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EPISODE #57- SATURDAY OCTOBER 16, 2010
We are
just a couple weeks away from Halloween. Does it seem like the
seasons are moving fast? Soon the holidays will be here and so
will the guests. After making your
third trip
to the store for Halloween candy (it never seems to make it to
the holiday), take some time to do some fix-it jobs around the
house so you won’t feel rushed later this season.
Organizing your
Bathroom
Counter space is at a premium in the home
and that is especially true in the bathroom. We asked Linda
Gemal from
Rejuvenate your Home ( 503-803-8000)
to give us some tips on how to organize your bathroom cabinets.
Most people have quite a mess under their cabinets. In the
bathroom the clutter is really bad. Organizing this space is
tough; there are water pipes and drains to consider. First,
clean out the area you are trying to organize and then measure
the space under the sink and find out what type of room you have
to work with. Take these measurements to the local home
improvement or container store. Look for someone that can point
you in the right direction and help you make an efficient space.
Linda went to the Container Store and found a lot of fun and
functional drawers and bins. Linda picked out some trays that
had rollers and were stackable. She also picked out ones that
were clear so she can see what are in the drawers without
opening them. Once she had them installed you can really see how
much better the space is organized. There is much more room for
storage and it is much cleaner too. What a great way to take
control of your bathroom again.
Cutting a
Potato
If you are looking to make fresh cut
potatoes you may have run into a problem with slicing due to the
round shape of it. Chef David showed us how easy it is to cut
once you know a few tricks. First, cut of a small slice on one
side. This will allow you to have a flat surface on one side and
it becomes more stable to slice. From here you can make
scalloped potatoes by cutting off rounds, or you can slice long
planks that can then be sliced into long French (or steak)
fries. Then you can also cut these down even more by dicing them
for a southern style hash
brown!
Terra Casa Wine Gadgets
Wine is growing in popularity and
bringing wine as a gift seems to be the ‘hostess gift’ of
choice. Why not shake things up a bit and give a wine gift that
will last longer than an evening? We stopped by
Terra Casa
(503-577-8242)
to chat with Diane about all the different and unique wine
themed gifts that you can get for yourself or friends. The first
thing that caught our eye was the wine bags that you can get.
These are decorative bags that protect the wine and keep it
chilled. Next we saw the new wine aerator that fits on top of
the bottle. Some wines can really benefit by adding air to them
(known as ‘letting them breathe’) before drinking. This device
does that as you pour! We also saw some new silicone corks that
really seal the bottle. The problem with wines is that they can
get a little funky if they get too much air. These corks help
prevent that. Terra Casa also has a lot of cute decorative corks
as well. Next Robin showed us how to use the Rabbit. This is an
incredible wine opening tool that anyone can use! It works in
one smooth simple operation. They even have wine rings to
prevent drips after you pour! If you are looking for some fun
and unique wine tools, check out Terra Casa.
Garage Door Testing
The garage doors and their maintenance are
one of those projects that we never do, but these doors are
important access points to our homes and should be checked once
a year or more. David walked us through the different steps to
see how that they are working properly. The first step is to
check the ‘balance’ of the garage door. Disengage the door from
the track by pulling the cable release. Then pull the door up
and down. It should be easy to pull and it shouldn’t move on its
own without your help. If it sticks it could mean a problem with
the cables or springs. The springs and cables can be under a lot
of pressure and so you shouldn’t try to work on these by
yourself. They could snap loose and cause you and the door some
serious damage. Next we tested the safety reversing mechanism.
Place a 2x4 or a 2x2 under the door. Activate your opener, the
door should close, hit the obstruction and reverse open. This
means that the reversing mechanism is working. Next you want to
test the sensitivity of the reversing mechanism. Stand with your
arms out and close the door. When it hits your arms you should
give a little resistance and see if the door reverses. This is
one of the most important features of the garage door. You can
adjust the sensitivity so it reverses easily. This is to protect
children, pets and property from getting crushed if the door
closes on them. Also, if you have a photo-electric eye sensor
near the floor, make sure that works as well. If you get in over
your head, check with a qualified professional.
Cleaning
Your
Gutters
As the fall approaches you will want to
get your gutters ready for the falling leaves and other issues
that come along with that. If you don’t clean your gutters you
can have them plug up and overflow, and that can create some
structural problems in your roof. The problem is that it can
take quite a while to clean if you have to move the ladder a lot
just to get the job done. We found that using a leaf blower is
the best way to do the job quickly and efficiently. Start at the
downspout and blow away from it. This will prevent stuff from
falling down the spout and plugging it up. You will also do want
to do your gutters first before you clean below. You don’t want
to clean below twice! Don’t forget your ear and eye protection
and finally be aware that the City of Portland has new rules for
leaf blower use within the city limits. You can find the
quietest approved models listed here,
but the best rule of thumb is to be a good neighbor when you use
a blower.
Weather
Stripping
The cold days are soon to be upon us and
if you are looking for a quick fix for cold drafts and other
‘heat’ leaks in your house, weather stripping may be your
answer. David and Robin tackled 2 of the areas where you can
make a difference really quick; your doors and windows. If you
have an older door you will want to close the door and run the
stripping along the sides and top of the door, making sure that
there are no gaps between the door and the foam. Make sure that
you measure well so you don’t cut your pieces too short. You can
also install a door sweep at the base of the door to complete
the job and cut the heat loss under the door. If you have a
newer door you may just need to replace the old, worn out tubing
in the frame around the door. If you have questions, take a
piece to your local hardware store to get some help.
Your windows can also use a little help.
Newer windows are pretty well built, but you can still look for
cracks in the weather stripping or the seal around the window.
Older windows can also use a quick fix with the foam stripping.
It can be a simple as running a piece under the window. Pick up
a pack at your local hardware store and simply follow the
instructions on the package.
Cleaning
Stickers
Off Your Doors
Our girls recently
left for college and in the process of fixing up one of the
rooms as a guest room we found the back of the door covered in
stickers! This had us wondering if we could remove the sticker
without damaging the door. Once again we found ourselves at
Parr Lumber
(503-531-7277) to talk to Chris about what to do. Stickers can
be a problem because of the type of adhesive used on the
sticker. Chris told us about 2 different products, Goof Off and
Krud Kutter. The Goof Off is a stronger product and it could
remove some of the paint off of the door. He recommended this
product for the tougher jobs and for jobs where we were going to
repaint. The Krud Kutter may require a little more elbow grease,
but it is not as strong and there is less danger in damaging the
paint. Once we got home we pealed off as much of the old
stickers as we could and then applied the product. After a few
minutes we started rubbing the adhesive and it came off. In a
half an hour the whole job was done! If you have a job that
seems too tough to handle, check in with our friends at Parr for
tips to make that job easier.
Check
Your
Roof
With the cold wet days of winter
approaching it is a good time to get up on your roof to make
sure you can avoid future problems. Mike Satran of
Interstate Roofing ( 503-684-5611)
took us up on a roof to show us some of the things a homeowner
should look for. First of all check for nails that may be
exposed, they could mark the point where a small leak could
start. You also want to check the flashing and seals around your
chimney and skylights. You should also check the grout on your
chimney to make sure that it is intact and not chipped or broken
off. Next we moved to an overhanging tree. This is a problem
because the branches have rubbed the shingles off in places and
even started to wear a hole in the roof. An arborist may need to
be called if the job is too big or requires some big cutting
(you don’t want to carry a chainsaw up there yourself). Finally
we checked out the flat roofs and talked about what to look for
up there like pooling water, plugged drains and damaged
skylights. Of course, if you get in ‘over your head’ you can
always call the experts at Interstate Roofing. |
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