Painting Prep

When you are getting ready to paint, you always prep your work area, but do you prep yourself?

If you grab your lotion and slather any exposed skin that you might have during your painting process.

Now when you splatter the paint will wash off easily.

Courtesy:Pizza Delivery

We have become so busy in the current age that we have forgotton some of the basic courtesies that we need to extend to others.

You just ordered a pizza, but are you really ready to receive it?

Take a moment and make sure that you turn on an outside light if it is night time. It will make it easier for the delivery person to find your house.

Have your payment ready and next to the door. That way you can grab it when they reach the door.

Keep pets out of the way. Your dogs may be friendly, but I know that ours makes a lot of noise and can scare the willies out of anyone coming up to the door.

When you have a friend over to visit, do you stay at the door until they are safely in the car and driving off? You do it for your friends, why not for a delivery person. After all they did just bring your dinner.

Try not to leave the house or get out of range of the door bell. Even a short trip can become longer if unexpected events arise.

Free Fingers

You need to apply some caulking or even just some putty to fill a hole in a wall, but you don't want to use your fingers for the spreading process.

You can pick up a couple of guitar picks from your local music or variety store. You can use them as a scraper or a spatula for spreading the spackling or putty.

The rounded edges are great for spreading a nice even film of caulking too!

Inspecting Siding II

On the first day of Spring and the first day of Fall make a note to do a mini inspection of the siding on your house.

If you have a wood house, check for any signs of insect infestation and peeling or chipped paint.

It is so much easier to touch up a few problem areas with paint than to have to paint the whole house every couple of years.

If you see any signs of insect infestation talk to a professional before it gets out of hand.

Table Cloths for Tools

The next time that you start a project, grab a vinyl table cloth from the local discount store, or an old one that you have lying around the house.

Place it over your work table or work bench. Now when you sand, glue paint, whatever the project may be, clean up will be a snap.

Most glues will peel off after it has dried, and you can gently lift it off and dump any shavings into a trash can.

Fixing Wobbly Knobs

You have a chest of drawers that has a wobbly knob.

Grab a screw driver and remove the screw from the inside of the cabinet.

Now using nail polish, white glue or wood glue, place a drop in the hole of the knob.

Before the polish or glue dries, replace the screw.

Now when the polish or glue dries, it will securely hold the screw into the knob with out a wobble.

Weekly Testing for your House

Ok, we have all been there at one time or another. We have gotten so relaxed with our lives that something goes wrong and we know that we could have prevented it if only we had paid a bit more attention. You can set yourself on a simple schedule to check a few items to help prevent a larger disaster.

Set a day once a week that you walk down the hallway and check your carbon monixide tester (if you have any gas appliance in your you will really want one of these)

Now walk in your utility room and take peek at the hot water heater. Is there any water dripping out of the faucet? Do you see a puddle on the floor? These small drips or puddles can become big trouble if you don't notice them.

Don't forget each time you do laundry to clean out the lint trap. This will help your clothes dry faster, your drier will be more effecient and you will reduce the risk of fire.

Sharpening Needles

You are sewing a new outfit, and just as you are about to finish you hit a pin and your needle now has a barb on it and seems to be catching on everything.

You don’t have another needle and you don’t have time to go out and get a new one, what can you do??

The answer is simple, simply grab an emery board and gently file down the barb at a bit of an angle.

Now you should be able to finish with out any more pulls.

Inspecting Windows

On the first day of Spring and the first day of Fall make a note to do a mini inspection of your windows.

Check the caulking around each window. Caulking should be rubbery to the touch. If it feels hard it will need to be replaced.

You can find caulking remover at your local home improvement store as well as new caulking. If you are unfamiliar with how to use find a sales associate that is knowledgeable and ask them to explain the proper usage.

After you have checked all the exteriors, check in the interiors. Take a vacuum cleaner to each window and thoroughly vacuum the track. Use a screwdriver tip to loosen any dead insect carcasses that may not be loose enough to get sucked up.

If you see excess dirt build up in the tracks, wrap a rag around the tip of the screwdriver. Spray the track with a bit of household cleaner and use the screwdriver/rag to clean the track well.

