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Family Handyman
Tree Bark Protector
When you mow the lawn, does the sharp lower lip on the front and side edges of the mower occasionally cut the bark of your trees? A pair of plastic car door edge guards from an auto-parts store can help solve the problem. They slip neatly onto the edges of the mower, stay put and leave no marks on the trees.
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Family Handyman
Big-Time Grass Catcher
Tired of emptying the small grass catcher of your riding mower every five minutes? Build this large catcher that mounts in a lightweight garden trailer. The five panels are screwed-together 2x2s with ordinary window screen stapled to the insides. The panels are assembled with hooks and eyes, so the whole thing can come apart and hang on the garage wall. The back panel unhooks for emptying clippings onto the compost pile. The chute is made from flexible clothes dryer duct and fittings. Experiment with the ductwork first to see how high your mower will blow the grass, and then determine how high to build the catcher.
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Family Handyman
Lawn Fertilizer Markers
So you fertilized your lawn last week, and now you’ve got some streaks of pale grass where you missed, and some really dark streaks where you hit twice. To prevent this, use two short lengths of wood as markers. Whenever you start a new row from either end of your run, drop a marker at the edge of the line of the fertilizer. Aim for the marker as you proceed, and move the marker at each end every time you make a turn. It works with a broadcast spreader as well. — Jim Carabetta
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Family Handyman
Find Tiny Items On the Floor
Doesn’t it drive you nuts when you drop a small item on the floor and you can’t find it? Here’s some help. Lay a flashlight on the floor, and shine the beam slowly in a circle so it just skims the floor surface. The shadow cast by the lost item will help you spot it. — Gary Stewart
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Family Handyman
Hollow Door Fixer
If you have a sizable hole in a painted hollow-core door, here’s a quick way to fix it: Completely fill the hole with spray foam insulation, so the foam is about level with the door surface. Allow it to dry overnight. The foam will expand slightly as it dries, forming a slight mound. Slice off the mound with a razor knife so the foam is slightly lower than the door surface. Apply one or two coats of drywall compound, sand it smooth when dry, and paint. — Richard Loeb Jr.
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Family Handyman
Splashblock Anchor
Do those plastic downspout splashblocks tend to wander away from the foundation of your house, allowing water to seep into the basement? To prevent this, drill two holes through the hefty corners of the plastic at the back end. To anchor it, drive two large spikes through the holes into the ground. — Joseph Perrone
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