Popular Mechanics has a very comprehensive list out with 100 skills that every man should know.  It’s been making the rounds on a lot of blogs, so I wanted to post a link for my readers (all three of you) to check out.

The list got me thinking - we need a DIY-specific list for all genders.  What skills are important?  We have a category for Essential Equipment, why not one for DIY Skills that utilize those tools?

Leave me some comments on what DIY skills you think every homeowner should know and I’ll write up some guides, tips and tricks.  Look for an ongoing series the remainder of this year and well into 2009!

Ok, the Paint Buddy Rubber Maid Touch Up Tool may seem a little expensive for paint touch ups, but you get six.  And it is worth it to not have to hope your paint is still usable and to avoid cleaning brushes for small jobs.  We have one at the ready for our living room, dining room, and kitchen – plus the trim colors and ceiling white.  I have found this the most practical for touching up a newly painted ceiling.  Even with the pink-to-white paint I miss something and when painting a wall I never get a truly perfect edge using a roller or brush, even when I tape.  Now, it takes no time at all to fix.

At the end of every painting job, I fill the reservoir with left over paint.  I know that I will see a couple spots that need a bit more coverage; using the Touch Up Tool actually helps me finish a room.  If I noticed touch ups after all the clean up, chances are I would procrastinate.  It is also very handy for the small gaps we have between many of our doors; they aren’t wide enough for a normal brush and they are too narrow for an artist’s brush.  The Touch Up Tool easily and cleanly covers the wall.

No home is without awkward to paint nooks and crannies.  Even if you are lucky enough to have wide expanses of blank walls between door and window trim, you still have to cut in.  And, as we have discovered, edging with a brush does not give the same level of coverage as a roller.

Too many times I have tried for hours to get the paint along the ceiling line to look as good as the rest of the wall.  The Wooster Brush Co. Jumbo-Koter Flip Frame Mini-Roller handily fixes my problems.  I used to precariously balance a brush, paint, and myself on a ladder or chair to cut in around the ceiling.  I have kneeled and even laid down to paint along baseboards.  But, since the roller can flip to four different positions and it can be attached to any extender, I no longer have to hope I do not drop the paint can or wish for knee pads.  If you have a steady hand, you could probably avoid taping altogether.  Painting around doors and windows is a breeze.  And since you are using a roller, you do not have to worry about feathering in strokes between brush work and a larger roller.

With all the other cool stuff picked out for the cleaning your gutters the quick and easy way series, I begrudgingly come to the last item on the list: the waste bucket.

Now, I know what you’re thinking - why - oh why? - am I reading a review of a bucket tote?  I know it sounds stupid (especially on a blog that has two reviews of Stanley FatMax Xtreme FuBar pry/demo bars).  Trust me, I know.  But all kidding aside, the 47 pocket Bucket Tote is worth every bit of the price.

My wife likes it because it can hold just about all of her garden tools.  I like it because it can hold a lot of gutter cleaning tools.  And when I’m out landscaping, it’s got tons of places for me to put rock-breaking chisels, hammers, trowels, et cetera.  In fact, the Bucket Tote has 47 total pockets (30 exterior, 17 interior, hammer holster, tape chain) — so you can fill it with whatever you fancy.

I’m not sure what else to say… after all, it’s a bucket accessory.  Well, here’s something — I’ve found that it fits Home Depot contractor buckets really well with the tote.

Much like cleaning your gutters, hauling around a bucket tote can be a little bit, uh, emasculating.  But just like cleaning your gutters, an ounce of prevention (in this case, hauling all of your tools up the ladder with you) can save a lot of time in the long run.  Just think about how dry your basement will be when you don’t have water spilling out on your foundation!

In our last post in the how to clean gutters the quick and easy way series, we discussed a really durable fiberglass 6 Ft. ladder.  While that was perfect for smaller homes, where should you turn for a one and a half story home or more?  Well, if you’re like me, you turn right to the Werner D1516-2 16-Foot 300-Pound Duty Rating Aluminum Flat D-Rung Extension Ladder.

Sure, that sounds like a handful, but the ladder is actually quite easy to set up and use.  It’s a 16 foot ladder with a 300 pound capacity, which is more than enough for most home improvement jobs.  It has a 13 inch base with sip-resistant traction rungs for added durability and safety.  How can you not like those features?

For my money, it doesn’t get any better than the the Werner 16 foot, 300 pound extension ladder.  Not just limited to cleaning gutters, this ladder is perfect for quick, easy access to the roofline.  With Werner’s rugged spring loaded locking system, you can be assured that the ladder will be as locked in as you are.

In our last posts in the how to clean gutters the quick and easy way series, we managed to sissify the FixItUp blog with reviews of a garden hose and spray nozzle.  No more.  Now we’re into manly stuff… like ladders.

Shhhh!  Don’t tell anyone, but when we moved into our house, the contractors who were fixing things up left a nice fiberglass A-frame ladder behind.  Sure, I could have told them, but why?  I was using an old, heavy wooden ladder that my dad gave me.

