Lawn mower stick rake. 27 Pool Noodle Hacks That Will Improve Your Life • CIMFLOK.COM

How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard (and Keep Them Away)

These little diggers can cause a lot of damage. Use these tips to stop existing moles and prevent more from moving in.

Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3 decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media.

David McKinney is an experienced plantsman sharing his expertise in horticulture. His knowledge spans landscape management, growing plants indoors and in the greenhouse, ecological plant selection, and much more. With nearly 15 years in the industry, he is well versed in both herbaceous and woody plants with additional interest in entomology.

When you see a series of 3- to 5-inch, rounded, raised ridges running across the surface of your lawn, accompanied by little volcanoes of soil here and there, you know you have a mole around. These small mammals can cause quite a bit of damage quickly because their tunneling ruins any plants in their path. As they dig through the earth, they destroy roots, so the tell-tale ridges of their tunnels rapidly turn brown. On the positive side, moles help aerate the soil and eat up destructive insects while they’re at it. Read on to learn how to get rid of moles in your yard before they do extensive damage.

What Are Moles?

Moles are burrowing insectivores. They are about 6-8 inches long and have gray to velvety black fur, slender, hairless snouts, and small eyes and ears. Moles’ large front feet have long claws that dig like a hoe. Except for breeding season in early spring, moles tend to live alone, so the multi-tunneled pattern in your yard is likely home to only one mole.

Before you learn how to get rid of moles, you need to know how they live. Moles build new feeding tunnels constantly and may not use the same one twice. You may find entry and exit mounds, usually round and symmetrical, pushed up volcano-fashion by the mole. The hole usually has soil in it but remains visible. The mounds are connected to main runways, which moles use repeatedly. The runways are 12-18 inches underground and not usually visible.

Moles feed on insects and insect larvae, but they’re especially fond of white grubs, a common lawn pest. Given a choice, moles pick moist, sandy loam soils over dry, heavy clay soils. They are most active during warm, wet months, although they live underground year-round.

Confusion with Gophers

Homeowners sometimes mistake mole tunnels for those made by gophers, small rodents that also tunnel underground. Gophers, however, don’t create raised ridges as they go. Instead, they eat the grass roots and other plants, pulling them down into underground burrows, which tend to push soil out to the side. Their tunnels look more flattened, with fan-shaped or semicircular mounds. Each mound may contain a visible hole, although earth clumps can camouflage the hole.

Mesh barriers, traps, and poison baits can be used to eliminate gophers. However, avoid baits that contain strychnine because predators or scavengers that eat the poisoned gopher may also die.

How to Get Rid of Moles

Figuring out how to get rid of moles can be tricky because they live underground. Repellants, poisons, and fumigants are all options but should be avoided if you have pets or children that may get exposed. You may have heard of home remedies like putting moth balls in the tunnels or spraying castor oil over the area, but none are effective.

The only sure way to eliminate a mole is to use a mole-specific trap that will kill the animal. You can find below- and above-ground traps to do the job. Follow the package directions for correct placement, and move the tunnel traps daily while you’re still noticing activity to increase your chances of eliminating the mole.

Spring and fall, when the ground is not frozen, are the best times of the year for getting rid of moles because that’s when they’re most active. Usually, you’ll only have one or maybe two moles to trap to solve the problem because they don’t live in groups.

How to Keep Moles Away

Some places are more likely to have moles visit, usually rural or suburban yards with large open areas or lawns. If you frequently have moles around and don’t mind a few tunnels around your property, you may want to try the barrier method to protect smaller spaces, like a veggie garden or a colorful flower bed in your front yard. You can create an underground fence by burying a 24-inch metal or hardware cloth barrier (17, Wayfair) at least a foot below the surface. If a mole tunnels into this barrier, it will usually move on and dig elsewhere.

Because moles prefer to live in areas where the soil stays moist, you can try improving drainage on your property to discourage them. If the problem isn’t severe, you can wait it out to see if the mole moves to another location on their own. However, if the damage to your lawn or garden seems to worsen, it’s best to take action to get rid of the mole.

Luckily, you’ll probably never notice more than one mole at a time tearing up your yard, but that doesn’t make them any less of a nuisance. Once you know how to get rid of moles, you can deal with those that try to tunnel their way under your lawn and hopefully discourage any more from arriving by adding barriers or improving soil drainage.

Those colorful foam pool toys come in handy all around the house, garage and yard. And with a little ingenuity, they can be even more fun in the water.

JOSETTE TAYLOR/GETTY IMAGES

Even in a world of floating basketball hoops and donut-shaped rafts, the pool noodle is still the most ubiquitous pool toy of all. But this humble piece of foam is more than a symbol of summer fun — it’s a DIY workhorse.

