Cleaning Vinyl Siding

By: Handy Andy

Over the years vinyl siding has become a referred building product for many of the builders.  It is relatively low in initial cost and it is relatively maintenance friendly.  Vinyl siding resists most common household stains, but it will become dirty like any product exposed to atmospheric conditions.

In areas not exposed to direct sun and rain, periodic washing with a soft bristle brush and clean water from a garden hose may be necessary to remove surface dirt. Chalk may also accumulate on the surface. This is a normal condition for pigmented materials exposed to the elements. For best appearance, clean vinyl siding at least once a year.

To remove soil, grime and chalk from your siding, use a garden hose, a soft bristle brush and a bucket of soapy water. There are other over the counter cleaners available.  For best results, start at the bottom of the house and work up and rinse the cleaning solution completely before it dries. If your house has brick facing, cover the brick so that it is not affected by the runoff. Thoroughly rinse the siding with clean water from a garden hose.

Manufacturers recommend avoiding prolonged or high pressure rinsing. Keep cleaning solution off surrounding fixtures and surfaces not scheduled for washing.  This doesn’t mean you cannot use power washers. Before using a pressure washer you should read the washer instructions carefully. Cleaning vinyl siding is not a science but requires but it requires you power washer straight at eye level so that you keep the water on top of the siding where it can clean most effectively. Do not aim the power washer upward as water may be driven behind the siding.

You should follow the siding manufacturer’s recommendations.  Many of the manufacturers don't want you to pressure washers on their products.  Others allow them, but have limitations on the amount of pressure and the cleaners that can be used.  Most will caution against the use of pressure washers.

You trusted handyman Handy Andy

Visit us at www.HandyPro.com
October 2012

 

Dishwasher Cleaning - Tang Has The Power

Is the inside of your dishwasher looking a little dingy and yellow?  Does it have funny odor? It is likely caused by the hard water mineral deposits. This is very common in homes or communities that are on well systems.

It's alright! Don't think it’s the end of the world. The other good news you probably won't have to invest in a new dishwasher? There is a product out there that many of us had in our house probably before. This product has vitamin C that will break down hard water stains and return your dishwasher to it sparkling bright condition that you so vaguely remember. It is available at your local grocery store. The magic product is...believe it or not... TANG breakfast drink.

•Empty your dishwasher of dishes and other items.

•Toss 1 cup TANG into the dishwasher.

•Run the dishwasher on a regular hot-water cycle.

•There's no need to rinse the dishwasher before running your next load of dishes.

Using the TANG trick at least once a month will keep your dishwasher looking and smelling clean and bright.

There are other useful ideas of TANG around the house that will keep your entire house keep smelling clean. 

 

 

 

Kool-Aid Stain Removal Technique for Carpets

Kool-Aid is known for that smiling face on the large pitcher. Unfortunately, smiles diminish after the discovery of dried-in Kool-Aid stains on your nice carpet.

As some of you may have already experienced, the accidentally spilling red Kool-Aid onto the carpet creates a huge red mess. You cannot miss the extremely visible red stain, due to the red coloring in Kool-Aid. Fortunately, red Kool-Aid stains can be removed from carpets with some relatively simple cleaning products. Believe it or not, both the new and old Kool-Aid stains can be removed from carpets.

Old Kool-Aid stains are among the most difficult to remove from carpets because they contain food dyes. Food dyes dye the fibers of the carpet and the longer they remain in the carpet, the more permanent they become. You may need to try more than one method to remove the stain. Start with the simplest option and proceed until the stain is gone.

Here is what you need to do:

·     Pour 1 tsp. liquid hand dishwashing detergent and 1 tbsp. ammonia into a bowl. Add 2 cups of warm water to the bowl to form a soapy solution.

·     Dampen a white cotton cloth in the soapy solution. Blot the stain with the damp cloth until the Kool-Aid is absorbed.

·     Continue blotting the stain with the soapy solution. If the stain is a little more stubborn, pour 3 tsp. liquid hand dishwashing detergent, 1 tbsp. white vinegar and 2 cups warm water into a bowl.

·     Dampen a white cotton cloth in the solution, and then blot the stain with the cloth until the stain is removed. If the stain still won't come out, dampen a sponge with rubbing alcohol.

·     Scrub the stain with the sponge until the red stain is completely gone. Dampen another white cotton cloth with cold water, and blot the carpet with the cloth to rinse out the rubbing alcohol. Dry the carpet with a towel.

Another avenue to pursue is the Borax Method:

·     Spray the stain with cold water. Sprinkle borax over the surface of the stain.

·     Cover the area with a damp white cloth and press down firmly to push the borax into the carpet.

·     Lift the white cloth and spray the area with more water.

