Show Notes: Holiday Tips and LED Bulbs – On the House
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Show Notes: Holiday Tips and LED Bulbs

By on December 5, 2015

If you need a few great stocking stuffers or small gifts, we have ideas for you. Tips on setting up your tree, a cleaning tip and more this week. 

Thank to our friends at GE for sending every caller a 3 Pack of their new LED Bright Stik bulbs available at Home Depot. To learn more please visit: www.thehomedepot.com                                   

 

RECALL: Harbor Freight Tools Recalls Cordless Drills Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

Drill Master 18-Volt Cordless Drills

Hazard:

An internal switching mechanism can become stuck in the “on” position and overheat, posing fire and burn hazards.

Units

About 1.7 million units

Description

This recall involves Drill Master 18-volt cordless drills with item number 68239 and item number 68287. The drills are black with a red switch and were sold with an 18 volt rechargeable battery pack. Item number 68239 was sold individually and item number 68287 was sold as part of a kit, which included a flashlight. The flashlight is not included in the recall. The item number is located on a black label on the right side of the drill, just beneath the serial number. Drills with item number 69651 and item number 69652 are not included in the recall.

Remedy

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled drills and return the unit to the nearest Harbor Freight Tools store to receive a replacement drill.

Sold at

Harbor Freight Tools stores nationwide, Harbor Freight Tools catalog, and online at www.harborfreight.com between May 2011 and September 2015 for about $35 for item number 68239 and $46 for item number 68287.

Consumer Contact:

Harbor Freight Tools at 800-444-3353 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or online at www.harborfreight.com and click on Recall Safety Information under Customer Service for more information. Consumers can also email Harbor Freight Tools at recalls@harborfreight.com.

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2016/Harbor-Freight-Tools-Recalls-Cordless-Drills/

 

The Fine Art Of Setting Up A Christmas Tree Without Destroying Your Home

Follow these Christmas tree setup tips so you can keep your home safe and yourself sane through this critical early stage of the holiday season.

Prepare the way

Before you set out to find this year’s tree, do yourself and your home a favor and take care of some small chores that will save you time and trouble later.

“Prep the house first,” says Debi Staron, co-founder of Dr. Christmas, “Move furniture out of the way; protect the floors. Fresh-cut trees can have sap dripping from various areas that can damage your hardwood floors, carpeting, or linoleum, especially if you have to lay the tree down. So it’s best to put out a sheet or cardboard to protect your flooring.”

Staron’s next tip: Take some measurements.

“Don’t fall in love with a tree that won’t fit in your home. After you’ve measured for height, measure for width.”

Make sure the tree is all you’re bringing home

Sometimes Christmas trees can come witha few unwelcome guests. “While at the lot, ask them to give it a good shake,” says Staron. “Not just to shed those loose needles, but to get rid of bugs and spiders and other creatures who love to live in there.”

Anchor it correctly

If you have curious kids and/or cats, you may be afraid to leave the room for fear that they’ll attempt to shimmy their way up to the star and topple your tannenbaum. That’s why it’s a good idea to anchor your tree, Staron suggests. Stand it in the corner, and wrap fishing line around the trunk and then secure each end with hooks placed on the wall or windowsill.

Fireproof your tree

Nothing can ruin the festive mood faster than having to make a 911 call. Fire departments responded to an average of 210 home fires caused by Christmas trees each year from 2009 to 2013, according to the National Fire Protection Association, resulting in an annual average of seven deaths, 19 injuries, and $17.5 million in property damage.

To prevent your tree from becoming a fire hazard, first start by selecting one with fresh green needles that don’t fall off when you touch them. If your tree is already cut, ask for it to be cut again so it’s ready to start drinking once it arrives in its new home.

“If it’s not freshly cut it won’t draw up water,” Staron says. So just how much needs to go? According to Purdue University’s Forestry and Natural Resources, a tree that has been cut for more than six to eight hours needs to have a half-inch or more cut off the butt end before it’s placed in a tree stand and watered.

Decorate with care

The holidays can be stressful enough without having to spend hours untangling and stringing lights, only to find out they don’t work. Staron says do yourself a favor and store lights by wrapping them around a cardboard tube with the plug easily accessible. Don’t place breakable ornaments on low-hanging branches.

http://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/set-up-christmas-tree-safe/?iid=rdc_news_hp_carousel_theLatest

 

Holiday Time Saving Tip

Set a Time Limit for Cleaning 

When prepping for a holiday party, give yourself a limited window of time to do the necessary cleaning—like two hours the night before the guests arrive—Housekeeping tasks can easily expand to fill the available time; a time limit creates much-needed discipline. Which rooms to tackle first? starting with those that have the greatest potential “yuk­–factor,” such as the bathrooms and kitchen.

http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/holiday-time/setatimelimitforcleaning

 

His & Her Great Stocking Stuffers

For Him:

Screwpop™ Ron’s Utility Knife 2.0 is slimmest and most compact design of its kind on the planet

$6.95

The Ron’s Utility Knife 2.0 fits standard utility blades (2 or 4 notched) and allows up to four controlled depths of cuts.  Its ingenious lever system (along with the addition of an ultra-strong neodymium magnet) serves as a blade stop and catch.

Together, these two elements make our Ron’s Utility Knife 2.0 easy for one-handed operation!

