Make your spring cleaning plan of attack

Spring is just around the corner, and it's not too early to start planning your spring-cleaning attack. Here are some basics to help you get started with a good list and the proper tools.

Get a pencil and some paper or your iPad and take a tour of your home. Note areas that you need to work on. Remember, you are only human, so don't get too critical. Leave room for scheduling information and listing tools and supplies you'll need to get, which you can add in your spare time later.

Areas you don't want to forget about include your fireplace, dryer vent, garage, appliances, light fixtures and carpets. Oh yeah, and don't forget those windows, the most common spring-cleaning project of all. Your list probably will be different, but it should include some of these areas. You can tackle a few others as well, if you want.

Assign a date for each project, and set aside the time to do it.

If you need help, make sure to confirm with the person before the date, and consider a payment in the form of dinner or cookies - or maybe you can help him or her with a project, too. If you are working alone, you might even want to reward yourself.

If you need tools or supplies for your project, buy or borrow them in advance, and make sure you know how to use them. Know how to do the maintenance as well. Make sure you have the right cleaners and other tools ready to use.

Study up, if you need to. If you're deep cleaning an appliance, consult your owner's manual. Some of the tips can make it a lot easier, and you may miss specific parts if you don't know about them. If you don't have a manual, you can get one online for free a lot of the time. Other sites also will have information you can use.

If all goes well, you will be ready to roll when spring comes around next month, and will have it all done long before summer!

Dowels are useful

I use dowels for repairs when I need to. They really strengthen a weak joint and are pretty easy to use, too. But I always end up with scraps. And, as you know, I hate to throw anything away, so I try to come up with different ways to use them in my shop and home. The first thing I thought of is wall storage. Just drill a hole the same size as the dowel into your wall, at a slightly downward angle if you want, and tap it in at least an inch, leaving several inches sticking out, to use as your new hanger. If you want it to stick out more than 4 or 5 inches, then you need to drive it in a little more to support some extra weight. You can use these in the garage, workshop, shed, craft room, kitchen and just about anywhere else.

Spare sheets

We get a lot of questions as well as advice about storing large sheet material, like plywood and drywall. One of the most common ways is to stand it up, leaning against a wall. But we all know where that leads, right? What I've done is to install a hook on the outside of the stud or wall at the edge of the area where your sheet goods will stay stacked upright. Then install another hook on the other side of the material, directly in the wall. Now all you need to do is attach a rope from hook to hook, a bungee or even a chain. It's easy to unhook it and get what you need out or add to the pile. And it won't end up on your floor or car.

Super hints

• When you are wrapping Teflon tape around a threaded pipe before attaching a joint, wrap it in the same direction that it turns. That way, as you turn the connection together, the tape will stay in place or tighten, instead of unwinding.

• If you are like a lot of folks these days, you are trying to make your home more livable for you as you age. Wider doorways are important, and you can add 2 more inches to your door opening just by changing the standard door hinges to offset hinges. These hinges look a little weird, but they will give you the added room for a wheelchair or walker - or just wider hips!

• Nothing gives away the age of a home more than the metal finishes on lamps, faucets, knobs and handles. But you can update your old finishes with some of the new metal paints. You can find exactly what you need and freshen up your home for a fraction of the cost for replacements.

Q. I have two cracks in my driveway. I think I need to fill or cover the cracks, but don't know what to use. Can you please tell me what to use and how to use it to seal up these two cracks before they get worse?

A. You are very smart to get them filled, and it's easy to do. You can find a matching concrete crack filler at your home center or hardware store. These will work best in a caulking tube with a caulking gun. Just read and follow the directions on the tube. Don't buy the cheap stuff, either. Get something that is going to stand up to the traffic and weather.

Q. I need your help. I want to clean the glass door on the front of my oven. It's filthy and I don't know what to use to get it clean. What will get all the baked-on grease off it?

A. I think ammonia and water works pretty well. Open the door and put the liquid on it to help dissolve the grease. It takes a while. If it won't cover the glass, put a paper towel on the glass and soak it with the liquid. You'll need extra ventilation, too. You might even need a razor scraper to get some of it off. A metal pot scrubber also will work well.

Q. I plan to replace my plain ceiling fixture with a ceiling fan before it gets hot around here. The problem is that I'm not sure the current box can hold a ceiling fan. Adding to that the problem, the ceiling is on the first floor of our two-story home. That means I can't get much access to the ceiling. What can I do to brace it?

A. Check your hardware store or home center for an expandable bracket that you can add between the ceiling joists after pulling down the box. These are easy to install by just following the package directions. They are fairly inexpensive and work great. Make sure you turn off the circuit before pulling the lamp and box down. Good luck.

Reader tips

• We've had this dresser in the family for years, so I don't want to get rid of it, but it's really in the way. I removed the drawers and put them up in the attic and then I painted it to match the furniture in our family room. I filled the openings where the drawers were with the TV components and put the TV on top of it. Now it's our "media cabinet." All of the DVDs fit in it, too. It's much better to use it than to go out and buy something new (that we really can't afford anyway)!

• We've been using a heavy-duty extension cord for a lamp on our back patio for several months now. It's way too long and just stayed piled up behind the table. But last weekend I finally cut it to fit the exact length I needed and put a new plug on the end. I will put another plug on the other piece and keep it handy for something else. Now it fits perfectly and there's no waste or mess behind the table.

• I used small tacks to hang up pictures in my apartment so I won't mess up the walls. But just a single tack means my pictures shift and are crooked a lot of the time, and that makes me crazy. What I do is wrap some tape around the wire on the frame, right where it hangs over the tack. This tape has enough give to it so that it helps the wire stay in place and not slip around on the tack. Now my pictures are always straight. Yeah!

• My garage looks pretty decent most of the time - except for the oil stains under my car. What a mess - and it's constantly there. I sprinkle cat litter over them once a month and let it soak up the oil overnight. Then I just sweep them away the next day. I know I need to get the car serviced, but it's old and I doubt they could do much to it.

• I used a bottle cutter to cut a large wine bottle in half. I wanted to make a candle holder with the bottom part. But my wife and I made a bell from the top part to go with it. We tied a shell onto a string and ran it up through the top so that the shell is just hanging inside the top part of the bottle. Then we tied the string to a cork and pushed it into the top of the bottle. We hung it up and now have a great bell next to our table on the patio.

Shoptalk

• With spring coming soon (not soon enough for me!), you can put your DIY talents to work and make some wind chimes. Our plans are for a simple set made from discarded and extra hardware. If you have odds and ends lying around, you probably have what you need. But even if you have to buy a piece or two, it won't put you in the poorhouse. It's a fun project and will entertain anyone visiting your patio or garden. The plans are on our website - www.thesuperhandyman.com. Add some whimsy to your garden and get rid of some old hardware at the same time.

• Leak Stopper has quite a reputation, and it's well deserved. It's super easy to apply and it really does work quite well. But the black color is only good in certain places. I've seen it in white before, but that doesn't look a whole lot better in most cases. Well, thank goodness they now have a clear version. It works just as well and comes in a variety of applicators, including a caulking tube. Check it out at www.gardner-gibson.com. You even can order it directly from them and save some time shopping.

• I didn't think it was possible to make a better Leatherman tool, but they have. The Tread looks like mechanical tread, but you wear it like a bracelet. The tools are part of the design, but it's just as easy to use as with the original design. It comes in stainless steel and black. It's new, so it isn't widely available yet, so keep an eye out for it. See it in action online at www.leatherman.com.

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

© 2015, Cowles Syndicate Inc.