Dennis Reed - Page 46 of 53

What is Bleach and Baking Soda Good For? (and Not!)

What is Bleach and Baking Soda Good For? Bleach is a household cleanser that most people have around the house and baking soda is another item that people keep around the house.

Both of them have dozens of uses individually. But did you know that mixing bleach with baking soda is a safe use of both products to create an even more potent diy household cleaner then either can accomplish alone?

In this article, you will find out a few of the excellent applications for bleach and baking soda and you will also find out what it is not good for.

1. Bleach and baking soda for mold

Bleach is one of the best ways of killing mold in your shower but just spraying bleach on mold is hard to manage in a way that is effective enough to do a good job because it runs off and down the wall nearly as fast as you put it on.

But when you combine baking soda with bleach at a three to one baking soda to bleach ratio, you get a pasty, gritty, substance that can be wiped on the top of mold where it will stay.

Giving the bleach the time it needs to sit and kill the bacteria.

Afterwards the gritty paste is used as a scrubbing agent to help get the discoloration of mold out of the bath or shower.

2.Bleach and baking soda for white clothes

Bleach is pretty much the gold standard for getting stains out of white clothes.

But baking soda also has whitening properties that can get stains out of a white garment rather nicely too.

But out of the two, bleach is the clear winner.

But together, bleach and baking soda can make a very effective stain remover for white clothes because baking soda is a terrific odor remover that will help reduce the smell of bleach when they are mixed together, which is one of the main reasons people steer away from it.

Be sure to follow the instructions on the bleach bottle for proper water to bleach amounts.

3.Homemade grout cleaner

Bleach and baking soda is also a very effective homemade grout cleaner. Bleach is a very strong mold and bacteria disinfectant cleaner but it is not very useful when you’re trying to clean a wall with it because being a liquid it just runs off.

Grout is one of those problems that bleach is a very good remedy for because of its whitening properties. But it needs a thickening agent to keep it on the wall long enough to soak in and eliminate the bacteria and remove the stains.

By making a mixture of 3/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of bleach, you can rub the mixture on the grout and let it sit for as long as you want it to, though as little as 15 minutes is probably all it’s going to take. The baking soda gives it the abrasive quality it needs to be able to scrub the areas that don’t easily come off.

4.Bleach and baking soda for toilet bowls

A easy way to clean the ring out of a toilet bowl is to just pour a half gallon of bleach into the toilet and let it sit.

But sometimes, even with that level of concentrated bleach actively killing the bacteria in the toilet, you still need an abrasive element to finish getting the ring off of the toilet.

Baking soda can be added to bleach safely and used as a scouring agent to help get the ring out of the toilet and also help absorb some of the odor from the bleach.

5.Bleach and baking soda for drains

This is a bad one. Somehow bleach has made it to the top of household items that is recommended to pour down a drain when you have a clog. But the truth is, bleach will not do much of anything to clear out a clogged drain.

And after it is realized that it is not going to do anything to help with the clog, people tend to pour a different kind of cleaner down the drain.

The problem is, bleach has a list of things that it should never be mixed with, and some of those things or other items that people try to clear the drain out with.

The whole point is, pouring bleach down the drain is pretty much just asking for a poisonous combination to happen when someone else comes along and pours something else down the drain.

6.Bleach and baking soda for your pool

Bleach and baking soda can actually be used as a substitute for costly pool chemicals better purchase to kill algae and maintain pH.

Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. If you look on the list of ingredients contained in your alkalinity raising product, you’ll find that it is almost 100% sodium bicarbonate. And baking soda cost me your pennies compared and is something you probably already have in your refrigerator to soak up smells in it.

Unscented bleach at an 8.25% strength is a perfectly good substitute for granular chlorine.

Remember to wear rubber gloves and a mask anytime you’re using bleach.

Ventilation is very important when using bleach so prepare ahead of time to be able to keep the windows open and exhaust fans running.

You also want to be sure to wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting white spots on when using bleach, because it’s almost impossible to clean with bleach without getting at least a little bit of it on your clothes somewhere.

DIY Coil Cleaner

When is it Too Cold to Run Air Conditioner for Dehumidifying?

One of the functions of an air conditioner is that it simultaneously lowers the humidity inside of the house when it is running. But unfortunately as the temperature drops outside so does the performance of the AC as both a cooler and a dehumidifier.

WHEN IS IT TOO COLD TO RUN A AIR CONDITIONER?

Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are not meant to be run when the temperature is below 65° for any extended time.

There are two reasons for this.

1. Freezing up
2. Oil is to Thick

1. Freezing up
When the air outside is too cold, the warm air that would normally turn into condensation as it crosses over the cooling coils is too cool already and instead of forming condensation it turns to ice.

2. 2. Oil is to Thick
AC Compressors are made to work in warm weather which means that they require a thicker grade of oil. This is because when the temperature is warm, it thins down the oil to a good operating thickness. But when the temperature outside is not warm enough to thin the oil, it remains thick and does not supply the level of lubrication needed without causing a risk of damaging the air conditioning compressor.

Most of the time there is not any use for an air conditioner in the cool months. And turning the heater on helps dry the air out as fast or faster than a dehumidifier.

On the occasion you need to turn on the air conditioner in the winter for a few minutes, the risk of damaging it is minimal. But turning on the air conditioner and leaving it to cycle on and off is asking for problems.

