Clean screens can let Mother Nature do her job cooling your home

Windows are great at letting in light, and, when open, they let fresh air circulate around your home. This can be a real energy saver on days when the temperatures are mild. Let Mother Nature pick up the tab for your comfort.

But before you throw open those sashes, take a look at your screens and make sure you won't be letting in bugs at the same time.

Start by cleaning the screens. If you can easily take them down, lay them on a flat surface and clean them with a water hose or pressure washer set to a lower pressure. A little mild soap and water will help, too.

If screens are torn, you can "sew" them back together. Use a needle and thin-gauge wire for metal screens, and monofilament or fishing line for plastic screens. You can use glue, but it can be a little tricky.

For larger tears, you probably will have to replace the screen wire, but this isn't very hard. Shop for a matching screen at your hardware store or home center. Remove the rubber spline that holds the old screen in the frame around the edges. Place the new screen over the frame, and push the spline back into the sides of the frame to hold the screen taut. Use a splining tool to make this easier.

If the screen is in really bad shape, you probably will have to replace it. See if you have one on another window, the same size, that you won't be opening. Maybe you can just switch them out. If you are going to replace the screen, you can try making one from parts available at your hardware store, or you can order a replacement.

Think of the energy you could save on cooling your home if you didn't have to turn the air conditioner on for a week or two, maybe more. Fans of various types can help move this fresh air around your home and make you more comfortable. You're not fooling Mother Nature; you're just asking her for a little help.

New life for scrap guttering: Guttering is great for channeling rainwater away from overhanging roofs and your home's foundation. If you are installing it yourself or making repairs to yours, you may end up with some leftover scraps. It's also great for corralling things in your shop and garage. Install a scrap horizontally on your wall, and store tools, hardware and other items in it. You can use hangers to install it, or just use screws to attach it to the wall. You might want to install end caps to keep the contents inside. It's simple and a great way to recycle guttering scraps.

Notch it: When you have to work on a round pipe or tube of some kind, finding a good, steady place to hold it can be a real challenge. One way to make it a little easier is to use a scrap of two-by-four and cut a V-shaped notch into it. The round piece can be set in the notch, where it will stay put while you are working on it. If you are working on a longer piece of material, use two pieces of wood that have been notched, and place them on either end to support the longer stock. You could add a couple of small notches to your sawhorse if it's wooden and use that. With a setup like this, you can cut, drill or just about anything else.

Super hints

• If you are having trouble positioning your ceiling tiles or having them seat inside the grid properly, try using your vacuum cleaner. The hose can be placed up against the tile and, when turned on, will pull it down into place quickly and easily.

• If concrete steppingstones or other garden items get broken or cracked, use two-part epoxy to glue them back together. The epoxy is tough enough to take the great outdoors and even stand up to foot traffic.

• If you have shutters on your home, just cleaning and painting them can really give your home a "fresh" look for only a few dollars. It won't take much time or paint to take care of these accents, and your "new" look will certainly be noticed!

Q. I have noticed a couple of places where my wood floor seems to be coming unglued from the slab underneath. How can I get glue to the area without tearing up the floor?

A. It might be possible to drill a small hole directly into the raised spot. Then inject some glue with a needle or tiny applicator and set some weights or heavy books over the area for a couple of days. You can go back over the hole with wood putty to conceal it.

Q. We are trying to make our back porch more functional, and we need your suggestions for materials that are OK to use in our moist, hot area of the country. What would you recommend?

A. Certain woods are great for outdoors, like redwood and cedar, and the new engineered lumber is weather-resistant. You also can buy outdoor rugs, furniture cushions and even lamps. Clear water seal can be sprayed on a variety of surfaces to repel water from sprinklers and rain.

Q. We had to make repairs in our hallway due to a roof leak. The new drywall is up, but how do we get that "popcorn" texture?

A. The "popcorn" texture is available in a spray can and in a pre-mixed tub, depending upon the size of the repair you need to make. It should be available at your hardware store, paint dealer or home center.

Q. I have a hanging basket in my breakfast room. It's been there for years but has started pulling out of the ceiling. How can I fix this without doing too much work or making too much of a mess? It is a rented apartment.

A. Remove the existing hook and buy a toggle bolt. This is a heavy-duty hanger that has "wings." You press the wings down and push it through the existing hole. Once the wings are on the back side of the ceiling, they will spread out and, when you screw in the hook, the wings will pull tight against the back of the ceiling to spread the weight of the hanging basket and hold really tight.

Reader tips

• Before I start a messy project, I save a few plastic bread bags. These are very handy for several things. You can put paintbrushes into the bag and set them in the refrigerator overnight or during short breaks. You don't even have to clean them, and they will be ready to go when you are ready to start painting again. I also use the bags as gloves. They work pretty well and will keep the paint on the brush and walls, and not all over my hands. And when the painting is finished, they turn into small trash bags to put your dropcloth, rags and other trash into before heading for the trash can.

• We were very lucky that we had a lot of large, nice rocks in our landscape. Although they are tough to work around, when placed in the right spot, they are a real accent piece. We have tried a lot of ways to move these large rocks, but found that we could do it by ourselves if we could roll them over onto our metal snow shovel. The snow shovel is large enough to hold them, and we can just drag it around and then roll the rock off and into the right spot. We are almost finished with the new landscape, and it will look great.

• I was able to get most of the old wallpaper down from my breakfast nook. I did have several very stubborn pieces, though, that just wouldn't come loose. I hadn't tried a steamer yet, since the rest of the stuff came off so easily. I tried using my clothes steamer, and it worked. I guess it would be too difficult and time-consuming to do a whole wall or room with one, but for the few spots I had to work on, it was adequate. Hopefully this will help someone else tackle a small wallpaper removal job and save some money.

• I've had a beautiful stained-glass panel for many years, and I've taken it from home to home. Now that we are in our new home, I found the perfect place for it - in a bathroom window. I held it up against the bathroom window and used glazier's points to hold it in the window frame. They don't really show, and the panel is secure against the window. It's a perfect fit, and since it's mostly dark glass, we won't even need to have privacy drapes.

• My wife uses Bubble Wrap to help insulate our greenhouse, and has for several years. I decided to try some in our basement over the windows. I stapled it to some old window shades that are larger than the windows and fit over the windows instead of inside the window frame. I just used some leftover packing material for ours, but I guess you could buy a roll of the stuff if you had more windows to do. It does seem to help.

Shoptalk

• Cleaning glass cooktops can be difficult, because the cooked-on spills are tough to remove without harming the surface. Cerama Bryte is a super product that works quickly and easily. It contains no phosphates and is biodegradable, yet handles the toughest burnt-on messes you have. It also can be used on cultured marble, some stainless-steel surfaces, showers and many other surfaces. Several sizes are available, including a complete kit with Cerama Bryte, scraper and cleaning pad all combined. For more information, visit the company online at www.ceramabryte.com.

• Trex, the nation's largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, recently has come up with a new grooved-edges design on its decking, called Trex Hideaway. The hidden fastening system uses connector clips in installation, so no nails or screws are exposed. It's perfect for all uses but is especially nice for homes with children and pets. Trex is available in a variety of designs, and the reversible feature - wood grain on one side and a smooth finish on the other - makes it extremely versatile. It will look as good in 25 years as it does the day you install it, and it will never split, bend or rot. They even put a 25-year warranty on that. If you are interested in learning more about Trex or the new Hideaway System, visit the company online and find a dealer near you. The Web address is www.trex.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.