What Are Pool Noodles Made Of?

Polyethylene. It’s a closed-cell foam made from millions of tiny bubbles pressed together. That’s why it’s such a great pool toy — water can’t penetrate the foam cells, and it’s light enough to float. The material bends but bounces back from compression and retains its shape.

You’ve probably seen polyethylene in packing materials. If you’ve ever done any plumbing work, you might have noticed foam pipe insulation and pool noodles are the same thing.

Polyethylene foam can be difficult to recycle. Fortunately there are lots of non-pool uses for pool noodles, so you can reuse them all over the garage and throughout the house.

They’re so handy it’s worth keeping a few pool noodles around the workshop. And if you can’t find a pool noodle, you can always grab some pipe insulation at the hardware store.

You’ll find some of our favorite pool noodle hacks in the list below.

Via @PennyJo8/TikTok

Keep Your Plants Cool

For plants in pots, you can use pool noodles standing vertically to fill the container to about 3/4 of the height of the container. That way you won’t need as much soil in your largest containers, and it’ll help with drainage, keeping the soil from getting over saturated.

Family Handyman

Pool Noodle Water Hose

If you need to fill up a bucket that won’t fit under the faucet in your sink, bust out a pool noodle. Set the bucket on the floor, slip the noodle over the faucet and run it down to the bucket.

Family Handyman

Pool Noodle Wrist Rest

Prevent wrist fatigue during a long day in the home office by making this pool noodle wrist rest.

First, mark where you want to cut the noodle. For the wrist rest shown, we made the height slightly less than half the full noodle diameter. You could cut the noodle exactly in half and make two equally-sized wrist rests.

Family Handyman

Pool Noodle Door Bumper

A door banging into a wall is annoying. Worse, it can knock a hole in your drywall or dent your trim. But that’s easy to prevent with a little help from one of these foam miracles. Simply cut a slit lengthwise in a short section of pool noodle and slip it onto the edge of a door, cupboard or gate.

Family Handyman

Stay-Put Drawer Organizer

Drawer organizers are handy, but they tend to move around every time you open or close a drawer. Easily solve that problem with a pool noodle.

Measure the distance from the back of the organizer to the back of the drawer. Then cut the noodle to size with a utility knife. The pool noodle should fit snuggly in place so the organizer stays put. You could also cut the pool noodle in half lengthwise to reduce the amount of space it takes up.

Family handyman

Super-Fast Floor Squeegee

Here’s a classic handy hint for rounding up water on your garage or basement floor. Assemble this simple squeegee by slipping a piece of foam pipe insulation over the tines of a rake. Then just push the water to the drain or out the door. — Art Rooze

Family Handyman

The super glue idea that not many people know about

Floating Beverage Barge

This cheap, easy DIY pool accessory keeps your drinks cool in the pool and close at hand.

Cut short lengths of pool noodles to fit a plastic bin. (A bin with a lip keeps the noodles in place.) Thread a bungee cord through the center of the noodles to keep them snug against the sides. For a handle, tie a length of rope or cord onto the bungee. Add a small circle of pool noodle as a float to make the handle easy to grab.

Family Handyman

Luggage Rack Protector

I needed to pick up a ladder from a friend. To keep the luggage rack on my new SUV from getting scratched, I covered the bars with pool noodles. I just slit the pool noodles down the side with a utility knife and taped them on. The cushion of foam also kept the ladder from rattling. Don’t forget to strap down your cargo before you go! – Gerald Ruppert.

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Family Handyman

Prevent Car Door Dings!

I noticed several dings in my car door from opening and banging it against the garage wall. My grandkids had outgrown their pool noodles and I was about to throw them away, but then I thought, “Whoa, this could be the solution!”

I cut the pool noodle in half, the long way, with a utility knife and fit it onto the studs in my garage. The pool noodle should stay put on its own. For a more permanent solution, adhere the pool noodle to the studs with construction cement or a couple of nails. Voilá, no more door dings. — John Greene.

Family Handyman

Trunk Bumpers

Keep a couple of sections of pipe insulation or pool noodles in your trunk to protect the paint and your oversized cargo.

Fishing Rod Organizer

I got sick and tired of my fishing rods getting tangled, so I came up with this easy fishing rod organizer. All you need is a length of 3-in.-dia. PVC pipe and a pool noodle.

Drill 1-in. holes spaced every four inches in the PVC pipe. With a utility knife, cut slits in the noodle four inches apart. Line up the noodle on the wall so that at least two of the slits sit over studs.

