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Miscellaneous Tips Store leftover scraps of wallpaper by stapling them to your attic wall. If you ever need to make a repair, the wallpaper should have faded the same as the paper on the wall that needs the repair.

Recycling Zip Ties Whenever I buy something that's wrapped with zip ties, I don't cut them off and toss them. Instead, I remove the ties by inserting the tip of my pocketknife under the ratcheting mechanism of the ties and pulling the end out. I can reuse the ties and never worry about overtightening one because I can reposition it.

How to Find Carpet Pad Staples After removing old carpeting, you've got the tough job of: spotting and pulling the scads of staples left from the padding. Scrape a metal dustpan or wide putty knife across the floor. It'll stop or make a metallic "click" every time you encounter a missed staple.

Fast Fishing through Insulated Walls When you have to fish wire through wall exterior cavities that are filled with insulation, use a "leader" of soft copper tubing. It'll burrow its way through the insulation to the box opening. Then use electrical tape to fasten the wire to the end of the copper and pull the whole works right through the insulation. You're sure to catch a 25-footer!

Dust-free Drywall Sanding Sanding drywall doesn't have to mean choking on a cloud of dust or dragging out a vacuum cleaner. Here's a low-tech, low-mess way to smooth small patches: Use a damp sponge encased in nylon mesh as a flexible sanding block. Just wet the sponge and squeeze it nearly dry. The abrasive mesh helps level the patch, and the flexibility makes it possible to dig out extra mud from surrounding texture, so it's easier to blend the patch. This type of sponge is available at grocery stores.

Recycled Spreader Save those Parmesan cheese containers when they've completed their dinner duty. Load them up with grass seed, ice melting chemicals, fertilizer and other products for spreading. Just make sure the can is clearly marked and out of the reach of children.

Tips on Screws & Bolts For a wobbly drawer knob, paint the screw with fingernail polish before inserting it.

Chip Terminator When you're cutting off the bottom of an interior veneered door with a circular saw, it's difficult to get a clean line because the wood veneer chips very easily. Eliminate chipping by first scoring the cutting line with a sharp utility knife. Make your saw cut 1/16 in. from the line on the waste side, and ease the edge with sandpaper. The wood will chip up to the line, but not past it.

Anti-Fog Bathroom Mirrors I sprayed heartshaped design on the bathroom mirror with aerosol shaving cream for my wife on our anniversary. After it was wiped off, and after a long, hot steamy shower, I noticed that where the heart shape was, the mirror was clear as a bell! Now I just clean the mirror with a little shaving cream--no fogging! P.S. It even works well on eyeglasses.

Painting Tips Remove paint spatters from woodwork with very fine dry steel wool. Better yet, before painting apply a coat of lemon oil on woodwork. Paint speckles will wipe up easily.

Hanging mini blinds Marking the pilot holes for miniblind or other small brackets can be painstaking work.Transfer the pilot holes to a piece of masking tape, (use blue masking tape for best results) and stick the tape where the bracket is to be fastened. Drill the pilot holes, remove the tape and install the bracket.

Miscellaneous Tips Sticky dresser drawers will slide easier if you rub candle wax or soap on the runner on the side of the drawers.

Ladder Tips: Keep ladders from moving by driving spikes through the bottom of small cans, into the ground. Then insert the ladder feet in the cans.

Tips on Screws & Bolts You can wind a few stands of steel wool around the threads of the screw before screwing it in to keep it tight.

Painting Tips Before pouring paint from a can, line the edge with masking tape. When finished, remove the tape and rim will be clean for replacing the lid.

Miscellaneous Tips Unfinished picture frames can be stained with shoe polish. Use two coats, and after drying, wax with a good paste wax. Brown shoe polish will have a walnut glow, oxblood emulates a mahogany, and tan will appear as a light maple color.