If you have excessive moisture caused from a leak or flooding and need more than just a fan or a heater to help dry up the air in the winter months, dehumidifiers can be purchased that can be operated at much lower temperatures.

These dehumidifiers come in two different types.

1. Dehumidifier with defrost
2. Desiccant dehumidifier

1.Dehumidifier with Defrost

A Dehumidifier with defrost mode is exactly what it sounds like.

Since the standard dehumidifier runs exactly like a refrigerated air conditioning unit which pulls warm air over the AC coils and condenses it into a bucket or outside by the means of a garden hose.
Freezing over when the temperature is too low is a problem.
What’s the solution? Adding a defroster to the unit that cycles on and off keeping the cooling coils from freezing over.
These dehumidifiers are made with areas like a cold damp basement in mind.

2. Desiccant dehumidifier

Desiccant dehumidifiers work by the means of a chemical adsorber which is called a desiccant.

A desiccant can be as simple as a product cold “damprid” which is a product that comes in a small container that is opened and left to absorb moisture in a small area.

A desiccant dehumidifier is a little more complicated than that. The desiccant in a dehumidifier is not only used as an absorber it is also heated up to release humidity also.

A two-part process where humid air is pulled into the dehumidifier and absorbed, reheated into humidity form again and then caught in a tank as condensation.

Desiccant dehumidifiers do not have the capacity to pull large amounts of moisture out of the air like the regular refrigerated condensing units do.

In fact they have been described as a way to keep dry air dry.

This is probably a good point to tell you that the chemical that they use to adsorb air is the same chemical in gel packs and does have an odor.

Nevertheless there are some applications like condensation in the bathroom where a desiccant dehumidifier maybe preferred because it does not rely on a loud compressor running to do the job.

A desiccant dehumidifier can also be a good alternative and a damp basement is long as it is not excessively damp.

Again, running a compressor base dehumidifier can be pretty loud, definitely loud enough to interfere with the TV or sound and video recording.

But a desiccant dehumidifier is definitely not useful in a remedial flood damage type situation.

Recap

When is it too cold to run an air conditioner?

65°

When the temperature outside gets to about 65°, the air passing over the cooling coils on an air conditioner has a tendency to start freezing up. At that point not only will you not have AC, you do not have any of the dehumidifying properties of an AC either.

Another problem with running the AC in the winter is that the oil that is used in the AC compressor is a summer specific thicker grade that thins in warmer weather.

When the temperature outside is not warm enough, the oil does not thin out properly leaving the compressor to work without the proper lubrication which could mean eventual damage to your unit.

Are you going to turn your AC on and winter and have a complete breakdown? Probably not.

There are times when you you may need to turn on the air conditioner in the winter for a few minutes to make sure it works, in that kind of circumstances you should be fine.

If you are using your AC to dehumidify, the same problems exist.

High humidity usually comes with high heat so once the Heat has tapered off, the humidity tapers off too.

If you are having a problem with humidity inside of your house in the cool months, there may be moisture getting into the house through other means.

Dehumidifiers that work in cooler temperatures can be purchased.

For excessive humidity in the winter, dehumidifiers with defrosters and defrost mode are available to help pull the large amount of humidity from your air.

If humidity in the winter is only a casual problem whereas the windows are getting condensation or you have an art room that is too damp for your paint to dry, you might go with a desiccant dehumidifier instead.

Desiccant dehumidifiers use a chemical absorber that pulls a much lower level of humidity out of the air is much quieter than the typical dehumidifier.

and if you are going to use one in a small area like a arts and craft room, beware that the chemical used in these dehumidifiers does have a small odor.

Are Electric Heaters Bad For Your Health? Cross-Examination

Are Electric Heaters Bad For Your Health? I would have to admit that I am the first one that has a bit of apprehension when it comes to running an electric heater. Especially at night.

I can’t explain the fear other than maybe I am afraid that something is going to catch on fire if I leave it alone or fall asleep.

But I am not the only one that has an apprehension to electric heaters. Many people do.

Some of the most common worries are whether electric heaters can be bad for your health or if they can cause carbon monoxide poisoning or even cause cancer.

So are these fears based in any kind of reality or can they be put the rest using some basic logic?

First of all there’s all types of space heaters that run off electricity including fuel-based heaters that are equipped with an igniter that needs electricity to get started.

An electric space heater is more likely to be defined as a small heater that you plug in to warm a small space. A machine that is heating up coils that glow red and orange. And buzzing loudly as it does so.

So let’s take these concerns one at a time.

Are electric heaters bad for your health?

You could say that electric heaters are bad for your skin health. Because they do dry out the air.

But in truth, the whole humidifier industry is built around the ideal that heaters dry out the air during the winter months when the heater stays on so much and the windows stay closed.

Do space heaters or electric heaters dry out your skin or cause bloody noses or dry throat? Or any other dry symptom related to low humidity?

Probably.

But it’s a problem that is easily combated with a cool mist humidifier running in your home alongside any space heaters you have running.

There are also easy and natural ways to humidify your home like putting a bowl of water out into a room or just leaving the door to the bathroom open when you take a shower.

Can electric heaters produce carbon monoxide?

No. Carbon monoxide is an invisible gas found in fumes. Fumes that are produced by burning fuel.