Pull those slits apart, slide in a fender washer and screw the noodle to the wall with 2-in. screws. Then screw the PVC pipe to the wall beneath it at a comfortable height and insert your fishing rods. Look Ma, no more tangles! — Brian Jones.

Family Handyman

No-Pinch Trampoline Springs

Here’s a simple way to cover trampoline springs to guard against pinched fingers. Cut a pool noodle into short sections, slice lengthwise and slide them over the springs.

Family Handyman

Lift Gate Protection

When you open the lift gate of your van or SUV, it’s easy to hit a cross brace of the garage door and chip the paint on the gate. Protect it by using a pool noodle as a cushion. Just slit the noodle with a utility knife and slip it over the brace. You can also use pre-slit foam pipe insulation. If it slips off, use double-face tape to hold it in place. – Mary Sprang.

Family Handyman

Crafty Water Raft

Ahoy there, mateys! Just tie these pool noodles together for a fun pool float that won’t deflate! You’ll need five large noodles (4-1/2-in.-dia.), two medium-sized noodles (2-1/4-in.-dia.), six feet of 1/2-in. PVC pipe and 36 feet of nylon cord.

To begin, lash the five large noodles together with a double half-hitch knot. Next, lace the cord in between and around each of the noodles, securing them together into a raft. When you get to the noodle on the end, turn around and lace them again back to the beginning. End with another double half-hitch. Cut the cord close to the knot.

Now cut the smaller noodles to get three lengths equal to the width of the raft. Thread three PVC pipes through the holes in the three smaller noodles, then thread the cord through the PVC and use nylon cord to attach each short noodle to the large noodles. Tie one noodle at each end and one in the middle to make the raft more rigid and stable.

Family Handyman

High-Visibility Boundary Marker

Each year I mark the boundaries of my yard so the snowplow driver doesn’t damage my lawn. For years I used rebar along the perimeter, but the driver couldn’t see it at night. Even with reflectors on the rebar, it would still get hit, bent or broken.

Now I’ve found a better solution. I slip a brightly colored swim noodle over the rebar. You can’t miss the markers now. – Bill Remia.

Family Handyman

Simple Pool Noodle Storage Hack

What’s simpler than a five-gallon bucket? It sure beats pool noodles rolling all over the garage or pool house. Concrete form tubes work well, too!

Family Handyman

Ladder Padding

I spend a lot of time on my ladder, and leaning against the rungs all day was taking a toll on my shins and thighs. Then I got Smart and slit pieces of my kids’ pool noodles lengthwise and wrapped them around the front of the rungs. Instant relief!

The cushions are easy to move as you work. Just make sure you never stand on the pool noodles and always place them higher than you’ll step. They can create an uneven step or fall off if you step on them. — Dave Switzer.

Family Handyman

Pool Noodle Boot Storage Hack

Shoe organizers can look messy when they’re full of tall boots. No more floppy ankles if you use pool noodles to keep boots upright. Also great for drying mukluks!

Family Handyman

Floating Flower Tea Lights

Use a zip-tie to fasten pieces of pool noodle together and stick candles in the holes to make a floating pool lantern. Plastic food wrap keeps the batteries from getting wet. You’re set for dreamy backyard pool time!

Family Handyman

Ladder Guards

I recently installed new gutters. When it came time to clean them out, I didn’t want my metal ladder to dent or scratch them, so I made ladder protectors out of an old swim noodle. (Foam pipe insulation would work, too.)

I cut 2-ft. sections of the noodle, slit them with a razor knife and stuck them on the sides of the ladder. They were the perfect cushions! If the noodle doesn’t stay put, tape it on. – David Gugliuzza.

Family Handyman

Make a Wreath

Use a pool noddle for a DIY wreath form.

Fasten the noodle with duct tape, then wrap it with fabric, ribbon or string. Wrap wire around the stems of fabric flowers and poke it through the fabric to anchor it into the noodle. Hang the wreath with wire or a picture hook.

Family Handyman

No-Roll Mini Work Light

Cut a small section of foam pipe insulation or a pool noodle and wrap it around a small LED flashlight. Wedge the foam into any crack, crevice or corner. – Costas Stavrou.

Family Handyman

Hanging Clothes

Here’s a closet storage hack you won’t want to miss. Keep your dress pants, shawls or scarves crease-free the cheap and easy way by covering a clothes hanger with a section from a pool noodle.

Cut the noodle to the length of the lower hanger rod. Then cut a slit the length of the noodle to make it easy to slip it onto the hanger.

Family Handyman

Comfortable Mowing

I don’t mind mowing my lawn, but the vibration from my lawn mower handle aggravated the arthritis in my hands. Then I taped a piece of a pool noodle over the handle. Mowing the grass is much more comfortable, and my hands don’t ache when I’m done. – Phillip E. Oinonen.