This will keep your windows running smooth all year round.

Vinegar Usage II

Vinegar is the unsung hero of the kitchen. It has plenty of uses around the house, besides just cooking.

If you have painted a room and the smell of paint is taking a long time to dissipate, place a bowl of vinegar in the room. The vinegar will help to dispel the paint odor.

If you have a clogged showerhead from hard water and minerals, place the showerhead into a bowl. Pour in enough vinegar to cover and let set for 15-20 minutes. Remove the head from the bowl and scrub with a toothbrush. Place the showerhead back on the nozzle and run water though to make sure that all the holes are cleared. If you still have a few plugged holes just use a toothpick, when the water is off, to break any clumps free.

If you happen to get stung by a bee or mosquito, you can place a paper towel soaked in vinegar on the site to help alleviate some of the pain and itching.

After you have washed your hair, mix a tablespoon of vinegar with a cup of water and use as a final rinse. This will help strip any extra soap buildup and help your hair to shine.

Opening Bottles Easier

You hate the new bottles that require you to line up the arrows in order to open it.

When you have a raging headache or are in a hurry it is hard to tell where the arrows are.

You can grab a bottle of colored nail polish or a permanent marker, line up the arrows, now mark both the cap and the bottle where they need to line up.

Now you can use the colored line to easily get your bottle opened.

Roof/Gutter Inspection

On the first day of Spring and the first day of Fall make a note to do a mini inspection of your roof and gutters.

Walk outside and take a look at your shingles. Are any missing? Discolored? Curled? If you see anything that looks suspicious call a roofer and have them take a peek. A few dollars now might save you a whole roof later. Can’t find a roofer or don’t know who to trust? Go to a roofing supply store and see whom they refer.

Now during the day, take a peek at the gutter from the bottom. Do you see any light between the gutter where it is mounted to the house? If you do, the spike that attach the gutter to the house may need to be replaced. Pull one out and take it to the home supply store and they will be able to help you select the correct product for your project.

Keeping Pipes Whole

You have heard that people have had pipes break under their houses during the winter and causing lots of damage. You have a well insulate house so you shouldn’t have to worry about it, right?

Wrong! This can happen to anyone in a new house or old. Before the hard freezes of winter hit you need to detach any sprinklers from hoses and then the hoses from the house.

Store your hoses and sprinklers in a shed or on a porch, but not attached to an outside spigot.

Opening Bottles Easier

You hate the new bottles that require you to line up the arrows in order to open it.

When you have a raging headache or are in a hurry it is hard to tell where the arrows are.

You can grab a bottle of colored nail polish or a permanent marker, line up the arrows, now mark both the cap and the bottle where they need to line up.

Now you can use the colored line to easily get your bottle opened.

Inspecting Siding

On the first day of Spring and the first day of Fall make a note to do a mini inspection of the siding on your house.

If you have Aluminum or Vinyl siding check for staining or chalky residue.

If you see either of these, go down to your home supply store and pick up some siding cleaner.

These are usually relatively inexpensive and some come with applicators that you can just attach to your hose and spray.

Keeping the Septic Clean

If you have a septic tank, make a note on your calendar each month to drop enzyme into it. Can't find any enzyme? Just flush one cup of brewers yeast down a toilet once a month.

Do check with your local hardware store and pick up some cleaner expecially for drain lines to septic tanks and cesspools. Follow the instructions carefully, and make sure you contact a professional if you suspect a leak.

Changing out with the time

Ok, we have all heard and change our batteries in smoke detectors when the daylight savings time occurs. How about adding this other item to you list.

Replace furnace filters. Ideally this should be done once a month or once every couple of months depending on where you live.

If you made a note to do this on the time change it is better than not at all.

Brick Inspections

On the first day of Spring and the first day of Fall make a note to do a mini inspection of your bricks. (If you own a brick house or have brick decorations)

Check the mortar around the bricks. If you see any that is cracked or powdering away you can repair it with some mortar in a tube.

If you notice that you have some problem areas that you are continually fixing, consider calling a mason and getting an estimate for professional repairs.