Ep 25: Summer Hosting Hacks & Ladder Safety

SideQuest 28 | How a Garbage Disposal ACTUALLY Works (And 2 Hidden Fixes!)

Think your garbage disposal is just a blender with sharp blades waiting to destroy your silverware? Today we are completely busting the myths around sink maintenance! 🛑🌪️In this "Sidequest" bonus episode of the How to Handyma’am Podcast, Emily plays garbage disposal detective to explain why a recent plumbing class completely blew everyone's minds. We reveal the hidden reality of how these machines actually grind up food (clue: it works more like a cheese grater than a knife!), map out Emily's foolproof troubleshooting protocol, and give you the step-by-step guide to fixing a jammed or silent unit using a simple phone camera trick and a 1/4-inch Allen wrench. We also tackle the ultimate "Family Feud" style list of what NEVER to put down your drain—including the starchy culprits that turn into instant pipe glue and the starchy fibers that will wrap around your machine's internals. Real trade skills are for everyone. Let’s get building!🏡 CLAIM YOUR WORKBENCH SPOT! 🏡General Public Registration for our massive, all-day "Weekend Intensive" Workshop on Saturday, August 22nd is officially LIVE! Spend the day with 39 other incredible women at Acme Home Exteriors on the south side of Lansing (right by Hawk Island Park) learning hands-on plumbing, tool competency, and drywall repair. There are ONLY 40 slots total and tickets are moving fast. Grab yours here:👉 www.howtohandymaam.com📌 TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Welcome to the Sidequest Bonus Episode!00:45 - The August 22nd Lansing Weekend Intensive Details02:15 - Garbage Disposals: Common Knowledge vs. Mind-Blown Moments03:45 - Myth Busting: It's Not a Blender (How the Outer Grind Ring Works)05:10 - The Phone Camera Hack & Underside Access06:00 - The Two Hidden Underside Fixes (Allen Wrench vs. Reset Button)07:30 - Emily's Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Protocol09:15 - The "Never Go Down the Drain" List: Pasta, Coffee Grounds, & Grease11:40 - Pro-Tip: Why You Should Always Use Cold Water🔨 FOLLOW THE CREW:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtohandymaam (Join the 10k+ family!)Email us: hthm@myhandymaam.comWebsite: howtohandymaam.comAll our links in one place: linktr.ee/howtohandymaamIf this bonus episode saved you from a midnight plumbing emergency, hit that SUBSCRIBE button, drop a comment letting us know what crazy item has fallen down your sink, and share this with a friend! 👇#HowToHandymaam #GarbageDisposalFix #PlumbingForBeginners #HomeMaintenance101 #WomenInConstruction #LansingMI #DIYHouseHacks

Episode 29 | Fact or Fiction: The Outdoor Building Code Game Show! 🛠️

Welcome back to the studio! Today, we are putting our building knowledge to the ultimate test with Fact or Fiction: Outdoor Code Edition. Samantha steps up as our quizmaster and game show host while Emily and Arly battle it out to see who wins the Handyma'am Olympics of building code. Before we look at the rulebook, we dive into our mandatory 3 minutes of chaos to talk about Samantha's golden retriever, Winnie the Pearl—an Amish puppy with a serious case of FOMO who requires scheduled toddler naps to keep from losing her mind. We also have a very special joint dedication today for our incredible high school shop elf, Ellah, who keeps our world spinning! What we're breaking down today: • The frost line rule (and the floating deck loophole) • Why you can never attach a deck ledger directly to brick veneer • The 3/8-inch muscle memory rule for stair risers • The 4-inch "baby head" gap rule for guardrail spindles • Egress windows and avoiding "haunted basements" • The wild history of the Code of Hammurabi (where bad building meant the death penalty!) 🛠️ LANSING, MI IN-PERSON CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT! Our first-ever hands-on, all-day beginner workshop is officially hitting Lansing, Michigan on Saturday, August 22, 2026! You’ll walk away knowing how to do 12 practical home skills entirely on your own. Email list registration opens June 20, 2026, and public registration drops June 22, 2026. 👉 GRAB YOUR CLASS SPOT: https://www.howtohandymaam.com 👉 ALL OTHER RESOURCES & SOCIALS: https://linktr.ee/howtohandymaam 👉 SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/howtohandymaam Follow our daily shenanigans on socials: @howtohandymaam

SideQuest 27 | Kiss, Marry, Eliminate: POWER TOOL EDITION 🛠️

Welcome back to another chaotic How to Handyma'am Sidequest! Today, we are playing a legendary game with a workshop twist: Kiss, Marry, Kill: Power Tool Edition. The rules are simple: Emily gives us three common tools, and as a crew, we HAVE to agree on which one we’d marry, which one we’d give a quick kiss to, and which one is getting permanently thrown into the dumpster. Warning: Things get incredibly heated. Arly fights for her life as the only one still working daily in the field, Samantha claims she can use her bare teeth as a utility knife, and we completely roast the adjustable crescent wrench. Let us know in the comments who you think won these debates! ✨ JOIN THE COMMUNITY & SUPPORT THE MISSION: 👉 Grab all our resources in one place: https://linktr.ee/howtohandymaam [https://linktr.ee/howtohandymaam] 👉 Visit our website: https://www.howtohandymaam.com 👉 Support our mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/howtohandymaam [https://www.patreon.com/howtohandymaam] 👉 Join our free Facebook support group: Search "How to Handyma'am" on FB! #HowToHandymaam #KissMarryKill #PowerTools #WomenInTrades #DIYComedy #WorkshopChaos #MilwaukeeFastback #ToolReview

