Page 41 – The DIY Life

10 Amazing DIY Floor Ideas That Don’t Cost A Fortune

Michael Klements

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April 12, 2017

10 Amazing DIY Floor Ideas That Don’t Cost A Fortune

Renewing or updating your floors can make a huge difference to your decor and home’s value. Flooring is typically quite expensive so it if often put off for major renovations but here are 10 amazing DIY floor ideas which can be done as a holiday or weekend project and it doesn’t cost a fortune to buy the materials. So try one of these projects in a room or throughout your house to refresh your personal space.

Stencil & Paint The Floor

This amazingly detailed floor by Young House Love is just a ply wood floor which has been stenciled and painted. They simply pulled up the carpet and painted it.

stenciled floor completed — Young House Love

Simple Painted Flooring

If you’ve got an existing wooden floor which just looks a little worn out, try painting it in a vibrant colour to bring it new life for less than $50. Have a look at the tutorial by Effortless Style.

Different Colour Plank Flooring

Instead of painting the whole floor in a single colour, Design Sponge decided to mix things up and paint them in different shades, making the end result more interesting.

Pine Plank Flooring

These DIY wood floors by Shabby Greek Cottage are made using 1×8 pine planks which were then stained to the right colour for an inexpensive finish which can be done room by room.

flooring using pine planks — Shabby Greek Cottage

Plywood Plank Flooring

This wooden floor by Little Green Notebook was made using plywood which was then cut into planks for a more hardy surface.

End Grain Block Flooring

This type of flooring project by Design Sponge uses blocks of lumber which have been sliced through the grain which leaves an interesting texture.

Geometric Wooden Flooring

Vintage Revivals decided to take us back to a time when geometric wooden floors were the in thing and we love the results. While this is probably more suited for a smaller room or bathroom, there is a bit of charm to the work that goes into it.

Pebble Bathroom Flooring

Pebble floors are typically used in a shower but there’s no reason they can’t be used for a whole bathroom. Something for Nothing made this pebble floor from scratch and it looks amazing.

Black Rubber Matte Tiles

Black rubber tiles are usually used as a flooring choice for a workshop, garage or gym but Door Sixteen used them in a bathroom and the results are great. Using a dark colour on the floor makes the whole room feel a bit more grounded.

One More Stenciled Floor

This stenciled floor by Lovely Etc has a nice finish around the edges and really highlights the fact that you don’t need to spend much to get an amazing result. The plywood underneath your current floor is the perfect canvas for a stenciling.

stenciled floor second version — Lovely Etc

If making your own flooring sounds like too much work, you could also buy laminate flooring and install it yourself, the actual material is not that expensive and its really easy to do.

Have you done your own flooring in a room or throughout your home? What did you do and how did it turn out? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you enjoyed this post, have a look at these 8 DIY Projects To Increase Your Home’s Value.

Make A Stylish & Modern Hanging Garden Planter

Michael Klements

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April 10, 2017

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Make A Stylish & Modern Hanging Garden Planter

This stylish and modern hanging garden planter is sure to attract attention and it allows you to get more out of the surface area of your garden, perfect for veggies and herbs. Hang them on a wall, under a window or even indoors as a feature, they’d fit right into a modern kitchen.

Once your planters are up and your plants are growing, try our natural pesticide recipes to keep bugs away without spraying harsh chemicals all over your herbs and veggies.

What You Need To Make The Hanging Garden Planter

2 x 100mm (4″) PVC Pipes: Cut to About 170cm (66.5″) and 150cm (59″)
4 x 100mm (4″) PVC End Caps
Silver Spray Paint
5m (16′) Wire Rope
4 x Small Wire Rope Clamps
8 x Threaded Hooks
4 x Carabiner Clips
Soil
9 x Small Plants
Cordless Drill
75mm (3″) Hole Saw
Small Drill Bits
120 Grit Sandpaper
Hacksaw
Wire Cutters

How To Make The Hanging Garden Planter

Start off by cutting the PVC pipe to length, this can be to suite your wall or window width or simply to suit the size of your plants.

