I have to tell you about a product that saved my butt last weekend. Here's the scene: It's a beautiful Saturday in late August, the Bluefish are running, the boat is gassed up, and out of no where my wife requests that I clean the exterior garage door seals. "I'm sorry, the what?" I didn't even know we had such things.
After they were enthusiastically pointed out, I could see they were stained, covered in mold, and discolored by years of weather. I told her it was a great look -- they have a rustic feel. This fell on deaf ears so I hurried to fill a bucket with soapy water and scrubbed as the Bluefish ran without me. Useless. So I dug through our cleaning supplies and found a bottle of CLR (Calcium Lime Rust remover) we once used on rust stains in our bathroom. I followed the directions (spray, let soak, wipe, and rinse), and in no time the EGDS (exterior garage door seals, we're on a nick-name basis now) were like new -- and I was off.
Check out my before and after pictures. This stuff was amazing. Tip: It's a pretty strong solution, so wear gloves and don't let it near your face. Have you had any mold and dirt breakthroughs lately? Let us know your tips.
If you save money on gas, you will have more to spend improving your home...at least that's my theory.
There are many myths surrounding gas mileage and CBS Money Watch looks into six. Some based on truth, some totally false and some worth trying. If you want to spend more on retooling your garage than filling your tank, check out Six Myths About Gas Mileage.
Junk and clutter have a habit of collecting in a home's garage. Now is your chance to get it organized with this six-month sweepstakes sponsored by Gladiator GarageWorks. Entrants are eligible in three drawings including a weekly prize, a life phase sweeps that runs every six weeks and a grand prize drawing in December. The weekly and life phrase prizes include hooks, bins and gear boxes while the grand prize winner receives a garage makeover with insight from do-it-yourself expert Karl Champley. Contestants can enter the contest once a week to increase their chances of winning. Be sure to check out our article on adding more storage or creating more living space in your garage.
If the car sitting in your garage or on the street has one of those old-fashioned combustion engines, you may be holding on a little too tightly to your past. I love cars, ask anybody. They are shiny, move fast and allow me to get from point A to point B without having to wait for a bus or train or cab. When my car is in the shop for maintenance I feel imprisoned not being able to go where I want, when I want on a whim. Sure, I can get on a bike, but I live in Central Florida and 93 with a heat index of "fire" is not my idea of freedom.
I recently received a postcard from a company called Zenn Motor Company. And while I have not driven one (hint: send one to my house and I will be happy to drive it for a week, month or year), they look pretty cool and are completely gas station free. While they are only legal to drive on low-speed roads, 90 percent of my driving is low-speed, around town. Sure, I like to hop on the highway, but I could just go a mile out of my way to avoid the highway and not have to spend my time at the gas station.
Now while I can’t yet depart with my “big” car as they don’t yet have a car suitable for my whole family and the 10 percent of driving where I need to go more than 25 miles in each direction, I am seriously considering this for our second car. Plus, it would fit into one of these garage storage cabinets.
I drive on the highway in Central Florida, which means I get bombarded with the “love bug” (Plecia nearctica) just about everywhere I go.
Don’t cry for me nearctica.
The truth is I never felt you.
All through your wild days
Your mad existence.
You fly into my windshield
I clean your carcass.
I digress, but did you even know I could sing like Madonna? The simple truth is I spend too much time adding windshield wiper fluid to my car’s reservoir. To prevent making a big mess, I usually keep a funnel in the trunk but it sure does roll around (and things that go bump in the trunk are not something my wife likes to hear). A week ago I saw a funnel that lays completely flat so I can set it on top of the spare tire under the rug in my trunk. Not a bad idea. If I changed my own oil I guess I would use it even more. And it's green. And not spilling fluid, including motor oil and other engine fluids, may just be "green" in other ways.
Watching paint dry, waiting for a pot to boil, watching grass grow—these are the tedious moments of our lives. But at least with Rock Solid Floors, the time spent waiting for your floor sealant to dry has been cut from four days to 24 hours. No more moving all your junk out of the garage to the front lawn and having it sit there for days on end. It's environmentally friendly and has a lifetime guarantee not to yellow or fade. The Rock Solid Flooring mixture is made entirely of polyurea and 100 percent solids and contains absolutely no VOCs.
The garage door is the new front door, or so says GarageWowNow.com, a non-commercial site educating the consumer about new styles available in garage doors, openers and accessories. Check out the fabulous before and after pictures showing what a dramatic impact a new garage door can bring to your home. You'll also find new door styles, features and tips and be able to search for local garage door installers by ZIP code.
