Now Here’s a Tip – September 10, 2024

#MiddleburyCT

• When preparing outdoor furniture for winter storage, it’s important to give it a nice cleaning. If you have a truck, why not load it up and bring it to the local self-serve car wash? The specialized brushes make it easy to clean right there in the back of the vehicle, and a pressure rinse gets soap and dirt from all the nooks and crannies.
• “While at a backyard barbecue now that the weather has turned nice out (down in the South, anyway), I learned this trick from a neighbor. Put hot dogs in the slow cooker. Don’t add water or anything. They taste really good without taking up space on the grill.” – J.V. in Alabama
• To keep algae from growing in your backyard birdbath, add a few copper pennies. Or you can get a small piece of copper pipe from the home-improvement store. It keeps the algae from getting out of control.
• When you need an extra garbage bag, like during a party or while doing lawn chores, try this cool trick: Use a large pop-up laundry bin, and line it with a lawn and leaf garbage bag. Use chip clips to secure it at the top if you need to.
• “We keep a regular size galvanized steel trash can with lid out on our deck for the kids’ toys. It’s big enough to hold everything, convenient enough to drag around the yard to clean up, and the lid protects the toys from the weather and bugs!” – W.K. in Illinois
• “I had a plastic storage bin that cracked and I was about to throw it out when my son stopped me. He cut holes in either side and used it to cover the outdoor pipes that stick up out of the ground. Now they will be protected from cold temperatures, and from the weed eater through the rest of fall. My boy!” – T.R. in South Carolina

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