Extend the life of your appliances with annual cleanings

Is it too early to talk about spring cleaning? We think it's never too early. Most people think of spring cleaning as washing the windows and cleaning the carpet. Well, we have some other things you need to add to your spring-cleaning list.

• Clean your dryer vents. Even if you empty the lint traps, you still can get a buildup of lint in your vents. There is a super device you can purchase that will help you get all of the buildup out of your vents. It's a flexible pole with a bristle brush on the end. Your clothes will dry faster, and this will save you money.

• Clean the coils on the back of or underneath the refrigerator. Use your vacuum cleaner and a long hose to get all of the dust bunnies off the coils. Your refrigerator will work more efficiently.

• Clean your air-conditioning compressor. Turn the breaker off while you are working. Clean the fan and the fins around the outside of the unit. Make sure to get rid of wasps and ants if they are inside. Your compressor will run more efficiently.

You also can clean the blower in the other part of your cooling system. Turn the breaker off while working there as well. Clean the fan and coils. Put it all back together and seal up the unit. Check ducts for leaks, and seal them as well.

• Clean your household sewer line. Run a snake into each clean-out plug on your home. This will get rid of any buildup in your pipes that will cause problems later on in the year.

• Clean the sediment from your water heater. Hook a hose up to the front and drain off water until it comes out clean. This will keep your water heater running at peak efficiency.

This is just a partial list of spring-cleaning chores that you might not be thinking about but should. Each one is pretty easy to do and will pay you back in energy savings and longer life for your appliances.

Now you can go to work on your tan. Good luck!

Turn foam into bulletin board: Need a bulletin board in your workshop? It's a great place to hang receipts, shopping lists, plans for future projects and other items. Use a scrap of foam insulation and cover it with burlap, plain fabric or a coat of spray paint. Then hang it on your shop wall. Add a few push pins, and you will have your bulletin board. If it works great in your shop, you might want one in your office or kitchen, too.

Conquer crooked pictures: Hanging a picture up on a wall is easy enough: Just tap a nail into the wall and hang the frame wire over it. Straightening it is an ongoing project, though. What makes them become crooked? There's an easy way to fix this. Just wrap a short piece of tape over the wire in the center of the wire. The tape lends enough cushioning for the nail to settle on the wire and stay put! You may never have to straighten a picture again.

Super hints

• If you are a messy caulker, try masking off the sides of your caulking bead. Lay out strips of masking tape, and then caulk. Smooth it with your finger, and then remove the tape before the caulk has set up. Your caulking bead will be perfect!

• If you need to get some paint, caulk or grease off your hands, grab a can of WD-40. You can spray a little on your hands, and the paint will come right off. It works great on other surfaces, too. A little soap and water, and you are done with the cleanup.

• You can make a neat bottle bell for your garden from an old wine bottle. Just cut the bottom off and sand it smooth. Then drill a hole into the bottle cap or wine cork. Feed a string through this hole and tie a shell, key or something to be the bell clapper on one end and a ring or hook on the other, and hang it up. Your one-of-a-kind garden bell will make music in your yard every time the wind blows.

Q. I want to paint my office to brighten it up. It now has dark, grooved paneling. What is the best way to paint it if I want a light color?

A. You should lightly sand the current paneling to help the paint adhere. Then use a good-quality primer. Once it has cured, you can paint it any color you like. You might need two coats.

Q. I have wood paneling in my basement. It's not real wood, just a veneer, I think. The basement flooded a little, and the bottom inch is damaged. What can I do to repair this?

A. If the water is all dried up and you have repaired the flooding issue, you could just install base molding of some kind. It will cover the damage and give you a nice, finished look.

Q. I have an arched doorway in my dining room and am getting ready to wallpaper it. How do I deal with the rounded edge?

A. If you are wallpapering just up to the edge, stick it all down and then just trim it off with a brand-new knife blade. Make sure the edges are stuck down really well. If you are wallpapering the inside of the arch, paper right up to it, leaving paper that will overlap the edge. While it's still wet, use a sharp utility knife to make cuts from the edge up to the curve in the wall, and then press the cut edges down onto the curved edge. Then use another piece of wallpaper, cut to size, to cover the inside of the arch.

Reader tips

• We are not big-time home-repair people, but we do enjoy trying new things. We have done our share of painting, staining and wallpapering, and have a lot of projects on our to-do list. One of our projects involved drywall repair. It was hard to handle at first, but once we got started, it was much easier and even became a lot of fun. To smooth it off before it dried, we used a long, straight ruler. We didn't have a trowel long enough for the last coat, but the ruler was long enough, and it smoothed it off great. We had very little sanding to do, thanks to the ruler.

• I give all my garden tools a coat of neon-green paint. I just use spray paint because it's handy and dries quickly. I paint all of the garden tools this color. Everyone knows who the tools belong to, and they are easy to spot when they are left lying around or on the patio. I call it "personalizing," and it works for me!

• I'm not real big on cleaning, but I'm a bachelor so I have little choice. I've learned a few things from my mom and some books I've read. I have discovered that I can use my dishwasher for more than dishes. It does a great job of cleaning lots of things that are greasy. I don't mix tools and dishes, but I guess I could. Anyway, you can clean greasy wrenches and even stove vents in a dishwasher. Just set them inside, run them through a short cycle and voila - clean tools.

• It seems that it's hard to find an extension cord that is exactly the right length. It's either just a little too short or way too long. I have replaced a couple of plugs on cords, so I decided to create my own "custom"-size cords to fit electronics and office equipment. I just cut them to the exact length needed and then add the plugs on the end. It's so simple to do, and I don't have coiled-up cords lying around.

• You'll love my car organizer. As a mom of three, I spend a lot of my day moving the kids around, and so keeping my car organized is a must. I bought a nice over-the-door shoe holder and used ties to attach it to the back of my seat in the car. It is perfect for holding all of the things I need in a typical day. I keep snacks, a book, baby wipes, CDs, a small jacket, a blanket and even an extra pair of shoes in it. Everything is there when I need it, and it doesn't get lost under the seats. The kids can get what they need easily, too.

Shop talk

• Ridgid's new Quick Acting Vise is a really innovative workshop must-have. It's the only forged-steel bench vise on the market that has a Quick Action Trigger. What this does is allow you to quickly grab the item you are holding in the vise. You then can go back and tighten it with the traditional hand crank. The 360-degree swivel base allows for an infinite amount of adjustability. It's available in two sizes. Check them out at your local Home Depot or select hardware stores, or online at www.ridgid.com.

• If you love the look of a wall mural but lack the talent to produce one, you'll love Tatouage Decorative Murals and Accents. Designs are painted by an artist and transferred to a medium that is inexpensive and easy to apply to your walls. There is no paint, water, smell or mess involved. Just place the decal on the wall, tile, wood floor or any number of other surfaces, and rub it with a wooden stick or some other type of brazing tool. The transfer comes off cleanly and evenly. This company produces everything from borders and small accent pieces to full-size wall murals, and you can use several together if you want. Check it out at the company's Web site, www.tatouagedesigns.com, and see for yourself. It's amazing and will look great in your home.

• Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or visit the Carrells' Web site at thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2009, Cowles Syndicate Inc.