Super Handyman: Don’t forget the first rule of D-I-Y: protect yourself!

Safety is a prime concern for us as do-it-yourselfers. We have heard and seen some careless mistakes that caused some serious injuries, and most could have been prevented. Just a few extra supplies and a little extra effort, and you can protect your eyes, ears, lungs and skin. After all, these body parts are pretty important to most of us!

Gloves are a great tool, and there is no excuse any longer for not wearing them. There are so many types and sizes of gloves available today that there is a pair for everyone to wear for every project you are working on.

Eye protection also is very important and easy to come by. Glasses work well, but safety glasses are even better. They can protect your eyes from flying and floating debris. At about $1 a pair, there is no reason not to keep a pair right at your workbench or toolbox.

Ear protection also is pretty important when you have to work with loud tools. You can use the simple foam earplugs or buy really nice headphones to block out loud noises. As a word of caution, don’t try to drown out loud noise with music in your headphones. It usually has to be turned up so loud to cover the other loud noises that it might cause even more damage to your ears.

A paper face mask can go a long way toward protecting your lungs, and they are less than $1 apiece. They won’t block out all fumes or dust, but they will take care of a lot. If you are using some chemicals, further protection might be needed. Don’t forget to add extra ventilation when required.

Proper clothing is a good idea. Work boots, sturdy jeans, long sleeves and other protective gear are good choices.

Read and follow package directions for paints, chemicals and tools. They often will tell you exactly what protection will be needed.

Remember, you might have two of most of these body parts, but you probably would like to keep them both, so be safe when working in the shop. It’s a lot more fun that way!

Upgrade your garden cart in a snapHere#146;s a neat way to upgrade your plain old garden cart. Clean out aluminum cans and attach to the sides to hold tools, seeds, gloves and even a refreshing beverage. Use nuts and bolts, cable ties or screws to hold the cans around the edge of the cart so they will be easily accessible. You#146;ll find that they#146;ll really come in handy and will allow you to take everything you need to the worksite in one trip. You can add these to your riding lawn mower, too. Paint them to match if you want.This tip keeps your glue ready to useGlue is a handy must-have in most workshops and homes, but sometimes it#146;s not too handy to use. The average bottle is designed to hold the glue, but isn#146;t really good at keeping it ready to use. Of course, storing them upside down often is a little tough, since most have a long spout for a tip. Try this idea. Find a block of wood and drill a hole into it that is wide enough and deep enough to accommodate the spout. Now you can place this wood on your workbench and store the glue, upside down, in the wood so it will be ready to go when you need it. You even can drill a hole or two in your workbench or a shelf and store your glue bottles there.Super hintsŸ Super glue is super at sticking to all sorts of things. And it#146;s pretty good at sticking your fingers to things, too. If this ever happens to you, just grab some nail-polish remover and use that as your solvent. It will dissolve the glue and let you be free again.Ÿ I would rather repair than replace a whole wooden fence. But putting new pickets beside the old ones looks really bad to me. I found a great way to #147;age#148; the boards. Mix baking soda and water, and brush the new wood with this solution. It ages it in just a few minutes. Wash it off when it is at the right stage of gray, and you#146;ll barely be able to tell the new pickets from the old. (This won#146;t work with pressure-treated wood.) Ÿ If you use your ceiling fans year-round, keep in mind that they need to push the cool air down during the summer months. If your fan is going in the wrong direction #8212; still in the #147;winter#148; mode #8212; change it for the summer months, and be more comfortable and save on energy costs.Q. Our sunroom was added on to the back of the house about eight years ago. The slab under it always seems a little damp, especially after it rains. Is there any way to fix this?A. There are a few things that might cause this. Check to make sure you have flashing between the house and the new roof to prevent leaking there. Also make sure the foundation slopes away from the addition. Install gutters if you have a lot of runoff during rains, and make sure the downspouts take the water away from the slab. Q. I have a leak in one of the underground pipes in my automatic sprinkler system. The company that installed it is now out of business, and I would like to try to fix it myself. What is involved in repairing the plastic pipe?A. The first step is to dig down to get to the problem. You need to have enough room to be able to saw out the leaking section. If it#146;s just a small section, a coupler fitting may be used to reconnect the ends. You may have to dig back a ways in order to flex the pipes to make the connection. If the problem involves a longer section of pipe, you could use two coupling units plus a section of pipe. Joining the pieces is easy to do with PVC adhesives.Q. I noticed last winter that there was a pretty good draft coming from under my kitchen stovetop cabinet. I was cleaning it out and found a large gap around the gas pipe where it was coming into the cabinet from the outside wall of the house. What can I cover this with?A. Expanding foam insulation like Great Stuff is a good choice. It#146;s easy to use, does a thorough job and should be used on all gaps like this, whether they are gas, plumbing or other utilities. Do a whole-house search before you begin so you can use up the whole can at one time. It#146;s hard to save it for a second use.Reader tipsŸ My home office had to be inexpensive since I was just starting my home business. I needed a large desk but had no money in the budget. I bought two inexpensive file cabinets and found an old door at a garage sale. The door was large, and I set it on top of the file cabinets to create my desk. It was perfect. It was large and very sturdy, and I still have it today, even though I use it more as a hobby table now.Ÿ I don#146;t know what you are supposed to use to patch gutters, but I found a very easy way to do it. I had a small leak, just a pinhole, but it was a leak that was starting to cause more problems. I got a leftover tube of roofing tar and rubbed that onto the gutter hole. It seems to be holding pretty well, and there is no more rust. Boy, that was simple!Ÿ I installed a new solar attic vent and had to cut through part of my roof to do it. Here#146;s my super tip: I began cutting through the shingles, and my saw started binding up. I sprayed it with WD-40 to help remove some of the buildup from the blade. It worked!Ÿ I used to keep my garden hose under the bushes in the front yard. It was always tangled up, but it was out of the way. I finally found a great solution. I bought a large, round flowerpot and can coil up the hose inside of that. The end of the hose goes through the bottom hole in the pot and is hooked up to the water faucet. The spray end of the hose is always just inside the pot and ready to use when I need it. It#146;s easy to coil back up, and it stays out of the way.Ÿ When potting some large outdoor plants that I intended to move around for different effects, I knew they would become impossible to move if I filled them all the way with soil. So I decided to lighten the load. I added some foam-pellet packing material that I had lying around. It#146;s about half soil and half foam pellets. It#146;s still heavy, but I can move them if I have to.Shop talkŸ 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#146;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. 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. Have a super day!Ÿ Window films that cut down on heat gain in your home can be difficult to install and even harder to remove later on ... until now. Gila#146;s Energy Saving Titanium Peel and Cling Window Film stays in place by means of static cling. It dramatically cuts down on glare, incoming heat and UV rays while still allowing natural light to enter. It#146;s easy to install, works great and is one of the most affordable solutions on the market. It#146;s available at several outlets, including Home Depot. You can find out more at www.gilafilms.com.Ÿ If you have sagging door hinges, check out the Fringe Screw. It was designed for the express purpose of replacing old hinge screws that no longer hold. It#146;s hard to imagine that a small screw can make such a huge difference, but the oversize threads are what make it work. It has the standard countersink head to fit most hinges, but it will instantly repair most doors without having to add a dowel, glue or super-long screws. It comes in bright brass, antique brass and satin nickel to match your hinges, and the only tool you need to install it is a Phillips screwdriver. Check it out at www.fritantechnology.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#146; website at thesuperhandyman.com.$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$