Super Handyman: Tips for keeping allergies at a minimum
Indoor air quality suffers when your home is closed up tightly. In the northern parts of the country, winter is high season for allergies. But in the South, the summer months mean more allergies, for the same reason: Homes are sealed up tighter. But no matter where you live, there are some things you can do to cut down on the worst culprits.
Dust and dust mites are one of the most common problems. Dust mites feed on dead skin and other debris from our daily lives. They are more common in bedrooms because of the great (for them) living conditions and steady supply of food there. Wash bed linens in hot water often. Don’t forget blankets and bedspreads. If you can’t clean them yourself, take them to the dry cleaner and have it done for you. You can buy mattress covers that zip around the edges to protect you from dust and dust mites. They make covers for box springs and pillows, too.
Vacuum carpets as often as you can. This keeps the dust and allergens under control and even will help your carpets last longer.
If you have pets, you need to brush them every day. This removes loose hair that may be a problem for you and your family, and also removes pollen and other allergens from their fur. Wash pet bedding once a week in hot water as well. Have your pet groomed periodically, too.
Proper ventilation of your home also can help. If you have central heating and air conditioning, use high-grade filters that are made to remove more dust and pollen from the air. They should be changed often as well. Consider adding a whole-house air filter, if you can afford it. Individual room air filters also are pretty handy, and can do a pretty good job if used properly.
As you can see, cleanliness is the most important factor. That being said, remember that even some cleaners can cause allergies, so use more green cleaners like vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice if you can. You’ll probably see a big difference, and you save some money, too. Now, that’s a breath of fresh air!
Tile your patio for lessTiling a patio can be a backbreaking job, although the results will be spectacular. But if you want to save some time and money and still get your #147;tiled#148; patio, try covering the entire surface with concrete topper. This is a thin, self-leveling concrete material that is mixed and poured right on top of the existing concrete. Before it sets up, use a scrap of one-by-three-inch stock lumber to press gently into the surface, creating fake mortar joints to outline squares. These joints can be left plain or can be filled with grout, also very inexpensive. Your square #147;tiles#148; can be painted with concrete paint or stained.Safer saw storageWhether you store your hand saws on pegboard or by some other means, the blade is likely to be exposed. This not only is a safety hazard for you, but it#146;s not too good for the blade either. It would be best if you had a blade guard in place. Some saws come with one, but you can make your own, usually better than the one that came with the saw. A section of discarded garden hose works well. Just cut it to the same length as the blade, and then slit it all the way down the side. Place the blade into the slit and use a couple of rubber bands to hold the guard over the blade to keep it in place. Super hintsŸ Day-Glo tape is easy to spot just about anywhere in the house or garage. Wrap it around chemicals and other shop supplies to warn others, like kids, to stay away! Danger!Ÿ Rolling on a paint finish is the fastest way to get the job done. But you can customize your paint roller and get some pretty cool effects. Use masking tape around the roller every inch to create a striped paint finish. Just roll the paint in one direction to get the effect. Roll it perpendicular and get a checked look. Ÿ Need a quick desk or workbench in a hurry? Try using a door. All you need are a couple of file cabinets, sawhorses or even some large concrete blocks to use as a base, and the door lays on top to create a super-large work surface.Q. I have a large lamp on my back porch. I have tried a couple of different bulbs in it but decided that the extra-bright CFL was the best for most times. But there are times when I wish it were not so bright. Can I put a dimmer on it?A. They actually make a CFL light bulb that has a built-in dimmer switch right on the side of the bulb base. This might be perfect for you. We found it at Home Depot, but it#146;s probably available at most lighting stores.Q. Our back patio has an awning, so it#146;s shaded most of the day. It#146;s always a little damp, and we have a real problem with mold and mildew there. What do you suggest to help control it?A. A mixture of bleach and water is the best way to clean any surface with mold or mildew on it. It will