Measure out how far apart the plants need to be and mark them pipe for the holes to be drilled. The spacing used in these planters is 30cm (11″). Once you have marked the holes and are happy with the spacing, use the hole saw to drill the holes through one side of the pipe wall.

Use a small piece of sandpaper to sand the edges of the holes to remove any rough or sharp edges. Sand the ends of the pipes as well so that the end caps fit on snugly.

Stand the pipes up on their ends and spray them with the silver spray paint. Do two or three light coats of paint on each pipe. Spray the end caps as well.

Now attach the hanging hooks onto the pipes, the hooks can be positioned either between the last holes and the ends of the pipes or in the centre of the outer two holes on each pipe as is done in this case. Drill a small pilot hole for each hook and then screw them into the pipe.

Line up the holes on the bottom of the top pipe with the top of the bottom pipe so that the wire rope hangs straight down from the top pipe to the bottom pipe. Also ensure that the holes are all drilled in line on with the planter holes so that they hang with the plants facing directly upwards.

Next you can cut the wire ropes, this can be done to suit the area you are hanging your planters. Measure the required distance and allow about 100mm (4″) extra so that there is additional wire rope to make the end loops. Make them in pairs and check them against each other to make sure that the pairs are exactly the same length or your planters wont hang level.

Finally, fill the pipes with soil and install the end caps. If your end caps fit snugly then you can just push them on. If you are going to be using the planters indoors or your end caps are loose then you’ll need to glue them on. PVC cement is best to glue them on, make sure that the PVC cement goes directly onto the plastic and not over the silver paint.

Open all of the carabiner clips and slip the wire ropes into them. Your planters are now ready to be hung up on the wall or window frame. If you’re installing them outdoors then you may want to drill a small hole into the bottom on each end to allow the excess water to drain. If you need to drill into tiles to mount hooks to hang the planters in your kitchen, read our guide on drilling holes into tiles first.

Plant your plants into the hanging planters and you’re done.

Have you tried making these or similar planters? Let us know in the comments section below.

This post is adapted from Hanging Garden by begallogly01 and is used under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-NC-SA.

10+ Summer Travel Life Hacks To Make Your Life Easier

Michael Klements

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April 7, 2017

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10+ Summer Travel Life Hacks To Make Your Life Easier

We all get excited for summer, we can start planning road trips and family vacations. Along with it, however, comes the dreaded chores of organising and packing. Here are a few life hacks that will help you with the not so fun travel times.

muffin tray for drinks — Seriously For Real

Use a laundry basket and muffin tray as a large drinks holder.

road trip travel bag — While He Was Napping

Make your own nifty travel bag to keep all of your road trip essentials.

Keep cotton pads or balls in your makeup cases to keep them from breaking apart when travelling.

mount your phone on the seat — Twisted Sifter

Stick your phone in a zip lock bag to make the perfect holder for your movies and series during a road trip.

Use a disposable glove to keep your toothbrushes clean. Put toothbrushes in the middle 3 fingers. Use the pinkie and thumb to tie the 3 together.

A cereal container with a plastic bag makes a great trash can for your car.

toothbrush clothes peg — Seriously For Real

Take some clothes pegs with you to prevent your toothbrush from touching any potentially dirty surfaces.

No-one opens sanitary bags to look for money, its the perfect hiding place.

how to pack a razor — Seriously For Real

If you’ve lost the plastic guard for your razor, an office clip makes a great replacement to help with your razor travels.

cellphone for emergencies — Seriously For Real

Keep and old cell phone in your cars glove box in case of emergencies, you’ll be grateful one day when you need it. Even better would be to keep it with a charger or power bank.

Most modern TVs have USB ports on the back of them, use them to charge your phones or gadgets when you don’t have the right adapters.

If you don’t plan on making travel plans any time soon then read our list of 15 Brilliant Tricks To Make Your Life Easier instead.

