The Home Know-It-All

Tips for Using Craigslist

The website Craigslist has gained a reputation for being one of the most useful instruments for selling anything from garage sale leftovers to autos and boats, as well as finding or marketing jobs and housing. It has also been shrouded in controversy and tainted by shocking reports of theft, scandal, and violence. Here are some tips for using Craigslist safely and to your greatest advantage. 

When Selling

• Avoid attaching pictures to your ad that disclose your exact location or provide compromising information like license plate numbers or images of family members. 
• Rather than give buyers your phone number as your primary contact, ask them to email you through Craigslist—the website disguises your actual e-mail address, but relays messages. 
• Only accept cash as payment—personal checks can bounce and leave you without any means of recouping your loss. There has also been a history of fake certified and cashier's checks being used for purchases on Craigslist. 
• If the deal feels wrong in any way, walk away. If someone offers you more money for your product than it's worth, it's likely a scam. 

When Buying

• The only personal information sellers need to know is your email address. Though some find it easier to negotiate or set up a meeting by phone, the same can be done through emails alone. Never give out your address or any additional identifying information that could put you at risk. 
• Because you'll likely be buying with cash, you are placed in a vulnerable position—you are agreeing to meet a complete stranger who, after negotiating price, knows you'll have a specific amount of cash and knows exactly when and where to find you. Be wary. 
• Meet in a busy public place, and if possible, bring friends. Always tell someone the exact details of where you're going, who you're meeting, and at what time. This holds true for those selling on Craigslist, too. 
• If the seller demands money up-front for a service or as a deposit, especially when you wish to rent a property without seeing it first, you could be walking into a scam. Again, if it doesn't feel right, why risk it? 

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at The Home Know-It-All!

Storage Solutions for Thanksgiving Leftovers

If there's one tradition that corresponds closely with Thanksgiving and the holidays, it's large quantities of leftovers. Finding storage solutions for the remains of your bounteous banquet can be difficult. Here are some tips. 

Freeze Freely
Before you begin cooking for Thanksgiving, make room in your freezer. According to the USDA, cooked turkey lasts four months in the freezer—plenty of time to use up your leftovers without eating turkey for every meal. 

Package Meals
Take the work out of eating leftovers by storing a little of everything in several meal-sized containers. Then when you want a quick meal, grab one of the containers from the refrigerator and heat it in the microwave. 

Reuse Cleverly
After gorging yourself on a Thanksgiving meal, you and your family may want a little time away from the leftovers. Try spicing them up by using them to make other meals—use ham to make split pea soup, or mix your ham and potatoes with eggs, bell peppers, and onion for a breakfast frittata. You can use turkey to make comforting homemade turkey-and-noodle soup or turkey potpies. For more clever leftover recipes, visit cdkitchen.com. 

Send Goodies With Guests
How better to handle leftovers than to give them to your Thanksgiving guests? Divide and conquer storage of your extra food by sending some home with friends and family.

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Holiday Buying Guide

For years, my Dad has had a holiday tradition all his own—he thrives on last minute, down-to-the-wire gift shopping. If you prefer not to run a gauntlet of procrastinating shoppers desperately searching the picked-over remains of store shelves, start early with these gift ideas. 

 

Flip UltraHD Video Camera: $199.99 — If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words can you fit into two hours of HD video recording? With no need for additional memory cards or tapes, the Flip UltraHD can plug into PC or Macs via USB with no additional software. 

L'Occitane Shea Embrace Gift Set: $65 — Show that special lady in your life that you care about her moisture levels with the L'Occitane Shea Embrace Gift Set. It's filled with a plethora of pleasing lotions and creams—all infused with rich Shea butter to hydrate and protect against cold winter weather. 

Rubik's TouchCube: $50 — A new twist on a classic favorite that would be great fun for any age. It's played like the original, but you slide your finger across the lighted squares to move them. If you should need a hint, the TouchCube comes with a built-in solver to guide you to completion. The pulsating light show as the TouchCube recharges on its stand should fit right in with the lights on the tree, too. 

Kindle Wireless Reading Device: $139 — It's like giving someone a veritable library. The Kindle is capable of holding up to 3,500 books within its pencil-thin frame. Shop and download books wirelessly using the Kindle's built in Wi-Fi, and enjoy reading on a no-glare, high-contrast screen designed for crisp and easy reading. Because the Kindle is one of the hottest technological finds of this year, you may find that there aren't many left as the holidays approach. 

 

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Sealing a Garage Floor

Few surfaces take as much abuse as the concrete floor of your garage. Every day it withstands the weight of vehicles and a barrage of substances they carry in and leave behind—water, oil, dirt, snow, salt, sand, and the occasional leaking fluid. Sealing the floor with specific paints or specialty products can help reduce future damage while maintaining cleanliness. 

Check for sealant
First, test to make sure your garage floor hasn't already been sealed. Pour a little water on the floor and see if it beads. If it does, the floor has been sealed already and new sealants may not adhere. If your floor has an old paint job, check the adherence of the paint by cutting the surface with a razor, applying a piece of duct tape, and ripping upward. If more than 25 percent of the paint comes off with the tape, the floor will likely need to be stripped before you can apply a sealant. 

Prepare the floor
Before you apply anything to your garage floor, a thorough cleaning is in order. Sweep or blow out any leaves or loose dirt, spray the floor with a hose, and use a broom to push the now dirty water outside. Use mineral spirits and a scrub brush to remove oil or grease stains. Any large cracks should be repaired with concrete repair caulk and allowed to dry. 

