Recycling is the easiest way to start 'going green'

Everybody is getting on the "green wagon" these days, so why not climb aboard with the rest of us? One step that's easier to take than some others is recycling.

Just about every community has some sort of recycling program. If your garbage pickup service doesn't do it, then check around town for large recycling containers where you can take your recyclables.

Take a look at what your community recycles, then determine which items you can contribute. To get down to specifics, what types of plastics are recycled? What types of paper are accepted? Some other recyclables include glass bottles, aluminum cans, yard waste and more.

You also need to know what condition the items need to be in. Are you to wash them, bundle them or crush them first?

Have you ever knocked over a sack of 120 aluminum cans? One of the biggest complaints by people who are trying to recycle is the hassle of storing these items until you can turn them in. So, storage containers are very important, and there are tons of different kinds to choose from. Some containers are even sectioned off so you can put several types of recyclables into one box or bin.

Another issue is the smell of items that used to contain food. Wash them out before putting them into the storage containers. Covered containers also will help.

Recycling so-called hazardous waste, like paint, motor oil and batteries, usually is done less often, or else you must take it to a special place to drop it off. But these items should never be put into your regular garbage or poured down the nearest drain, as they are bad for the environment.

One extra step that you can take is to buy products that have less packaging, are made from recyclables or come in recyclable containers.

We hope that we have at least gotten you thinking about ways you can contribute to the solution. Keep working on it, and you can do even more!

Get the last drop

If you are trying to get the last drop of paint out of a can, you will love this helpful idea. Use a pointed beverage opener, or a "church key," as some of you may know it, on the side of the paint can. A hole poked in the top side of the paint can will allow you to pour every last drop out of the paint can and into your paint tray to get it up on the wall. Next time, buy a little extra and you won't have to worry about it so much. After all, touch-ups are going to be a little tough if you have no paint left over for them.

Homemade stilts

If you are doing drywall repairs or need some extra height to get your paint on the ceiling, make some stilts. The pros use them, so why not try them yourself? Just grab your oldest pair of shoes and attach them to the bottoms of a couple of 5-gallon buckets. The buckets should be turned upside down with the shoes on the outside so that when you put them on, you'll be about 15 inches taller! You need to be careful when working on your new stilts, but they sure can help you get the job done without a ladder or scaffolding.

Super hints

• Tired of mineral deposits clogging the works inside the tank of your toilet? Try dropping in a couple of denture tablets overnight. If they will clean your dentures, they will clean your toilet tank, too.

• It costs quite a bit to recycle old car tires, so finding a good use for them is a great idea. Lay them a few feet apart on the ground, and lay a couple of two-by-fours, side by side, between them. Now you have a super firewood rack that will keep the wood away from ground moisture and bugs.

• I am lucky to have my grandparents' old dining-room table. But I do have problems putting the leaves into it when we want to have guests over for dinner. The table is very old, and the slides and connectors get very difficult to work with. I have learned that a little WD-40 will help them slide and fit together much more easily. If you don't keep a can inside the house, you should, because it sure comes in handy.

Q. The sidewalk in front of my house has a large crack running all the way across it. I would like to know how to fix it, as I don't want anyone tripping over it. Can you tell me how to do this?

A. If the sidewalk is completely split apart and one side is raised, you probably should replace that section, as any repairs will just break apart again. If the crack is smaller and the walkway is still level, just clean any loose debris from the hole and use a pre-mixed patching compound, usually sold in a bucket, to make repairs. Make sure it has a bonding agent in the mix to help it "stick" to the existing concrete better. If the crack is a little smaller, you can use a mix from a caulking tube. Use a putty knife to smooth over your repair.

Q. One of my sprinkler heads has turned into a fountain. That is, it's shooting water up instead of spraying like it used to. I took a look at the sprinkler head and can see that the head is broken off. I can't get the base to turn out, though. I want to replace it. Can you tell me how to get the base out?

A. Use what is called an "inside pipe wrench," also known as a nipple extractor. You usually can find these where you buy your sprinkler heads in the hardware store or home center. It's a good tool to keep on hand.

Q. We had a deck built last spring, and the contractor said we should seal it in a few months after the pressure-treated lumber had a chance to settle in. I can't find his number any longer and was wondering how to tell if the deck is ready for sealing. Also, what do we use to seal it with?

A. I'm sure it's ready for sealing now. Just use something like Thompson's Water Seal. It's easy to apply and won't change the color or look of the deck. You'll probably want to do this every year to keep the deck from absorbing moisture, which can cause rotting and mildew.

Reader tips

• We found a banana tree that one of our neighbors was throwing away, and we brought it home to see if we could get it to grow in our yard. We put it in the ground but quickly discovered that it would need some support to hold it in the soil until it was rooted in. We put up some stakes and used old pantyhose to hold the tree between the stakes. The pantyhose seems to be not very abrasive on the trunk of the tree, and they are stretchy enough to allow for some movement. So far, so good. It really looks neat next to the pool.

• I recently built a pretty nice playhouse for the kids. It looks fantastic, if I do say so myself. I ran across a couple of knots in the wood as I was working and had trouble nailing into them. I found that if I used more light blows with the hammer than fewer strong blows, the nails wouldn't bend so much. I just thought I would pass this information on to others who might run into the same problem I was having.

Note: We just drill a small pilot hole.

• My older appliances looked pretty bad next to our new refrigerator after getting it installed. It is stainless steel, and the rest of the appliances are white. I found some stainless-steel peel-and-stick paper and used it to cover the dishwasher and the oven. It's kind of hard to work with, but it really looks great. I think I am going to try to do the microwave, too.

• I drained the coolant from my car's radiator. My father-in-law said it had another use - paint removal. I had an old brush that was pretty caked with paint and was going to throw it away, so I tried soaking it in the coolant to see if it would do any good. It took the old paint off the brush. I left it there overnight, so it didn't work quickly, but it did work. The old guy still has it! I was so impressed that I wanted to pass the info on to you.

• We hired a chimney sweep to clean our chimney before the first frost arrived. We use our fireplace quite a bit and hadn't had it cleaned in a couple of years. It's a good thing we did, because the sweep found two places where the flue was leaking into our attic. One more season could have spelled total disaster for our home and maybe even my family. I highly recommend getting your chimney inspected every year. If you haven't done it, please do it soon.

Shop talk

• The folks down in Louisiana are full of creative ideas, and Cajun Shine All is another one. The product was originally designed for cleaning cars but is also good for lots of other cleaning projects around the home. This environmentally safe cleaner is water-based all-purpose wax, polish and protectant, all in one. It contains no harmful petroleum distillates, alcohols or ammonia, but does contain antistatic moisture and dirt repellents and ultraviolet blockers. There are a variety of packages for different household and car uses. To learn more, visit the Web site www.cajunshineall.com.

• We all know that a galvanized finish is super tough and resists rust and corrosion. Krylon Rust Tough Prime is a specially formulated galvanizing primer that comes in a spray can. It can be sprayed directly over rust, is suitable for weld-through applications, fills scratches and protects the base metal. It dries quickly and can be used on wood, too. You can find it at paint dealers that sell Krylon products, including most home centers and hardware stores. To learn more about any Krylon product, visit the Web site www.krylon.com.

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

© 2008, Cowles Syndicate Inc.