for a bookcase, try squeezing a compact library around a doorway. Find a home for cookbooks in the same way by encircling a kitchen window with shelves.

Furniture
—built-in shelves

You'll gain shelves without sacrificing floor space if you break into the wall and install built-in shelves between the studs (vertical structural supports). If you have no idea what this means or would entail, you probably are not a good candidate for this tip. But if you do know how to handle basic home remodeling jobs, go for it!

Furniture—foam cushions

To replace a foam cushion that has been removed from a zippered cover, place the cushion in a plastic garbage bag and
insert the bag open-end first into the cover. The cushion will slide right in. Once in place all you have to do is pull out the bag, leaving the foam perfectly in place.