·     Lay a clean cloth over the stain and press down again. Continue this process until the stain is gone.

·     Scrape off the borax solution and rinse the carpet with water.

·     Place a clean, dry cloth on the area and lay a brick over it for several hours.

·     Vacuum the area to remove any remaining borax.

The Heat Method is one that has shown to work well too:

·     Lay a wet white cloth on the stain.

·     Set a warm (not hot) iron over the stain and wait 15 minutes. Do not rub the spot with the iron or press down on the carpet.

·     Remove the white cloth and replace it with a new wet cloth. Repeat the process until the stain is gone.

Be mindful, there are some things you do not want to use when cleaning spots out of your carpet:

·     Do not use laundry detergent or automatic dishwasher detergents as they may damage the fibers of your carpet.

·     Do not use bleach or ammonia on wool carpets as it will damage the fibers.

·     Do not use carpet spot cleaners on oriental rugs as it will damage the fibers. Oriental rugs should be cleaned with caution. If your rug is an antique, silk, or part silk, contact a professional to remove the stain.

When Looking For The Best Handyman For The Job...Keep Reading!

When Looking For The Best Handyman For The Job… Keep Reading!

Some homeowner’s thing they need to hire a general contractor to do the honey-do repairs around the house.  Actual, not all home repair jobs require the help of a general contractor or specialty contractor. A handyman can be hired for a variety of small home improvement projects. For the busy or simply hammer-phobic homeowner, it sounds almost too good to be true – hire a handyman to tackle your odd jobs for about a third of the cost, time, and hassle of a general contractor.  The good news, there are some licensed handyman out there that are also licenses general contractors and specialty contractors.  

Keep in mind a handyman is a skilled jack of all trades who can be hired by the hour to complete a wide range of small home improvement work and repair. A handyman, or handyman company, typically charges the customer by the hour plus material costs, regardless of the task at hand. Many homeowners will compile a list of repairs and hire a handyman to complete the list in a single visit.

Unfortunately, there is no national standard or regulation for handymen. Licensing and regulation vary by state. New Jersey, for example, requires handymen who work for a profit to register with the state and carry insurance. California requires handymen to carry a license from the State Contractors License Board to work on any project that exceeds $500 in labor and material costs.  The good news, a legitimate handyman or handyman business, will proudly share their insurance certificate and workers compensation coverage with you.

Most general contractors don't usually like to bother with small repair & maintenance tasks.  If you have a good working rapport with one, he might be willing to suggest one of his guys who take side jobs.  Just be mindful the general contractor will typically not stand behind the warranty of cover this job under their insurance.

There are benefits of hiring a handyman. Like most of us, you probably have a to-do list of home improvements like changing out a bathroom faucet, replacing missing shingles on the roof and painting a kitchen wall. You could hire a plumber, roofer and painter who all would have conflicting schedules of availability and their own service charges, or you could hire a handyman to complete all three projects in one day for a single hourly rate.

A homeowner can save money on home improvement projects by hiring a handyman because it eliminates the need for multiple service providers and contractors. Many handymen charge by the hour so a homeowner only pays for one worker who can complete a wide range of projects. A service charge from a plumber or roofer to come to your home could equal or even surpass the price to hire a handyman for a few hours.  Hiring a handyman also prevents waste and overcharging, as the handyman will only charge you for hours worked. A contractor or specialist is more likely to price a job based on the estimated amount of time it will take to complete it. Handymen are able to keep their rates low because they don't have to pay additional workers and have lower overhead costs than general contractors.

Unlike general contractors, who name their price upfront, handymen bill you for the materials they use and the time they spend -- typically at around $50 to $85 an hour. There are some handyman companies that do charge an upfront flat labor rate but bill you for materials separate.   

Many homeowners turn to handymen when they have a job but don't know who to call. Handymen have been known to do all types of work.

HandyPro Newletter - Fall 2012

LED Lights Are The Way To Go... Huge Energy Savings!

LED Lights Are The Way To Go...
A LED (Light-Emitting Diode) is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are commonly used as indicator lamps in many electronic devices. They are becoming increasingly more common in other lighting. Early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but today's versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness.

LEDs are small, very efficient solid bulbs. New LED bulbs are grouped in clusters with diffuser lenses which have broadened the applications for LED use in the residential application. Over the past few years, the LED technology is advancing faster than previously thought. Many new bulb styles are available on the market. The initial investment of LEDs may seem more expensive than Compact Fluorescent Lights, yet LEDs have proven to bring more value since they last longer. LED bulb pricing is going down each year as the manufacturing technology continues to improve

Research has shown that the average lifespan of home and commercial LED lights is 25 times longer than the expected lifespan of your conventional incandescent light bulb, and 5 times longer than Fluorescent lgiths.