There are types of heaters that do pose a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning because they do run primarily off of burning fuel. Fireplaces, furnaces, even kerosene lamps and heaters all work by burning fuel.

But electric heaters do not pose a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning because they simply do not run or heat the air by burning any type of fuel.

Do electric heaters cause cancer?

The ideal that an electric heater can cause cancer comes from the assumption that electric heaters create ultraviolet radiation.

But infrared space heaters do not create UV radiation but infrared Radiation. There is no scientific evidence that infrared radiation causes cancer.

Electric space heaters have grown leaps and bounds and now come with a variety of features like cool touch, safety shut off if the heater gets up against something or if a a item of clothing is thrown on it, and safety shut off for being tipped over.

Many of the worries like getting burned if you touch it or tipping it over and catching a fire are just not something that can take place with modern electric space heaters.

If you will follow a few basic rules there is no reason why your electric heater shouldn’t be absolutely safe.

1. Distance
Don’t run it around anything flammable. It probably goes without saying that you’re not going to run your space heater around gasoline but remember aerosol cans can be explosive when heated to a certain temperature. Certain fabrics can also be combustible because of plastics and nylons that are threaded in them.

2. Grounded Plug
Make sure that the outlet you have your electric heater plugged into is grounded. That means it has three prongs. Electric heaters are known for surging when they cycle on and off. If your heater is not properly grounded, you can be risking a fire.

3. Smoke Alarm
Make sure you have a smoke alarm and that you keep a fresh battery in it.
Regardless of whether you’re running a space heater or have lighted candles in the house, smoke alarms are a must to prevent a would-be fire.

4. Not a Dryer
Don’t use it to dry your clothes. Throwing any clothes on the space heater spells bad luck. Towels that have been used to wipe up greasy messes can be very hard to get completely clean and become a fire hazard if exposed to the type of heat that comes from an electric space heater.

5. Be Aware
Don’t leave it running when you’re not around. Of course there are times when you want to have a heater on before you get into the room so that the room has a chance to heat up, and those types of situations make sure you use the proper diligence to make sure you adhere to the best safety advice.

These days, smart plugs abound, that can give you the ability to turn your heater on from your smartphone or schedule it to come on or go off at a certain time.
If you need to fall asleep with your heater on, a timer or smart plug is an excellent way to have it power down during the night so you can get to sleep and rest easier knowing that you’re not in risk while you are asleep.

6. Safety Qualifications
Make sure you only use a heater that is in compliance with all the safety regulations and is certified by UL, ETL, or CSA.

After all, What is the alternative? Frostbite? Freezing your skivvies off all winter? We all got to have heat in the winter and if you live up north, you know how much having a space heater for your feet can make a difference.

But if you are using a gas heater, kerosene heater, propane heater, or even just a fireplace, these are the type of space heaters that have to be vented outdoors.

If you are using a space heater that requires any type of fuel, besides making sure that it is adequately ventilated, you should also make sure your carbon monoxide detector has a fresh battery. And if you do not have a carbon monoxide detector, they are fairly cheap, as low as 15 to $20 in some cases.

How Long Does it Take Spray Paint to Dry?

How long does it take spray paint to dry?

With a standard temperature of 65 to 85°, spray paint will be dry enough to add another coat after 5 minutes. To be completely dry, anywhere from an hour to 24 hours.

Of course, there are variables.

1. Thickness
2. Climate
3. Type of surface.

1. Thickness
The thickness you apply spray paint has a great deal with how long it’s going to take to dry. Generally it is better to put on one light coat at a time. A light coat will take much less time to dry and help you avoid drips.

(quick tip: if spray paint is dripping onto your fingers, you probably have your finger too far up on the nozzle. Try backing up a little bit.)

2. Climate.

Spray paint doesn’t fair too well and humid conditions, especially if it’s raining. Finding a dry area to paint in will help you speed up the process. If you’re stuck painting somewhere moist, you can use a hair dryer or heat gun on a low setting. Make sure you go back and forth across your area and don’t apply any heat to one area too long.

3. Type of surface.

A smooth surface is what you’re after for quit drying. If you’re trying to paint something that has a lot of pores or divots, you can expect a wait a little longer for it to dry.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on metal?

For your metal spray paint project, allow 36 to 48 hours to dry before using.
On metal, the best spray paint is going to be a rust proof enamel. Which also means it’s going to take longer to dry.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on wood?

10 to 15 minutes. Wood is much more porous and has a tendency to absorb. Which can make the drying time a little faster.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on plastic?

Spray paint on plastic takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes to dry.

If you are in a cool or humid area, it is not advised to use a heat gun to speed up the process. A heat gun could end up melting the plastic.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on cardboard?

24 hours before you add a second coat.
Cardboard takes a little more love to spray paint and requires a lot of patience to get right. Be sure to start our off with light coats or you will get the paper wet and be prepared to set it aside and do something else before you add another coat.

How long does it takes spray paint to dry on fabric?

Allow 72 hours to dry before you wear or use.
For fabric, you should make very light passes and let it dry in between passes to build up to a solid color.
Also, the quality of spray paint you use will make a big difference.
There are fabric spray paints available that will make your job much more successful than a cheap can of spray paint.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on glass?

24 hours to completely dry and 15 minutes between adding coats.
Glass as you can imagine, needs very light coats to avoid streaking and drips.

