How are you doing on your spring-cleaning to-do list?

In case you hadn't noticed, spring is almost over. Your spring-cleaning list should be full of check marks at this point. Here are some reminders of chores you might have forgotten.

• Did you get to the fireplace yet? Ashes left in the fireplace can put out a bad smell in your home as well as spread dust around the house. Make sure your damper closes securely so you don't lose your air conditioning up the flue. It will be easier to hire a chimney sweep to clean and inspect your flue at this time of year, as well.

• Check your roof for needed repairs, and get on it. Replace damaged or missing flashing or shingles. Re-caulk if you need to.

• While you are up there, check your gutters, and make repairs or adjustments if necessary. Clean them out, and make sure downspouts are running smoothly. Trim away trees that overhang the roof, and prevent future damage and some of the leaves!

• Use a power washer to clean your home's exterior. Be careful not to put pressure on areas that might leak or be damaged by the force. It's a great way to clean siding and bricks.

• Clean windows, inside and out, to let the sunshine into your home. Newspaper still is the best material to use to dry them without leaving streaks.

• Replace fence sections that are damaged. Use a wood brightener to make the fence look new again. Then apply a water seal.

• Use that pressure washer on your driveway and sidewalks, too. Remove stains, and patch up cracks. Then apply a water seal to protect your clean surface.

• Trim hedges and remove dead branches from trees.

• Clean out your garage, and have a yard sale or donate your old stuff to a local charity.

Now you can declare your spring-cleaning list complete!

Scrap adapt

Cutting a straight line with a circular saw does take a little practice. One trick is to clamp a scrap of straight wood or metal to your material along the cutting line and then run the saw right up against it as you cut. This is an easy way to get a good, clean, straight cut without a lot of sweat. It also allows you to cut without making a lot of marks on your material.

Paint removers

Stripping paint has been a lot easier since paint stripper was invented. And now that we have safer paint strippers, there's really no reason not to use them. They make that kind of work a lot quicker and easier. But when you have to get into small cracks and crevices, even the chemical strippers need some back up. Small wooden sticks and other tools like this work well to get paint out of cracks. Sometimes pulling a string through a crack will loosen leftover paint. It's sort of like flossing your coffee table! Add a little wad of steel wool around the tip or wrapped around the "floss," and you will have more abrasion where you need it. Sometimes this is all it takes to get the last little bits of paint out of the way.

Super hints

• The big zippers on tents, suitcases and other heavy-duty equipment are built tough to last. But a little WD-40 sprayed on them occasionally will keep them running smoothly. Just make sure to keep it on the zipper and not the canvas!

• Painting right from the can is still a popular method. But instead of wiping your brush on the side of the can, cut a second can lid in half and place it over the opening to use as the wiping surface. The next time you finish off a can of paint, save that lid just for this purpose.

• Oil and tar from the roads really can do a number on your car. The cleaners made to remove this gunk are pretty harsh, and I would rather not use them unless I have tried everything else. My favorite tar remover is mayonnaise. It actually works great, and it has no fumes and won't harm your car's paint job or your skin if you get tar on you.

Q. I feel like my pull-down attic entry could be sealed up better. I feel a draft when I walk under it now, and know I probably could seal it better, but how?

A. Depending on how it fits, you might be able to add weatherstripping around the edges so it will seal better. You also can add insulation to the top of it. They even make special insulating boxes that fit over the opening up in the attic. Most are fairly inexpensive and easy to install. Check with your hardware store or online for these pre-made items.

Q. We got a swing set/jungle gym from a neighbor and want to fix it up for our kids. How do we remove the rust, and what type of paint do we use?

A. Use a chemical rust remover to get the rust off. You also can use drill attachments to grind and scrape it off. Make sure you get it all. Then use a metal primer and an exterior paint made for metal. Keep in mind that many swing sets are not made to last a long time and may have sections that are weakened, and so may not be safe for very long.

