You can manage areas where birds are allowed in your yard

Are the birds getting in your hair? Or leaving their "blessings" on your patio? Do they show up without an invitation to your outdoor parties?

Here are some tips to help you deal with the birds that hang out at your house.

First of all, birds are very beneficial. They eat bugs that would otherwise bug you and your landscape. So, keep that in mind as you read this article.

You don't have to use poison to kill them. That's a danger for you and your pets, so don't even think about it. There are tons of creative products you can buy or make to keep them away.

Plastic owls, other birds of prey or snakes work well. Place them in areas where birds like to perch, so they will be frightened and go to someone else's yard. It's best if you can move them periodically, because although birds can be slow, they are not stupid.

Things that move also will work. Use toy pinwheels or even tin-can lids tied to a tree or the eaves of your home to scare the birds away. The shiny, moving objects scare them off. Now you know what to do with all of those unwanted CDs you get in the mail!

If you are planning a party, string some twine or rubber bands over the roof area. Birds don't like to fly around or land on these materials, and you can take them down when the party's over. Hang these over your garden when fruits and veggies are vulnerable. If you don't have any, you can cut extra-long rubber bands from an old bicycle inner tube.

Make a spinner bottle from an empty soda bottle. Just cut rectangular windows or fins around the side and pull them out to catch the wind. The windows need to open on the top, bottom and one side. The bottle can be hung on a string or placed upside down on a stake in the ground.

Bird netting is effective if placed over patios or gardens. These are available via garden catalogs.

Put bird feeders out in the areas where you want the birds to be. You want them to do a good job for you, and by controlling where they are on your property, you can still have them around -- just not over your parked car or your head!

Refrigerator coils

Cleaning the coils under or behind your refrigerator is an important step in maintaining its efficiency. Dust can clog these coils and cut way down on the efficiency of the unit's cooling and cause you to pay more to run it every day. You can buy gadgets to keep the coils clean, but you can make a simple one by just attaching a bottle brush to the end of your vacuum cleaner's hose. Push the bottle brush into the tight areas of the coil, loosening dust as you go. With the vacuum cleaner on, the dust will be sucked up as soon as it is free. You can just remove the bottle brush when you are finished and set it aside until your next cleaning is due, which should be about once every 30 days.

Holding it together

A stepladder is a super-handy tool for us do-it-yourselfers. Most fold up and can be stored away in your garage or shed. But when you take it out of storage and try to carry it to the work site, it can be a mess. It can unfold and trip you or cause you to drop it or run into things. We know it sounds funny, but it might not be too funny to you. Instead of trying to carry it like this, tie it together with a bungee cord. The bungee cord will keep it folded up until you are ready to unfold it yourself.

Super hints

• Nail aprons and other work aprons are super for working on certain projects, but if you don't have enough compartments for all of your assorted hardware and tools, just sew more seams up the front of the apron to divide the pockets. If you don't sew, someone who does can do it in just a few minutes.

• A lot of screen doors have springs on them to close them automatically. But if you don't like the look of a large spring, try using a spring hinge. It looks like a regular hinge but has a spring built into it.

• If you are doing some touch-ups on a paint project, you can look for your "paintbrush" in your own bathroom. Try a cotton swab or a makeup sponge, or even a cotton ball. Any of these items can be used in a pinch and will do a good job with most paints. You don't have to clean your "brush" -- just toss it into the trash can and get on with your day.

Q. I am starting to see some rust spots on my clean clothes. Is there some way to cover the metal without ruining my clothes, or do I have to replace the dryer soon?

N.W.

A. Before coating the metal, make sure you remove all of the rust. Use epoxy paint to cover the metal surfaces that are bare metal. Read and follow the package directions to the letter for a long-lasting job. Check it from time to time, and apply more if you develop more bare spots.

Q. I have scratches on my bathroom mirror. I would like to see if I can remove them. They go all the way through the glass to the back. What can I do to patch over them so they don't ruin the whole mirror?

H.D.

A. You can have a mirror refinished, but that can be costly. In many cases, you can place aluminum foil on the back of the mirror and this will cover the scratches and make them less noticeable from the front side. Regardless of whether you use the foil, you should still cover the scratches with shellac or clear nail polish.

Reader tips

• Almost every time I am trying to use my electric weed-whacker, the plug pulls out of the socket while I am working. It's so frustrating. But I came up with a preventive measure. I installed a small cup hook just over the plug and tied the cord to it with a twist tie. The twist tie takes the strain instead of the socket, so the cord stays plugged in. I think it's pretty smart.

F.R.

• I am in the middle of remodeling my game room. Our truck was wrecked and I had to use our car to finish moving the materials home. I devised a super plan to do this without messing up the car. I put a rubber floor mat on the roof of the car, and then placed my stepladder over that. This gave me a long, sturdy place to carry the paneling and other items from the home center to the house. Of course, everything was tied down securely. The car is fine, the materials are too, and the room will be finished before our next family get-together.

N.H.

• I never knew that some appliance fronts can be changed to a different color. My friend showed me that I could loosen the screws and flip the front piece over to change it from white to black. It was so easy to do, and I was able to switch the dishwasher, stove and trash compactor all to black. It was like a kitchen makeover for free!

D.C.

• My son apparently thinks that his closet door is indestructible. It's a slider, and he slides it with so much force that I can feel it downstairs sometimes. I finally found a cure in a small felt pad that can be placed under a chair leg to protect your floors. I placed two of them in the track of the door where it contacts the door jamb. I tried slamming it, and it really cuts way down on the racket. I'm sure he will find another way to make noise, but so far things have been quiet up there.

N.J.

• I was trying my best to work on a project and needed an anvil to use. I thought about buying one but didn't figure I would really ever need it again, so I put on my thinking cap and came up with one made from my sledgehammer. I just laid it on my workbench and clamped it down. Then I put the metal on top of it and used my ball peen hammer to hammer it into the right shape. The sledgehammer worked out really well.

L.P.

Shop talk

• Pegboard is great, but steel pegboard is even better. Wall Control has created colorful steel pegboard-like tool organizers for the shop and home. A wide variety of sizes, colors and hangers is available. Because it is powder-coated, scratch-resistant steel, you can even hang your magnetic tools and accessories. And because of its patented design, it's simple and easy to install with only a screwdriver. To learn more and see your options, visit the company's Web site at www.wallcontrol.com or give them a call at (770) 723-1251.

• Cordless tools are handy, but charging them usually means having a charger for each battery. A new universal tool-battery charger from 10C Technologies can charge four batteries at once. Manufacturers use different charging systems, which if used improperly can shorten the life of a battery or give them a shortened run time, which can be a real hassle when you are trying to complete a project. 10C Technologies' charger adapts to many battery configurations and conditions batteries so they will charge properly -- and can even bring some thought-to-be-dead batteries back to life. Some batteries are charged faster with this charger, which will save you time in the shop. There are a couple of different models, and one will even charge your 12-volt batteries. Check them out online at www.10ctech.com or give them a call at (972) 385-2486.

© 2008, Cowles Syndicate Inc.