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Top 10 tips for picking the perfect christmas tree

It's that time of year again - the time for picking out and decorating the family Christmas tree! Here are our top 10 tips on that very subject.

• Don't feel guilty about buying a fresh tree. They're cash crops and grown just for harvest. Better yet, visit a local tree farm and personally cut your tree down. (That's what we do every year!)

• Test your tree for freshness and weed out those that have excessive needle drop, brittle limbs or dried-out tissue under the bark.

• Cut off the end of the tree when you get it home, and put it into water or tree preservative immediately. Check www.thesuperhandyman.com for our homemade preservative formula.

• Place your tree, and stand, on a dropcloth or tarp so cleanup and maintenance will be easier.

• Lights go on first. Use LED or twinkle lights that stay cool and use less electricity. Arrange them into the branches, while plugged in, from the bottom upward instead of around and around. It will be easier to check and replace a bad strand later if you need to.

• Decorate the tree with your favorite ornaments, turn the lights out and post your family selfie on your favorite social media source to inspire others.

• Keep vents from blowing heated air on your tree, and check its water supply daily to prevent drying out.

• Never leave the lights on while you are away, no matter how tempting it might be.

• Keep a fire extinguisher, smoke detectors and other safety supplies handy, just in case.

• Have a super merry Christmas and enjoy every moment with your friends and family!

Bungee love

Most step ladders have a "paint shelf" on the back side to hold stuff. This does come in handy, but it could be made even handier. Keep a bungee cord hanging from it, and then you can tie down your paint can, tools or even a tool tray. A bungee also can come in handy when you fold your ladder away when you are finished using it. Use the bungee to tie it together and even secure it in your garage so it doesn't fall onto your vehicle. I love bungees!

Recycle rolls

Ever since Scott toilet paper came out with the stats about the massive number of cardboard cores that are thrown away every day, it made me think about the many ways you could recycle them. Staple one or two, vertically, on a wall in your garage, workshop or garden shed to hold your garden tools. Stick the handles of shovels and rakes down into them. Eventually the cores probably will degrade, but unless the new coreless toilet tissue really takes off, you'll still be able to find them pretty easily.

Super hints

• I love woodworking, but house cleaning … not so much. I clean my microwave the easy way. I just fill a bowl with water and nuke it on High for about five minutes. When it's done, I leave it in the microwave for 15 minutes to let the steam soften the food particles, and then just wipe it out.

• If you are lucky enough to have more than one or two bathrooms for guests to use, make sure you check them periodically, even if you are not using them. You might be surprised to find leaks, stains and other issues going on that you wouldn't find until right before your guests show up or damage has been done. Check closets, attics and basements for the same reason, especially around water heaters or air conditioners. You could save yourself thousands of dollars.

• The holidays usually mean food and family, and you can make a small table a lot bigger with just a sheet of thick plywood placed over it. Secure it if you feel the need to, and cover it with a tablecloth. After all, it's about being together around the table, no matter what that table is.

Q. We have a leather couch. Our son made some ink marks on it. I've tried the regular leather cleaners, but they don't completely erase the ink marks. What else would you suggest I try using?

A. If you haven't tried rubbing alcohol, see if that will cut through the ink. Just dab at it, as you don't want to overdo it and remove the coloring of the leather. Usually this will take care of ink stains on most surfaces.

Q. Why is my stainless-steel sink full of stains? I'm not sure what is going on, but I was hoping it would look good for a long time. What can I clean it with that will get rid of the stains and keep it looking better longer?

A. Check your grocery store or hardware store for a special stainless-steel cleaner. It really will do the job, and will add a little bit of a protective coating to keep it looking nicer longer. You can make your own by mixing a little vinegar and water. Follow it with olive oil for a shiny finish and a little protection.

Q. We use tarps around our farm for lots of things, and I have tried a lot of ways to patch them but have never found something that will last. Do you know of any good ways to patch a tear in a tarp to make it last?

A. I did a little research and found that there is an actual Heavy Duty Polyurethane Tarp Repair Tape. They say it really lasts if you do it right. You need to do it in a warm place, like inside the house or shop. Clean the tarp and apply the tape to both sides of the tear. Good luck!

Reader tips

• I finally figured out where the draft was coming from in our family room. The outlets on the outside wall were letting cold air into the room. It was quite obvious as I got closer to them and could feel the cold air. I found some super foam inserts for outlets like these, removed the cover and put them into the inside of each outlet. For about $1, I fixed this problem once and for all! The package came with nine more, so I will be putting them in some other outlets around the house, too.

• I bought some fake trees to decorate our home. They look good, but were starting to get a little dusty. I cleaned them by blowing off the dust with my hair dryer. Then I went back and vacuumed and dusted up the fallout. I'm sure there's probably a better way to do this, but this was my best idea and it should take care of the problem for a good while.

• We seem to move around a lot, so packing has become an art form for me and my family. My best secret tip is to pack breakable items in clothes. Wrap sweaters around dishes and use blankets and pillows to swaddle larger breakable items. You'll have less trash when you unpack, too, and fewer boxes overall.

• My dad told me years ago that soap was a good lubricant for nails, especially if they are hard to drive into wood. What I do when I find myself in this situation is sprinkle a little powdered laundry detergent right onto the nails or into my nail apron pouch. It really does work, and this is so easy to do. I find that I bend fewer nails this way, too!

• We love to decorate for the holidays, and get a lot of traffic for outdoor lights in our neighborhood. We make lighted Christmas trees all over our yard. We use different sizes of tomato cages, turned upside down and secured to the ground and wound with lights, as our trees. The larger ones are just tall poles with lights attached at the top and pulled down to the ground at an outward angle, spaced evenly around the pole. We get a lot of positive comments every year and really enjoy showing them off.

Shoptalk

• I love the FatMax line of tools from Stanley. The new Auto-Lock Tape Rule is the first auto-locking tape, so it's super efficient to use. It also has an 11-foot blade standout, which is a definite improvement over most others, and it has a detachable framing hook for even more convenience. It's built tough with BladeArmor to last up to 10 times longer than other similar tapes. It's available in a couple of good sizes, too. Check it out at www.stanleytools.com and at your favorite hardware store or home center. This would make a great gift for someone on your shopping list this year.

• Sealing around fireplace ducts and in other areas where fire-blocking is important is a lot easier with Dap Fireblock Foam Polyurethane Foam Sealant. The foam is the expandable type, so it's perfect for new buildings and renovations, and it's bright orange, so code identification is a lot easier. It comes in an easy-to-use can with a spray/extension tube and works with ease, even in cold temps. Use it to seal and improve your home's energy efficiency anywhere Type V sealant is needed. Check it out at www.dap.com or 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.

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