Choose your sealant
Because concrete is actually porous, water that is allowed to penetrate the surface can freeze and cause serious structural damage. Though applying a sealant is very important, choosing the correct one can be a difficult task, as the list of available sealants covers a broad range of utility and price. Visit radonseal.com for a comprehensive list of the various kinds of sealants available, or contact a professional contractor or installer for suggestions. 

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Slow Drain, Natural Cures

A stubborn drain clog can be difficult to remove, but before you head for the dangerously potent commercial drain cleaner, try these natural, easy-on-the-environment mixtures that will get the job done too. 

• 1/2 cup salt + 1 gallon hot water: If your drain is slow to empty, this simple saltwater concoction may be enough to free up any trapped debris. 

• 1 cup washing soda + 1 gallon hot water: For a more aggressive solution, washing soda (sodium carbonate, a key ingredient in toothpaste and glassmaking) is abrasive enough to loosen clogs. If the pipes leading from your drain are PVC (polyvinyl chloride), avoid regular use of washing soda—it can eat away at the plastic over time. 

• 1 cup baking soda + 1 cup distilled white vinegar: harkening back to our days in grade school science class, the baking soda and vinegar "volcano" can actually be very effective at clearing clogged drains. After removing water from the sink, pour your baking soda in, follow with vinegar, and quickly plug the drain. After the bubbles recede (in roughly 30 minutes), rinse with hot water. 

WARNING: Do not use vinegar or washing soda if you have already applied a commercial drain cleaner—these ingredients can react with other chemicals, creating harmful or even lethal gas fumes. 

For more information on quick, all natural drain-cleaning tips, visit Care2.com, or for additional green living advice, drop by greenyour.com.

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Improvements

The next time you complete an energy-saving renovation project in your home, you may qualify for federal, state, and local tax credits based on the costs of those improvements.  

Understanding what you qualify for can be tricky, so here are the basics: 

• Some tax credits—like those for installing a heat pump or water heater—include the cost of installation. Others—like those for installing insulation, doors, or windows—do not. 
• Renovations made to rental properties or secondary homes often do not qualify for tax credits. New construction also does not qualify. 
• If you made an improvement to your windows and doors, insulation, roof, HVAC system, nonsolar water heater, or biomass stove between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010, you may be eligible for 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500. 
• If you invest in a geothermal heat pump, solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind energy systems, or fuel cells before December 31, 2016, you're eligible for 30 percent of those costs with no upper limit. That means if you spend $6,000 on a small wind energy system, you'll receive an $1,800 credit on your federal income taxes. 

Visit the U.S. Department of Energy's database of state and local incentives, and check out the Alliance to Save Energy's list of federal assistance. You can also visit ENERGY STAR's website for tips on filling out tax forms and a list of ENERGY STAR products that qualify for rebates. 

Until the next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Fridays with designer Martin Amado

Here is the final installment of Fridays with designer Martin Amado. For readers just joining us, we're bringing you the video of our interview with Martin Amado—a renowned home decor and lifestyle expert best known for hosting HGTV's Small Space, Big Style and appearing as a guest designer on that network's Decorating Cents. 

For more information on Amado's work, visit his website. 

Today's Question: 
What suggestions do you have for making our reader’s kitchens more energy-efficient?  

 

If you're unable to view the video, click here to watch it on YouTube.

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Prepping for Flu Season

Safeguard yourself and your family from the flu. Here's how. 

Cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm. You're told to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, but if you do that with your hand, you'll only spread germs the next time you touch something. 

Wash your hands regularly using soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizer.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. These areas are freeways for the flu virus to get into your body. 

Get adequate sleep and maintain a healthy diet. This is a good mantra even outside of flu season, but getting enough rest and eating well will keep your body's immune system fighting fit. 

Get the flu vaccine. On February 24, 2010, vaccine experts voted that everyone older than six months should get the flu vaccine each year. The flu vaccine protects you from three influenza viruses chosen yearly based on what researchers believe will be the most common influenza viruses during the upcoming season. It comes in two forms: a shot and a nasal spray. Ask your physician or pharmacist which form they recommend for you. And if you want to know more about the vaccine, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website. 

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All

Winterize Your Roses

Roses may be beautiful, but they're also delicate. To ensure they survive through brutal winter months, prepare them today. 

If you live in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's zones one through eight (like we do!), stop feeding and pruning your rosebushes in August. (To determine which zone you live in, check out this map.) Clear the bed of all leaves and debris and prune the bushes to get rid of any dead shoots. This is also a good time to spray antidesiccant on the plant to help it preserve water during the colder months. Finally, pile dirt around the base of the plant until it reaches about a foot. (Bring the soil from elsewhere in your garden, so you don't run the risk of pulling up roots or exposing them to harsh winds.) If you live in a colder zone, you should also add a layer of mulch for extra insulation. 

For those with milder winters, more rainfall, and higher temperatures, it's not necessary to cover your rosebushes. In fact, covering them can breed fungus and other diseases. But if you live in an area of the country where temperatures drop below freezing regularly, consider covering the bush. Surround the plant with chicken wire and fill it with leaves, or if your bushes are in a row, build a frame to keep out the elements. 

Until next time, 
The Home Know-It-All