Do you have any travel hacks, tips or tricks? Let us know in the comments section below. We are always looking for new ways to make life easier.

DIY Moisturising Bath Bombs, Perfect For Dry Skin

Michael Klements

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April 6, 2017

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DIY Moisturising Bath Bombs, Perfect For Dry Skin

If you’ve discovered the magic of baths and bath bombs then you’ve probably discovered they can also be quite expensive! It may be time to start making your own. They also make a lovely gift, place a couple on a homemade mini pallet coaster and wrap it up in cellophane for a thoughtful and inexpensive homemade gift. You could also pair them up with our homemade exfoliating coffee and brown sugar body scrub.

Making bath bombs is actually a super easy process! There are definitely some possible pit falls along the way, but we’ll guide you through the process and let you know when you need to do things a certain way. This moisturizing recipe is extra easy to make because we’re using more oil than water.

This bath bomb recipe produces a slightly fizzy and super moisturizing soak for your bath water!

What You Need To Make 8 Moisturising Bath Bombs

Slightly Less than 1 cup Baking Soda – Buy Now
1/2 cup Citric Acid – Buy Now
3/4 cup Corn Starch – Buy Now
Heaping 1/2 cup Epsom Salts – Buy Now
1 Tablespoon Water
3 Tablespoons Oil of Choice (I used avocado) – Buy Now
25-50 Drops of Essential Oil* – Buy Now
Food Coloring (2-5 drops, depending on how intense you want the color!) – Buy Now

Important note regarding essential oils: oils like clove, cinnamon, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and peppermint can cause a burning sensation and a red rash if you use too much. (Especially if you have sensitive skin) On the upside, these oils also smell VERY strongly, so you don’t have to use as much.

This recipe will make roughly 20 oz worth of bath bombs – around 8 bath bombs that weigh between 2 and 3 oz.

How To Make The Bath Bombs

The first thing you want to do it measure out all your dry ingredients into a large bowl. (Baking soda, cornstarch, epsom salts, citric acid. Once you’ve measured them out, mix them together with your whisk for a minute or so. You want all the ingredients to be well incorporated.

Now you’ll want to mix the wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Add in the water, oil, essential oils and food coloring. Mix this together and check the color of the mix – if it looks too light add a little more food coloring if you want!

This is the step where you have to be careful! Pour the wet into the dry, just a little bit at a time. Mix with the whisk immediately to stop any bubbling that may occur. If you let the mix bubble now, you won’t get lots of fizziness when you put the bath bombs in your bath. Keep pouring and mixing until all the wet ingredients are mixed in. Break up any big clumps with the whisk as you go – they may have pockets of color or a certain ingredient inside!

Now we need to test the mix and see if it holds together! Grab a small bit and press it together in your hands. If it sticks together and smoothes out, you have enough moisture! If the mix is dry and crumbly and doesn’t want to stick to itself, you will need to add more water. Add it with a spray bottle if possible. If not, just add small amounts and mix well after.

Use a silicone mold and pack the mix in extremely tightly. Add small amounts to the mold and pack it down with whatever you have around – use an essential oil bottle at first, and then a measuring cup to really push the mix down. If you don’t compact the bath bomb mix enough at this point, you’ll end up with bombs that crack and crumble when you release them from the mold.

Once your bath bombs are packed into the molds, you need to let them dry completely. For best results, let them sit overnight.

When the bath bombs are still soft, you’ll be able to apply pressure with your finger and feel it sink in a bit. When the bombs are completely dry they’ll be hard as a rock!

Once they’re dry, gently push them out of the molds.

Make sure to store your bath bombs away from moisture in an air tight container for best results.

Enjoy your bath bombs!

Why not plan a romantic stay at home spa evening for your partner and use these bath bombs as a little starting surprise gift?

This post was adapted from DIY Moisturizing Bath Bombs by jessyratfink and has been modified and used under the Creative Commons license CC BY NC SA.