(quick tip) Shake the spray paint a full two minutes before using to avoid drips.
It’s on the directions of every can of spray paint but it is very seldom that you see somebody follow those directions. And it is amazing how much difference it makes when you do shake the can properly.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on paper?

24 hours. It is very easy to get too much spray paint on a piece of paper. In order to make it work, it takes very light passes that are allowed to dry completely before spraying again.

How long does it takes spray paint to dry on rubber?

24 hours. 30 minutes between second coat passes.

Rubber is a very porous surface. For that reason it takes more time to dry and more patience to get right.
If you don’t use a quality paint and give it the diligence it requires, you can expect it to come off pretty easy.

Conversely you can also purchase rubber spray paints that spray a layer of rubber as the paint. These are products like Flex seal the most often the weather sealing products rather than paint.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on canvas?

It’s important to use a primer on canvas.

Primer will take about 1 hour to dry.
Spray paint will dry on canvas using light coats enough for a second coat within 5 minutes.
It will take 1 to 2 hours to be fully dry.

How long does it take spray paint to dry on concrete?

It takes masonry spray paint 24 hours to dry.
Concrete absorb spray paint very easily and takes a few coats to get nice and dark.
You probably noticed how fast it takes spray paint to dry on your concrete when you’re trying to avoid spraying it.
If you’re doing a serious concrete painting job, there are better ways to paint concrete than spray paint.
You’ll want to start off with an epoxy seal and then by the correct paint that is made for external conditions.

How to make spray paint dry faster?

Spray paint needs a dry environment to get the best results out of it.

If you’re on a humid area and don’t have access to a dry area, there are a few things you can do to lower the humidity.

1. Space heater
2. Fans
3. Dehumidifier
4. Air conditioner
5. Charcoal briquettes
6. Hair dryers and heat guns

1. Running a space heater is an easy way to dry up a room but if the weather is humid, more heat may not be comfortable solution.

2. Placing fans, osculating around the room we’ll also help dry out the air.

3. Dehumidifiers are made to pull the moisture out of the air but they also expel heat out of the back as they’re working. So they may not be a great solution for summer unless you were thinking ahead and run the dehumidifier before you do your spray painting.

4. Air conditioning uses the same function as a dehumidifier to dry up the room. A great solution if it’s summer…

5. Charcoal briquettes or a great DIY solution to pulling moisture out of your art room. Putting charcoal briquettes in a few cans or containers around a room can help pull moisture out of the air and look very Arty if someone comes in and notices them.

6. Running a hair dryer or heat gun over the surface will help the paint dry faster. Make sure they are on low because they will push the paint and add ripples if you are not careful.
a heat gun is not recommended for certain surfaces like plastic and canvas because it will melt them very easily if you are not careful.

Homemade Floor Cleaner – My 6 Favorite Recipes

Keeping the floors clean is a necessary evil that none of us necessarily want to have to deal with.

And when it comes to the commercial floor cleaners available, there are other “evils” in the form of dangerous chemicals that are less than environmentally friendly, not to mention unfriendly to you and your families health.

Especially if you or someone in your family is already as a pre-existing allergy or sufferers from asthma.

There is also the issue of toxic residues that can be left behind on your floors after using commercial cleaners. Residues that you do not necessarily want your babies getting on their hands which will inevitably get into their mouth.

The good news is you probably already have everything you need in the house to make your own homemade floor cleaner. Not only make your own, but make a better version then you can get from The big box store.

Here is a list of 6 of my favorite homemade floor cleaning recipes.

1.”All Purpose” homemade floor cleaner

The first homemade floor cleaner is super awesome for cleaning linoleum. It is also great for cleaning vinyl flooring, laminates, tile, and hardwoods.

Ingredients:

Two cups of warm water
Half a cup of white vinegar
A quarter cup of rubbing alcohol

Three drops of non antibacterial dish soap. Don’t use Castile soap. Castile soap is oil-based and will leave your floor full of streaks.
And 5 to 10 drops of essential oil. (Peppermint is my favorite)

Simply mix it all together and pour it into a spray bottle. Or you can also just put it in your mop bucket, but I prefer a spray bottle because when I’m done I can just put the rest under the sink instead of dumping it out.

To use it simply, spray it on the floor or directly on your mop.

2. Homemade wood floor cleaner

This recipe has two versions one with vinegar and one without vinegar.

Homemade hardwood floor cleaner without vinegar

This recipe doubles as a floor polish that will leave your hardwood floors with a gorgeous all natural luster.

Ingredients:

A gallon of hot water
3/4 of a cup of olive oil
Half a cup of lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients into a bucket.
And with a wrong out mop, apply the solution to your floor. Allow your floor to completely dry.

And you’re finished. There’s no need to rinse it, the water and lemon does the cleaning, and the olive oil leaves polished Sheen.

3. How to clean hardwood floors with vinegar

A lot of people don’t want to use vinegar in their homemade floor recipes because of the acidity. But when you mix it with water it becomes a great additive to help cut through dirt and grime. Also Vinegar, like it does as a windshield cleaner, will leave a streak free appearance to your floor.