We found the Husky 6 Ft. Fiberglass Ladder in a nook in the basement.  A nook that would require more than a quick once-over to locate; ergo, a free ladder. Score!

It only took one painting job before I was ready to throw that wooden monstrosity away.  Since then, I’ve never looked back.  Not only is the Husky 6 Ft. Fiberglass Ladder great for general housekeeping tasks, like painting ceilings, cleaning fan blades, cleaning ductwork, et cetera, but it’s non-conductive fiberglass side rails are perfect for working around electricity.  With slip resistant feet and steps, your rest is assured that you won’t end up sliding all over the place.

In the context of cleaning gutters, this ladder is fine for a one-story home.  For a one and a half story home or larger, you’ll need to call in the D-Rung extension ladder.

In our last post, we found a really decent hose for our gutter cleaning project.  As lame as this sounds (and really, how can it be any more lame than a review of a freakin’ garden hose?), having the right nozzle on your garden hose can really speed along most projects.

So here we are: reduced to reviewing a spray nozzle for a garden hose.  Quite possibly the best example of “too much internets.”  But I digress…

Much like the garden hose, you want something that will be durable, multi-functional and easy to use.  The Toro 8 Pattern Front Trigger Garden Hose Spray Nozzle fits the bill.  Weighing in at under $20, the Toro spray nozzle is slightly more expensive than you’d expect to pay for something like this, but trust me, it’s well worth it.  With its durable aluminum body, it will most certainly outlast the $10 and under plastic, cheaper spray nozzles.

The 8 patterns (full spray, shower, angled, jet, cone, soaker, mist and flat) are all you’ll need for most garden applications.  For the gutter cleaning, we’ll stick to the full spray for maximum water pressure.

So, there you have it — two totally insignificant non-tools that you’ll need to clean your gutters.  Please allow me to redeem myself with two awesome ladder reviews — you know, something a bit more, uh, “manly.”

First up in the equipment list for cleaning our gutters the quick and easy way is finding our garden hose.

Now, you may be asking yourself: why in the world are we reviewing hoses on the Fix It Up blog?  And let me assure you - that’s a valid, legitimate question.  I’m writing the review of the Flexon 5/8-inch by 100-foot reinforced garden hose because not all hoses are created equal.

Before I was a homeowner and long after I moved out of my college apartment, I learned the hard way that you get what you pay for.  The only feeling more frustrating than not having enough hose to go from your water source to what you want to deliver water to is a hose that constantly kinks.  I lost track of how many times I’d have to get down off a ladder to unkink my old, wore-out hoses before I decided that enough was enough.

Hence the purchase of the Flexon 5/8″, 100-foot hose.  You want features?  How about a knitted-nylon-reinforced vinyl cover?  That’s more than what I can say about the hoses that once occupied my garage.  How about the solid brass flow couplings?  This hose works great, even in cold weather.

For the gutter cleaning project, this is just the hose for the job.

Next, we’ll examine the ends to the means: the hose nozzle.

Cold, rainy fall days are right around the corner.  Rather than hop on your roof in unfavorable conditions (see also: wet, slippery) to unclocg your downspout, why not make it a priority this weekend to take care of things before they get out of control?  This new series will discuss the easiest and most effective ways to clean gutters.  A future series will detail how to keep your gutters clean.

Cleaning your gutters should be a quarterly activity.  Keeping your gutters free of leaves, twigs, sticks and debris will ensure that water makes its way down the downspout and not against your foundation.  A dry foundation is a happy foundation, and will go a long way in reducing cracks caused by water seeping and freezing.  Because nobody wants to deal with a cracked foundation, you should think about that old adage, “An ounce of prevention…”

First, here is a list of the essential equipment for the job:

• 100 ft. Garden Hose
• Hose Nozzle
• Step Ladder (one-story homes)
• Extension Ladder (two-story homes)
• Waste bucket

With the equipment list in hand, the next few posts will be about finding the right tools for the job.

As we landscaped this summer, we acquired an impressive amount of dirt.  Well, clay really.  Turns out, that’s not easy to get rid of under the best circumstances.  We have to go down seven stairs just to get to the alley to put the dirt in the yard waste bin, too.  So, it was wheelbarrow time.

As we were looking for a wheelbarrow we noticed that most wouldn’t work for us.  Since dirt is usually on the ground, we needed something we could tip forward and push the dirt in to; shovels full of dirt are surprisingly heavy.  With most wheelbarrows you can lean them forward, but they’re all too shallow to hold very much in that position.  Not the Precision Products 5-1/2-Cubic Foot Garden Yard Cart with Spoked Wheels - this one is nice and deep and when tipped lies almost completely on the ground.

The wheelbarrow held up to repeated bumpy trips down concrete steps.  We had no problems filling up to as heavy as we could stand.  I really liked the handle.  Rather than two side handles, the continuous grip gave me more control as I wheeled it to the yard waste bin.  Another of the great features about the wheelbarrow is the price.  I could not believe how much the local home improvement center charged for wheelbarrows.  Unless you’re hauling wet cement, you can’t go wrong with this wheelbarrow.