DIY Indoor And Outdoor Concrete Lamp

Michael Klements

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April 4, 2017

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This LED concrete lamp looks amazing both indoors and outdoors. They provide the perfect amount of ambient light and can be colour and brightness controlled if you buy an LED string with a controller and remote. Make these as a gift for a friend or loved one and they are sure to be impressed with your DIY skills. This is the perfect weekend project and is great way to get started working with concrete.

If this project seems a bit too complicated and you’d still like to try out a project with concrete, have a look at our guide on making mini concrete planters.

What You’ll Need To Make A Concrete Lamp

Led String Light – Buy Here
Cement – Buy Here
Large Cylinder Vase – Buy Here
Felt Sheet – Buy Here
Small Tree Branch
Black Spray Paint – Buy Here
Metal Flashing – Buy Here
A Packaging Foam Sheet

How To Make The Concrete Lamp

The instructions are broken up into three sections, making the mould and casting the concrete base, preparing the tree branch and installing it on the base and finally installing the LED lights.

Making The Concrete Base

First you need to make the housing for the electronics for the LED string. Take a piece of foam from a shipping package and cut it to create a cylinder.

Close it by taping the side and then cut out a circle to close off one end. A paper cup would work as well.

Now you need to make the outside of the concrete mould using a piece of metal flashing. First mark the metal flashing for the bottom of the form, 12 centimeters or 5 inches tall. Next, mark 5 centimeters or 2 inches above the first line. At this point, you will have two parallel lines.

Now wrap the metal flashing around the vase. Close the flashing by taping the loose end. Next, take two 2.5 centimeter or 1 inch rubber seals and follow the line going around the interior. Do this twice to give yourself a two-inch path around the interior of the flashing. This part will shrink the interior, which will make the glass fit over the concrete base.

Take a piece of aluminum foil, place it down on a flat surface. Then trace the vase and then the foam cup as shown.

Use hot glue to secure the cup then the flashing to the marking.

Mix concrete and pour it in the form.

After a few days remove the flashing and rubber seal.

The bottom should be smooth but you will need to sand the top.

Preparing The Tree Branch

Choose a suitably size tree branch to fit into your vase, then spray it with black spray paint. Allow time to dry between coats until it is uniform and not blotchy.

Depending on the size of tree branch you chose, use the appropriate size masonry bit to drill a hole for the branch into the concrete. A 12mm or 1/2 inch bit was used here to drill down into the foam cup.

Test that everything fits nicely.

Install The LED Lights

Drill a hole in the lower part of the concrete base for the LED power plug to pass through. Next, use hot glue to hold the plug in place.

Pass the Led String light power end down through top then connect to the power cable.

Next, feed a few feet of the led into the vase.

Then place the branch in the vase and feed more led as you proceed.

Now sit the vase on top of the concrete.

Cut out a felt pad and stick it onto the bottom to protect the surface it stands on as the concrete base is heavy and rough.

Your lamp is now completed and can be plugged in.

The Completed Lamp

This post is based upon DIY Indoor Outdoor Concrete Lamp 2 by diycreators and has been modified and used under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-NC-SA.

24 Tips On Becoming A Minimalist, Start Living The Simple Life

Michael Klements

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April 3, 2017

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24 Tips On Becoming A Minimalist, Start Living The Simple Life

We tend to live an over complicated and certainly over cluttered life, here are 24 tips to get you started on decreasing your possessions and becoming a minimalist. It may be difficult to start with but you’ll soon find yourself feeling a little more liberated with each item you donate or sell. The best advice we can give is to take it slow, give yourself time to adjust to having less around the home, you’ll soon be wondering why you accumulated so much in the first place.

We’ve divided the list up into sections to make it easier to work through. Try to set a goal to knock one item off of each list each week, this way you’re giving yourself time to adjust and breaking the workload up.