Ingredients:

Half a cup of white vinegar
A gallon of warm water

Three drops of essential oil (if you’re trying to emulate a household cleaner like pledge, try lemon essential oil to get a similar aroma effect)

That’s the full mop bucket recipe. If you want to put it in a spray bottle or use a refillable mop, reduce the water down to 16 oz and the vinegar down to about 3 tsp.

No need to rinse as the vinegar will give it a natural shine.

4. Homemade disinfectant floor cleaner

This recipe is not only a great bathroom floor cleaner, it also works great as a all-purpose bathroom cleaner they will not only clean your tiles and shower, will disinfect your bathroom is well.

Ingredients:

A gallon of hot water

1/4 cup of Borax

( if you never heard of Borax, it has an amazing amount of household uses besides homemade floor cleaner. You usually find it with the clothes detergent in the supermarket)

Fix the ingredients together and mop and shine your floor. In my opinion this is one of the best recipes for cleaning a marble floor.

5. Homemade laminate floor cleaner

Though laminate is one of the easiest types of floor to take care of, if you use the wrong cleaner to do the job, you can mess up the finish.

Ingredients:

5 oz of white vinegar

5 oz of rubbing alcohol
5 oz of distilled water
Three to five drops of essential oil

( lemon makes a great household scent, but you can also get a great spice smell from mixing lemon with orange and peppermint!)

Using this mixture and a spray bottle is a great way to be able to store it later.

6. Homemade vinegar floor cleaner

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of white vinegar

1 and 2/3 cups of baking soda
Half a cup of dish washing soap (liquid)
Half a cup of warm water

Mix the ingredients together. It’s a little more to mix than some of the other recipes because of the addition of dish soap and baking soda but it’s well worth it.

This homemade vinegar cleaner is not just for floors. It is equally effective at cleaning the toilet, the shower, and your mucky countertops.
It’s also a great stain remover for carpet.

Remember to rinse the floor well after using this DIY vinegar floor cleaner.

7. Strong homemade floor cleaner

If you find that all natural ingredients in your floor cleaner are not quite living up to your expectations, there is a version, that may be right down your alley.

Ingredients:

Water

Rubbing alcohol
Vinegar
A few drops of dish soap

This recipe mixes equal parts of the vinegar, water, and rubbing alcohol.

As you can imagine it can be quite strong to the nostrils.
You can also be very aggressive with certain surfaces.
The best ideal is to test it out on a small area before diving in.
You would not want to take the color out of something or take the finish off either.

Homemade floor cleaning is easy and convenient. And it gives you the Peace of mind of knowing that you don’t have harsh chemicals in your home they can make your family sick.

How to Reset Honeywell Thermostat – Touchscreen and Program

How to Reset Honeywell Thermostat

Most of us know the irritation of coming home to an extra hot or cold house only to find out that somebody has messed with the thermostat again.

Honeywell programmable touch screen thermostats ensure you are never “surprised” by the thermostat being changed again.

They also give you the advantage of being able to schedule when your heat and air comes on or stays off.

A great advantage for saving energy while you are at work or on vacation.

If you ever need a factory reset,
Resetting your Honeywell touch screen is a simple process.

But be warned “Factory reset” completely wiped all your previous setting including your WiFi password.

Honeywell Touchscreen Thermostat Reset Instructions

Menu- Preferences -Restore Defaults

Step 1. Press Menu -Located in the right hand top corner. Then use the up and down arrows to scroll down to “preferences”

Step 2. Press “Preferences”. Use the up and down arrows to scroll down to “Restore Factory Defaults”

Step 3. Press ” Restore Factory Defaults”
This will more than likely bring up a dialog box that ask you to confirm that you want to return all your settings to factory default.

Step 4. Press Yes.
You should see a message across the screen saying “Restoring factory default settings”
After about 10 seconds, the screen will go dark and the Honeywell logo will appear.

Step 5. As the thermostat resets a “please wait” message will appear on the screen.

Step 6. When you see a message asking you for your Wi-Fi details, your Honeywell touch screen thermostat has reset to factory and is ready to be freshly programmed.

Honeywell Programmable Thermostat Reset (non-touchscreen)

Step 1. Turn the thermostat off

Step 2. Look at your breaker box and flip the breaker that controls the thermostat to the off position.

Step 3. Remove the batteries

If you have the type of thermostat that has to be removed from the wall first to get the batteries out, remove the thermostat first

The easiest way to get it off the wall is to remove the batteries and hold the back plate against the wall through the battery compartment while you pull the front cover off with the other hand.

Step 4. Reinsert the batteries backwards so that the positive terminal on the battery is lined up with the negative terminal on the thermostat. Leave the batteries in for a few seconds, up to 7.

Step 5
Take the batteries back out and put them in the right way this time.
The display should come back on at this point.

The Honeywell thermostat is now freshly reset to factory.

How to Lower Humidity in a House?

What humidity level is uncomfortable?

As the old saying goes ” it’s not the heat, it’s the Humidity”

Most people have a hard time dealing with high humidity. The temperature can be somewhat mild but then humidity outside can make it feel extra hot. Andt at a certain time of the year, namely the late summer heading into fall, there are days when you can turn the air conditioner on and not even feel it because of the humidity in the air.

According to shorstmeyer.com, the humidity that most people start to feel uncomfortable is about 65% with the temperature at 90° outside.

Is 65 humidity high?

