Tips of the Season

 

SEND US your tips of the season, too! We'll print 'em along with our own advice.

July 2010
Inside tips on outside cookin'

July Fourth may over, but there are plenty of summer picnics, cookouts and family reunions still ahead - all complete with overturned plates of burgers and beans, colorful spilled drinks and condiments, and mini-moguls of post-meal trash.

Here are some Clean Like a Man tips for making faster, easier work of the outdoor events.

• Dads can assign each of the kids a job for either the prep or pickup part of the meal. Say, one brings out all the plates of meat destined for the BBQ, another keeps the cooler stocked, and several fill garbage bags with debris before heading home. The rationale for this tip is solid: University of California-Riverside researchers say dads who help out with housekeeping are good role models for their kids – the children not only learn teamwork and responsibility, they do better in school and have more friends.

• Freeze a two-liter bottle of water and use as an ice-pack in the cooler.

• To save garbage bags and be “green” too, re-use dry cleaner bags for trash. Just double them up for strength, tie them off at the bottom, and fill ‘em up.

• The barbie at home was Sunday, but “garbie” pick-up isn’t ‘til Friday? Seal trash tightly in plastic bags, then toss them into the trashcan with a few cups of cat litter, which cuts odors.

• Crypton "Super Fabric" Throvers make ideal outdoor tablecloths or picnic ground-cloths because they’re virtually impervious to moisture and stains – even tough ones like ketchup and mustard. Perfect size too: 48"x54", You can also protect your pet’s favorite spot on the sofa or put a throver in the back of your vehicle to Rover-proof it from mud and grime.

I hope these tips help you and your family enjoy “the best of the rest” of summer!

 

STEVE FROM PHILADELPHIA COMMENTS:

When I finish grilling, I turn the heat up to high and then set a timer for 3 minutes.  When the timer goes off I go back out and scrape the cooking surface with a long handled wire brush.  It removes any excess food and the high temperature eliminates any remaining bacteria. The timer is key...otherwise I might forget the grill in the hubbub of serving the food.

 

Thanks Steve, that's a great tip!
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June 2010
Shopping for supplies
Get the right vacuum cleaner

My dog, Coco, hates and fears the vacuum cleaner. But I consider this machine to be every bit as much “man's best friend” as canines are…at least when it comes to housecleaning. This device will help you make the biggest, fastest dent in your housework…which is the bottom line when you want to Clean Like A Man. Just get a machine that packs the right features for you.

 

Upright Models

• The best choice if you have lots of carpeting. A rotating “beater bar” brush whiplashes the dirt out of carpet fibers, then the motor sucks it in.
• Be sure to get an upright vacuum that has a built in hose. These models will have "on-board tools" for special cleaning jobs: tubular extensions for off-the-floor vacuuming, dust brushes for bare floors and counters, upholstery tools, and crevice tools.
• Uprights are more compact and easier to store if you live in a tight space.
• Price range: $100 to over $1,000. You can get all the quality and features you need in an upright vacuum for $150-$300. Inexpensive ones ($100 or less) are usually cheap for a reason: they suck, but not in a good way.

Canisters

• The beetle-like models on wheels – the hose extension has a “power nozzle” with rotating brush inside.
• A canisters does a very capable job of cleaning carpets and it's the better choice if you need to clean more wood and tile floors, get underneath low furniture, and vacuum carpeted stairs.
• Price Range: About $200-$1000.

Hand-Held Compact Vacuums

• Some have cords, some have batteries, and some recharge when you plug them into wall outlets.
• They're great for small, on-the-spot cleanups and cheap enough to have several around the house.
• Handy for small, quick clean-ups but no substitute for an upright or canister for major stuff.
• Price range: $25-$80

Robotic Vacuums

• Best known: the Roomba. It circles and criss-crosses the room, vacuuming as it goes, without you at the helm.
• You still have to remove the dirt from it, and if it needs repairs you have to ship it in.
• Costs about $250.
• Available at stores like Brookstone and Hammacher-Schlemmer stores, plus some Google-able web sites.

Clean Like a Man Tips for Purchasing a Vacuum

• Invest in a good one. A crappy machine makes cleaning even more unpleasant than it already is. A guy can get all the vacuum he needs for $250 or less.
• Look for the right features. A flexible “extension hose” attachment; interchangeable “on board tools” that include a brush for dusting, a crevice tool for tight spots, and a turbo-tool for stairs and upholstery.
• Fancier features include things like Manual Pile-Height Adjustment, which means you can set the brush to clean everything from bare floors to thick carpeting.
• Bagless models have both yings and yangs: you never have to buy replacement bags, but emptying dirt out of them can be messy.