Kitchen

Throw out all your expired food. Go through your cupboard and your refrigerator and freezer and throw out all of your expired food. While you’re at it, throw out any food which your family isn’t going to eat.
Get rid of cracked or chiped crockery. Chips in plates, mugs and dishes are a breeding ground for bacteria and look shabby.
Don’t collect mugs. Mugs are often given out as gifts and freebies and we hoard them. Trim your mug collection down to a set of 10-12, you don’t really need any more than one per person and a few for guests.
Donate your unused appliances. Everyone knows the story, we try out a juice diet or go vacuum sealer mad for a while but inevitably we land up with a cupboard full of unused appliances. Donate any you havent used in the last year.
Throw out duplicates. You don’t need three knife blocks, four measuring jugs or two can openers. A minimalist only needs one of each.
Throw out the broken things. As you’ve done with your broken crockery, get rid of broken knives, appliances etc.
Invest in some good quality pots. This is the only items which includes buying something but it is for good reason. Get rid of your light aluminnium and teflon coated pots and pans and invest in about three stainless steel pots and two cast iron skillets.
Organise your finances. This may be a strange inclusion here but the kitchen is often a dumping ground for bills, letters and payslips. Follow this guide to organsing your finances.

Bathrooms

Throw out expired medicine. As you’ve done in the kitchen, throw out anything which has expired. Some areas require expired medicines to be disposed of through special programs, make sure to follow your local regulations.
Cut down on toiletries. Go through your toiletries and throw out any products you don’t like using, including free samples and giveaways you’re never going to use. Go through your makeup while you’re busy.
Donate your excess towels. You don’t need more than two towels per person, one for the bathroom and one clean one for the linen cupboard.
Donate your unused appliances. Donate that old braider or curling iron you haven’t used in years.

Bedroom Closets

Donate any clothing you haven’t worn in a year. If you haven’t worn it through a whole season. chances are you won’t wear it again.
Sell anything that doesn’t fit. If it doesn’t fit you then there’s no point in keeping it.
Cut down on clothing numbers. You may have a collection of t shirts or skirts which all fit you and aren’t too old but do you really need so many? Your minimalist closet shouldn’t contain more than 7 of any item.
Toss any damaged clothing. If it’s got a rip or tear which you can’t see yourself fixing, throw it away or take it to be fixed immediately.
Cut down on your shoe collection. You don’t need more than one of each type of shoe.
Keep one weeks worth of underwear. Go through your underwear, including socks and pick out seven of each. Throw out all the old and worn out ones.

Living Room

Stop using cable. Not much good comes from cable, you sit around wasting time and are fed hours of advertisements and rubbish. Stop using cable and switch to movies and a service like Netflix.
Clean up your surface space. You may have one or two knick knacks which are sentimental but throw the rest out, they just gather dust and clutter surfaces, have a look at our guide on de-cluttering.
Don’t keep a library. There really is no point to keeping a library of books, most are only read once. Donate them to your local library and you’ll still have access to them whenever you need it.
Digitise your music and movie collection. Which the exception of vinyls, which are making a comeback. You should digitise all of your CDs and DVDs, you’ll save a whole cupboard and replace it with a single hard drive.

Kids Rooms

Donate unused toys. If your kids haven’t used the toy in a month or so, get rid of it. Your kids grow up and toys become outdated and don’t stay age appropriate.
Throw out the broken toys. Throw out any toys which are broken and can’t be immediately or easily fixed.
Limited the stuffed animals. These seem to creep into any household and accumulate in numbers, limited each child to a few and make sure you donate the old ones often.

And that’s the list to get you started on becoming a minimalist. Print out this list and work through it over the next few months. You may also be interested in saving some money with a couple of tips on frugal living.

Do you have any other tips and tricks to becoming a minimalist? Let us know in the comments section below.

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How To Deep Clean Your Old Vinyl Records – Reduce Background Noise

Michael Klements

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March 31, 2017

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How To Deep Clean Your Old Vinyl Records – Reduce Background Noise

With vinyl records making a comeback, people are looking for ways to get their dusty collection clean and ready to use again. To ensure the best sound and least amount of wear on your records, it is essential that they are kept clean.