Family Handyman

Nifty Paintbrush Holder

Keep your watercolor paintbrushes dry and handy! Cut a short section of pool noodle, slice it part of the way through and insert brushes.

Family Handyman

How to Slice a Noodle

Use a sharp serrated kitchen knife to cut a pool noodle into sections.

Family Handyman

How to Slit a Noodle

Use a utility knife to cut a slit in a noodle lengthwise. The shorter blade cuts only the top side.

Lawn mower stick rake

For many years, folks asked me: “Don’t you have a company logo?” And we really didn’t, as I just never took the time to come up with one…we just had “Earth Tools” written out in a blocky font, and that passed for a logo.

Finally, though, I decided to put some effort into it, and I hired my sister-in-law Trina Peiffer (my wife’s twin sister) to make a line drawing of the Earth Tools sign we have here at the shop. This sign is made out of a 4-foot length of Eastern Red Cedar log; the letters are carved with a chain saw.

I made this sign about 15 years ago (below is a photo). I figured this was a logo with some “meaning”…not just some arbitrary design. Hope you like it!

HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THROUGH ON OUR MAIN NUMBER ABOVE?TRY 502-484-5550 or 0704

SUPPLY-CHAIN ISSUES

The supply chain issues / delays caused by Covid are pretty much worked out now, BUT.- we STILL get VERY busy in the late Winter Spring, and assembling/shipping wait times increase, just because of the log-jam of Tractor / Implement orders coming in all at once at the last minute. So.- DON’T wait until the last minute to order! If you want equipment for this upcoming growing season, ORDER EARLY! Keep in mind that we ship orders on a first-paid, first-shipped basis. we do NOT offer expidited assembling/shipping of tractor implement orders for an extra charge. We appreciate your business and your patience, and we work as hard as we can to get orders out as fast as possible, WITHOUT cutting corners on the proper equipment setup, prep checkout that we are famous for.

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NEW: REGIONAL DELIVERY SERVICE!!

We are now offering a “regional” delivery service for tractor implement orders within a 400-road-mile radius of our location in Owenton KY. Earth Tools’ owner’s Father-in-law (Charles) will be doing the deliveries. Charges for this service will be a bit more than for shipping by truck freight (call for a quote to your specific location), but delivery will be with a pickup truck (and trailer, if needed) that can get to most any location – unlike a semi-truck. Also, scheduling of the delivery will be more flexible, to better meet your needs. “perks” of this service are that the equipment will be FULLY assembled, and Charlie will show you basic operation of the tractor. Minimum merchandise order for this service: 6500. Call for a delivery quote!

Why are new BCS tractors BLACK or SILVER?

Beginning in late 2017, the BCS factory started a new “paint scheme” for their tractors and implements: The tractors are just painted BLACK, and the BCS-branded implements are painted SILVER. (and in 2023, the tractor bodies started coming through SILVER as well) So, on the tractors, the only blue parts are now the plastic “beauty” shrouds for the handlebars.

WHY?

Because the BCS factory in Italy produces 3 brands of walk-behind tractors on the same assembly line: BCS, Ferrari, and Pasquali (BCS purchased these other 2 companies in the 1990s…and no, this is NOT the automotive “Ferrari!”). Historically, they had different paint-lines for each tractor and implement line (Blue for BCS, Green for Ferrari, and Yellow for Pasquali)…but sometime in 2017, they decided to optimize efficiency by painting all the tractors and implements “neutral” colors and just letting the plastic shrouds and decals delineate what brand tractor it would be. Hence, non-blue BCS tractors started appearing in the USA in early 2018. (We have told BCS that we think this is a bad idea. the blue was a color most people associated with BCS, and now, if the plastic beauty shrouds are discarded or lost, there is no color for brand recognition, and that would hurt them more in the long run than the few bucks a tractor they’re saving by not having separate paint lines in their factory. We’ll see if they ever bring the Blue back. )

Built well enough for everyday agricultural use, this mini-baler produces a 40 to 60 pound (depending on moisture of hay and how tight you roll it) bale measuring 21” x 23”, every 60 seconds. Bales are formed by a series of chain-driven aluminum rollers around the circumference of the bale chamber no belts or bands to dry-rot or need adjustment. The drive chains are much heavier-duty than you would think necessary, no more power than these little tractors have… but that’s a good representation of how the CAEB company over-builds this thing.