Q. We have cedar siding on our home and are now getting dark runoff from our brass lamps on either side of the front door. I don't know if the problem is the wood, the stain or the lamps. What should I do to get rid of the stains and prevent them from coming back?

A. Try using some bleach to clean the wood, and see if that removes the dark stains. If not, you may have to use a wood cleaner. If you go that route, you may have to clean the whole wall. Caulk around the base of the brass fixtures. You also might want to use some polyurethane on the brass to keep it from tarnishing.

Q. I have heard that there is a way to turn a plain door into a chalkboard. Can you tell me how this is done?

A. It's really easy to do with chalkboard paint. It can be applied with a roller or sprayed on, and it even comes in a variety of colors. It really does work, and you can put it on doors, walls, tables, floors and just about anything else.

Reader tips

• After my son left for college, I borrowed his clamp-on desk light for my workshop. It's very handy. I can clip it to the workbench for task lighting, or clamp it to my car when I'm working under the hood. It's also great for outdoor grilling in the evenings. Plus I can return it if he needs to use it at his desk again.

• I have found that the best way to keep sprinkler heads from getting stuck in thick grass is to keep the grass off them. I have tried lots of different approaches to this. But I finally found that I can cut a perfect edging around the heads with an empty soup can. I cut both ends off the can and then cut the rim off one end. This makes the can sharper on one side. Then you can put the can over the sprinkler head, sharp side down, and push down on the can. This cuts the grass around the sprinkler head so you can just pull it up and out of the way. I only have to do this once a month or so to keep grass from growing up over the heads.

• I like to recycle, and when I can reuse a plastic container before it gets to the recycling bin, I feel good about that. I like to clean out empty dispenser bottles and reuse them for things like homemade cleaners or spray for the weeds. I also can buy things in bulk and put them in these spray bottles to make them ready to use. Just make sure you put new, easy-to-read labels on these bottles so you don't get them mixed up with the REAL thing!

• I use funnels in the shop and garage for yucky chemicals. It makes sense and keeps the messes to a minimum. Instead of buying these funnels, I make mine from recycled plastic bottles. I can have a variety of sizes on almost any given day, and instead of cleaning them out when I'm finished, I just throw them into the recycling bin. It's much easier, and I can replace them quickly, too.

• I created a really neat arbor for my wife. The arbors we found at the garden center all were too flimsy to put climbing roses on, and they didn't look right with our gate. I found some tall metal trellises and connected them together at the top with some rebar and wire. I even added some decorative metal shelf brackets in the corners. And then I painted the whole thing black to match the fence. This should be stout enough to hold the roses, and my wife loves it!

Shoptalk

• Want to turn a boring brass lamp into a fashionable brushed-nickel fixture? It's easy to do with Krylon's Brushed Metallic paint. It's spray paint that comes in a variety of metal finishes and dries really quickly, even on metal surfaces. It's a super way to save money and time on redecorating. Check out this paint at your paint, hardware or craft and hobby store, or online at www.krylon.com. The website has lots of fun projects using Krylon's paint products to check out.

• Windex Outdoor All-in-One Glass Cleaning Tool makes cleaning windows fun instead of hard work. The tool is easy to put together and use, and reaches up to 11 feet, but also can be hooked up to longer poles to reach even farther. The cleaning pad has a built-in cleaner, which is activated by water and scrubs even stubborn dirt off your windows without leaving any streaks. All you do after scrubbing is rinse the window clean. One pad will clean about 20 windows. To find out more and get a coupon, visit www.windexoutdoor.com.

• Vinegar is one of those everyday, household products that we all have in our homes. It has tons of uses there as well as in the shop, and even outdoors. It's really inexpensive and can save you money in many cases. We have put together a list of some of our favorite, tried-and-true uses for the stuff. If you are interested in finding out more and would like a copy of our list, just send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to The Super Handyman, in care of your newspaper. We would be happy to send it to you right away. You also can get this information, as well as a lot of other interesting tips, on our website at www.thesuperhandyman.com. We hope to hear from you soon.

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

© 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.