Real Dirt

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by my pals at Swiffer. But, as it will soon become plainly obvious, the opinions written here are 100% my own.

Sponsored posts: for a blogger, they are pretty commonplace. I suppose because of both that and the fact that there are lots of bloggers who do a great job of sharing blog biz info in a competent way (like here and here), I tend to just focus on the stories I'd rather tell than explaining how and why I choose the sponsors I do. But I also really, really enjoy this little hobby-turned-job o' mine (well, one of them, anyway), so it can certainly take up lots of time on my weekly to-do list to handle the behind-the-scenes stuff, and I thought you guys might like a little info on that, too.

I would say that in an average month, I turn down about 90-99% of the offers related to blog reviews, sponsors, etc. that I usually get. That's not to say that most of them are good offers, or that I'm trying to brag about the ones I receive - in fact, on days when I'm overdue for making a mess in the garage and instead spend it working indoors managing expenses, reviewing analytics, or answering calls and emails, I can be downright ungrateful for this wonderful opportunity I usually feel very lucky to have. Still, business-y related activities are practically part of my DNA now, and I can't help but feel obligated to at least pretend to be a professional when that little red alert bubble goes off on my phone (within reason, of course - this blog still sees its share of f-bombs when I get a chance to write).

Most of the business side of blogging is just spent saying no (and no, and no) and trying in vain to get down to an inbox that doesn't keep me awake at night (I'm almost compulsive about inbox zero, and it can sometimes impact my sleep if there's an urgent one I forgot to answer). Hundreds and even thousands of emails are sent to bloggers just like me from brands I don't want to work with, haven't used before, don't believe in for whatever reason (poor customer service, they don't fit what I blog about, bad/cheap products, etc.), or just plain give me a weird vibe (without getting too technical, there are lots of sketchy companies out there that deliberately ask for things that are considered pretty big no-nos for how blogs share info online). And then of course, there's all of you guys: my badass readers, who I spend so much time thinking about what to share with you next, wanting to sit down and chat like we're old friends, updating you on life events, etc. So, when it comes time to actually choosing a brand to be a brand ambassador for, it's almost hard to put into words all the little boxes I check off before I consider actually representing one for an entire year.

In this particular case, it was Charlie who made a very convincing argument… with her aggressive, furry butt. Right around the time that she murdered a healthy indoor plant I've had growing in the living room for a while (and you know how long it took me to learn to keep those suckers alive).

The dirt is very real, folks.

And when she's not busy murdering plants, she's still making various other messes across my dark floors that show every little speck of dirt that has ever existed (I still love them when they're clean, but dark floors and Charlie's insane amount of shedding just don't mix well).

When I was first contacted by the Swiffer team about becoming a brand ambassador, I pretty much had the first few boxes already checked. It was a brand I knew well, used (very!) often, and just plain liked already. And once I realized that they are eager supporters of Habitat for Humanity (they're a P&G brand), I was even more pleased to get involved.

Every now and then, they send me new boxes of various products (the Swiffer Sweep + Vac being their most recent,  which I really like for how quickly it lets me pick up after Charlie's shedding), along with other boxes that aren't intended for me. Instead, they ask me to give these boxes away: to pet adoption centers, to my local Habitat center, or to a friend or family member who could use it (more on that in a future post). One of the more interesting things they sent in this latest box, however, was a package of a store brand's version of their dry and wet refills.

I'm no stranger to figuring out how to save a buck or two. Knockoffs don't make me feel cheap for not buying a name brand when I can't really tell the difference. I even like the challenge of DIYing something I'm inspired by but simply can't afford, like the kitchen light fixture I created earlier this year. But when it comes to substitutes, there's a pretty big difference between “I can totally make that myself” and “I'm going to sacrifice a lot of quality just to save a few cents.” When I traveled up to Cincinnati last year to check out the P&G headquarters and get schooled on how much time and effort they put into studying and designing their Swiffer products (seriously, they have like ten different classifications for “dirt”), it was no surprise to me to then see that even at a cursory glance, there was a pretty big difference between Swiffer (on the left) and the store brand they shipped me:

It may look (at first) like I'm comparing four of the Swiffer sheets to only two of the other, but that's actually four on the right as well; they just come stacked two at a time and then folded in half, to make them look thicker inside the box. I know this trick, too: it comes in handy when trying to make towels look fluffier when photographing bathrooms. The Swiffer wet refills compared to the store brand weren't as significantly different when I stacked them side by side (they were still thicker, just visually not as noticeable as the dry ones), but the - I dunno, sponginess? - of the pads were different to the touch, and the texture was very different, too.

