Homes & Gardens Trivia

1. When your sink is suffering a clog, pouring which combination down the drain can solve the problem?

From Quiz Home Remedies for the Chronically Lazy!

Answer: baking soda and vinegar

Pour one half cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar directly into the drain. You can increase the amounts just be sure the ratio is always one-part baking soda to two parts vinegar. After the mixture fizzes and bubbles flush the drain with very hot water for five minutes, then cold water.

From Quiz A Brief History of Candles

Answer: Tallow

A candle is basically a piece of string, or wick, embedded in a solid, flammable substance that burns when lit, emitting light. Tallow is rendered animal fat, usually from cattle or sheep. The earliest candles were made by dipping a string in a vat of liquid fat, removing it and letting the fat dry, then dipping it again. After dipping it repeatedly, layers of fat would build up around the string, forming a candle. Did you know that there is no general agreement about which civilization invented the candle? Some give credit to the ancient Egyptians (3000 BC), others to the Romans (500 BC), and still others to the Chinese (200 BC). Part of the reason for the different opinions is what one considers to be a true candle; the ancient sources often do not give detailed descriptions. The early Egyptian "candles" may have just been reeds dipped in wax or fat, and lacking a wick. One thing that is certain is that candles have been around for a long, long time.

From Quiz Open the Door!

Answer: Steel

The front door market in the United States has been dominated by steel since the early twentieth century, but the rest of the world has been very slow to adopt what they believe to be a far more expensive product than a wooden door. However, taking into consideration security, longevity and weather resistance the typical six (or eight) paneled American steel door is a sensible choice.

From Quiz If I Had a Hammer

Answer: 2,600,000 BCE

The first hammers were believed to be stones that were of a size and shape to fit the hand. They were used for striking bones, wood and other stones. During the Paleolithic Stone Age (circa 30,000 BCE) the stones were attached to handles using strips of leather.

From Quiz My House is a Real Zoo!

Answer: water them

The Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta) plant gets its name from the large, flat leaves which resemble the big, flopping ears of an elephant. They are grown worldwide and the leaves are also used as a food crop in tropical and sub-tropical countries.

From Quiz The Potato: An Owner's Manual

Answer: cut the raw potato crosswise and rub the cut end over the rust until it dissolves

The raw potato contains mild oxalic acid, which reacts with the rust to help dissolve it. Also, the fibrous texture of the raw potato acts as a scrubbing pad to physically loosen and remove the rust. A cooked potato won't work in this scenario. Bonus Hint: Run, don't walk, away from anyone suggesting that you try to clean a heated pot.

From Quiz British Cleaning Products Old and New

Answer: Sqezy

Besides to be more memorable, the main reason to misspell a word as a product is you can't copyright a normal word, so have to alter it slightly to make it into a brand name. Begun in 1959, the phrase 'easy peasy lemon sqezy' came soon after, and is probably still quoted by children now long after it has left the shops. It was actually the first ever washing up liquid, but overshadowed by others with far greater marketing budgets. There have been attempts to revive the brand since it packed up, but none have caught on for very long.

From Quiz Light My Fire!

Answer: 577 AD, in China, to cook food

In a Chinese city under siege, tinder to start cooking fires could no longer be found. Driven by the complaints of unhappy women, an inventor came up with the idea of impregnating resinous pine splinters with sulphur. About four hundred years later, they were being commercially produced. Technically, these were predecessors to self-igniting modern matches, but they served the same purpose, and they were much easier to light than ordinary tinder. Fireworks were also invented in China, in the 12th century.

From Quiz Beautiful, Beautiful Farm Implements

Answer: steam

Traction engines were developed from portable engines which were run by a belt, which gave way to steam powered plowing engines. The first gas/petrol tractor was built in 1892 by John Froelich. There are many sizes and varieties of tractors now that much farming has moved from a family run affair to a single person operation due to the versatility of these important farm implements.

From Quiz Soap

Answer: saponification

When body-temperature lye is slowly added to body-temperature melted fat with constant stirring, soap is formed if the proportions of fat and lye are right.

From Quiz How are They Meant to be Used?

Answer: for boring small holes

This is a little, pointed tool. Because of its small size and the fact that it is held in the hand, you can only use it to bore small holes in fairly-soft materials. You wouldn't get very far if you tried using it on a hard wood such as oak or on any thick metals.

From Quiz Tree-Mendous Trivia

Answer: Hawthorn

Joseph is said to have visited England, stuck his staff into the ground and on that spot the Glastonbury (or Holy) Thorn grew. Glastonbury is also associated with the tales of King Arthur (of the Round Table).

From Quiz Common Bond: Are you handy?

Answer: yo-yo

No, Mister Duncan didn't invent this one. A yo-yo is a long handled device with a horizontal double edged blade. It is swung back and forth, cutting in both directions. Other names are "sling blade" and "weed cutter". Still available today in both original and modernized versions, it was used before mechanical cutters were available for cutting high grasses close to the ground for hay. A scythe was historically used for this purpose, but only cuts in one direction. A machete is used primarily for clearing dense underbrush, not weeds. The goat is self-explanatory.

