Easy, but vital, steps help childproof your home

Children are our future, and their safety should come first, especially in our homes, where they spend most of the first few years of their lives. There are a slew of child-proofing gadgets available, and here are some other tips that might help.

Electrical outlets probably are the first thing you will notice, and these can easily be disarmed with inexpensive, easy-to-install plug covers. Curtain pulls, lamp cords and other cords should be tied up, cut away or removed from the areas where children will be. Remove food, drugs and chemicals that could cause harm, and lock all cabinets and drawers.

Remove keys, knobs and other controls for appliances, heaters and other items within reach. Turn water heaters down or install anti-scald devices on tubs, showers and sinks to prevent injuries. Make sure exterior doors can be locked up higher or keys can be removed so children can't wander outside, and remove locks from interior doors like bathrooms.

Baby gates are super for protecting children from stairs and other dangerous areas.

Remove candles, potpourri and other items from tables, and add bumpers to sharp corners. Make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order.

You can't be too careful, and there is no way to prevent all accidents, so keep an eye on children in the home and be prepared to act quickly. If you take precautions, those first few years will be full of wonderful memories that should last a lifetime.

Stretch your dollar

Cash in on this handy tip! How many times have you been without a ruler or tape measure when you needed it? Well, it's probably happened to most of us at one time or another. But you usually have your wallet handy.

And, no, you don't have to go to a store and buy a ruler - just use a dollar bill. The average dollar bill is about 6 inches long. A quarter is about 1 inch long.

These measurements might not be exact enough to use for most projects, but if you are trying to determine if the new trash can will fit in the pantry or something simple like that, it will do the job.

Q. I tracked some black tar from my driveway into my house. I was able to get the spots off the carpet but can't find anything that will touch the vinyl flooring. It's a no-wax type, only a couple of years old, so I don't want to ruin it. What would you recommend I try?

A. Mineral spirits paint thinner is a good tar remover. It shouldn't hurt the finish but, just to be safe, you should try it in an out-of-the-way spot first. You also could check with the manufacturer of the flooring to see if it recommends a particular cleaner. Many flooring dealers carry special cleaners that you might also try. Good luck.

Q. What causes the dark streaks that seem to come from the nails in my cedar fence? Is there any way to clean this off?

A. This is probably coming from the nails used to install the fence. Normally, one uses galvanized screws or nails to avoid this. You can try a fence cleaner and see if that will take the marks off. You can try spot-treating. But it might be hard to do, and you may end up having to clean the whole fence.

Q. The bedroom set of furniture that we had professionally stripped looks great now that we have finished it, but it still has a "chemical" smell to it. What can we do to get rid of it?

A. You might try sealing the inside of the drawers and cabinets with polyurethane or some other clear sealer. It's possible that the chemical smell is left over from the stripping process and the sealer will seal it in so you don't smell it.

Q. I have noticed that our ceiling fan is starting to squeak. I checked the owner's manual, and it says that you shouldn't ever have to lubricate it. It sure sounds like it needs to be oiled to me, but I guess I could be wrong. Should I try anyway, or is there something else wrong with it?

A. It probably wouldn't hurt to try and squirt a little lubricant on the motor shaft if you can get to it. Just make sure to catch any drips before they hit the floor or furniture, and hopefully the squeak will be silenced.

Reader tips

• My wife suggested that I spray the snow shovel with some Pam cooking spray. You are supposed to use this stuff on a cooking pan so that your food won't stick to it when you bake it. I thought she was crazy, but she came outside and just gave the shovel a shot before I got started today. It actually helped to stop the snow from caking up on the shovel. I couldn't believe it and never would have tried it on my own. It made the work much faster to not have to stop and shake the snow off every few shovelfuls.

• You'll love this. I was going to paint our ceiling fan blades to match the kitchen better. When I took them down, though, I got inspired and decided to wallpaper them instead. I used wallpaper that went with my existing border and, after applying it with paste, I used decoupage medium over it to keep it in place better. It really looks great! I knew you would appreciate it!

• We have a glass door on the front of our home, and the over-the-door wreath holder won't work because it prevents the door from closing properly. We have tied the wreath to the door, but then it swings around too much. Magnets don't work either, and we were going to give up until we tried a heavy-duty stick-on hook. I think it's made by 3M. It's easy to remove if you want to, but I think we probably will just switch out the wreaths with the seasons.

• My paintbrushes get a good cleaning after each use. I buy expensive ones, and I like to take care of them so they will last longer. I always use the right cleaners and then, to keep them in great shape, I put some fabric softener in the final rinse. This keeps the bristles soft and pliable, even after they dry. I wrap them in plain paper to keep the bristles smooth, too.

• I had part of a large sheet of metal left over from a project my son and I did for Scouts. I didn't want it to go to waste, so I looked around for a project I could use it for. I finally decided to tack it to the shop wall to use as a magnetic note board. I added some old refrigerator magnets to the front. Now we have a great place to keep receipts, shopping lists, instructions and other information handy.

Super hints

• To keep ice from building up on the inside of your freezer door, clean the edges of the door and gasket thoroughly and then coat them with a little petroleum jelly. This will give you a super seal on the door and no more ice buildup!

• Stick incense is the perfect tool to locate air leaks around doors and windows. Hold the lit stick up to the window and move it around the seams. If you watch it closely, you will see where the smoke is moving, so you can add a little extra weatherstripping to those spots.

Shop talk

• A good tape measure will last a long time, and Stanley knows this, especially within its own product line. It is now offering a personalized model just for you. Purchase the Stanley FatMax Tape Measure and have your name put right on the side. The 11-foot standout capacity, super-tough blade, high-impact ABS case and rubber overbold are just a few of the great features, not to mention the fact that your personal tape measure will never be borrowed and not returned to you. Check this out at your hardware store or home center, or online at stanleytools.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 thesuperhandyman.com.

© 2008, Cowles Syndicate Inc.