Household Improvement Tips

We have decided that all the neat, cheap tricks we use here in our apartment to improve and enhance our lives would be beneficial to all in these current economic hard times as these tricks cost relatively little or nothing to implement.

How To Make Inexpensive Window Shades: We have huge picture windows in all our bedrooms and in my own bedroom and the boys' room there are no shades or heavy curtains so sleeping during the daytime for siesta is nearly impossible because room is so bright. So we strung up garbage bags (Black ones work best) to block sunlight coming into the window. Oh, the sweetness of siesta after you've been awake most of the night.

Our hotel in Kemerovo didn't have doors on the bedrooms so privacy was somewhat limited. Upon entering our apartment here in Moscow, I was overjoyed to see doors on our bedrooms, but my joy was short lived as there is no latch, lock or mechanism to keep door closed. I have no idea what the doors are for as they swing open if you close them.

How To Close Doors with No Latch or Lock: We glued (with Krazy Glue) shims from layers of cardboard from bars of soap (see blue part in photo) to the edge of the door so that when you close the door the door is forced shut from friction on the shim. Works slick and doors stay shut, require some force to open again.

How To Fix Non Latching Door: Our toilet closet door wouldn't lock so whenever you went there you had to keep your foot propped against the door to ensure privacy. The locks bolt wasn't aligned with the strike plate hole on the doorjam but, with Ben Vetter's Olfa knife we carved hole big enough so that it now latched. Yippee, privacy for all now.

How To Make Waterproof Barrier between a Wetting Boy and the Mattress: We took garbage bags and taped them together on the edges to make a huge plastic barrier that we placed underneath the bed cover.