But, all of that doesn't really matter unless it makes an actual difference on my floors. Luckily (?), I had a pretty good spot to test things out in. The plant massacre in the living room left soil, bits of plant material, lots of dog hair, and some kind of dried mud on the floor and baseboards. Yuck.

Swiffer never even asked me to talk about their actual sweeper vac (they just sent it in the box like “hey, how about this for Charlie?”), but I really, really like this thing. My favorite feature might have been how the little vac part is flexible enough to go up on my shoe molding and get super close to the edge of the floors (yeah, I still need to caulk between the baseboard and shoe molding in some spots, but keep reading).

I tried out the store brand first, which left a lot to be desired. The main thing was just that it was kind of like putting a facial tissue onto the vac when I was used to something a lot thicker. Almost immediately, the wipe just pushed around the dirt rather than picking it up. Charlie's shedding is no joke, so I need all the help I can get in the dog hair department.

When I put the Swiffer dry cloths on instead, I didn't even have to push the thing around yet before it started picking up the dirt the other one left behind. This is the part where Swiffer wants me to get all science-y and tell you it's their textured ridges that are making this magic happen, but my “lab” is less about measuring 4X more effectiveness and more about creating 4X more dirt (thanks, Charlie!).

With most of the dry stuff now gone, it was time to switch to the Swiffer WetJet. I was running short on time and patience, so I didn't even bother to do much comparison here. The WetJet pads have a  differently-textured strip down the middle where the other version didn't, and the nice, thick pads picked up everything really quickly.

The only gripe I'd probably say about the WetJet is that on my laminate floors, it can take quite a while before the streakiness of the solution disappears. It's not enough to stop me from using them (the convenience far outweighs leaving dirt on my floor), but I also have super dark floors and I haven't really tried alternatives yet (Swiffer has some other refill types - with lots of different scents, too - but this is the standard one that comes with the WetJet out of the box). Since I had a few minutes to kill before I had to leave the house, I also went ahead and caulked the gap between the baseboards and shoe molding. I need to paint the shoe (it has yellowed over time for whatever reason), but I'm giving myself a high five whenever I manage to tick one more item off my to do list (especially when it's those finishing touches I never seem to make time for).

There you have it. I doubt it will be long before I need to do another “test” on the floors, but at least the little furball is cute, right?

P.S. Speaking of Habitat, I'm heading up to New York with Swiffer later this month for an event with Property Brothers' Jonathan Scott and later volunteering with Habitat for Humanity as part of Swiffer's New Mover program. I'm really looking forward to it, so be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter for live updates when that all goes down!

The post Real Dirt appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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How to Get Your Neighbors to Fix Curb Appeal Problems

Over the last few years of living and working on a house largely by myself, I've found few substitutes as valuable as a friendly, helpful neighbor. There are the ones who lend tools, the ones who are experts at something I am a complete dunce at (like the neighbor who reminds me when to fertilize the garden beds), and the ones who have similar floor plans or have dealt with the same problems (our homes are all around the same age and built by the same company). In exchange, I am usually the house that has an extra beer or refills for various tools (string trimmer line, etc.).

