| How to Hang Clothes to Dry Posted: 31 Jul 2018 01:00 AM PDT Hanging clothing may sound old-fashioned, but it's a sure-fire way to dry any piece of clothing you own. An easy way to do this is by clipping clothing to a clothesline set up either indoors or outdoors. While drying indoors, utilize wall-mounted rods and drying racks to hang your clothing. Leave your items out for a few hours and you will soon have fresh clothing without the use of a machine dryer. EditUsing a Clothesline - Shake out the clothing after removing it from the wash. Hold the clothing by the end and give it a quick shake. It helps unfold the clothing after washing, eliminating wrinkles. The more you can prevent the clothing from bunching up, the easier it is to dry.[1]
- Turn dark clothing inside out to prevent fading. If you live in a sunny area, turn dark shirts and jeans inside out. Your clothing will still fade over time, but this slows the process. Also, if you hang dark clothing in direct sunlight, move it out of the light as soon as it finishes drying.[2]
- White clothing is okay to leave out. The sun brightens it.
- Pin folded sheets at the ends. Starting with the larger items is recommended since these take up the most space and dry slower. These large items should be folded in half first. Bring the folded end up, draping it slightly over the clothesline. Pin the corner, then move across the line to pin the middle and other corner.[3]
- Keep the top of the sheet flat and straight against the clothesline. Do this with every article you hang to prevent wrinkles.
- Keep towels unfolded while hanging. Unfold the towels, then bring them to the clothesline. Drape 1 end slightly over the clothesline. Pin both corners to hold the towel in place. Hang the towel vertically and unfolded so it dries faster.[4]
- To save on clothespins, hang the towels next to one another and clip the ends with the same pin.
- Hang shirts by the bottom hem. Bring the bottom hem up to the line. Clip 1 corner, then stretch the hem out over the clothesline and clip the other corner. The hem should be straight and flat against the line so the shirt doesn't sag at all. Let the shirt's heavier end dangle to encourage drying.[5]
- Another way to hang shirts is with hangers. Slide the clothing onto the hangers, then hook the hangers onto the clothesline.
- Pin pants by the leg seams to facilitate drying. Fold the pants in half, pressing the legs together. Hold the bottom hems against the clothesline and pin them in place. If you have 2 clotheslines side by side, separate the legs and pin 1 to each line. It will reduce the drying time even further.[6]
- The waist end is heavier, so it's better to let it hang lower. However, you can hang the pants by the waist hem if you wish.
- Hang socks in pairs by the toes. Keep your socks paired together to save on space. Set the socks side by side with the toe end curled over the line. Place a single clothespin between the socks, fastening both in place. Repeat this with any other pairs of socks that need drying.[7]
- Fasten small items at the corners. For items like baby pants, small towels, and underwear, hang them like you would with a towel. Stretch them out on the line so they don't sag. Clamp the clothespins on both corners. Hopefully, you have enough extra space to stretch these items out on the line.[8]
- If you're short on space, try to find spots between the other articles and fit them there.
EditDrying Indoors - Dry your clothes in an open space. Clothing has to be exposed to air circulation to dry effectively. Heat and sunlight also help. No matter how you dry your clothing, keep it out of closets or other enclosed area. Place it near open doors, windows, and heat vents.
- The clothing doesn't have to be placed in direct sunlight. Placing it out in the open helps a lot.
- Turn on nearby fans and heating vents. Hopefully, your room has some natural heat flow and air circulation to speed up drying. Turn on any heat and air sources nearby. This includes fans and your home heating system. Any heat or air blowing towards the clothing helps.[9]
- If you live in a humid climate, a dehumidifier also speeds up the drying process.
- Be cautious when using heat. Never place the clothing right next to the heating source, as you could start a fire.
- Drape clothing over a wall-mounted rod. Most likely you already have a bath or curtain rod you can utilize for drying clothing. Sling the items over the rod and position them so they aren't bunched up against one another. If any of your clothing drips, set towels or buckets underneath it to collect the water.[10]
- Larger items, including towels and sheets, benefit from having space on the rod. However, it can be used to dry most clothing.
- Larger items can also be draped over doors or chair backs.
- Use hangers to hang non-stretchable clothing from the wall-mounted rod. Clothing hangers are useful for hanging non-stretchable clothing such as jeans and T-shirts. Place them between any clothing you have draped over the rod. Slip the clothing on the hangers, then spread them apart so air reaches all parts of the fabric.[11]
- Again, leave space between each article so moisture doesn't get trapped.
- Set up a drying rack for extra hanging space. You can get a relatively inexpensive drying rack at a general store. Drying racks are basically smaller versions of bath or curtain rods. Set the rack up near a breezy window or heat source, then drape clothing over the rack's bars.[12]
- Racks have the advantage of mobility. You can move the rack to wherever you need it. They also tend to have a flat surface on top for laying delicates.