An automatic oiling system for the drive chains is standard equipment. The Baler forms “soft-core” bales which allows some circulation of air through the bale center while the outside of the bale is rolled tight to shed moisture if left outside. Bales are wrapped with a self-sticking UV resistant nylon net-wrap.

The number of bales you can make on one roll of net-wrap varies according to the “lap” setting you choose on the Baler: The most common is the “2.5 lap” setting, which will do about 325 – 350 bales per roll and results in a nice, durable bale… but, if you’re not handling the bales much and really want to conserve the netting, the “1.5 lap” setting will get you about 500 bales per roll. The 3.5 lap setting consumes more netting, and would only be used for wrapping very “crumbly” materials like grass clippings or leaves. (For those concerned with the amount of waste generated by the disposable net-wrap: The total weight / mass of material used for the net-wrap is the same or less per pound of hay baled compared to the polypropylene twine commonly used on square balers. [This calculation done at the “2.5 lap” setting for net-wrap…on the “1.5 lap” setting, the amount used will be considerably less in mass than poly twine])

An indicator on the side of the machine tells the operator when the bale is fully formed, at which point the operator pulls a single lever which trips the net-wrapping, wrap-cutting and chamber-opening cycle. The operator then sets the bale out of the chamber, closes the chamber, and resumes baling. As with the hayrake/tedder, the front wheels steer to guide the machine with a steering rod that comes out to the operator. This baler will bale hay, leaves, and even pine needles as long as the material is dry (green hay can be made into silage using the CAEB Bale Wrapper [it is OK for the material being baled to have INTERNAL moisture if you are going to make haylage/silage with the bale wrapper, but EXTERNAL moisture on the material being baled is a problem, as it will cause plugging and can lead to baler damage!]). The baler comes with one roll of net-wrap, a built-in bale counter, automatic chain oiler, parking brake and male a quick-coupling built into the PTO hookup flange. Requires tractor be equipped with female quick-coupling. (NOTE: We randomly test new balers here at Earth Tools before we ship them, to make sure they are working properly…we put ONE BALE through them. So, if you see a bit of hay on your new baler, this is why!)

The CAEB baler works well on pine straw (needles)as well. [Older red baler pictured]

Warranty Information

CRAFTSMAN® tools are backed by some of the strongest warranties in the market today. If you have a product that requires repair or replacement under warranty, simply return the product to the original place of purchase for repair or replacement, depending on the warranty coverage outlined below. Or create an account to register your product and view its warranty coverage.

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Hand Tools and Mechanic Tools

Note: Same warranty for all new CRAFTSMAN® models (Model # starting with “CMHT”) and older models (Model # starting with “9”). No proof of purchase required. Return damaged product to a stocking Retail Partner or contact Customer Care at (888) 331-4569 or using the form here for details.

THIS WARRANTY EXCLUDES ALL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from State to State.

Simple Design(e.g. Oil Filter Wrench, 32-Blade Feeler Gauge, 4 pc. Pry Bar Set, Battery Terminal Brush, Battery Terminal Spreader, Gasket Scraper, 2 pc. Magnetic Bowl Set, Magnetic Pickup Tool 2-lb, Wire Spark Plug Gauge, Oil Filter Wrench, Digital Tire Gauge)

Note: Same warranty for all new CRAFTSMAN® models (Model # starting with “CMMT”) and older models (Model # starting with “9”). No proof of purchase required. Return damaged product to a stocking Retail Partner or contact Customer Care at (888) 331-4569 or using the form here for details.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from State to State.

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTYIf a product from the product lines below states that it comes with a limited lifetime warranty and fails to perform due to defects in material or workmanship, we will replace it. This warranty is extended only to the original end-user purchaser of the product.

Simple Design(e.g. Oil Filter Wrench, 32-Blade Feeler Gauge, 4 pc. Pry Bar Set, Battery Terminal Brush, Battery Terminal Spreader, Gasket Scraper, 2 pc. Magnetic Bowl Set, Magnetic Pickup Tool 2-lb, Wire Spark Plug Gauge, Oil Filter Wrench, Digital Tire Gauge)

Note: Same warranty for all new CRAFTSMAN® models (Model # starting with “CMMT”) and older models (Model # starting with “9”). Because we cannot control the quality of products sold by unauthorized sellers, this warranty applies only if the product was purchased from us or one of our authorized sellers, unless otherwise prohibited by law. We reserve the right to reject warranty claims for products purchased from unauthorized sellers, including unauthorized internet sites. Proof of purchase showing when and where you purchased the product may be required. Return damaged product to a stocking authorized Retail Partner or contact Customer Care at (888) 331-4569 or using the form here.

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTIES. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.SOME STATES AND COUNTRIES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE AND COUNTRY TO COUNTRY.