I learned most of my habits from watching how my parents got to know their neighbors. They both grew up in small towns and understood the importance of being “neighborly”. Even without an HOA or established subdivision organization, it wasn't at all unusual for our house to be a place where neighbors stopped by if they needed something. I'm thankful that when I first moved in, I made an effort to get to know one or two of my neighbors (and when I got Charlie, it was even easier… everyone loves puppy kisses!). Even those that I haven't actually met, I wave, smile, and I try to be nice to their kids (within reason; soccer balls bouncing into my yard are fine, but kicked into my SUV are not). Still, it can be hard to know how to handle bigger issues like curb appeal problems. Trees can grow into fence lines; yards can go unmaintained. Hell, on more than one occasion, I've been the neighbor who has something weird in their yard, so we all know it's not a one-sided thing.

Out of curiosity, I recently went searching online for advice on the subject. And the top autofill options I found?

• how to get away with a murderer (uh, that's not even the actual title of that show)


• how to get neighbors wifi password (these guys are assholes)


• how to get neighbors cable


• how to get neighbors evicted


• how to get neighbors car towed


• how to get neighbors dogs to stop barking


• how to get neighbors to fix fence


• how to get neighbors to cut grass, cut trees, etc.

Yikes. And when I finally found some actual articles on the subject, most of them briefly touched on being a decent neighbor, but most of the advice (like this one) came off super passive-aggressive to me:

• dropping off a “friendly” note (with or without a gift)


• notifying the HOA (I don't have one in my subdivision, but most of my friends that do tell me they are pretty aggressive with “friendly” notes all on their own)


• calling the city to have them enforce housing codes

Oh, man. I so, SO do not agree with these methods as a first or even second course of action, and I'm genuinely disappointed that these methods pop up in the top three (!) suggestions for many articles. I get that sometimes there's just no other way, but I couldn't help but wonder if these were mostly searches by people who had never even spoken to their neighbor. According to one survey, 75% of respondents made no direct contact with a neighbor over an issue.

When it comes to confrontation, a lot of people are bad at it (or at least, they feel that they are, which can make almost anyone feel uncomfortable). But avoidance and passive-aggressive note-making are generally terrible ways to deal with other disagreeable situations (breaking up with your significant other, a coworker constantly cooking fish and boiled eggs for lunch, etc.). So why do people suddenly think that this is a good or ideal solution for neighbors?

Your neighbors can be your biggest allies. They can keep solicitors out, watch your dog when you go out of town, and call the cops if they think someone is breaking into your home (or in my case, break into your house for you, dig you out of a snowbank, or give you lawn care advice). So, since this article has gone on long enough with my own griping (ha), here are a few things I've tried that have served me well to establish long-term benefits with neighbors, make the neighborhood a nicer place to live in, and help motivate those around me to care for their own homes the way I care for mine.

How to get Neighbors to Fix Curb Appeal Problems

Realize whose problem it really is.

Real talk: the fact that you think your neighbor's house is an eyesore isn't really their problem-it's yours. You are the one who wants it to change, so it's your problem to deal with, and your job to find out if there's a solution. Some things are easy to figure out just by having a quick conversation and asking your neighbor how they are. Maybe they've recently fallen ill or left/started a new job that has them preoccupied. Maybe they just haven't noticed that part of their siding fell off during a recent storm, and you're the first person who even brought it to their attention.

Make friends.

Making friends with your neighbors (or at least making them the kind of people who will acknowledge you when you smile and wave, allow you to pet their new puppy, etc.) is a huge part of how happy or pissed off on a daily basis you might be when you come home. This includes being friendly with neighborhood kids, even if they are oblivious that they are tromping through your new flowerbeds (because it previously looked like crap and it was okay before) or making the dog bark her head off by walking through your yard. Do this just because, but also because when the time comes, you can tell them nicely what the issue is. It's even easier to casually mention home improvement tips when you're already sharing stories about your own recent improvements (ex: “Did you know that red or yellow flowers are recommended when you're trying to sell a house?”). Don't forget to say please and thank you.

Be considerate.

Drag your bins to the curb and away from the curb promptly. Put your trash in trash bags so that loose debris doesn't find its way into a neighbor's yard or draw hungry vermin. Bring your dog inside if she's barking. Simply try to be a better neighbor. Even if you aren't trying to be passive-aggressive to anyone, there's no telling when someone might infer that you're trying to deliberately inconvenience them with your behavior. In the same way that bad behavior can fester and create more problems, remind yourself that having better neighbors starts with your own actions, and no one is perfect.

