Storage tips to make next year's holiday decorating a breeze

Our neighbor Rick has holiday decorating down to a science. He has a great display every year, and after helping last year, I know why. Part of his success is due to the way the whole thing is stored at the end of the season. Here are some of his tips, as well as some of yours that we've collected throughout the years.

Once you have everything set up with the proper extension cords, timers and other helpful devices, take a photo and make a drawing that you can follow as a guide for next year. Laminate it or store it where it won't become damaged. It sure can come in handy.

Instead of unhooking all of the lights, roll them up on reels so all you have to do next year is unroll them into place and flip the switch. These reels are available at many places around the holidays, and are even on sale afterward. You can create your own by rolling your lights around a cardboard core, set into a box or bucket for storage. Store extension cords and other supplies with these items, too, if you can. Then you won't have to hunt them down again next year.

Some folks store their artificial trees with the decorations on them. They have a large bag that folds up around the whole thing and protects the lights and ornaments from damage. Some even keep the tree on wheels so they can just roll it out of the closet and plug it in.

If you do store decorations, pack them in protective boxes that are labeled as Christmas decor and put them all in the same place in your basement or attic. Liquor boxes are a great choice because they are made of strong cardboard and have dividers inside that will protect your ornaments. Store lights on small storage reels, available at discount and hardware stores. It will keep your lights in good shape year after year and make getting them up and down a lot easier, too.

Happy New Year!

Easy upgrades for hardware

Upgrade your kitchen cabinets with new hardware. It's really simple to do, can be inexpensive if you do your homework and can give your kitchen a new look for a fraction of the price. You might even try painting your old hardware before going out and buying new stuff. You never know what a new finish might do for old drawer pulls and cabinet knobs. Lay out a strip of double-sided tape and place the knobs on it so that the base is on the tape and the top is exposed for painting. The tape will hold them so you don't have to, and you can get the paint on the hardware and not on you!

Better with bungee

Our New Year's resolutions always seem to have to do with being more organized, for some reason. Maybe this year it will actually happen! One way to keep your project plans and other paperwork handy is to put it right in front of your face. We have found that by stretching a bungee cord across the front of your pegboard wall, you can create a super place to store project plans or instruction manuals. Try this same trick in your kitchen or home office.

Super hints

Ÿ We added an exhaust fan to our laundry room. The humidity really used to build up in there, and this takes care of it. It should be standard in all laundry rooms!

Ÿ My old secret weapon for cleaning my stove also works great on saw blades of all types. If you do much sawing, you know that your saw blades can become clogged with pitch and sap. It's hard to remove and can make your job twice as hard. If you spray a little oven cleaner on your saw blades and give it the standard 16 minutes waiting time, the sticky stuff will come off easily. It's a real timesaver in the shop, just like in the kitchen.

Ÿ Sometimes you can apply heat to a nut that won't come loose. Try holding your soldering iron to the nut for a few seconds to heat it up, and then give it another try with your wrench. It might just do the trick!

Q. Around the patio of our home, we have a shingled wall. They are old wooden shingles and have been painted for many years. They seem to be staining the brick wall underneath them a light color. I need to find out how to clean the light stains off the brick and how to prevent this from continuing. Can you advise?

A. Older paints were made to do this as a means of cleaning themselves. It's called “chalking.” Clean off the bricks with trisodium phosphate or a power washer. Sand the shingles, and prime and repaint them with a high-quality exterior paint.

Q. I need to find a way to seal around the bottom of my walls. I am feeling a draft under the hall wall where it adjoins the garage. What can I use?

A. Our first choice would be caulk. Caulk the joint where the wall joins the floor. If you have trim, caulk around that. If you have carpet, pull it back, then caulk, then put the carpet back down. Don't forget to insulate electrical outlets and switch plates.

Q. My outdoor fountain, made of concrete, has dark stains on it. I think they may be mildew. How do I clean it so that it looks nice again?

A. Liquid laundry bleach probably will take off the dark stains. It also might be a good idea to apply a water seal to the surface to prevent moisture from causing more problems, at least for a while. Turn the fountain off a few times a year and let it dry out then clean it again. This also will help maintain it.

Reader tips

Ÿ My wife and daughter did some painting in her room. I was glad they did it by themselves, as I have been very busy at work this time of year. Unfortunately, they didn't clean my brushes, so I found them caked with paint the other day. I set them in a glass jar and filled the jar with vinegar to cover the bristles. I left them there overnight and checked them this morning. The paint is starting to come off. I'm sure it won't be easy, but it looks like it will get them clean.

Ÿ The wife and I installed a series of hooks on our sunroom porch. We had a lot of drilling to do, and I decided to keep the mess down, so I designed a super shield. I got a clear plastic cup and drilled a hole in the bottom of it. Then I slipped it over the drill bit on my drill. As I drilled, the cup filled with the drippings from the ceiling. My plan worked! No mess, or at least less of one!

Ÿ I made some wooden toys for the church to donate this past holiday. I got the plans from an old magazine but had to blow them up onto larger paper to use them as actual patterns to cut the wood. I don't have a big printer, but I went to my office-supply store. They blew up the plans and put them on card stock, which was perfect for me to use as a pattern. It was so easy to do, and fairly inexpensive.

Ÿ If you've got a project to do that requires the use of a sawhorse and you don't have one, you'll love this easy setup. Just use a couple of scraps of plywood. You will need two identical pieces, about 3-by-4 feet. Install a couple of hinges between the two sheets. Then drill a couple of holes through each piece along the ends so you can run a piece of rope through them. Place a knot in the ends of the rope so the hinged boards won't spread too far apart when set up with the hinges at the top. It sure will come in handy, and will fold almost flat when not in use!

Ÿ I am working now and have less time to do housework. I have had a hard time getting my husband and kids to help. How do you do it? One thing that has worked, though, is having customized bins for each person. I bought colored plastic bins and put each person's name on a bin. I put the things that are left around the house — shoes, books, clothes, papers — into the bins. They can put away those things whenever they want, and I don't have to look at them. It's working pretty well so far.

Shop talk

Ÿ If you have done a good job of weatherproofing your home, it will be sealed up tightly. Hopefully you are saving money on your heating bills. In some cases, though, sealing your home up too tightly can cause moisture problems, which can lead to mold and mildew issues. Mildew not only looks and smells bad, but it can ruin walls, carpeting and just about any surface it gets on. Learn how to rid your home of this problem once and for all. We've put together a pamphlet called “Mildew Around Your House,” and it is full of tips on how to get rid of mildew and how to keep it from coming back.

Ÿ Vent fans in bathrooms are a must for getting the excess humidity out of the room. Broan-Nutone recently has come out with a foolproof model. The Humidity-Sensing Fan/Light automatically turns on when the humidity level goes up and turns off again when it has gone back down. It will save you energy and cleaning, not to mention make you more comfortable. Check it out at www.broan.com, or call (800) 558-1711 to find out more.

Ÿ There are times when you need to pump liquid from one location to another. One of the easiest ways is to use a drill-powered pump. Northern Industrial's Multipurpose Drill Powered Pump kit contains just about everything you need, including a suction strainer, and it costs only about $15. It'll tackle that pond, flooded area or just about anything else. To find out more, visit a Northern Industrial Tool Outlet or go to www.northerntool.com.

Ÿ 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.

$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$