LED Lights & Bulbs reports that LED lights are extremely energy efficient. Depending upon which LED lamp is used, the savings could be up to 93% of the monthly electricity bill. Over the 17 year lifetime of an LED bulb, this can amount to energy savings of up to $300 for each LED light you use.

LED light bulbs also do not contain the same toxic chemicals as Florescent bulbs. This means that they are a much more environmentally friendly option when it comes to disposal. Florescent bulbs contain mercury, which can be harmful for the environment, so they can result in serious pollution problems during disposal.

Over the next few years we will see the evolution of the LED bulbs expand dramatically in the residential sector.  As the price of the bulb become more reasonable, we will see and would recommend homeowners switching to LEDs. 

HANDYPRO Handyman Services

Your trusted handyman...

Charlotte, NC

704-399-7337

How do you get rid of black mold on shower grout and caulk in the shower?

How do you get rid of black mold on shower grout and caulk in the shower?

By: Handy Andy

There are folks out there that say that if they have mild cases of either type (surface, not entrenched), they use Tilex and let it sit. They believe that it if it's mild, you should be able to walk away, come back in about 30 minutes and it should be gone. That is optically true.

If it's caulk and it's entrenched, replace the caulk. There is a certain point where it's deep in the stuff and no voodoo will get it out.

The real problem is twofold - the grout may not be sealed properly and you may not have adequate air ventilation.  Grout Sealer can be used when the grout is completely dry - you really should wait 5 days after cleaning it. Preferably after you have been out of town, not using the area. Get Aquamix Gold or equivalent and a cheap sponge paint applicator. Check the air ventilation.

We always like to recommend that if you take a shower, to turn your bathroom ventilation on.

If your grout keeps molding after it's been cleaned and sealed, the problem is probably in the wall. Someone took too long to address the issue. It's one of the issues with grout, as grout is a very porous joint, and unless you stay up on the maintenance, some of them will fail, and moisture will be sucked into the sheet rock or plaster, or even hardiboard. To get rid of the problem you will either need to replace the sub wall and retile.

Now, what to do about a shower that has not been maintained in the above manner since it was new?

Use cleaners that do not contain acids (this includes vinegar). Acids remove desirable material. It is recommended to an alkaline cleaner to remove built-up soap scum and mineral deposits. Use this cleaner only when heavy build-up is present. It should not to be used as a daily cleaner. For routine maintenance use a pH neutral cleaner. Both products are available at tile supply stores or at Lowes and Home Depot.

 

You should also seal the grout and tiles with a penetrating tile sealer both when the shower is new and periodically through the years. Grout and ceramic wall tiles are not waterproof and will absorb quantities of water as the shower is used. Water is the element necessary for breeding mold and mildew.

There are many brands of tile sealers, all of which fall into two general categories: mineral based and latex or acrylic based. Use the latex based products. They won’t stink up your house like the mineral based ones will. If you buy your products (cleaners and sealers) at full line tile supply stores, you’ll have the best chance of obtaining the very best products available. The people who work at these businesses are much more knowledgeable about tile products than people who work at the local home centers.

Sealers do not last forever. I would certainly go for the product that will last the longest. In the past, sealers were only good for a year at most. I like Impregnator 511 from Miracle Sealants. Both are available at Home Depot.

Sealing a shower is relatively easy. Make sure the shower is completely dry. Dry means, it usually takes about five days for the moisture to evaporate from behind the tiles. The five days applies to all showers built with lath and mortar whether new or old. If your shower has only sheetrock behind the tile, the walls will usually dry in two days (unless the sheetrock is saturated, in which case you have problems that can’t be fixed with sealer). Shower floors can take weeks or months to dry out after having been in use for a period of time. You might want to forgo sealing the floor in that case. In new showers, the floor can be sealed along with the walls, but never use an old fashioned sealer on a shower floor. The floor needs to breathe.

If your shower is tiled with large floor tiles which are dense to the point that they won’t accept sealer, you should use a small piece of sponge to apply sealer to the joints only. Wipe the edges of the tiles with a damp cloth. It is important to understand that not all floor tiles are super dense. Some of tile will accept the sealer. Do a little test. Dap sealer on a tile and notice whether the tile absorbs any of it. It does, seal the tiles and grout. If no sealer is absorbed by the tile, seal the joints only.

It is imperative that you remove all sealer from tile surfaces before it has a chance to dry. Some of the water-base sealers are not “strippable” after they’ve dried. Pay attention.

Here is the recap: Clean it, seal it, and wipe it down each time it’s used.

You trusted handyman Handy Andy

Visit us at www.HandyPro.com
March 2012