Buy, then keep, your Christmas tree healthy
We have a family tradition of picking out the perfect Christmas tree every year, bringing it home and decorating it. Of course, we have learned a few tricks about picking a tree that will last a long time, and we would like to pass those tips on to you.
If you like fresh-cut trees, you might consider visiting a Christmas-tree farm. You go, pick out your tree and cut it down yourself. That way, you know it's fresh. It's fun to do, too!
If buying from a dealer, ask how fresh the trees are. Some lots are selling trees that were picked weeks ago and were not put into water to keep them fresh until they got to the lot, or maybe not even then. By that time, it's too late. Your tree will not last long if not placed in water immediately after cutting it down.
A fresh-cut tree should have supple branches. If you take a small branch and slowly bend it downward, it shouldn't snap off. If it does, keep looking.
The needles should still be firmly attached. If you pick it up and tap it on the ground, they shouldn't rain down.
You also can check the trunk of the tree by carefully raking a thumbnail over it to reveal the tissue under the bark just a little bit. It should be moist and green, not dry and brown.
Once you find the perfect tree, bring it home and cut about one-half inch or more off the bottom of the trunk. This will open up the trunk again to allow more water to be soaked up inside the tree. Put it in a bucket of water immediately, and make sure it doesn't run out until the day you remove it from your home. This is critical to keeping it longer and not becoming a fire hazard. You can use tree preservative if you want. Our recipe follows, or you can buy it ready to use.
Keep your tree away from heating vents, candles, fireplaces and other heat sources. Never leave the lights on while you are away from home. Putting a smoke detector near the tree during this season is also a great idea.
Tree preservative recipe:
• 1 gallon warm water
• 4 tablespoons horticultural iron powder
• 4 teaspoons liquid laundry bleach
• 2 cups clear corn syrup
These ingredients should be mixed and poured onto the base of the tree. Make sure that it doesn't get on your floor, or it could stain. It's probably not too good for a dog or cat to drink either, so keep them away. We put our stand on a rubber mat to keep it steady and protect the floor. The tree skirt goes over the stand to cover it, and when we need to add more preservative, we just pull the skirt back to get to the stand.
Gone fishin'
How many times have you dropped something behind your workbench or somewhere else that is hard to reach? Well, someone actually created a special magnetic retrieval tool just for pulling these items back up into the real world. Of course, you can make your own version of this tool with a string and a magnet. Just tie the magnet to the end of the string and drop it down the back of your workbench - holding on to the end, of course - to "fish" the hardware or tool back out. You can use a yardstick or even a fishing pole instead of the string if you need to.
Over-the-door storage
Over-the-door storage racks are great for the pantry and other closet storage. Well, they are even better for shop storage! Depending on the configuration of the ones you find, they are great for storing small paint cans, cleaners, tools, hardware, gardening items and all sorts of other things. They are great hanging on a door or hanging directly on the wall. Since they use vertical space, they take up very little room and, best of all, they are very inexpensive and easy to install. They are the perfect addition to your shop or garage.
Super hints
• Mix baking soda and water, and paint or spray it onto new wood fences, shingles or deck board to make it look older fast. Test it out on a scrap first and, if you like the results, do all of the new boards to match the old in no time at all.
• Ordinary table salt is a great abrasive cleaner that is always handy to use. It's great for cleaning up tough grease and grime, and is very inexpensive to use. Add some lemon juice and you will get even better results on a wide variety of spills and messes.
• Are you getting ready for a big move? Well, instead of the usual packing material, use your clothing to protect breakables. It will save on moving boxes, the number of loads and collecting packing material as well as getting rid of packing material when you get to the new house. It will save you time and money, and you'll be doing something good for the environment, too!
Q. Our cedar closet gets a lot of use but has seemed to lose its cedar aroma throughout the years. Is there a way to get that smell back without relining it? How do you do it?
A. Try removing all of the contents and sanding the walls. The oil from the wood is what scents the room, and the pores of the wood get closed and filled through the years. A light sanding ought to bring the oils back to the surface for several years. Do this every other year, and it should last a long time.
Q. We had to replace our old water heater with a new one several months ago. I checked on it because I had been hearing noises, and I found it making a spitting sound. It never did this before, even when it was going out. I called the repairman, but he hasn't called back yet. What might be causing this? How can I fix it?
A. Check the temperature setting. This can happen if it is set too high. Steam can build up inside the tank and cause this problem. Try setting it a little lower and see if the problem goes away.
Reader tips
• Our home is a historical registered home, and we have been trying to restore it throughout the years. We have tried to replicate the original painted borders in the dining room but are not very artsy. We have found stencils that look almost like the real thing. We used three different stencils for the center, the bottom and the top of the design. It has taken a while to get them all up, but it looks very good and very authentic. I hope others approve of our technique. One handy device used was a quilter's pen for marking the register marks on the wall. This pen has purple ink that disappears after 24 or 48 hours. Check it out at your craft or sewing store.
• Our kitchen's vinyl floor is only about six months old but got gouged and torn, and it needed to be repaired somehow. I looked at the hardware store for a patching material and didn't really find anything that would work, so I made my own. I had a scrap that I shredded into a fine dust consistency, and then I mixed it with some epoxy patch and used it to fill up the gouge. You can't even tell there ever was a problem area.
•I have dubbed myself the "queen of wallpapering." I love to do it and have wallpapered for myself and a lot of my friends with pretty good results. One thing I've learned is to keep the mess at a minimum, because cleanup is no fun. I want to get the job done and see the wonderful results quickly. I buy plastic tablecloths that I find on sale. They are perfect for covering floors and, most importantly, tables that you work on. When I've got the last piece up, I just roll up the tablecloths and take them home to clean off with a water hose in the back yard. They last a long time and don't tear very easily.
• My wife really would like to redo our kitchen, but I've had to put the brakes on because we just can't afford it. Since we had to replace a couple of broken drawer pulls, I let her pick all new hardware for the room. What a difference! It was less than $100 for the entire kitchen's hardware, and the whole room looks so much better. It should keep her happy for a little while longer.
• We accidentally left a candle burning after a family get-together, and it melted all over a table and onto the rug and floor. I was able to get quite a bit up with a plastic putty knife, but the rug was really hard to handle. I placed an ice pack over the wax and let it get really hard. Then I tried the putty knife again. This time, it worked better and chipped most of the wax off in just one piece. I had to do some handpicking on the rest of it, but the ice made things a lot easier, and it is all up now.
Shop talk
• Wypall work towels are a super way to take care of most cleanups in your shop or garage. The ready-to-use disposable towels come in a dispenser box and are made strong to clean up caulk, paint, solvents and other messes. Look for them at Lowe's.
• Ridgid has recently come out with the microExplorer Digital Inspection Camera, which is a SeeSnake device to allow do-it-yourselfers to see what is going on inside pipes, walls and other areas where only a 3-foot cable can reach. It's waterproof, has a 3X digital zoom and allows for easy recording of video in these areas. The hand-held controller has a 3.5-inch color LCD screen and a removable, secure digital card. The whole thing can be plugged into your computer via a USB connection if you like. Visit www.RIDGID.com to check it out, or call (800) 474-3443.
• Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006.