65% humidity is about the top of the scale before it becomes too miserable for most people. At 65%, according to the heat index, the temperature at 88 degrees feels more like 98°.

Is 70 percent humidity high?

70% humidity can make a 96° day feel like 126° outside. And at 70% humidity, dust mites and mold begin to be a real problem. For persons allergic to dust mites and mold spores 70% humidity can be more than hot, it can be a nightmare.

What causes high humidity in a house?

High humidity can begin in the house with the simplest everyday activities that you wouldn’t give too much of a thought to otherwise.

High humidity in the house can start from activities like:

1. Cooking – boiling water
2. Bathing – showering
3. Drying your clothes
4. Washing the dishes
5. Dirty AC filters
6. Setting the thermostat to “on” rather than Auto
7. Location-climate

Other reasons can include actual structure problems like:

1. Poor ventilation
2. Improper insulation
3. Weather stripping need replaced

How to lower humidity in house

1. Dehumidifier
2. Air Conditioning
3. Ventilation and exhaust fans
4. Heater
5. Dehumidifying plants
6. Fans
7. Shorter & Cooler showers
8. Change thermostat to “auto”
9. Crack the window
10. Charcoal dehumidifier
11. Rock Salt dehumidifier
12. Rice dehumidifier
13. Cat litter

1. Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers are mobile devices that work almost entirely the same way that a air conditioner does to remove humidity except that it expels heat into the room rather than cool air.

Dehumidifiers are great for areas like a damp basement or an areas where there has been leaking pipes and or water damage.

Dehumidifiers reduce the moisture by pulling air over refrigerated coils that cause the moisture in the air to condense.

The moisture is then captured into a tank or ran outside with a garden hose.

2. Air conditioning

Air conditioners and dehumidifiers are essentially the same machine only the air conditioners are used to cool the air and dehumidify the air as a byproduct.

Air conditioning is one of the easiest and most effective ways of reducing the humidity inside of the home provided it’s a refrigerated unit that condenses the humidity into the air and moves it outside.
Other types of air conditioners called “swamp coolers” or “evaporative air coolers” will increase the humidity because they are basically fans blowing over water.

3. Ventilation and exhaust

The main rooms in the house that have exhaust fans are the rooms the create the most humidity. The bathroom and the kitchen.
Showers and baths will steam up the house quicker than anything. It’s important to keep the exhaust fan running while you are taking a shower or bath to reduce humidity damage to your structure as well as mildew and mold production.

The kitchen is also a room that creates a lot of humidity from cooking and boiling water. It’s important to keep a lid on your pots and have the exhaust fan running to reduce the humidity produced by simply cooking.

4. Heater

Though most of the time people notice the level of humidity in the air is during the summer, winter also has its fair share of humidity buildup inside of the home.

You probably noticed water droplets and condensation building up on the Windows during the winter.

One of the easiest things to do during the winter to reduce the humidity is simply running the heater. Hot dry air coming from the heater will naturally dry out the moisture in the air.

5. Dehumidifying plants

Plants are natural dehumidifiers. And some prefer more humidity than others.
Some house plants that you can put in your home to help reduce the humidity in the house are:
a. English ivy
b. Boston fern
c. Peace lily
d. Reed palm

6. Fans

Using fans positioned around the house is also a natural way to reduce the humidity. Having fans operating is a simple way to dry the air out.

7. Shorter and cooler showers

A simple way to keep your bathroom from becoming a steamy Haze is to turn the temperature down on the water and not run it as long.
Another word if you don’t like the steamy feeling in the room don’t produce the steam in the first place.

8. Change AC thermostat to auto

There are many proponents for keeping your air conditioning thermostat on the on position because helps keep the air more evenly cooled when the AC cycles off.
But the other side of that argument is that the condensation never gets a chance to drip out before it evaporates and gets blown back into the house as humidity.
Keeping your thermostat on “auto” will help the dehumidifying function of the AC work much better and save you money in the long run.

9. Crack the windows

Sometimes the easiest way to reduce the humidity inside is to crack the window and open the door.
Of course if the humidity outside is 90%, this is not going to work.
But if the inside of the house feels extra muggy, opening the windows and letting the air exchange will help freshen up the room and keep the humidity down.

The next four suggestions falls under the “home remedies for absorbing moisture” heading. These are products that you probably have around the house already that you may not have known were excellent for absorbing moisture and reducing the humidity in the air.

10. Charcoal dehumidifier

Charcoal is a natural dehumidifier that can be a super easy DIY project.
According to Readers digest, charcoal briquettes can be placed in a coffee can with hose punched into the lid and placed in humid areas to absorb moisture.

Placing charcoal briquettes in bookshelves that have glass doors is a librarians trick for keeping musty odors and mowed from getting inside of old books

11. Rock salt dehumidifier

If you have ever owned a pink Himalayan salt lamp, you have noticed that it appears to leak water.
But in actuality it is not leaking water but pulling moisture out of the air onto itself and dripping off.
The same concept can be used with rock salt.
The rock salt humidifier can be easily built by taking an everyday planting pot and filling it with rock salt. The planter works good because as the salt draws moisture to itself and leaks it has a place to leak into instead of the floor.

12. Rice dehumidifier

You’ve probably heard that if you drop your phone into the toilet you can throw it in some rice afterwards. I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone that that is work for. But rice can definitely soak up moisture from the air over a period of time.
After all, you can put a cup of rice in a pan and fill it with water and the rice will practically absorb every bit of the water.
This is the same concept as placing small containers of rice around a room to help with humidity.

