Here's how to insulate your windows without breaking the bank
Windows are a great way to let a little of the great outdoors into your home. Of course, this can mean that cold outside air gets an open invitation to visit you and your family and cost you extra on your heating bills in the winter. If new, super-insulated windows are not in your budget, join the crowd. We have some great ways to keep the warm air inside your home and your money in your wallet.
First of all, caulking and weatherstripping will make a huge difference, so take care of those first.
Next, measure and count your windows. This is information you will need when purchasing supplies.
Plastic sheeting covering your window will give you a nice additional layer of protective insulation, and it won't cost you much.
If you have wooden-framed windows, you can staple the plastic directly to the window frames. Cut the plastic a couple of inches larger than the window frame, and staple the sheeting to the frame at the center top of the window. Keeping the plastic straight, put a staple in at the bottom center of the window. Then put a staple into each side at the center point. You want a tight fit, and this is how you get it from the start. Then just add more staples around the edges. Trim the edges off for a nicer look. This can be done outside the home, or inside if you prefer. If you don't like the staples, you can use double-sided tape for this. The tape will hold longer when used indoors.
Another option that looks a little nicer uses double-sided tape around the edges of the window frame on the inside of the home. The plastic is almost totally clear, and it's a special "heat-shrink" material. You put it up with the tape and then use a hair dryer to shrink it to a tight fit, making it almost invisible.
You may decide to do a combination of these. Whichever you choose, you will save money on your heating bills, and it might even be enough to cover the cost of the materials. It certainly will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling to know that you were able to do SOMETHING to make a difference.
Corral tape
CD spindles make a super place to store all of your tape in the shop. Most large-size containers of CDs have a center spindle that's attached to the base on which the CDs are stored. If you set that spindle on your workbench, you can put several rolls of assorted tapes over the spindle, and they will be neatly stored all in one place. You even can replace the plastic cover over the spindle if it will fit, and keep your tapes from getting shop dust and debris on them. Recycling everything is what we are shooting for!
Felt pads keep pictures straight
Hanging pictures on the wall can be a really simple project, but keeping them straight can be an ongoing battle. One super-easy way to keep your framed wall art in one place all the time is to add some felt pads to the back of the frame on each bottom corner. These are the same peel-and-stick pads that you can add to furniture feet and cabinet doors to protect the surfaces they come into contact with. So if you have a few extras left over, now you know what to do with them. You may never have to straighten a picture again!
Super hints
•With all the extra leaves this time of year, don't forget you can use your shop vac on the exhaust setting to blow those leaves off your lawn. Or, if you are a real neat freak, you can vacuum them up with the same vac if you are really bored!
•If you are constantly repairing drywall corners in heavy-traffic areas around your home, you are a prime candidate for corner protectors. They come in a variety of colors or clear, and are easily tacked right to the wall to keep corners from being damaged.
•During the wintertime, I try to add heat and moisture to our home every way I can to save money on our heating bills. I leave the bathroom door open after a shower to add that heat and moisture back into the house. I also let my oven cool down with the door ajar after cooking. I have even discovered that if I open up my dishwasher while it's still hot and steamy, I can add to the comfort of our home that way. All of these little things can add up to help cut the cost of heating your home during the winter, so give it a try.
Q. We recently moved into a new home, and the laundry room is much smaller than our old space. The dryer sticks out past the doorway because of the vent hose, and I am wondering if there is some way to work around this. What would you suggest?
A. There are a couple of options you probably have. If your current hose feeds out the back of the dryer, you might see if it can be installed out the side of the dryer instead. This might make it possible to push the dryer closer to the wall. The other alternative is a rigid, low-profile aluminum dryer duct that is made to fit behind the dryer so it can be moved closer to the wall. This should allow you to push the dryer back farther against the wall and give you more room. These are available at hardware stores and home centers.
Q. We are getting white stains or bleached areas on the wooden deck around our hot tub. Is there any way to protect the wood from these?
A. Sand the areas, and make sure they are very clean. I'm not sure what color your wood is, but stain these areas to match if you need to. Use a penetrating stain and/or sealer. The sealer will help prevent this from happening so much. You may need to reseal it periodically, depending upon the brand you use.
Q. We are considering installing a tile floor in our sunroom that isn't sealed. We just like the look, but are concerned about the upkeep. What would your advice be?
A. We suggest you seal the floor tiles before putting them in. You may have to put several coats on, and you may have to repeat it periodically to keep it sealed, but it will be so much easier to maintain. It will be worth it.
Reader tips
•I found a great little spray bottle at the drugstore. It's supposed to be for travel accessories of some sort. But it's small and was made well. I filled it with a good-quality, lightweight machine oil. Now I have my own spray lubricant right on my workbench. It probably cost about one-tenth as much as the store-bought brand, and will work just as well.
•I use a plastic travel soap holder to store some basic fishing supplies in when we take the family on camping trips. The hard-plastic container keeps them from being damaged, and I can fit just about everything I need in one easy-to-find case. The kids also have started using them for some of their hand-held games. It seems they are the perfect fit for them, and it protects them from damage during travel.
•I've gone through some tough weeks since I broke my leg in three places. Even though I was back up on my feet, I had a lot of trouble doing everyday things, like housekeeping. I saved myself a lot of trouble by purchasing two extra extension hoses for my vacuum cleaner. With the extra 4 feet of hose, I was able to vacuum the entire house without moving the vacuum canister. If you know someone with health issues or limited mobility like me, this is a definite help!
•I bought an old ladder from a neighbor at his garage sale. It's been a great help. He obviously used it a lot, and even had made some improvements. He drilled several holes along the top step to stick screwdrivers and other small tools into so they would be handy while he was working. I'm sure he got a new and improved ladder, but it's hard to imagine finding one with all these features. I think I got a heck of a deal.
•Our fireplace was painted white brick on the face. It looked fine until we started using it, and then the white started getting black smoke stains on it. After only one year, it was just awful-looking. We cleaned it really well and then painted it a neutral gray color that looked great with the rest of the walls in the den. The gray looks wonderful, and the smoke stains may come back, but they will not show.
Shoptalk
•For those of you who might be interested in decorating your toilet, now you can with the Wow Toilet Reusable Poster Toilet Tank. The clear toilet tank is easily installed in place of your old tank, and allows you to install any poster, picture or other image directly on the front of the tank. As an added bonus, the installed dual flushing system is high-performance and designed to save water and work very efficiently. You have to see it to believe it. Check it out at wowtoilet.com.
•The ReadyWrench from Black & Decker is a super-handy tool for the shop. This all-in-one wrench puts 16 of the most popular socket sizes all in one convenient hand tool. There is no need to stop and sort through a socket set to find the right size. Simply spin to the larger or smaller socket size and give it a try. Everything you need is right at your fingertips. It's great for all of those projects around your home. You can find the ReadyWrench at your hardware store, home center and at select auto-supply and discount stores. To find out more about it, visit the company's Web site at blackanddecker.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.