Think about safety first when using space heater
With the brief chillyweatherwe have experienced, it is important to understand, practice and protect your household and homewhen using space heaters. Please read and followthe do’s and don’ts of space heater use.
Don’t ever use an extension cord with a space heater. The cord on the space heaterwas designed to handle the load placed on it.
Cords will heat up, and if you add length to it you could start a fire by having a cord that will overheat and catch something on fire.
Never lay the cord of a space heater down on anything flammable aswell as never put the space heater on anything flammable because it gets very warm.
Never leave the cord on or put a space heater next to carpeting, bedspreads, blankets, draperies, towels in the bathroom, or near anything else that could potentially catch fire.
All space heaters should have an emergency shut- off in the event they are accidentally turned over. Turn the space heater on, turn it on its side and make sure it automatically turns off. If it does not, there is a problem with the mechanical cut- off and that space heater needs to be repaired or replaced immediately.
If the space heater has a build- up of dust and dirt, make sure you thoroughly clean the dirt and dust off the space heater. The reason is these particles can catch fire from the heat. If you suspect there are any problems with your space heater, ( i. e. fan motor not running, unit is making noise, elements are smoking, or if it smells funny) turn it off.
Use a space heater onlywhen you are awake, and the heater can be supervised; in most cases, it is best not to run a space heater when you’re sleeping.
Never leave a space heater onwhen you are not in the home. Chronicle, P. O. Box 4260, Houston, TX 77210, please allow six to eight weeks for delivery. You can get this information, as well as a lot of other money- saving tips, on www. thesuperhandyman. com. We hope to hear from you soon. Have a super day! Saving on solvent Solvent still is the fastest way to clean your paintbrushes, but it’s costly, and nobody likes to waste verymuch of it at a time.
What we’ve discovered is you can use a container that’s shaped like your paintbrush bristles to hold the brush and enough solvent to cover the bristles and notmuch more.
Some containers we like are a mouthwash container with the top half cut off, a lotion bottle that’s been cut in half and a hand- soap container with the top portion cut away. These containers are just a little larger than the bristles and will hold them upright while they soak in less solvent until they are clean.
Dear Carrells: I finally have a laundry room formy washer and dryer. I also have wall cabinets to store cleaners and other things in. I hadmy husband install a fold- up ironing board for me, and he put a small TV in the room for me. Last weekend, he added a shelf on the wall with a clothing rod on it. Now I have a place to hang things up in the room.— R. H.
A super hint— A good grinding wheel can come in handy in the workshop. When grinding metal, be careful to use amagnet to clean up metal splinters. If you blow them away, they can end up in your eyes or on your skin.
Dear Al: We cleaned out our garage and ended up with a lot of junk to throw away or sell. We donated all of the usable materials to Habitat for Humanity.
The nonbuilding materials went to the Salvation Army. I had to do some checking, but I finally found a local place that would take our old batteries, solvent, oil, tires and other “hazardous” materials.
Now our garage is clean and neat, and it’smuch easier to find what we need for a project or a trip.— G. V.
Q: Our home has standard vinyl siding. It needs to be cleaned, and I’m not sure how to do it. I’d like to do it as quickly as possible. What is the recommended
Power washers are great for this sort of thing. If you need cleaner, make sure you use one that is acceptable for your machine. Lower the pressure if you need to, and avoid windows and other more delicate household features. A scrub brush can be used on tough spots as long as you don’t scratch the surface.
A Super HandyMom tip— For vacuuming stairs and other long reaches, add a section or two of vacuumhose, and you can go farther without the machine. This is the perfect solution for many of us who don’t like or can no longer lug around a heavy vacuumcanister. Secure shelves to wall Many homes have tall ceilings these days, and to get the most storage in a space like that, your shelves need to be taller. If they are not built- in shelves, you need to be careful they don’t get overloaded and tip forward. One way to avoid this “pitfall” is to secure the shelf directly to the wall. You can use screws if you like, or you can install a hook and eye on the top corner of both sides of the shelf. Install the eye on the wall and the hook on the shelf. This will give you a little more security, and you’ll still get all that extra storage with the extra- tall shelf.
Dear Carrells: Our basement has metal support columns spaced across it. They never really bothered me, but when we renovated the room, they really became prominent, and not in a good way.
We had decided on a sort- of beachy- themed room, so we found some bamboo blinds that were as wide as the height of the room, and we wrapped the columns in these. We used glue to hold the blinds in place, and then wrapped rope around them at the top and bottom for extra security and to give them a neater look. The room turned out great, and the columns look good now.— G. K.
Dear Al: When we downsized, we lost our off- season storage closet, so I created one in the attic. I installed a closet rod in one corner of the attic and made a closet from foam panels. My wife bought sealable plastic suit bags to protect the clothes, and we have a nice closet space where we can store coats and jackets during the summer. In the winter, we get out the winter clothes out and store boxes of summer clothes there.— J. N.
Q: I use the 90- day furnace filters. My sister tells me I should change them more often than the recommended 90 days. What is your opinion? — T. H.
A: It depends on several things. Is your whole heating system ( ducts) sealed up securely? Is your home clean— free of dust, smoke, pets? If you remove the filters after 30 days and they are clean, then you can leave them in a little longer. If they have collected a lot of dirt, then you might need to replace them more often.
Dear Kelly: I discovered baby wipes are great for lots of cleaning projects around the house. Since they are made for babies, they have gentle cleaners in them, and since they are wet and ready to use, they are perfect for the kitchen and garden. I use them in the bathroom to clean up small messes and to removemy makeup.— T. R.
Got a question or a handy tip? Send it to The Super Handyman in care of the Houston Chronicle, or visit www. thesuperhandyman. com. Those of general interest will be used in future columns.