Can maintenance help you keep your investment on the road?

Most of us own a car - some of us own more than one - and all of them usually are fairly expensive and are required on a daily basis, so it makes a lot of sense to take good care of yours. While we are not mechanics, we do have some simple maintenance tips you can use to keep your investment on the road.

• Browse your owner's manual for specific instructions on your car.

• Check your tires first. You can't just read on the side of the tire how much air pressure, or PSI, to put in your tires. Instead, look on the inside of your car door for the correct pressure for your tires, or check your owner's manual. Use a good tire gauge to measure your tires, too.

• Check your windshield-wiper fluid and wiper blades. If the fluid is low, refill it. If the blades are worn or damaged, replace them. Applying a water repellent like Rain-X is a great way to manage rain and snow on your windshield.

• Check your radiator fluid, oil and transmission fluid according to your owner's manual, and refill any that are low.

• Check your paperwork. If you are required to carry insurance, is it up to date and on board? Is your car properly registered and inspected? Take care of this paperwork if you haven't done so already.

• It's a good idea to check your lights, too. Check headlights, brake lights and turn signals, and replace any that aren't working.

• Clean your car inside and out. When it's clean, you can apply a protective coating to help it resist dirt and help the car's finish last longer. You can apply additional protection, like an undercoating, to prevent damage from road salts, if you feel the need.

• You should have a small emergency kit with you in each of your vehicles. You can buy one already stocked, or make one of your own. You need a can of Fix-A-Flat or something similar, a flashlight, blanket, bottle of water, road flare or glow-in-the-dark sign, jack and emergency tire, radiator tape and a few simple tools like screwdrivers and vise grips.

Most of these things will take only a couple of hours to complete, so set aside some time just for this. In fact, you really ought to schedule a monthly appointment for your car to keep things in good working order. If you can't do any of these things, ask a friend to help, or find a good mechanic to do the checks. It's well worth it, in our opinion!

A stylish den for man's best friend

Many of you who have dogs crate them. It's believed that dogs prefer the crate as a den and appreciate the privacy and ownership they have in a crate. But most of them are not that great-looking and, if you want your best friend in the family room or your bedroom, his or her crate should look presentable. You can turn a sturdy crate into an end table or a night stand by just putting a wooden or stone top on it. You even can attach wooden panels to the sides if you want. That way, the panels can be removed later if you want. Don't forget to include a plush and comfy mat to sleep on that matches your decor, of course.

Pipe insulation

By now you should have insulated any exposed pipes that are outside your home to keep them from freezing during the winter. And if you have any leftover pipe insulation, don't throw it away. It's great material to stick between your washer and dryer to keep them quiet. If properly placed, it also can be used to prevent that all-too-common problem - sock loss!

Super hints

• Cleaning out a garage can be a big chore, especially if you have a lot of leaves that have blown in this fall and winter. Why not use the same leaf blower you use in the yard to blow out your garage and get a head start on that cleaning job?

• I am not lucky enough to have tilt-in windows for easy cleaning. I use a sprayer wand to reach the windows. I use a windows cleaner first and then follow up with some rinse aid (normally used in a dishwasher) mixed with water to make sure I don't end up with any streaks. This works pretty well on most of the windows.

• "Popcorn" ceilings used to be pretty popular, but most folks want to get rid of the stuff now. All you need to do is to mist the surface with water and give it a few minutes to soften the stuff up. Then use a wide-blade putty knife to scrape it off, then vacuum up the mess.

Q. We tried to give our home an old, classic look and installed older brass faucets in our bathrooms. I think they look OK, but I don't want them to tarnish like I've seen others do. What should I do to keep them from deteriorating?

A. Most brass fixtures come with a clear protective coating already on them to prevent tarnish. If your fixtures are old and the finish is deteriorating, get them as clean and as shiny as you can, and then apply a good coating of polyurethane to protect them. Brass is soft, so never use anything too scratchy to clean it with.

Q. Last year I painted a "rug" on my back patio. Now it's starting to peel and I would like to just remove it all. What should I use to get the paint that is sticking to it off?

A. You might try a power washer to remove the rest of the paint. If not, then paint stripper should take care of it. If any of the paint soaked into the concrete, then it's probably not going to come up.

Q. We used to have ivy growing on the brick of our home, but it has died back and I want to remove the remnants of it. How can I get these little roots off the surface?

A. Your best bet is going to be using a stiff-bristled brush and some trisodium phosphate, or TSP (available in your paint store). Wear protective gloves and eye wear. You could try a power washer but caution needs to be taken around doors and windows.

Reader tips

• The old file cabinet that we had in our last garage sale didn't sell, so I got stuck with it in the garage. Turns out that it's the perfect place to store some of my better power tools. I can put all of them into the drawers and even lock them up to keep them from getting stolen. I even have more room for other things that I might decide to lock up later on. It's pretty handy after all.

• The workbench I made is great and I've used it for years. Lately I've been working on restoring a piece of stained glass. I learned early on that a softer surface was needed for the glass, so I bought a foam floor mat and put that on top of the workbench under my work. It is much better and, unless I ruin it in the process, I can use it in the mudroom when I'm finished with it.

• Well I learned an important lesson - too late, I'm sorry to say. But maybe I can warn others about my mishap. My son got a hold of a marker and wrote all over a wall in his bedroom. I couldn't get the marks off the wall, so I just painted the whole wall. It looked OK, but, after only a couple of weeks, the marks started showing through the paint. I talked to the guy at the home center and found that I should have used a primer to seal in the marker before painting the wall. This would have prevented the marks from bleeding through the paint.

• We have a refrigerator in our garage that we use for overflow from the house fridge or when we are going to have a party. I don't look at it much but found that there was frost collecting around the door frame. I got out a kitchen scrubbie and cleaned it with some bleach and water. Then I wiped some petroleum jelly around the edge and closed it back up. No more ice!

• You'll love this idea. I am always trying to come up with clever uses for old pantyhose since nobody wears them anymore and I have tons of them. One of the uses that I have found is to stuff them with old dryer lint and use them to seal up the bottom of my windows and doors that seem to leak a little bit. These long "draft-stoppers" work really well and, when they start falling apart, I can just toss them or add more stuffing.

Shoptalk

• We get tons of mail and email asking us how to clean grout. And it can be really difficult. As it ages, it becomes more porous and starts absorbing liquids that can stain it - and once it's stained, it's practically impossible to clean thoroughly. The best approach is to clean it and then paint a new protective finish on to it with a special product made to stick to grout.

Ployblend is one brand that we've used, and their Grout Renew works really well. You do have to apply it to each individual grout line, but it will last a long time, can be used indoors or out, and even includes Microban, an antimicrobial protective solution. You also can use this if you just want to change the color of your grout, as it comes in four different colors. To find out more, you can check it out at www.custombuildingproducts.com or at your local Home Depot.

• If you've wanted a powerful nailer but don't have a compressor, you might be interested in the Cordless Trim Nailer from Ryobi. It's part of the One+ Tool System that includes a whole line of tools that all use the same 18-volt lithium-ion rechargeable battery. It can use brads/nails from ⅝ inch up to 2 inches and is fairly powerful for a cordless tool. Pressure and depth are both adjustable, and it even has a built-in LED light. Check it out at www.ryobitools.com or at your local Home Depot.

• Write to Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or visit online at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2014, Cowles Syndicate Inc.