Offer to help.

Like I mentioned above, there might be an actual reason why your top priority for getting their house repaired isn't their priority. Illness, age, travel, job status, family status, etc. could all play a role in whether or not your neighbor even notices that there's something they should be dealing with right now. If you're already doing your part in trying to get to know them - as, you know, people - you can also offer to help; that might be all that they needed to help them realize that people in their neighborhood are looking out for them. It won't  kill you to put another nail in their broken fence picket if you're already replacing one of your own. And if you can get the issue taken care of that much faster by lending a tool or a few hours of your time, it's win-win.

And my favorite tip of all:

Fix up your own house!

A contractor once told me, “Curb appeal is contagious.” And I have found that to be such a true statement that I try this approach all the time. It can take a little more time than say, dropping in a passive-aggressive note into your neighbor's mailbox, but it really works! Plus, there's no risk of possible retribution by looking like an asshole (save your sweet treats and flowers for when you're truly trying to give something to your neighbor without asking for anything in return).

Sure, the argument could be made that this is still passive confrontation, but this is by far the easiest and most pleasant (read: least cringe-worthy) way of doing so. The trick is simple: focus on your own house's problems and curb appeal issues; we all have areas to improve (glass houses and whatnot). By leading as an example, you are establishing that you care for your home. Through guilt, pride, jealousy, or some combination of emotions, they will be reminded to care for theirs as well. After all, no one really wants to have the crappiest looking home on the block, just as no one (usually) wants to be labeled the person stinking up the break room with their nasty, sulfur-y lunch. But anonymity is the enemy of good neighbors, both in the workplace and next door. The more you work on your own yard, the more you'll start to see other neighbors picking up a rake, cutting back bushes, etc. It's almost like when someone starts the wave at a stadium: it may not hit everyone all at once, but it will grow in size and come back around again and again. It also makes your neighbors more forgiving if you're taking your sweet time in fixing something that was bothering them (“hey, he/she's at least working on it… maybe I should cut him/her some slack.”). I would know… I've been working on my house little by little for a long time!

And better yet, while you're out working on your house, you have a 100% greater chance of actually having a conversation with your neighbor face to face, which can lead to accomplishing all of the other things above in a much more natural way-even if it involves a more confrontational request that they deal with the overgrown tree that's uprooting your fence line.

Other improvements options

If the objectionable item can be hidden or a neighbor simply can't get to a repair soon enough (even if they have good intentions), there are simple alternatives to help create some visual appeal while you wait things out to be resolved. There's always the option of adding a fence (though if you're still trying to maintain or hope to repair the relationship with your neighbor, try to make it a nice-looking one, not a “spite fence“)…

And adding raised garden beds also spruce up your home and help hide less-than-ideal features…

If all else fails…

If you and your neighbor just can't see eye to eye, you've tried being nice, and things are just starting to become miserable, those other alternative solutions are still there. Sometimes, the city or even the neighbor's homeowners insurance will have enough of a problem that they might step in, but usually (from what I've read) only if it's a public safety or structural risk. The bottom line though is that I hope if you're having an issue with your neighbor, you at least give them (and yourself) the option of first resolving it like neighbors. You really don't have much to lose to try the friendly route first. Hell, they might even dig you out of the snow next winter.

What have you done to resolve an issue with your neighbor? We can all benefit from stories like these, so feel free to share!

The post How to Get Your Neighbors to Fix Curb Appeal Problems appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Shopping, Coupling, and Ikea

You guys know that when it comes to the things I blog about, it's just as often that I'm sharing a home improvement project as it is that I'm writing about something personal that happens along the way. I've learned that over the years, that's just what I'm most comfortable with, and I think a lot of it is because taking the more ridiculous moments out of my life-slash-home-renovation-story, even when it barely has anything to do with house upgrades, is just plain boring. In fact, it was Granny who taught me that those odd life quirks often become your best stories (like the time she wore The Hope Diamond to a party after “admiring a woman's necklace” and was oblivious to its significance).