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March 2010

SPRING CLEANING SPECIAL:
Manly Garage Rehab

 

For men, spring evokes visions of baseball, golf, barbecues and all the outdoor projects we didn’t finish last year. Putting the words “spring” and “cleaning” together in the same sentence might never occur to us. But it can be easy to spruce up the space we’re proud to call our own: the garage.

Every guy knows that the garage is more than a place to park cars, build birdhouses and sort our crescent wrenches. It’s also a warehouse for bikes, golf clubs, tools, garden implements, car care items, paint, toys, pet food, cardboard boxes and an endless assortment of miscellaneous junk.

Assuming that’s the case at your house, here are a few strategic MANeuvers that’ll help make the biggest, fastest dent in a “garage rehab” mission.

Quick Cleanup

First, apply one of the Men Commandments of housecleaning: “Pick up the place first,” simply because cleaning and organizing any space is easier when you can see what you’re working on.

If your garage is a real disaster area, move everything you can out of it and into the driveway. This tactic seems drastic, but it’s not all that time-consuming … and the benefits are invaluable.

Once the garage is fairly clear, start in one corner and make a clockwise sweep (literally), facing the walls.

Use a car brush or regular broom to sweep dust and dirt off of shelves, counters and ultimately the floor; then sweep it outside. (To do the entire job in about 60 seconds, use a leaf blower.)

Stay focused on what’s in front of you and keep moving. Don’t stop until you’re done.

Smart Storage

As you’re putting items from the driveway back inside the garage, you’ll make some delightful discoveries:

• A lot of it can be thrown away or recycled.
  
  
• What’s left will fit back inside a lot better, and it will look marvelous!
  
  
• You’ll almost automatically organize things as you put them back in.

Smart storage is key at this point. Consolidate things into groups — sporting goods, tools, garden implements, car care, etc. And since your car is already out, use it: a quick trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s will yield an impressive array of bins, racks, hooks, holders, shelving systems, cabinets, containers, stackable boxes and organizers for garages. They’re built to go on the floor, the walls or the ceiling, and most are reasonably priced.

With your garage space in mind, select the storage solutions that will work best for you. Just take ‘em home, put ‘em in and make a quantum leap in your garage-organizing odyssey.

More Garage MANagement Tips

• Sweep your garage floor often. Your car brings in a lot of grit and grime (especially in the winter), and if your garage is attached to your home, you’ll track a lot of it inside. Again, use a leaf blower to finish this chore much faster.
  
  
• Have an old dresser? The drawers create swell storage space and it can also double as workbench.
  
  
• If your walls have exposed vertical 2x4s, nail horizontal lengths of 2x4 between them to create “recessed” shelving. It’s only 3-1/2” deep, but that’s enough to store spray bottles, small tools, containers and more — and keep everything very visible.
  
  
• Pegboard is a great wall storage solution. With a variety-pack of hooks from the hardware store, it’s ideal for hanging hand and garden tools, bungee cords, levels … ad infinitum.
  
  
• Use ceiling rafters to store tools, wood, patio furniture and other items that are out of season or are not being used.
  
  
• If you have kids or pets, think about adding a lockable cabinet for lawn and garden chemicals. It doesn’t have to be fancy … just secure.
  
  
• Big car, small garage? Once you have your vehicle positioned the way you want it, attach a tennis ball or other soft object to a string. Hang it so the ball just touches your windshield. You’ll never ram into the front wall or close the garage door onto your rear bumper again.

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The Doggy In Winter – Indoor Cleanup Advice

January 2010

 

Minnesota’s often-arctic winter temperatures do not inspire long walks or afternoons in the park with your dog. Our pals are indoors more, which – because they’re biological creatures who shed, go to the bathroom and get sick – creates more potential “cleanup opps” for us owners.

 

So here are some valuable tips for getting brown fur off white couches and treating urine stains (or worse!) on carpeting.

 

Fighting Fur

• For floors, your upright or canister vacuum’s twirling brush will pick up most hair on carpeting; for bare floors, the suction alone will suffice.
• For stairs and upholstery, using the vac’s extention hose with an upholstery brush attachment is the fastest and most effective fix.
• A lower-tech solution: use a terry cloth or old sweat sock to brush the fur to one spot, then pick it up.
• The new hand-held Pledge “Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair” has two rollers: one picks up hair off carpets, the other whisks it into a small compartment.

 

Skirmishing with Stains

We’re talking stains from urine, vomit and “other”.

• The cleaning product departments of home-improvement stores and pet stores display many “Pet Stain and Odor Remover” sprays. I prefer the ones with “Oxy” in the name.
• Prevent the dingy crime scene body outline dogs may leave in their favorite spot on the carpet by placing an inexpensive rug or pad there.
• Whatever happens, treat all stains ASAP!