kill the spores that cause mildew. After you clean the surface, apply a water seal to wood and concrete surfaces to prevent moisture from penetrating. See if you can add ventilation by cutting back trees or moving surrounding plants or furniture. Make sure rainwater drains away from the patio.Q. My carpet doesn#146;t look that bad, but I#146;ve been told it#146;s time to replace it, based on its age. What about the padding?A. If the carpet is stained or smells bad and cleaning doesn#146;t fix it, then yes, it#146;s time for a change. We#146;ve also been advised that it#146;s good to replace the padding at the same time. Don#146;t choose the cheapest padding, either #8212; a good padding will help your carpet last longer. Make sure you inspect the subsurface under the padding as well. Take care of any mold or mildew problems, and clean and seal the surface under the padding to protect it.Reader tipsŸ I wanted to update my kitchen appliances, but that just wasn#146;t in the budget. I was able to give them a new look, however, by just covering the front panels with stainless-steel contact paper. I found it at my hardware store, and bought two rolls for the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher. They look new, and the stainless steel really looks nice in the room. I think I will get that finish when I do finally replace them.Ÿ I love to refinish old furniture pieces, but liquid paint strippers get a little costly. I try to strain the paint stripper when I can and reuse it, if possible. When I have to do small items, I put them all together in the strainer, lower it into a bucket and cover them with the stripper to let it do its job. This way, I can pull the strainer out with the smaller items to finish cleaning them off. It takes the paint with it and leaves me with clean stripper for the next job.Ÿ Our summer vacation will start soon, and I#146;ve been checking out the beach house and making repairs in preparation. I had stored a box of tools there for the winter so I would have some when I needed them, but I found them really rusted. I didn#146;t consider what the salt air would do to them during the winter. They looked really bad when I opened up the box. I cleaned them up and replaced the ruined tools, and will keep them stored inside the house rather than in the garage from now on.Ÿ We bought new vinyl webbing for our patio furniture. It was not hard at all to replace it, and the old furniture looks brand new again. Plus, we have better matching colors now. The one thing I did that I wanted to tell you about was seal the ends of the vinyl strips so they wouldn#146;t unravel so quickly. I used a small gas lighter to #147;melt#148; the fibers together on the ends. This seals them so they won#146;t unravel.Ÿ I#146;ve discovered that I can keep the pests down in my garden by planting certain plants with my veggies. Marigolds, mint and sage are some of my favorites. These plants put off a smell or something that the vegetable pests don#146;t like. It seems to chase them off. I also have some beautiful plants to look at along with the veggies. Try searching online for #147;companion plants#148; and see what you come up with. It#146;s a natural way to take care of the problem, too.Shop talkŸ Coconut Charcoal from afire is a safer, non-petroleum fuel source that makes grilling more green. Made of the inner hard shell of a coconut, it lights faster and burns longer than standard charcoal products. Check it out at www.afireinc.com and all see the grilling planks that will give your steaks a real upgrade. Ÿ The Artful Winemaker Personal Winemaking System is a really fun kit. We tested it and made our own case of cabernet-shiraz wine in only four weeks. It was so simple and clean to use, and the wine was pretty good. It couldn#146;t have been easier to make, and we loved the process. The kit comes with super instructions and an informative DVD. Everyone who attended our tasting wanted a bottle to take home. Refill kits for all seven varieties contain everything you need to make a new batch, except the bottles. We are looking forward, as are our friends, to our next tasting. We#146;re going to try a chardonnay next. To find out more, visit www.artfulwinemaker.com. Ÿ Petroleum jelly is an incredibly useful concoction. It#146;s perfect in the shop and super in the home. We bet you would love a list that we have put together of some of the many uses we have found for this stuff in and around the house. Some you may have tried, but hopefully others will be new to you. Heck, you may have some clever uses that we didn#146;t list. If so, let us know, and we will add them to our list. We also will have it posted on our website at www.thesuperhandyman.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.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$