What to do at the end of the lawn-mowing season

It's hard to believe it's the end of lawn-mowing season again. Yahoo! However, don't put the mower away without doing some basic maintenance, or it might not start next season.

It won't take that long. Just do these few things, and you'll be glad you did come April.

You need to get rid of the gas in the tank. If you have a drain plug on your mower, great, use it. If not, you can use a hand pump to siphon it out. Then start the mower to run the rest of it out of the carburetor.

The oil is next. If you have a drain plug, drain the oil out. Siphon it out if you can't drain it. You will be putting new oil in when you're done, but you have some other things to do first, so hold up on that.

Pull the spark plug or plugs next. It's a good idea to start with fresh plugs, so go ahead and replace them. It's not expensive to do.

Clean the air filter next. Most mowers have a combination of filter systems. There will be a rigid, pleated filter, which you can tap or blow the dirt from. There also might be a foam filter. You can wash this with soap and water. Let it dry, and then put a couple of drops of oil on it and work it over the surface. This will help catch more grass and protect your mower's engine. If either of these parts is looking ragged, just replace it.

This is a good time to make repairs to the deck, handles, wheels and other moving parts. Paint any bare metal spots and lubricate moving parts. Pull the spark plug wire from the plug and clean the underside of the mower deck, too.

Now you can replace the motor oil. Pull the cord a couple of times to turn the motor. It won't start, but it will help distribute the oil inside the casing.

You'll want to replace the blade or sharpen it but wait until spring for that. If you put a fresh blade on now and keep the mower in the garage, it will probably rust while it's sitting around. Just remember to pull the plug wire whenever you have to work under the deck, as an accidental start could cause you severe damage.

This is all you have to do, and when it's done, you can rest until next spring.

Mark twice, cut once

Wood paneling can be expensive, and you sure don't want to cut out holes for outlets, switches and receptacles in the wrong spot! Here's a simple way to mark these areas to be cut before you actually hack into your expensive paneling. Remove the cover plates, which you have to do anyway, but start the screws back into the mounting holes of the outlet. Then put a dab of paint on the end of each screw. As you place the paneling over the area, press it gently toward the wall, allowing the paint to mark the backside of the paneling. This is your cut-out diagram. If you want to double-check it, dab the screws with a second color and repeat this procedure. In this case, the rule is mark twice, cut once!

Super hints

- Often, when you seal up your home, like we are all doing these days, the moisture that's generated by everyday life builds up. A small dehumidifier is a great thing to have on hand and can clear the problem up quickly. Don't forget to use bathroom vents after your showers.

- I love my chiminea. It smells wonderful with the pinon wood burning while I work in the yard. I found a great way to light it with some homemade lighters. I fill old cardboard toilet-tissue tubes with twigs, old wax candles and scraps of paper. The cardboard tubes are easy to light and burn long enough to ignite the wood.

Q. Our backyard slopes toward our house, and water collects there after a rain. I fear a foundation problem eventually, but don't know what to do. Got any brilliant ideas?

A. This is the perfect place for a French drain. Do a little research and see how it is done, then decide if you want to do it yourself or hire a pro. It should resolve your issues.

Q. We have a tree next to our driveway that has some red berries that drop onto the pavement all the time. Then the cars run over them and grind them into the surface. The stains are impossible to get off. Please tell us what we can use to remove them?

A. If you have access to a power washer, give that a shot first. Then, if you still need more cleaning, try using mineral-spirits paint thinner to dilute the stain and then scrub it off. If that doesn't work, try bleaching it out with liquid laundry bleach. Be careful with both of these things, as they could damage your lawn.

Reader tips

- My screens are aging, but still are mostly in good shape. They just seem to be getting dried out. They are vinyl, so I thought I would try some auto vinyl cleaner/conditioner you know, the stuff in the black and yellow bottle? Well, it cleaned them, and it does seem to have conditioned them. They are less brittle now. I think they might tear less often, too.

- I added a workbench to my garage shop. The problem: I have only one power outlet in my garage, and it is on the ceiling for the garage-door opener. I ran a heavy-duty extension cord from this overhead outlet to my workbench. I have that plugged into a full power strip that is mounted on the bench top. This gives me all the power I need. (You'd do better doing some rewiring, but be sure it's code compliant.)

Shop talk

Painting stripes on your walls is difficult, but the U-Stripe It & Design Tool is a crazy gadget that makes it easy. The tool eliminates the need for measuring and marking walls, using levels, straightedges and all the rest of the stuff you would normally need to haul in to do this job. This one tool is all you need. Once you set it up for your design, you can easily tape off the stripes in a fraction of the time. Paint is much less expensive than wallpaper, and this tool costs very little, too. Check it out at www.ustripeit.com, and watch the video to see how easy it is to use.

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.

© 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.