Saws 101 | Episode 28

Welcome to Episode 28 of How to Handyma'am, the podcast where we are all up in your business! This week we are tackling Saws 101—breaking down the 6 best saws for your DIY arsenal, what they actually do, and how to use them without a trip to the emergency room. But first, we’ve got some serious field chaos to catch up on. The Chaos Before the Tools:The Maddie Fan Club: This episode is dedicated to Arly's brother's girlfriend, Maddie, whom we love so much we are keeping her and ditching him if they ever break up. The Left Ass-Cheek Sandwich: Samantha’s ongoing war with Panera over a flat, greasy breakfast sandwich that definitely had a left butt cheek imprint on it. A $20,000 Fix for $70: How Arly used a patent number and Google Reverse Image Search to save a client from replacing a whole French door system. The 100mg Zoloft Club: Normalizing store-bought serotonin, the gene mutation that keeps us from processing folic acid, and why SSRIs give you terrible heat intolerance on the job site. Saws 101: The Breakdown Circular Saw ("Cucumber Slaw"): Best for straight cuts on big plywood sheets. Watch out for blade binding and kickback. Miter Saw ("Chop Saw"): Perfect for accurate, repeatable angle cuts. Do not wear gloves around this spinning blade. Table Saw: Built for long "hot dog" cuts down a board. Always stand to the side and use a push stick so you don't lose a thumb. Jigsaw ("The Sewing Machine"): Great for curves, circles, and cutting sinkholes into countertops. Just don't cut things on your lap! Reciprocating Saw ("Sawzall"): Pure demolition. Great for slicing tree roots, but check inside your walls for wires before you go wild. Multi-Tool ("The Oscillator"): The absolute hero for precise flush cuts and slicing hidden nails. Watch out, the blades get burning hot. 💖 Support the Show on Patreon!Join us at ⁠patreon.com/howtohandymaam⁠ $5 Level: Extra content, deep dives, and unedited chaos. $25 Level: Directly sponsors a spot for someone who can't afford our in-person training classes. 📬 Connect with the Crew:Email: hthm@myhandymaam.comSocials/Website: @HowToHandymaam / ⁠howtohandymaam.com⁠

Sidequest 26 | We Placed a Bet on Our Worst Construction Habits 🛑

Welcome to another unhinged edition of the How to Handyma’am Sidequest! 📻🧰 Friday to Friday is just way too long to wait, so we are back for our weekly halfway point bonus episode. We decided to give you a normal, well-organized main episode followed by complete, cuckoo-bananas chaos on the sidequest. We kick things off with a highly relatable discussion about a viral video featuring a chicken wearing a bra, which transitions seamlessly into Samantha’s wild medical stress test story. Find out why you can't wear an underwire bra on a cardiology treadmill, and how two nurses used two entire rolls of 8-inch self-adhering tape to manually construct an emergency sports bra. Plus, Arly recounts the traumatic childhood moment when she was shot off the back of a fast treadmill and got road rash on her face. Then, the girls jump into a high-stakes round of "Who Is Most Likely To... (Job-Site & Shop Edition)" to settle their worst workspace habits once and for all. ⏱️ The Chaos Goblin Docket:The Pencil Vanishing Act: Who loses their pencil 5 seconds after putting it behind their ear? (Samantha Pearl takes the win, even though she hides them in her hair bun). Tool Carnage: Who is most likely to accidentally slice right through a live extension cord? (Emily owns this one completely). And who drops brand-new impact drivers off 10-foot ladders? The Meat Tenderizer: Why Arly's confident new framing hammer swing results in broken fingernails, blood blisters, and bruises from her textured waffle-head hammer. The Nail Gun Hoard: How the team accidentally ended up owning four separate nail guns simply because they keep burying them in the truck and buying replacements. Workspace Disasters: Ripping into who leaves the workbench a complete disaster zone on Friday afternoons, plus a translation of why an Arly "nudge" means exactly 1/8 of an inch in the field. Drywall Dust & Power Turns: The time Arly sanded a bathroom ceiling looking like a sweaty, red-faced monster, and why Samantha is legally a hazard when navigating construction zones in the company vehicle. 👩‍🔧 JOIN THE HANDYMA'AM MOVEMENT:Contributing to our Patreon allows us to bring trade, tool safety, and home maintenance education directly to women! Join our $5 Apprentice Tier to support our mission and unlock our super mega, totally uncut, and highly unhinged monthly bonus episodes! ✨ Sign up for the newsletter, and check upcoming class registration at: HowToHandymaam.com 📩 Email us your burning trade questions directly at: hthm@handyman.comPatreon: patreon.com/howtohandymaam