Sheesh, am I making any sense right now? Sorry - I haven't had my coffee yet.

Anyway, there's another common theme that goes on with this blog: my pictures are hardly ever in it. No, not the pictures I take, but I mean pictures of me. If they are, it's usually a demonstration closeup of my hand, something awkward I'm doing with my feet, or - if my face makes it in there - a selfie.

That's kind of the only way it works, too, because unless Dad's over at the house helping me complete a project (in which he, very sweetly, has learned to ask to take them when he knows it's the last thing on my mind mid-snarl), I barely have enough awareness to remind myself to take photos of the thing I'm doing, let alone setting up a tripod to take a picture of me doing them (and even if that happens, I usually do the girly thing where I hate my chin/stomach/arms/pose/etc.).

I think that's why I found it so goofy when I was out shopping for a desk chair recently at Ikea and West Elm. Because unlike the way it usually goes (snapping away at things that are not me), I had the camera turned at me for a change thanks to this cute guy who tagged along.

It was just as awkward as you probably have pictured in your head right now: a girl and her boyfriend, she's posing (but also trying to not look like she's posing in half of the photos), he takes her picture, hilarity ensues.

Enough times to make it really, really awkward for any passersby, but equally funny for the both of us (especially because I know that explaining that I'm going to blog about it would get even more eyerolls than just looking silly and weird). I couldn't have looked more basic if I had been holding a Starbucks coffee cup in my hand.

The good news is:

1. We actually took a (lengthy) trip to Ikea with the intention of looking for one, little replacement for something that broke (that was at the very end of the display section) and didn't fight. I say this because, as many of you know, there is hardly a relationship test equivalent. IMO, I'm shocked that more couples counselors don't begin with an introduction at Ikea and work outwardly from there.


2. Although our specific styles skew in pretty predictable ways, he likes MCM furniture enough that I think we'd have a pretty decent chance of picking out a couch that we both like, if it ever came to that (and from most couples I'm friends with, that's not necessarily an easy thing). Also, his pick was significantly pricier than mine. I'm not saying that by itself is actually good news; but an appreciation for decent furniture is a good thing for a home renovation blogger. Probably.


3. West Elm has some pretty great stuff on sale right now, but I managed not to dip into any impulse buys and stay on budget (though to be fair, I think Target would be much harder, which is why I haven't stepped foot in it in a couple of months to keep the temptation at bay… it's bathing suit season though, so my days are probably numbered).


4. I got a chance to butt test the office chair I've been ogling for a while, and I think it's going to find its way into my office shortly. I've been trying in vain to find an antique desk chair on Craigslist for the last few months (I got so close to finding an awesome vintage one, but the guy never replied to my last couple of emails, ugh!), but I think I'm going to just have to bite the bullet and plunk down the dough for a new chair instead. Sort of a bummer, but also sort of nice that I'll soon no longer be sitting in an uncomfortable folding chair for most of my day.

Want to see more of my picks? Check out the shopping widget below. It's a feature I've been adding to a few posts, and it seems to be something a few of you guys enjoy, too (based on the feedback I've gotten from using them here and here). In full disclosure, the links are an affiliate setup, which just means that if you make purchases based on my recommendations, a few cents go toward supporting my site. More updates comin' at ya soon!

My West Elm Picks

Can't see the widget above? Just click through to the post. Enjoy!

The post Shopping, Coupling, and Ikea appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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How to Install a Self-Adjusting Gate Latch

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored project/product by National Hardware, but my opinions are, as always, 100% my own.

My backyard gate: it was one of the first projects ever completed at the house. So, of course, it's also one of the first things to break.

Twice. Or maybe three times. I've lost count.

The first time, I don't even know what happened to make it break. I simply came home to missing parts. But, the latch had also originally been installed on the wrong side of the fence (in that it was on the front of the gate instead of behind it). So when I did the last fix, I simply flipped the replacement around, but didn't really think it through. The problem, as you can see above, was that I didn't think to install it along the support of the gate and instead attached it to one of the fence pickets, just as it originally had on the other side. It worked for a while, but a windy storm this past winter split the picket down the middle, and off came the hardware along with it.

