Category Archives: Maintenance and repair

How To Unclog A Drain Safely – We independently review everything we recommend. When you make a purchase through our link, we may earn a commission. Learn more>

Indoor plumbing is one of those modern conveniences that you never appreciate until it stops working — you know, like the day you realize the dirty dish in your kitchen sink won’t go down. It is as it should be. Fortunately, there are some effective ways to get around that clog.

How To Unclog A Drain Safely

Boiling water: Sometimes the heat is enough to break a new clog or melt some of the grease that’s built up in your pipes.

What Home Remedy Can I Use To Unclog A Drain?

Plunger: A good old plunger can clear clogs from your toilet and your kitchen sink (though make sure you have the right one for each).

Dish soap: Many things can slow … Read the rest

Decluttering Strategies For Every Room – This is a simple recipe for how to declutter your home that anyone can use to find success. If used correctly, with enough time and dedication, you can set your home apart, and keep it that way.

As you can see, the equation is not complicated, it only takes timer, boxes, trash bags (and/or trash bins or donate or sell boxes), and you will get a house that is decluttered and ready for you and yours. The family will be happy together.

Decluttering Strategies For Every Room

When you are learning the process of how to declutter your home, I think it is important to set yourself up for success, and this way of doing this.

House & Home

The equipment, when used correctly, encourages you to carry out tasks in bite-sized pieces, helps you make decisions, and helps you finish each decluttering session … Read the rest

Diy: Installing Laminate Flooring – We spoke to a flooring expert to get some installation tips to help you avoid bumps, unevenness, gaps and cracks.

When you determine the size of the initial row, you also need to make sure that the walls are parallel. You can install laminate in a 6-inch room. narrower at one end than at the other. This means that you will have to rip off the sharply tapered last row and it will look ugly. If one side of the room will not be permanently covered with furniture, it is better to split the difference and reduce the first and last rows so that neither side is so noticeable.

Diy: Installing Laminate Flooring

All seams of the flooring must be taped. It’s tempting to use whatever tape you find on the pickup, but don’t. Some packing tapes and house wrapping tapes are too stiff and … Read the rest

Securing Loose Door Handles – I am trying to figure out how to tighten the handle on the front door of a new condo unit. I’ve done a lot of googling and watched some YouTube videos, but they all either have 1) visible screws, 2) a hole that you can press a pin or hex key into, or 3) they’re twist-and-pull Kwikset handles. . My handle doesn’t seem to fit into any of these groups, as it has no visible screws, no holes that I can see, and it’s not a Kwikset handle. Some photos are below. In the 3rd photo, I removed a plate, so the screws are missing.

The “inside” handle (top right/bottom picture) will have a small spring loaded button on the handle post (the part you don’t put your hand on when opening/closing). Use an awl or equivalent tool to press the button and remove the … Read the rest

Basement Waterproofing Methods – I agree Our website stores small text information (cookies) on your device to provide better content and for statistical purposes. You can disable the use of cookies by changing your browser settings. By browsing our website without changing your browser settings, you give us permission to store this information on your device.

Basement waterproofing refers to the application of specific techniques and materials to prevent water from entering the building’s basement. Basement waterproofing is a critical procedure that prevents water from entering the building’s basement. It includes a variety of methods from applying sealants and coatings, installing drainage systems, and using water-resistant materials in construction. The goal is to address potential sources of moisture, thus protecting the basement from water damage. This process is critical to preserving the structural integrity of a building, maintaining indoor air quality, and improving property value.

Basement Waterproofing Methods

Basement waterproofing … Read the rest

Improving Home Lighting – If you’re looking for a quick and affordable way to improve the beauty, safety and efficiency of your home, upgrade your lighting system. Lighting technology has come, well, light years in recent years.

From accents to ambient lighting, the licensed electricians at Ravinia Plumbing, Sewer, Heating & Electrical can install the lighting system of your dreams. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for interior lighting installation in your North Shore Chicago or Northwest Chicago home.

Improving Home Lighting

Installing new lighting can quickly turn any room in your home into an attractive and relaxing environment. For example, new lighting can create a soft glow in certain rooms or highlight artwork or an entryway.

Five Ways Indoor Lighting Will Help You To Improve Your Space

Replacing old and inefficient lighting with energy efficient bulbs and fixtures is a quick way to significantly reduce monthly energy bills.… Read the rest

Updating Bathroom Fixtures – We moved into our house just shy of two years ago (at the time, I was 36 weeks pregnant with Little Brother). The house is great, but the original owner bought it for the purpose of renting it out. So, you can imagine the quality of everything—basically, a low-end builder’s grade. Our master bathroom is a great example:

Lots of cheap brass/gold fixtures. The process of renovating the house and replacing all the fixtures is slow. Last summer, we at least got some paint and decor in the bathroom (see the reveal here). We loved the results!!

Updating Bathroom Fixtures

However, we didn’t have enough money to renovate the rest of the bathroom—namely, the fixtures. Therefore, all builder’s grade and brass/gold materials remain. Our little bathtub corner looks great, but our entire vanity area…not so much.

Update On Our Bathroom + Some Beauty Items I Love