Fireplace Upkeep

There is nothing like a roaring fire to help warm a chilly night. Well, I have some hints to help keep your fireplace in tiptop shape!

1. Each and every year have your chimney checked by a professional to clean away excess creosote and clear any obstructions.

2. When you're cleaning out your fireplace spritz the ashes with water before scooping to keep dust to a minimum.

3. Leave behind a layer of ash under the grate. This will protect the floor of the firebox from excess heat and will catch coals so the fire will burn longer. Just remember embers burn for a long time so make sure that you wait a couple of days to remove the excess ashes.

4. When building a fire only use seasoned firewood and plain newspaper or white paper. Wad it up tightly or twist it into a small log shape. This is also a great way to recycle the paper from your home office. Remember never burn colored paper in your fireplace.

5. Sprinkle your logs with salt before lighting the fire it will help keep soot to a minimum.

6. Fires need oxygen to burn; poor air circulation can cause carbon monoxide build-up. So make sure that you leave the doors of your fireplace open slightly to give it plenty of air.

Alternative Uses for Paste Wax

Paste wax can do a lot more than shine your car and your floors. You can use it all over the house to protect surfaces. Here are just a few of them.

1. Apply some paste wax to the metal racks in your refrigerator. This will help protect them from pitting and will also help prevent rust and corrosion. You can also use paste wax on the outside of your appliances to give them a nice shine and help them repel dust and fingerprints.

2. If your toilet is all sweaty, turn off the water and then flush the toilet to drain the tank. Dry the inside and apply a thin coat of the wax to the inside. It will seal it up and prevent further condensation.

3. Some wax on the unfinished underside of furniture will help to seal the wood and protect the piece from drying out.

4. A thin coat of wax on your tools will help protect them from rust and corrosion.

Bathroom Clean Up

Let's face it, nobody likes to clean the bathroom, but it has to be done. Well, I have some quick and easy ideas to help you out!

1. First off, forget the eighty-five cleansers for your bathroom and save yourself time and money. Mix together two-thirds of a cup of white vinegar, a half a cup of rubbing alcohol and a tablespoon of dish soap into a spray bottle. This mixture will clean tubs, showers, sinks, toilets, windows and mirrors.

2. To prevent mildew from growing on your shower curtain, soak it in a strong saltwater solution in the bathtub for about a half an hour, and then hang it up. The salt will help to hinder mildew growth. Spray it every couple of weeks with salt water to keep it up!

3. If your bathroom is smelling a little less than fresh, forget the sprays and fresheners and check your laundry room. Dryer sheets are perfect, stick one in the wastebasket and another in the hamper and you'll have a fresh smelling room in no time.

Mirror Care

Does your mirror reflect the fact that you're not really sure how to keep it shiny and clean. If so here are the ideas that you need.

1. Keep some baking soda in your medicine cabinet. A little on a dry cloth will buff those water spots away without a trace.

2. To clean your mirror, try a little cold tea. Just dip a lint free cloth into the tea and scrub the surface. Then wipe dry for a sparkling reflection!

3. One of the biggest problems with the bathroom mirror is that it gets all fogged up. For a quick de-fogging, aim your hair dryer at the glass. The dry heat will clear the fog in no time. To prevent the haze from coming back, take a cloth and rub a layer of shaving cream all over the surface. Keep rubbing it until the cream has disappeared. You'll have a fog free mirror for a few weeks.

Workshop Safety

Safety is important all over the house, but especially in your project work area.

1. Rags that have been used to oil equipment or to stain wood contain harmful chemicals that could spontaneously combust. Store those rags in an airtight container. A coffee can is a great choice.

2. Keep a working fire extinguisher nearby to handle emergencies.

3. Slip a small luggage padlock, a key ring or a safety pin through an electrical plug's prong. This is an easy way to protect curious kids from injury or electrical shock, because these items prevent the plug from fitting into the socket.

4. If someone does get shocked in the work area or anywhere else, don't touch them. You'll become a conductor of the electricity. Push them away from the source with a wooden broom handle or other wooden item.

5. Don't wear loose clothes or hanging jewelry when you're working on a project. They could get caught and cause injury. Keep a dish nearby to put your jewelry in before you start a project.

AOL's DIY Life: Cleaning with Cola?? Absolutely!

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Heat & Wood

We all know that you don't put something hot down on a wood finish. It'll damage it for sure, but I have some tips where a little heat will go a long way toward solving some household wood problems.

1. We all know that you don't put something hot down on a wood finish. It'll damage it for sure, but I have some tips where a little heat will go a long way toward solving some household wood problems.

2. If you're building or repairing something and using a wooden dowel, put it on a cookie sheet and heat it in the oven for a few minutes.

3. The heat will remove any moisture from the wood so that once it's in place it will absorb glues and stains and expand for a super snug fit!

4. If you have a door or a window that is hopelessly stuck, grab your hairdryer.

5. Set the dryer to high and aim it at the sticky spots, this will shrink the wood slightly so that you're able to open and close it easily.

6. A little tip, once you've got it open, use the stub of an old candle to lubricate the sticky parts.

7. If you need to wax a piece of furniture, grab that hairdryer again, warm the surface before you start and the wax will spread on easily and absorb into the surface better than a room temperature piece.

Just a few ways where heat and wood might not be such a bad combination! I'm Mrs. Fixit and it's just that simple!