We’re got two methods here, one to give your records a full deep clean and another which is great for removing thin layers of dust and reducing the background noise.

Remember, the best cleaning in the world just removes all the dust and dirt. Some records will have scratches and groove wear. No amount of cleaning will fix this. So after cleaning, some record may sound “perfect” and others maybe not so much.

Giving Your Vinyl Records A Deep Clean

What You’ll Need

A Basin of some kind – Buy Here
Dish soap (any kind will work) – Buy Here
A record cleaning brush/pad (Discwasher style) – Buy Here
A few washcloths – Buy Here
A source of warm water
Towels to dry off the records

Cleaning The Vinyl Records

Put an extremely small about of soap in the basin, and then fill it with about 3-4″ of warm water. Stir up the soap by swirling it around with your hand while filling up the basin. Now place the basin on a counter top or other comfortable surface where cleaning your records.

Put a record in the basin, and turn it around by moving the edge with the palms of your hands (as to not touch the grooves).
Once the whole surface of the record is wet, grab the record brush and get it wet. With one hand, hold the record (with your palm) and with the other, move the brush in a circular motion about 10 times. Try to do 5 counter-clockwise and 5 clockwise turns. If you’ve got heavy grime, you might want to do more.. After one side is clean, flip it over and repeat.

After you’ve gotten the record clean, put it in a sink and run some cold water over it, and turn the record with the palms of your hand. After one side is clean, flip it over and do the other. Once it’s clean, turn off the tap and let the water run off.

Now that most of the water has run off, put a wash cloth in your hand, and grab the record with it. Now put another washcloth in the other hand, and grab the record. With one had, hold the record, and with the other, dry it off. Once it’s dry, flip it over and do the other side (which should be most dry by now). Once the record surface is dry, put the washcloths on the labels and press against them with your hand. This should get the labels dry. After the record is mostly dry, set it on top of it’s cardboard sleeve, then place it somewhere and let it dry for several hours.

Giving Your Vinyl Records A Quick Clean And Reducing Background Noise

This is the second method we have used to clean vinyl records and it works well for lighter dust and dirt, the WD40 also lubricates the tracks, reduces friction, wear and background noise.

What You Need

WD40 specialist anti friction Dry PTFE Lubricant – Buy Here
Microfiber Dusting Cloth – Buy Here

How To Clean The Records

Squirt four small amounts equally spaced on the on the center of the tracks and clean in a circular motion with a soft microfiber cloth. You will notice the cloth will collect dirt so change to a new part of the cloth every few turns. Keep polishing until all trace of liquid has disappeared and the record is shiny black, the record will feel very slippery.

If the record is in reasonable condition background noises will be reduced. On the first play more dirt will pop out of the grooves after which it will stay clean for while with less static. This trick even reduces record wear as the WD40 reduces friction between the stylus and the record track.

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This post is based on Cleaning Vinyl Records by mattdp and has been modified and used under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-NC-SA.

Try A Creative Resume To Land Your Dream Job

Michael Klements

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March 30, 2017

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Try A Creative Resume To Land Your Dream Job

With the number of job applicants increasing significantly over the last few years, you need to do something to stand out from the crowd. According to GoResume.com, old traditional resumes will be out of style in the near future, and using a more modern resume is fast becoming the norm. So make the change and try out a creative resume template while there’s still a chance for you to stand out from the competition and be different.

What Is A Creative Resume Template?

A creative template is one which differs from the traditional, some might say “boring”, plain white format. A creative template generally makes use of some colour, icons, layout variations and different fonts in order to catch the eye of the recruiter.

