You know there’s a beautiful hardwood floor hiding under that unsightly finish. How do you bring it to life? Before you rent the floor sander and start attacking it, try this.
Pour rubbing alcohol over a small area, and rub it with medium steel wool. If the dull finish is just old wax and grime, this will remove it down to bare wood or the previous finish. Rubbing may be all you need to do. If you reach bare wood, then apply the finish of your choice.
This method also works wonders on old, wax-coated furniture, and is much easier and enjoyable than using paint strippers.
A cure for night blindness
You stumble out of bed to the call of nature, trudge to the bathroom, switch on the light, and WHAM! the light blasts any thoughts of sleep to smithereens.
To avoid this, you could keep a night-light plugged in, but since bathrooms usually have only one receptacle, that uses valuable plug-space. The answer is a dimmer switch. Easy to install, the dimmer allows you to either leave the light on low during the night, or switch it on low when nature calls. A dimmer in the bathroom also allows you to create a relaxing atmosphere for a long, hot bath.
And while we’re at it, where else can you use a dimmer, besides the old standby: the dining room.
The kitchen. Keep the light on, but low, during the evening.
Front hall. Keep it low at most times, high when welcoming guests or tracking down your four-year-old’s missing mitten.
Other hallways, bedrooms… heck, go for it. With a dimmer on just about every fixture, you can create the right lighting atmosphere for any occasion.