- Avoid hanging delicate, stretchable clothing. Clothing such as knit sweaters stretch out when hung up to dry. You are better off laying these items flat. One way to do this is to purchase a drying net from a nearby general store. The net hooks onto a wall-mounted rod like clothing hangers do. Then, lay the delicate item flat inside the net until it dries.[13]
- Another way to dry these items is to lay them out on a dry towel. You can also use the top part of a drying rack, if you have one.
- Space out the clothing as much as possible. Before leaving the clothing to dry, check its positioning again. Make sure each item has plenty of space around it. Spread them out as much as you can to facilitate drying. No items should be pressed together.[14]
- Flip the clothing halfway through drying. Wait between 15 and 30 minutes, then flip your clothes. When clothing is wet for too long, it can get musty. Flipping prevents that gross smell by speeding up the drying process.
- Larger items like blankets benefit from being flipped, but other clothes may need it too depending on how much heat and air flow you have in your environment.[15]
- Pins can be purchased at most general stores and dollar stores. For higher quality clothespins, search online or visit a home improvement or home store near you.
- Hanging clothes in the morning makes them dry faster due to the sun and heat. However, your clothes will still dry when hung overnight.
- You can use a clothesline in the winter! If you live in a cold, snowy area, your clothes will still dry outdoors.
- Get creative when working indoors. You can install a clothesline between 2 pipes or doors.
EditThings You'll Need EditUsing a Clothesline - Clothesline
- Clothespins
- Laundry basket
EditDrying Indoors - Curtain or bath rod
- Clothes hangers
- Drying rack, net, or other flat surface
- Heat source and fans as needed
- Dehumidifier as needed
EditSources and Citations
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| How to Spot Valuable Paintings Posted: 30 Jul 2018 05:00 PM PDT Art collecting is an expensive hobby, but some eagle-eyed aficionados can score valuable masterpieces at bargain bin prices. Whether you're hunting for deals at a thrift shop or evaluating a piece at an art show, knowing how to determine a painting's authenticity and worth will help you spot great deals in a sea of knock-offs and reprints. EditSearching for High-Value Pieces - Seek out paintings created by renowned artists. For many people, the goal of art hunting is to find a lost masterpiece from a beloved artist. Though you most likely won't find anything by Monet or Vermeer, you may come across a hidden gem made by a lesser-known or regionally popular painter.[1]
- Some artists whose work ended up at thrift stores include Ben Nicholson, Ilya Bolotowsky, Giovanni Battista Torriglia, Alexander Calder, and even Pablo Picasso.
- So you'll know what paintings to keep an eye out for, learn about different artists through local galleries, art museums, and online databases like the Web Gallery of Art.
- Search for paintings on your phone to see if anything comes up. If you stumble upon a piece you think may be valuable, try searching for it on Google or a similar search engine. If the painting shows up in your search results, you may have found a valuable item.[2]
- If you don't know the name of a painting, search for it using descriptors. For example, you can find Thomas Gainsborough's The Blue Boy with the terms "painting," "kid," and "blue."
- If you can take a high-quality photo of the piece, try running it through Google's Reverse Image Search at https://reverse.photos. This will make the searching process far easier.
- Purchase limited edition and signed prints. Though most art prints have little to no financial value, there are a couple notable exceptions. Look out for prints that were part of a limited edition run, meaning the artist only produced a few copies, and prints with a handwritten signature from the artist on the front or back.[3]
- Most limited edition prints have numbers on them indicating which copy you have and how many copies exist.
- Avoid buying small and subtle paintings if you plan on selling them. Unless you stumble upon an original piece by a popular artist, stay away from paintings that are extremely small in size or subtle to the point of being abstract. Though these paintings may be excellent, they don't have the same mass appeal that a large, traditional painting does, making them harder to sell.
- This is especially important if you plan to sell your paintings online, since small and abstract art is hard to convey over digitized photographs.
- Pick up paintings with high-quality frames. Even if you decide that a painting is not valuable, make sure to examine the frame before moving on. Picture frames are works of art in their own right, so a vintage or well-crafted frame may be worth a lot regardless of the painting inside. Look for frames with:[4]
- Hand-carved designs
- Intricate or unique patterns
- Gilded molding
- Slight wear and similar signs of age
EditDetermining a Painting's Authenticity - Look for the artist's original signature. Often, the easiest way to tell if a painting is authentic or not is to look for the artist's signature on the front or back side. In particular, look for a signature that was hand-written or added to the piece using paint. If a painting doesn't have a signature, or if the signature seems flat and artificial, there's a good chance the piece is a reproduction print or fake.[5]
- If you know the artist's name, look them up online and see if their signature matches the version on the painting.
- Signatures are easy to fake, so don't use this as your only proof of authenticity.