From Quiz Tool Happy (Carpentry)

Answer: trowel

A trowel is a rectangular flat piece of thin metal with a handle on one the back. Trowels are commonly used to smooth out cement, concrete and Spackle.

From Quiz In the Hardware store

Answer: Primer

If you do not use a primer, the first coat of latex paint may not dry evenly.

From Quiz Construction Basics

Answer: 1 1/2"

How to tell how thick rebar is each number equals 1/8". For example #4 would be 1/2" and #7 would be 7/8".

From Quiz Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Shows in the UK

Answer: The RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the catwalk of the gardening world; it sets the latest trends, attracts worldwide media attention and, as plant breeders' favourite place to unveil new plants, provides the first glimpses of the newest horticultural specimens. The annual event acts as a showcase for the world's most talented garden designers and show gardens at Chelsea are always special. Top designers from around the world apply to create gardens at the show and only the very best designs are selected.

From Quiz Salt: The True Story

Answer: NaCl

Salt also goes by the name Sodium (Na) Chloride (Cl). When these two elements bond they form the Sodium Chloride compound.

From Quiz The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

Answer: Otto Frederick Rohwedder

His first prototype came out in 1916 but it wasn't until 1927 that he finally produced one that sliced and wrapped the bread so it wouldn't go stale so fast.

From Quiz Pilates Basics

Answer: It stretches, tones, and improves the balance of the human body.

While Pilates is often performed on the floor while lying on a mat, there are also Pilates machines. There are several different Pilates machines including the Reformer and the Cadillac.

From Quiz Lost Arts 3 - Natural Dyeing

Answer: A dye actually chemically bonds with what is being dyed, paints do not

Through a variety of chemical processes, dyes actually bond with whatever is being dyed. This makes them much more permanent than paints, which just sit on the surface of the painted object.

From Quiz Traditional Hand Tools

Answer: Build a log cabin

A peavey is used to move logs around by levering and rolling, a cant-hook is for turning and positioning logs that have been sawn (cants). Spuds are broad curved chisels used to remove the bark and dogs are large staples for holding logs in position.

From Quiz Old House Renovation, part 2

Answer: An old-style converted coal furnace with many heat ducts coming out of the top

Even though the cost of removal of an old "octopus" furnace and the heat ducts (most likely covered with asbestos) may seem large, today's furnaces are so fuel efficient, the conversion will probably pay for itself in a few years! A furnace this old was probably originally a gravity system that had no fan and depended on the fact that heat would rise naturally from the furnace up to the house rooms. A fan may have been added to it later. The original furnace was probably a coal burner, and then was converted to oil or gas at a later date.

From Quiz Home Economics for the Domestically Challenged

Answer: bleach

Many bathrooms, especially in damp areas, accumulate the ugly spots known as mold and mildew. The best way to get rid of this, according to experts, is with a mixture of bleach and water. NEVER mix bleach and ammonia- noxious and possibly dangerous fumes will result! Baking soda is a natural alternative to eliminate mold, but it is more difficult to use correctly and does not kill all species. If you prefer natural remedies, by all means use it, but if the mold comes back quickly, you may have to resort to bleach.

From Quiz General Ceramic Knowledge

Answer: decomposed granite

Clay is formed by the weathering of the igneous rock granite. The sheets of alumino-silicates are weathered and deposited in hollows and low-lying areas. Pure weathered granite will decompose into kaolinite, from which porcelain is made. If the clay has been transported and mixed with other refractory materials, it may become either stoneware or earthenware clays, which melt at lower temperatures than the purer kaolinite.

From Quiz Parts of Your Home

Answer: Double-hung or sash window in the UK

Double-hung windows contain two parts, called sashes, both of which slide up and down. They are found in many older homes and typically have lead or cast iron counter-weights inside the walls which keep the sashes where you slide them.

From Quiz General Aquaria

Answer: Nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle is a process where bacteria grow to break down ammonia into nitrite, nitrate, and eventually nitrogen gas. Thus this process begins as soon as ammonia is introduced into the aquarium. Today, the majority of aquarists consider fishless-cycling the best way to go since none of the fish have so suffer from ammonia or nitrite poisoning.

From Quiz Old House Renovation, part 1

Answer: Provide a binding agent to hold plaster together

The former use of horse hair in plaster is similar to the use today of reinforcing steel rods in concrete construction (i.e., provides a binding agent).

From Quiz Aromatherapy: Essential Oils

Answer: Amyris

The effects Amyris has on the body are: cooling and purifying. It can also be used as a fixative for fragrances. It has a smokey sweet scent. The botanical name is Amyris Balsamifera.

From Quiz Home Remedies for the Chronically Lazy!

Answer: shaving cream

Shave before your shower, lather the mirror with shaving cream and wipe it clean with a towel. Your mirror will be fog free for a few weeks.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:45 AM

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