Best of the tube
On HGTV
Decisions, decisions: Dan and Michelle bought a great piece of property, but were never sold on the house that came with it. Designer Hilary and her team will renovate the home while Realtor David will try to find them the perfect house to move into. “Love it or List it” airs at 8 p.m. Monday.
From disaster to dazzling: Seida sank a lot of money into her her first house, a fixer-upper in the neighborhood where she grew up. But her dream home turned into a renovation nightmare when a contractor walked out on the job, leaving her without a kitchen. A design team comes to the rescue with the open floor plan of her dreams, a long run of counter space and an island to match. “Kitchen Cousins” airs at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
On DIY
Kitchen impossible: Jeff’s wife, Paula, has taken it upon herself to pioneer the kitchen renovations in their house and has her own wacky ideas of how to go about it. Bryan’s used to taking on challenging renovations, but how will he fare with this demanding homeowner? “Disaster DIY” airs at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Leave it to the pros: Celeste Parrish wants to renovate her outdated master bathroom and has called in her friend Angela to help. From plumbing issues to poor time management, these two novices soon realize that sometimes renovation is best left to the professionals. “Renovation Realities” airs at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Best for shower
A friend recently posted about a trick she uses to keep her shower sparkling clean. She takes one of those hollowed-out dishwasher soap wands with a scrubber on one end and a cap on the other. She fills the reservoir with a half-and-half mixture of blue Dawn dishwashing liquid and vinegar. She keeps the wand in the shower to quickly wipe down the walls and glass after showering. It attacks grime and keeps mold at bay.
Best for laundry
The My Thirty Spot blog offers this tip for freshening stale, moldy or sour-smelling towels and swimsuits.
“Wash your towels in your washing machine with hot water with a cup of vinegar. Then run again in hot water with a half-cup of baking soda. That will strip your towels of all of that residue and mildew smell and will actually leave them feeling fluffy and smelling fresh.” Visit: mythirtyspot.com
Our readers’ best
Cheri Gray of Cary offers this “miracle” tip for cleaning mildew off concrete driveways, paving and patio stones, pavers and even mildew in showers. “Pour a few inches of bleach in a bucket, mix in a couple heaping tablespoons of Tide powder, swirl until foamy, apply with a brush, broom, mop or cloth. Let sit a few minutes, rinse off with clean water. If an indoor area is being treated, ventilate well.”
Best for garden
It’s hot out there! There’s still time to make your garden burst with color even in a heatwave. The House Logic blog lists a number of bright, drought-hardy plants that can enliven your parched garden. Four O’Clocks, daylilies, purple cone flower, lavender and spirea are just a few flowers known to weather extreme heat. Visit http://nando.com/3c for a list of suggested warm-weather plants, as well as suggestions for where to place them (along walkways, as borders, etc.).
Best for cleaning
Liz Reep of Durham says she has found “a cleaning cloth that my dad and I swear by: Chore Boy Golden Fleece scrubbing cloths. They are ‘specially treated terry cloth’ pieces that are awesome for scrubbing any kitchen dish or appliance – iron skillets to Corning ware. They will cut through any cooked-on, baked-on food but also won’t scratch glass or non-stick coatings. ...They are inexpensive and last quite a while before replacing.” They are widely available on the Internet.
Seeking your best
What’s your favorite tip for keeping pests at bay in the garden? How can you maximize blooms of your favorite plants while minimizing weeds? What’s your secret to a beautiful garden or organized home? We’re seeking your best tips for the home and garden to share in this space each week. Send email to topdrawer@newsobserver.com. Be sure to include your name, street address and city. Put “best tips” in the subject line and we’ll enter you in a quarterly drawing for a gift certificate.
Send news and photos to The News & Observer, P.O. Box 191, Raleigh, N.C. 27602; email topdrawer@newsobserver.com