- Use a magnifying glass to check for printer dots. Before purchasing a painting, hold a magnifying glass up to it and look for small, perfectly-round dots arranged in a grid. If you see any, the piece is a reproduction print created using a laser printer.[6]
- Though this method will help you identify common prints, be aware that it may not work for higher-quality giclee reproductions.
- Unlike laser prints, paintings made using a pointillist technique will have dots of varying size and shape.
- Inspect oil paintings to see if they have textured surfaces. When determining the authenticity of an oil painting, check to see if the surface has bumps or paint waves on it. If your piece has a significant amount of texture, there's a good chance it is authentic. If the surface is completely flat, you're looking at a reproduction.[7]
- If a painting only has 1 or 2 spots of texture, it may be a forgery disguising itself as the real deal.
- Examine watercolor art pieces to see if they have rough surfaces. To determine whether or not a watercolor painting is authentic, hold the piece at an angle and look at the paint strokes closely. If the paper appears rough around major strokes, you may have an original work of art. If the paper is uniformly smooth, it's most likely a reproduction.[8]
- Look to see if canvas paintings have rough edges. A lot of the time, artists who work on canvas will make jagged or uneven brush strokes along the edges of their paintings. However, they often don't bother retouching these spots since viewers rarely look at them. As such, if a canvas painting has perfectly even edges, there's a good chance it's a factory reproduction.[9]
- Check the back of the frame for signs of age. Often, the back of a frame will tell you more about a painting than the artwork itself. Look for frames that are dark in color and have clear signs of age such as peeling lacquer and patches of worn out wood. The older a frame is, the more likely the piece inside is authentic.[10]
- If the back of a frame is mostly dark but has a few bright streaks in it, there's a good chance the painting is authentic but had to be relined at some point.
- Many old frames have a X or H shape in the back, something far less common in contemporary frames.
- Look at the artwork's mounting method to see how old it is. If nails hold the painting in place, or if you see empty nail holes around the frame, there's a good chance the artwork is an original piece from before the 1940s. If staples hold the painting in place, there's a greater chance it is a reproduction, especially if it is an old piece and has no signs of a prior mounting method.
EditSources and Citations EditQuick Summary
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| How to Keep Bugs Away from a Porch Light Posted: 30 Jul 2018 09:00 AM PDT Nobody likes opening their front door at night and immediately being swarmed by bugs, but the warm glow of the porch light seems to be a magnet for them. What's a homeowner to do? Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to help reduce the number of unwanted insects around your entranceway. One of the simplest solutions is to switch to LED or yellow "bug" bulbs in your lighting fixtures. You can also try making the area less critter-friendly by setting out aromatic candles or spices, hanging an electric bug zapper or bird house nearby, or installing a dense screen for total protection. And, if all else fails, there's always your trusty fly swatter! EditUsing Alternative Lighting Options - Turn off any lights you're not using. The heat and light given off by porch lights are like a homing beacon for bugs, which means the simplest way to thin their ranks is to leave them in the dark. Hold off on flipping the switch until there's not enough light outside to see by. [1]
- This may not always be the most practical answer, as many homeowners prefer to leave their porch lights on overnight for safety reasons.
- Try rigging your porch lights to a timer or light sensor so that they'll activate at dusk and shut themselves off automatically when the sun begins to rise.
- Try out yellow bulbs. Look for specially tinted "bug" bulbs designed to repel insects. The color yellow has one of the highest wavelengths on the visible spectrum—this makes it very hard for bugs to see. Most of them will fly right by without even noticing.[2]
- If you don't want to go to the trouble of replacing all of your porch lights, you can also try lining the fixtures themselves with yellow cellophane to produce the same effect.[3]
- One downside of yellow bulbs is that they cast your whole house in a yellow hue. This may not be ideal if you have your sights set on winning your neighborhood's "most beautiful home" award.
- Switch to LED lights. LED bulbs emit far less heat than ordinary incandescent bulbs, and their light isn't as attractive to insects. Most of them also put off a clean, white shine, so you won't have to see your home awash with the sickly color generated by yellow bulbs. You'll be able to find LED bulbs in an array of convenient sizes to suit your unique lighting needs at most hardware and home improvement stores.[4]
- LED bulbs tend to cost a little more than standard light bulbs. For this reason, it may be more economical to reserve them for fixtures nearest the main entrances and exits.
- Keep a few candles lit. Aromatic candles are particularly effective for warding off winged intruders. They also serve as an elegant secondary light source, making them a win-win. For best results, arrange your candles on a table or railing directly below the problematic porch light.[5]
- Look for candles containing pungent oils and additives like lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender.[6]
- Citronella candles are among the most commonly used and effective bug-repellent lighting solutions. They can be found in most places where home and garden supplies are sold.[7]
- A sea of twinkling candles may be nice to look at, but don't forget that they can also present a fire hazard. Make sure the candles you put out are in jars or holders, and keep them a safe distance away from curtains, upholstery, plants, and anything else that's flammable.
