Save Me Steve: Winter Life Hacks

The cold weather is here and it comes with changes to your house. Steve Noviello talks to Sandy Tabacinic from Homecorp about some easy fixes for squeaky floors, fireplaces and wet boots.

SQUEAKY WOOD FLOORING
During the winter, wood floors tend to dry out and shrink. You can silence them by sprinkling talcum powder. Use a paintbrush to work the powder into the joints between boards and then sweep away any excess. For tight spots you can use powdered graphite that's squeezed from a tube.

BEST FIREPLACE CLEANER:  TIN FOIL
Place a double layer across bottom of fireplace or wood grate before lighting. When the fire is finished, fold the tin foil with ashes and throw away.

ORANGE PEELS AS FIRE STARTERS
The oil in the orange's skin can fuel fires. It releases less creosote than paper (creosote is the build up in fireplace chase that can create fire). To use them, just dry peels on a sheet pan and toss in a paper bag with a silica packet to keep fresh.

PEBBLE BOOT TRAY FOR WET, DIRTY BOOTS
Glue pebbles or rocks to a mesh liner and place in a sheet pan or plastic tray. Water, snow and ice will drain through the rocks to the bottom of the tray. Most of the moisture tends to evaporate under the rocks and footwear dries quicker and more efficiently.

Homecorp provides construction, remodeling, architectural, and interior design services to wide range of client across North Texas. For more information, visit www.homecorptx.com.