The last time it broke, I was able to fix the malfunction with a zip tie. But now that the other side broke off completely, I decided that it was finally time to upgrade and put the hardware in the right spot.

 

Luckily enough for me, National Hardware reached out and asked if I'd like to work on a few projects with them this year. Uh, duh. I have like 30 things on my to-do list that could use some hardware, so this was a perfect match. I described what I needed, and they immediately sent me a heavy duty latch:

Not only was it stronger, but twice as wide (insert dirty joke). The reason for this being that the original 4-inch latch needed only to span the distance from the post to the first picket; but because there was existing hardware attached to the end of the gate support, the new latch would need to fit on the other side while still reaching across to the same spot on the post. If that sounded like complete gibberish, let's try a visual demonstration:

To do this project, you'll need (affiliate links):

• gate hardware


• Phillips head drill bit


• 3/32″ pilot hole drill bit


• 3/8″ hex nut driver bit


• optional: magnetic bit holder (extends the bit length)


• marker/pen


• drill/driver

Also optional: your curious fur helper who just wants to bark at flying flower tufts floating in the air.

Step one: remove the old hardware and toss it in the garbage.

This includes the rusty old screws of the picket still stuck to the gate.

The only tricky part about installing a new latch is remembering what goes where. For example, there is a piece that gets screwed into the post (the “strike”, A in the photo below) and a piece with a long arm that gets screwed directly onto the gate (B). I wanted to screw the post side in from the left rather than the right, so it required unscrewing the bolt that held the strike in place (the part that catches the arm when closing the gate). This could all be done by hand, and I was able to flip the mechanics of the keep around by simply turning it upside down and tightening the bolt back down.

As always, drilling pilot holes will keep the screws from slipping away from you and help the installation go much faster. Once you've lined up where the new hardware is going to be, mark the holes with a pen, then use a bit that is slightly narrower than the width of the screw to create your pilot holes (using an exact width will prevent the threads on the screw from catching in the wood).

I chose to start with the gate side because that seemed easier (attaching the latch arm side, then using that as a guide for figuring out where the strike needed to be on the left in order to catch it).

Unlike the previous hardware I'd installed, this set came with lag screws (or lag bolts, whatever you prefer), so I had to use a different bit on the end of my drill (the instructions say to use a wrench, but this also works!).

Even though I have lots of bit sets, this was definitely not a bit I get to use very often, so the novelty of it was actually kinda fun.

For the final screw, thread the adjustable arm through the hole on the right and tighten the bolt down like the others, but leave a little wiggle room so that the arm can move up and down like so:

And before ya know it, my heavy duty gate latch was in place, looking spiffy and solid:

Another thing I made sure of with the new latch was that it still had the same adjusting feature of the old one. Over time, fences settle and move around a little, so it's better to spend a few extra bucks and buy a latch that can handle a slight shifting every now and then (on this particular model, this feature is called “Adjust O-Matic”, which makes me think of those funny infomercials for kitchen appliances that dice onions or peel boiled eggs). This new hardware can adjust on both sides. On the left (the part that was screwed into the post), the screw holes are taller than needed for a single screw to fit. This longer notch means that if the fence ever settles more and the latch piece could stand to shift down by a  quarter of an inch or so, I can easily accomplish this by unscrewing it slightly, moving the hardware down slightly, and tightening the screws again - no new pilot or screw holes needed.

On the right, the screw that holds the arm of the latch in place is a little loose, so it has a small range of motion that helps it move up or down as needed to catch itself on the other side. This means that if it too ever needs a slight adjustment, I won't have to break out my tools again.

With the new hardware in place, I could now unscrew the old, split picket and replace it with an equally old one that I just happened to still have left over from this project and this project (which were leftover scrap projects of their own!). Done!

The post How to Install a Self-Adjusting Gate Latch appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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This is Why I Can't Have Nice Things.

My Granny (BlogThis!