Vinegar solution will make your windows sparkle this spring

"Spring cleaning" sometimes means cleaning your home's windows. Thankfully, this is a chore that doesn't need to be done very often. Every spring is good enough for many of us!

Here are some super tips to make this chore a little easier.

It would be great if you could remove your window screens before washing the windows. Just remember to note where each goes so you can be sure they fit when you put them back up. It's a good idea to clean the screens and make repairs while they are down.

If you have a power washer that allows you to lower the pressure, that's great for cleaning windows. Most have a window-cleaning solution that will allow you to clean the windows without leaving streaks, and you can do it from far away, which is perfect for second-story windows or windows located behind large bushes.

If you are the power washer, you can use a sponge mop to clean the windows. You can remove the mop head and switch to a squeegee to finish them off. You might even consider investing in a telescoping cleaning system. They come in a variety of sizes and have different attachments to suit your needs. You probably can clean all of your windows without ever having to climb a ladder with one of these tools.

And you might want to try our recipe for a super window cleaner. Start with 1 gallon of warm water. Then add 1 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 cup of ammonia and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Clean the window with this formula and then wipe clean with a squeegee.

Nobody wants streaks. So, since you probably will be wiping down your windows vertically outside, wipe them down horizontally from the inside. This way, you will be able to see which side the streaks are on easily, and you can go back and clean them off.

Your home will look so much brighter with clean windows, and you will enjoy what's outdoors so much more when you can see it clearly.

Scraps make stud walls easy: Building a stud wall is not very hard. Measuring and cutting the lumber is fairly simple. The studs will be placed every 16 or 24 inches, depending upon your local building codes and requirements. This means that the distance from the center of one stud to the center of the next stud should be 16 or 24 inches. There's a little trick to help make this simple to do. Once you have your first stud in, lay a scrap of two-by-four, cut to 14.5 or 22.5 inches (depending upon your desired stud spacing), on top of the bottom plate right up next to the first stud. Your next stud will be placed at the end of the scrap of wood and nailed in place. The scrap lumber will act as a stop and will help keep the stud in place while you drive in the nails. The wall will go up a lot faster with this one simple scrap of wood.

Hosiery grabs dust bunnies: Dust bunnies aren't cute. In fact, dust bunnies that clog your refrigerator coils can actually cost you energy dollars, so clean them out. You can use the leg of an old pair of pantyhose attached to the end of a long stick to lure them out. The stick can be a yardstick, plant post or the handle of your broom. The nylon hosiery attracts the dust and grabs it until you get it out of the coils and get rid of it. This not only works for refrigerators, but also will work under other appliances, heavy furniture and other hard-to-reach spaces.

Super hints

• Add-on locks like door chains and fold over locks allow you to secure a door from inside without needing to have an exact fit. These are the perfect solution for a door that no longer fits properly and can't be secured by a standard lock set.

• Try our critter repellent. The squirrels and rats hate it, but you'll love it. Just mix a little chili powder into some petroleum jelly. Spread it around openings and other areas where they try to get into the house or set up a household. The smell and taste will drive them away.

• If you have drapes that won't stay closed or have a gap that lets in light, you'll love this little trick. Glue or sew a magnet to each side of the drapes so that, when pushed together, the magnets will attract each other and the drapes will stay closed. If you do this on the back side or the inside of the fabric, they won't even show.

Q. There was a metal file cabinet in my office and it created some rust stains on the carpet underneath it. I'm not sure how it happened, but now I have these ugly stains. What will remove rust stains from the carpet?

A. You will have to test the rust cleaners on the carpet to make sure they don't take the color out of it. Look for a rust remover that will work on fabric. It's going to be tough, but the alternative is to replace the carpet.

Q. My dishwasher has a rust spot on the inside of the door. It is getting worse now. How can we fix this?

A. Check your hardware store or an appliance-supply house for a patching kit. These are easy to use and will remove the rust and coat the surface to prevent more rust from coming back. You can get a kit to match your dishwasher, in most cases. You should take care of this as soon as you can. It should be fairly easy for you to tackle.

Q. Our ceiling in the kitchen needs to be painted. At one time there was a leak, which has since been repaired. There is still a spot on the ceiling, however. What do we need to do before painting?

A. You should clean the ceiling really well with mineral-spirits paint thinner to remove any airborne grease. Even if you can't see it, it's probably there. Then use Kilz primer/sealer to cover the water spot and prevent it from bleeding through. You can prime the whole ceiling if you want and then use any type of interior paint.

Reader tips

• When we painted the trim around the windows in our sunroom, we weren't very careful. We painted some of them shut and were having a really hard time getting them open when the weather got nicer. My wife finally used our pizza-cutter wheel and just ran it around the whole window, cutting right through the paint. Now they open easily, and just a touch up to the paint was all that was needed. Next time, I'll be more careful.

• Our home is new, and we are beginning to do some landscaping. We have planted five new trees. We staked them but didn't use the standard green hose. Instead, I bought some clear hose at the aquarium-supply store. This hose is less obvious and, since we plan to leave the stakes for a full year, it looks much better.

• Our shower is older, and we found that we had a leak behind the tile wall. Finding the leak was hard, but the thought of ripping out the entire tile wall to fix it was even harder. It was also going to be very costly to have done. After some thought, we realized that the shower wall backed up to our closet, so we were able to get the repair work done from the closet side without having to tear out the tile wall. What a relief!

• I decided to try to use a mending kit on my garden hose rather than replacing it. It was really hard to get the parts together. The hose was old and stiff. I stuck both ends into a bucket of hot water for a few minutes and this softened it up. Then the pieces went on much easier.

• I've spent a lot of time doing woodworking, and I really enjoy it. My tip for beginners is to wear gloves. When you are using a really nice piece of wood and it is freshly cut or sanded, even a little grease or oil from your hands can clog the pores of the wood and prevent stain from taking. Gloves will protect the wood from this oil. Any type of gloves will work. It really will help you get a nice-quality finish that you can be proud of. After all, if you put that much time into your work, you want to get quality results.

Shop talk

• If you have plain mirrors hanging in your bath, you have to check out MirrEdge. MirrEdge is a do-it-yourself framing system for plain mirrors. It is available in a wide variety of finishes and styles to go with your existing decor, and it's super easy to install. You simply measure your mirror, score the frame material and snap it. Then you just glue the pieces in place. Special corner pieces finish off the look with style. The MirrEdge system is available at many hardware stores and home centers. To learn more or to see a demonstration, visit the company's Web site at www.mirredge.com.

• If you are looking for a small heater for a certain place in your home, check out the Eco-heater. It's mounted on the wall and is practically invisible. It operates on very little power, looks great and is safe to use around children and pets. The special design uses convection heating, so only 10 percent of the heat is radiated from the front. It is designed to stay on for long periods of time and can take a big load off your central heat to save on your energy costs. The low-profile design even can be painted to match your decor and practically disappear from view. It is UL listed and has a two-year warranty. To learn more, visit the company's Web site at www.eco-heater.com.

• 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.