Our Ron’s Utility Knife 2.0 is ideal for various cutting needs.  It quickly and easily attaches to keyrings, carabiner clips or fits in any small pocket.

It can now even magnetically stick to a refrigerator, tool box, work-shop machine or any surface that permits magnetization.

Do worry about TSA as the blade can be easily removed and thrown away and quickly replaced at any hardware store.

Holds one blade only!

Great for Cutting:

Rope

Tape

Cardboard

Cloths

Paper

Tags

Plastics

and more

Specifications:

Utility Holder: Stainless Steel w/ Brass Eyelet

Blade: Tool Steel (uses standard 2 or 4 step blades)

Size – 3/16″ x 13/16” x 3 1/8”

Weight – 0.8oz (w/ blade)

Blade Catch: Neodymium Magnet

http://www.screwpoptool.com/utility-knife.html

For Her:

Bag Light   $12.00

Shed light on the contents of a purse or tote with this brilliant mini LED. Just give it a squeeze to illuminate dark pockets and find what you need. Made of soft, scratch-free silicone, it fastens easily to a strap with a magnetic loop.

DIMENSIONS: 7¾”L

Weight: 0.7 oz.

https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod2320192&categoryId=cat3870140

                                                     

Stay Ahead of the Freeze 

Protect Pipes Before a Freeze

Be sure to insulate all accessible pipes well before a cold snap. If you’re not sure what type of pipe insulation to use, ask your local hardware store. The pros there will be familiar with the kind of winter temperatures you’re facing.

Look for water pipes in unheated areas of your home (like the garage) or areas where pipes might be set next to an exterior wall (like the cabinets under kitchen or bathroom sinks), and apply pipe insulation.

Shore up all cracks and holes you find on your home’s outside walls (a task for next spring if you haven’t already done it; caulk typically needs to be applied in temperatures of at least 40 degrees). Use only a sealant or caulk approved for exterior use.

Take Action When Temperatures Drop  

Regularly listen to your daily weather report, and be prepared for freezing temperatures and other winter advisories.

During severe cold snaps, keep exterior doors to unheated spaces, such as garages, closed.

If kitchen or bathroom pipes are located near exterior walls, leave the cabinet doors open or use a fan to circulate the warmer air around the pipes.

Although it doesn’t conserve water, let all taps slowly drip during

extreme cold snaps to prevent water from freezing  and to

relieve pressure in the event that some water does freeze.

Consider installing a water leak alarm in areas where you might expect a problem, such as the basement; the alarm sounds when water is detected and can quickly alert you to a problem.

http://blog.allstate.com/prevent-pipes-from-freezing/?_ga=1.146356468.1175701004.1445021339

 

Quick Fix For Ugly Brass Fixtures On A Budget

Brass is out – if you like your light fixture paint it

with a forged hammered spray paint for the oil rubbed bronze look

You can also use it on faucets, bath accessories and door knobs with a little bit of touching up now and then. You can buy this spray paint in oil rubbed bronze, nickel, iron, rust, or steel!

Rust-Oleum® Universal® is a paint and primer in one that provides superior coverage and durability over any surface – it also features a patented comfort trigger that eliminates finger fatigue and sprays from any angle.

Ideal Use

Metal

Wicker

Concrete

Wood

Vinyl

Laminate

Plastic

Glass

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/universal/

 

8 Quick Furnace Fixes You Can Do Yourself

A furnace can be intimidating—especially when it’s not working. However, there is good news from furnace repair pros. Roughly a quarter of all service calls could be avoided with easy fixes that cost little or nothing. In this article, we’ll focus on the common culprits and show you what to do about them.

Before you assume you have a furnace problem, check the thermostat to make sure it’s actually telling the furnace to come on. Thermostats, especially programmable ones, can be complicated, and the more options a thermostat has, the more that can go wrong.

  • Make sure the switch is on “Heat” rather than on “Cool.”
  • Check the temperature setting.
  • Compare the temperature setting to the room temperature. Set the temperature five degrees higher than the room temperature and see if the furnace kicks on.
  • Make sure the program is displaying the right day and time, as well as a.m. and p.m. settings.
  • Trace the thermostat wires back to the furnace to check for breaks, especially if you’ve done any remodeling recently. If you find a break in one of the thin wires, splice the line back together and wrap it with electrical tape.
  • Replace the battery. If you have a power outage with a dead battery, you’ll lose your settings and the thermostat will revert to the default program.
  • Open the thermostat and gently blow out any dust or debris. Make sure it’s level and firmly attached on the wall, and that none of the wires coming into it are loose.
  • If you can’t make the program settings work, you can bypass them altogether. Simply punch in the temperature you want with the up/down control and then press the hold button. That will switch on the furnace if the thermostat programming is the problem.

Tip: Lost your owner’s manual? Most major-brand manuals are on the Web—just go to the manufacturer’s Web site.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/heating-cooling/furnace-repair/simple-furnace-fixes/view-all

 

Website Mentions:

How to Recycle Light Bulbs | RecycleNation

http://recyclenation.com/2015/01/how-to-recycle-light-bulbs

Solar Powered Christmas Lights : Christmas Lights:

http://www.walmart.com/c/christmas/solar-powered-christmas-lights

SnapPower | SnapPower Guide lights

https://www.snappower.com/snaprays-guidelight/

Olympia Lighting LED Retrofit to HID Lamps led lamps

http://www.olympialighting.com/contacts

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