Here Are Some Examples On Offer From Go-Resume:

designer-resume-template-sample — Modern Designer

professional-blue-resume-template-sample — Professional Blue

You Only Have 6 Seconds To Impress

Recent studies have shown that good resumes grab the attention of the recruiter within the first 6 seconds. It is therefore important to have an eye-catching and professional resume. If you were given hundreds of boring white versions and only ONE visually appealing one, which one would you remember?

You Need Call Backs

Before worrying about attending an interview, you need to get invited for one. More and more individuals don’t put enough effort in this crucial aspect of the application process and send out numerous applications. A modern resume template for Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Word will help you get noticed, this means call backs and interview invitations.

Go Resume has a range of templates in both eps format for editing in Adobe Illustrator and docx format for editing in Microsoft Word, many of which are mobile device friendly and can be edited right from your phone or tablet.

So make the switch today and try a creative template. You’ll be surprised by the results!

Remove Hard Water Stains with this DIY Epsom Salt Scrub

Michael Klements

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March 29, 2017

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Remove Hard Water Stains with this DIY Epsom Salt Scrub

If you’ve got glass shower doors or tiles that show every hard water stain in your bathroom, then you understand the constant frustration of keeping everything looking clean. Hard water stains make things look dingy — even when they’re not. Stop scouring with harsh chemicals and attack hard water stains with eco-friendly Epsom salt that leave your shower sparkling. Think of it as an exfoliating scrub for your bath!

If you’ve got tile in your tub or glass shower doors that show each and every hard water stain, here’s a simple Epsom salt scrub that will make things sparkle.

What You Need To Make The Epsom Salt Scrub

Small mixing bowl – Buy here
1 Cup Epsom salts – Buy here
1/2 Cup baking soda – Buy here
1/4 Cup liquid dish soap – Buy here

How To Make The Epsom Salt Scrub

Put all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and blend them together well. Don’t use an electric mixer as you don’t want to break up the salt or baking soda granules, they assist with scouring.

To remove hard water stains, cover the stain in the mixture and then srub the stain gently with a soft scouring pad or a brush. Allow the salts to do the work, you don’t need to apply too much pressure to work the stain away. Within a few seconds you should already see a significant reduction in the size of the stain and it should be completely gone in a minute or so.

For harder stains, scrub for a few seconds and then allow the mixture to sit on the stain for two to five minutes before scrubbing again. This allows some time for the salts to work on the stain.

Do you have any tips and tricks for removing hard water stains around your kitchen and bathrooms? Let us know in the comments section below.

DIY Spa Night for Dry Skin, the Perfect Pamper Evening

Projects

Michael Klements

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March 28, 2017

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DIY Spa Night for Dry Skin, the Perfect Pamper Evening

Do you feel like you need to take an evening off to relax and rejuvenate your dry skin? Or treat your partner to a romantic evening by putting this spa evening together for her/him. This guide uses objects you find around the house to produce an at-home spa for another person. While most of the items you’ll need are commonly found around the home, we’ll provide a comprehensive list of items to prepare before you begin the spa experience.

Setting the Scene

Right before the spa, relax and prepare a relaxing environment.

Invite your friend or partner to take a relaxing shower or wash his/her face, hands, and arms with warm water.
Make sure there are no harsh or bright lights in the room. Light the room with a lamp or candles. Avoid overhead lights since your friend will spend time with his/her face towards the ceiling.
Use a comfortable area. A reclining armchair is ideal, but a couch or a bed could work, too. Ensure that your friend is comfortable before beginning the spa treatment.
Set the mood with comfortable audio. Play soft, calming music during the entirety of the spa. If the music’s audio is less than 30 minutes, then plan a playlist beforehand so DJ needs do not interrupt your work.

This will be a two-part spa. It will involve a facial and a foot treatment. The entire foot treatment could happen during step 11 of the facial. Read over all the instructions before beginning the spa treatment to make sure you have everything ready when it’s needed.

Spa Facial Ingredients

[From left to right: toner, facial, and body scrub. Body scrub recipe and directions not included in this tutorial.]