13. Cat litter dehumidifier

Kitty litter is excellent at absorbing moisture. Not only can it be used for your cats, it will also draw a moisture from the air.
An easy DIY cat litter dehumidifier is to fill a tube sock with kitty litter and hang it in the closet or wherever you’re having an issue with moisture.

One application is to hang it from the rear view mirror in your car, which can help keep your windshield from condensation building up on the inside.

Recap

Humidity is the difference the temperature being mild outside and insufferably hot.
At 65 and 70% humidity, the temperature can feel 20° hotter.
And when the humidity is at those levels, household allergens like dust mites rise in population considerably.

But when you have high humidity in your house, there are many things you can do to reduce the humidity including some easy do-it-yourself dehumidifiers that can be made with products you already have around the house.

Does Lysol Kill Mold Spores?

Does Lysol Kill Mold Spores? Mold is a variety of fungus that can decompose all sorts of carbon-based compounds. Anywhere there is low light and humidity, you’re bound to find mold growing somewhere in the vicinity.

And where you have mold, you also have mold spores floating around and looking for the next available food source.

Mold is everywhere and that’s not an exaggeration. But it only becomes a problem when it takes root in your home somewhere.

If you don’t catch it early, it can decompose your walls, floors, ceilings, etc. Anywhere in your home that predisposed to moisture.

Does Lysol kills mold?

Lysol is a brand of aerosol disinfectant that is extremely effective for killing mold and mold spores. And since it is one of the most widely used household cleaners, you may even have a can of it under your sink right now.

Why is Lysol so good at killing mold?

Bleach. That’s right, the secret ingredient is bleach. The cat is out of the bag.

To use Lysol to kill mold spores in your home, you should follow a few simple procedures to make sure that it is done right.

Step 1. Scrub the mold infected area with warm water and detergent using a heavy brush.

Step 2. Spray the Lysol directly upon the molded area till it is thoroughly soaked.

Step 3. Let it sit for 2 minutes. If you have a particularly severe case, leave the Lysol soaked into the area for at least 10 minutes.

Step 4. Scrub the area again to to break the mold loose from the surface.

Step 5. Wipe the area down with a clean washcloth.

Step 6. Thoroughly rinse the area with clean water.

Lysol Safety

Remember we are talking about cleaning mold and mold spores with Lysol, which contains bleach.

Not only can you get an adverse reaction to mold spores, you can also get a bad reaction to bleach if you are not careful.

To make sure that you do not come in contact with the mold and the bleach, goggles and rubber gloves should be employed.

Ventilation is also important. If possible, open the window. If you don’t have a exhaust or window to open, it’s a good idea to use a respirator so that you do not inhale mold spores or bleach fumes.

Step 7. Let it completely air dry.
Making sure it dries well is important so that mold isn’t invited to start growing there again.

Bleach vs vinegar for mold

If you don’t have Lysol which contains bleach in the house, there is a good chance you do have vinegar.

Vinegar is actually one of the best things to use to clean up mold. It is not only safer than using bleach, it is more effective at deeply penetrating the mold infected area.

The steps for using vinegar are very similar for using Lysol to clean mold.

Soak the area thoroughly with a vinegar and water mixture, then let it sit.
Then take a stiff brush and scrub the area.
Rinse it thoroughly with water and make sure it dries completely.

Mold prevention

Mold takes root anywhere there is dirt, moisture, and low light.

The key to preventing mold is to prevent moisture from building in the first place.

Things like leaky pipes, or drips should be taken care of immediately.

Bathroom should be outfitted with exhaust fans to pull the moisture out of the room.

Kitchen exhaust should also be employed to pull excess humidity out of the room when there is cooking going on.

And if you live in an area that has general heavier humidity, you may consider purchasing a dehumidifier.

Braeburn Thermostat Programming Instructions

Braeburn systems is a company based in Montgomery Illinois. Their product line includes thermostats, humidistats, and zone dampers.
They have a full line of thermostats that include programmable, non-programmable, and smart Wi-Fi, including wireless and touch screen.

Braeburn programmable thermostats allow you to schedule when your heat and air are running. A feature that will save you money by turning your air off while you’re out of the house or sleeping.

Braeburn Thermostat Instructions

Set Up

1. Date/time

Locate the dates last time button on the keypad. Using the up and down arrows, change the hour, then the minutes, then the day of the week. Save each selection by tapping the day/time button afterwards.

2. Set the Fan

Scroll through the fan settings by pushing the “Fan” button repeatedly till you find the setting you want.

“Auto” runs the fan only when the unit is running.
The ” On” setting keeps the fan on continuously.
The ” Circ” setting runs the fan for 24 minutes and off for 24 minutes continually.
“Prog” is the setting that you program the thermostat to run the fan on.

Confused about which one to pick?
See this resource.

3. Set the differential

This is the setting that allows you to choose how much the temperature in the room changes before the air conditioner or heater comes back on.

To set it, hold the return button for 4 seconds. Pick what you want your differential to be by scrolling up or down. Some models have two and three different stage differentials that can be set using the same procedure as well.

