Keep your dishwasher working hard for you with these tips

A dishwasher is a luxury many of us take for granted. I'm all for hand washing and think it even can be therapeutic, but if I have a dishwasher and I am having to wash the dishes by hand either before or after I use the machine, there's a problem. Here are a few things you can do to get your dishwasher working at its peak level.

• Open it up and take a close look at it. Check in the bottom for food debris that didn't go down the drain, or utensils and other small items, and remove these.

• Pull out the trays and set them aside. Clean them and use a rubber-patching paint and some end caps to cover any bare metal spots. Your hardware store will have these things, or you can get them online.

• If your dishwasher has a rotating arm, make sure it moves. You also need to check the spray holes to make sure they are not clogged with something.

• If your spray arm moves up and down, pull it up to make sure it moves freely.

• To thoroughly clean the inside surfaces, use half vinegar and half water. Baking soda makes a good abrasive for the tough spots.

• If your dishwasher has a place for rinse aids to be installed, use these for fewer spotty dishes.

• Choose a detergent that dissolves easily in your unit. It should fit the dispenser tray with room to allow it to open correctly during the washing cycle. If you find your detergent clogging, it's time to switch brands.

• Once it's working well, you can focus more on getting the most from it and maybe even saving some money when you are using it. Make sure it's full when you use it, and let your dishes air-dry when you can. You might even consider using a short cycle when your dishes aren't very dirty.

Measuring stick

A few months ago we got a notice that our tree was overhanging the street too much. We bought a pole saw to trim it back with. The code in our city says trees must clear 14 feet. But we weren't sure how to measure the actual height of our tree branches. We extended our saw all the way, and put a green piece of tape around the handle at the 14-foot spot. Now we can use this to check our own and keep them under better control.

Ladder tip

While decorating for Halloween, I found myself up on my ladder, which is always risky business. I customized my stepladder by gluing a plastic ice tray to the top step, which is never to be used as an actual step. This ice tray is a great place to keep hardware handy while you are working. I was able to keep everything sorted and get just what I needed easily while working. Best of all, there were no trips up and down the ladder!

Super hints

• When you are getting ready to add a tree to your landscape, there are several things to consider. Some people would plant a fast-growing tree to get quick shade, but my plant guy tells me that most fast-growing trees don't live very long.

• I usually try to replace caulk as soon as I see it failing. Once it starts, it can progress quickly and cause additional damage. Since my caulk beads usually are not very pretty, I choose to smooth them as I go. I like to use an ice cube to do this, as they look very smooth and don't get any stains on my hands. It also seems to help it cure a little faster. Try it the next time you are replacing your caulk.

• When you are using a chemical that warns you on the label to have adequate ventilation, please heed these warnings. If you can use the material outdoors, do so. If you need to use it indoors, open several windows and add fans if you can. This is very important, so read those labels and do it!

Q. Our house has a white composition roof. In fact, most of the homes in our neighborhood do. We are noticing what I assume are smoke stains from the fireplace. How do I wash these off without damaging the roof?

A. You should be able to use some detergent and water to wash the stains from the roof. Just don't do a lot of scrubbing. As far the smoke stains, I suggest you have your fireplace inspected by a chimney sweep. You shouldn't have many stains caused by smoke, so either there is problem with the chimney draw or possibly with the chimney itself.

Q. We are having an issue with our automatic garage door opener. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. I can get the button inside the garage to work most of the time, but the ones in the cars quite often don't. What can I do about this?

A. There are a couple of things that might cause this. First of all, fresh batteries in the handheld buttons might correct the problem. The remotes themselves may also be going bad. Also, if your ceiling control has an antenna wire on it, it could be damaged. There also is a control panel inside the main unit that can go bad, but usually you will see an immediate loss of function if this is the case. If you need additional help, your manufacturer usually is only a call away.

Q. I have to remove a few bricks from the back of my house, and I would like to be able to reuse them. What's the best way to get them out without damaging them?

A. Use a masonry bit on your drill and just drill into the mortar with a series of holes all the way around each brick. This should get most of the mortar out of the way. Then work the bricks out. You can use a rotary tool with a grinder bit to clean them off. Make sure you seal up this area quickly, as any moisture that gets into this cavity where the bricks were can cause a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

Reader tips

• I've tried to make my apartment a little less drafty during the winter, but I don't want to spend a lot of money, since I rent. I used extra-large baking sheets placed behind my radiators to help reflect a lot of the heat back into the room. It helps quite a lot, and is super easy to do. I had to actually use one of them for baking last month, but they mostly stay behind the radiators. It's a cheap, temporary fix.

• I try to make things easier, especially when it's a hard chore. We took our patio furniture to the local drive-through car wash instead of trying to wash it with a garden hose. We even used the spray-on wax to keep from rusting over during the winter. This is the way to go from now on!

• I never can read the numbers on the sides of my sockets, no matter how deeply they engrave them. I just bought some price tag stickers at my office-supply store, and wrote the sizes on these labels and stuck them right on the side of each socket. I'm sure they will come off at some point, but it's so much faster and easier to label them this way, and they are a heck of a lot easier to read, too.

• The kids are old enough to have a little playhouse, and we were lucky to find one at a garage sale down the street. It is older and is a little faded, but the plastic it's made from is still in one piece. I bought some of the new spray paint made for plastics and painted the whole thing. It looks so great now, and the kids are really enjoying it.

• I would love to have granite countertops, but they are not in my budget anytime soon. I did replace my countertops, though. I just went right over the laminate, after sanding it, with a mosaic tile made of broken-up tiles of many neutral colors. I glued them down, grouted them and then sealed the grout. They look amazing!

Shoptalk

• Great Stuff is the first choice of most handy people for sealing up gaps around the house. It comes in a variety of formulas for every purpose. But you may not have tried the dispenser gun with it yet. Yes, it's quite fun, and makes getting the foam in just the right spot so much easier. It also helps you get the most out of the can, because you can pick up a partially used can and use it again with this gun. There are a few different sizes, and most will allow you to adjust the flow rate. Just look for this tool next to the Great Stuff Pro Series in your hardware store or home center. You'll love it! For more information, go to www.greatstuff.com.

• There are several parts of a drywall repair that take a little practice. Setting the screws at just the right depth is one of these. If you drive them too deeply, then the paper facing gets torn and this can cause problems in the future. And if the screws are sticking out too far, then your drywall compound patch is going to show. There is a special bit that you can buy to put on your drill that will take the guesswork out of this part of the job. Several manufacturers have these and most are made to fit any standard drill. The Dimpler by Bosch is a good one and it's so simple to use. It's pretty much foolproof, even for me, so check it out at your hardware store or home center.

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

© 2014, Cowles Syndicate Inc.