You will need:

1/2 ripe avocado
1/4 cup of plain whole oats (not “quick oats”)
washcloth towel face cleanser (any kind; a bar soap or liquid cleanser is okay)
hot-to-boiling water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
cotton balls or pads (optional)
table or breakfast tray

How To Do The Facial

At-home facials are quick, easy, and inexpensive. Natural foods are full of moisturizing properties to soothe your dry, tired skin. Avocados and oatmeal are popular bases for DIY facials for dry skin. This recipe combines the two for a simple, relaxing experience.

Prepare the oatmeal. Put 1/4 cup of plain whole oats (any kind but quick oats) in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/2 cup of water. Microwave for 1 minute. The oatmeal should be soft and mushy; if it isn’t, cook it for 30 seconds and repeat until soft.
Prepare the avocado by removing the skin and the pit. Set aside the half you don’t plan to use.
Mash the avocado in a bowl until smooth. Add the oatmeal into the bowl and stir with a spoon until the mixture is an even texture.
Boil about 8 cups of water in a large pot. This may take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes depending on your stove.
While the water is boiling, have your friend wash his/her face with warm water (NOT the boiling water) and a face cleanser.
Pour the boiling water into a bowl. The bowl could be on a table and your friend could be on a chair at the table. Alternatively, if you have a breakfast tray, your friend could sit on a couch or a recliner and set the bowl of boiling water on the tray.
Have your friend hover over the steaming bowl with a towel over his/her head. Drape the towel over the head like a tent, forming an enclosed shelter around the head and shoulders. He/she should breathe the steam in for 5 to 10 minutes, removing and replacing the towel for fresh air as needed.
Have your friend lean back into a comfortable reclining position and set the bowl of hot water aside.
Pat his/her face with the towel.
Apply the facial. Spread the avocado-oatmeal mixture evenly all over your friend’s face, being careful to avoid the eyes. You may not use all of the facial; this is okay. Make sure that the skin is covered.
Let the facial sit for 15 minutes or until it hardens. If it is still wet and goopy after 15 minutes, fan your friend’s face or invite your friend to pace the room to dry the facial.
Wash the facial off your friend’s face with warm water and a washcloth (if he/she is more comfortable doing it alone, encourage him/her to use the washcloth). You will probably want to do this in a sink with a garbage disposal or a strainer.
Have your friend rinse his/her face with warm water.
While your friend is rinsing off, prepare the toner by mixing 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon water.
Splash your friend’s face with cold water.
Apply the toner over your friend’s face with small patting motions, avoiding the eyes. It will help if you use cotton pads or balls, but it isn’t necessary.
Apply your usual facial cream or lotion quickly.

Spa Pedicure and Foot Treatment Ingredients

Prepare beforehand:

1 cup of mouthwash
1 cup of vinegar
2 cups of warm water
Foot file or pumice stone
Dried herbs (optional; for scent only. Consider lavender, eucalyptus leaves, mint, or basil)
Towel
Nail clippers
Nail file
Lotion

How To Do The Pedicure & Foot Treatment

(You could do this while the facial is sitting.)

Combine mouthwash, vinegar, and water in a bowl large enough to fit your feet in. Sprinkle in dried herbs for a comforting scent.
Let the feet soak for 10 minutes.
Pat your friend’s feet dry.
Scrub dry patches of feet with foot file or pumice stone over a towel. This will remove the dried skin that the food bath has loosened. Make sure you communicate with your friend to ensure that he/she is comfortable and the filing does not hurt.
Clip your friend’s lunula (the white, crescent, excess part of the toenail) over the towel. File down any rough or jagged edges.
Spread lotion across your friend’s feet and rub it in. Consider incorporating motions from this video on foot massages as you rub the lotion into the skin.

Your spa evening is now complete.

Do you have any other inclusions for your own home spa days? What are some of your homemade treatments? Let us know in the comments section below.

Share This Guide

This post is based on DIY Spa Night for Dry Skin by 410R MBS Group and has been used and modified under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-NC-SA.

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