- Invest in a bug zapper. Although there's nothing pretty about what they do, there's a reason these devices are a time-honored method of combating flying pests. Their mystifying blue glow lures insects in, and their electrified core finishes the job once they get close. All you have to do is hang your bug zapper up a few feet away from your porch light and let it do its thing.[8]
- Because of the constant buzz of electricity and stench of burnt insects, bug zappers may not be the go-to solution for people who use their porch as a place of peaceful refuge.
- If you don't like the idea of killing bugs en masse, you might be better off exploring a more humane solution.
EditEmploying Other Deterrents - Install an outdoor ceiling fan. If your home has a wrap-around style porch with an overhang, one or more fans might be just what you need. Not only will they help reduce the number of airborne critters by literally blowing them away, they'll also keep your surroundings cooler and more hospitable during the sultry summer months.[9]
- Keeping the air outside moving is also useful for dispersing carbon dioxide, food particles, and other human odors in the environment that brings bugs in for a closer look.
- Place pungent spices around the porch. Fill a few coffee filters or pieces of cheesecloth with pungent herbs and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, or citrus zest and tie them off into bundles. Hang the bundles around your light fixtures, or somewhere less conspicuous, like under the eaves of the roof or behind a potted plant. Any insects in the vicinity will catch a whiff and think twice about coming any closer.[10]
- Replace the spice pouches every few days once they begin to lose their potency.
- Spray the area with an herbal infusion. Spices aren't the only natural turn-off for bugs. You may get equally effective results by combining essential oils like rosemary, mint, thyme, lavender, or clove oil with a small amount of soapy water and spritzing the solution in out-of-the-way spots. Just be sure to keep the liquid away from exposed wiring and other electric lighting components.[11]
- It may be necessary to spray your herbal solution once or twice a day during the muggy summer season when insects are out in full force.
- You can also mix essential oils with a mild carrier oil like olive or coconut oil and apply them to your skin to serve as a wearable repellent.[12]
- Put in a screen. Tightly-woven mesh screens can provide a full-time barrier against bugs for larger porches and other outdoor sitting areas. When outfitting your porch, be sure to choose a type of screening that's small enough to prevent gnats and other tiny nuisances from slipping through the cracks. An experienced contractor can screen-in an exposed porch in a single afternoon for as little as a couple hundred dollars.[13]
- If you're handy with a toolbelt, you might also opt to install a screen yourself using a simple DIY system like Screen Tight.[14]
- The occasional fly or moth may still get in while the door is open, so it's a good idea to use your screened-in porch in conjunction with a yellow light, bug zapper, or scented candle.
- Hang a bird or bat house nearby. Mount the house to an outlying tree, fence, or in-ground post and stick a small handful of fruit or seeds inside to entice visitors. Insects are the natural prey of most large winged creatures. By inviting them into the area, all you're essentially doing is letting nature take its course.[15]
- Premade bat and bird houses are often available at home improvement centers and garden supply stores.
- Situate the structure far enough away from your porch to keep the occupants from congregating around your home. They'll come out to hunt on their own when they get hungry.[16]
- Do away with standing water. It's not uncommon to find insects swarming around places where water has collected. Drain small ponds, gulches, and low spots in your lawn using a surface pump, or have channels cut into the ground to promote proper runoff. Chances are, you'll notice a big difference right away.[17]
- If you live in an area that receives a lot of regular precipitation, consider filling in problem areas with sand, gravel, or a mixture of both. Rainwater will filter down between the sediment rather than pooling on the surface.
- Stagnant water is a favorite habitat of insects like mosquitoes that carry diseases.[18]
- There's no reason to make it your mission to eliminate every last insect around your home. Bugs may be irritating, but they're a necessary part of the ecosystem.
- Combine as many defense as necessary to improve the situation. For instance, you might start turning your porch lights on later, burning Citronella candles in the evening, and using a bug zapper to catch any pests that manage to sneak by.
- An overwhelming number of bugs may be a sign of an infestation. If the problem doesn't get any better, have an exterminator examine your home for places where insects may be nesting or finding their way in.
- Avoid using bug sprays, pesticides, or other poisonous chemicals so close to your home. These can be unsafe to, especially if you have small children or pets.
- Yellow lights aren't guaranteed to be 100% effective. A small amount of light may remain visible to bugs with keen senses.
EditThings You'll Need - Yellow light bulbs
- LED lights
- Bug zapper
- Aromatic candles
- Ceiling fan
- Mesh screening
- Bird or bat house
- Pungent herbs and spices
- Fly swatter
EditSources and Citations
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