Programming your thermostat

1. Enter the programming mode by pressing the” Prog” button.

2. Choose “Heat” or “Cool”.
Some models have a switch that you simply move into position, others require you to make your choice by pushing the “system” on the touch screen.

3. Day/time

On this step you can either choose to program one day at a time or a full week. Simply press the day/time button to choose one or the other.

4. Hours/ minutes

This is the hours and minutes of the day that you want the heat and air to run.
Hit the up and down arrows to scroll up or down to find your desired times.

5. Unoccupied

The “Unocc” mode is the program your thermostat for when the house will be unoccupied. To find this mode, simply press the “Prog” button.

6. Unoccupied mode is programmed the same way as the other settings. Use the up and down arrows till you find your desired days and times.

7. When you’re finished, press return to complete.

Congratulations you have finished programming your Braeburn thermostat!

Dehumidifier vs AC – Do Dehumidifiers Cool the Air?

A dehumidifier will help cool a room because it’s function is to lower the humidity in the room and excessive humidity can make it feel hotter than it actually is. But you should not expect the room to cool off while the unit is running because it expels heat into the room at the same time.

Dehumidifier vs AC

Dehumidifier

Primarily use for damp spaces like basements and flooding restoration

Mobile
Catches moisture in a container or is ran outside with a garden hose.
Expels heat in the same room it’s used in.

Heats the room.

Primarily used to cool the air down

Stationary
Moisture is piped outside.
Expels heat in the same room it’s used in.

Expels heat outside

Dehumidifiers and air conditioners both reduce the moisture in the air, and they both do so in exactly the same manner.Warm air is passed over the condenser coils which causes the water in the air to condense. Which then goes into a attached container or ran outside with a hose or pipe.

But there are some differences between the two.

Namely what they are used for.

Dehumidifiers are used for remediation in areas like a damp basement that does not have any windows or AC vents piped into it.

Because of the basements proximity to the ground, it is usually a moist place where mold growth takes root fairly easy.

Operating a dehumidifier in the basement will rob mold of the moisture it needs to feed and live.

Dehumidifiers, being mobile are also used to help with flood damage and restoration.

How the moisture is captured.

Dehumidifiers have a tank that the condensed moisture drains into. Most have a connector that you can run a garden hose too so that the water runs outside.

Air conditioners are all in one, and in the case of a central AC, the condensed moisture is piped outside. Window air conditioners typically have a hole in the bottom of the casing that drips the condensation outside behind the unit to.

Another difference is the way that heat is expelled from Humidifier.

Since dehumidifiers are mobile and are ran primarily in a single room at a time, the heat that is exhausted from it is released in the same room. Which is good to keep removing moisture but will also heat the room up.

Most people have walked behind a the back of an air conditioner and felt the heat coming off of it. That’s exactly the type of heat you get with a dehumidifier, only the heat is not being expelled outside.

So even though a dehumidifier will reduce the humidity, which in turn will cause the air to be drier and more comfortable after it is used,
So you shouldn’t expect the room to be cooler while the dehumidifier is running.

Air conditioning is stationary and located so that the heat generated is always exhausted outside.

should you run a dehumidifier and an air conditioner at the same time?

Using a dehumidifier at the same time as the air conditioner can be redundant since both reduce the moisture in the air.
But there are times when running both machines can be an advantage.

When the humidity is excessive, you can put extra strain on the air conditioning, which can lead to extra high energy bill, more repairs, and lower the lifespan of the AC.

Running a separate dehumidifier can take the extra work off of the AC in this type of situation.

Also there are rooms in the house where the AC does not reach as well.

Trying to dry the basement with the air conditioner is not likely to do a very good job. It takes a separate device like a dehumidifier to dry the room out satisfactory.

But there are also times when running a dehumidifier with the air conditioning on will do more to make the room hot and muggy than it will to cool off the room and aid the air conditioner.

If you were to put a dehumidifier in the living room , it would basically be like taking a window air conditioner and sitting it on the table. Though it may be reducing the humidity, it is also pouring hot air out of the back.

So in that case, it would be counteractive to run the air conditioning and a humidifier at the same time.

Is it cheaper to run AC or dehumidifier?

It is cheaper to run a dehumidifier than to run the AC because an air conditioner cycles all the way on and all the way off repeatedly. (Unless it is an inverter AC) Dehumidifiers do not have the same type of cycling schedule nor do they turn completely off over and over.
Powering an AC completely on and off takes more energy than a dehumidifier.

Recap

Will a dehumidifier cool off a room?

A dehumidifier expels heat from the rear of the machine. Though it will reduce the humidity that can cause the temperature to seem hotter than what it is, the heat coming off of the dehumidifier will reheat the room.

If you run a dehumidifier for a while, then let the room air out, you will likely find that that room is more comfortable than it was before you ran the dehumidifier.

But as an air cooler, it is definitely better to use an air conditioner. Not only will the air conditioner cool the room, it will also dehumidify as it’s cooling.

Dehumidifiers are made more as a mobile unit to place in a room that doesn’t have access to air conditioning such as a basement. They are also intended to be used as remedial aids for situations like water damage and flood Restoration.

Also being mobile means that the condensation captured by the dehumidifier must either be caught in a tank or ran with a garden hose outside.

Air conditioners on the other hand, can do little in the area of remediation because they are stationary and not meant to move around.

AC Coil Cleaner