Home Improvement for Women

Here it comes – WINTER – and I’m ready to celebrate the season with friends and family, relax in front of a roaring fire, ski a little, and dream (a lot!) about the summer to come. Cold weather is also tje perfect time to catch up on some seasonal projects, things I’ve been meaning to get to, but havent had time for, mostly because the crisp fall weather was too seductive for me to spend much time indoors. I’ve put together a list of 10 to do’s that I plan on tackling during the coming winter months, starting today. They’re perfect “down time” projects that save or make money or time – and all of them improve home life in one way or another. Perhaps you want to add them to your winter DIY list too? I hope so!

1. Winterize the car: If you plan on driving to grandma’s house or the holidays, or just planning on taking a ski weekend, you have to take ome extra precautions with the car. I can tell you that driving around the Hamptons when it has snowed or sleeted is no picnic. Quite the opposite. This year I’m going to be ready for any driving trouble by creating a handy emergency kit for my car. I can put together inexpensively at any Auto Zone or the automotive department of a big box store like Target, Wal-Mart, or K-Mart. It will be filled with: 6 flares, yellow rotating light, plugs into the cigarette lighter, GPS, hand held, battery or plug into cigarette lighter, 3 reflective triangles, 40-foot log chain, An extra parka, 2 car blankets, Elk Skin gloves with liners, Half dozen energy bars, bottled water, tire repair spray, basic first aid kit, spare tire and jumper cables.
2. Now that my car is prepared, I’m planning a winter trip that’s close enough to do in a day or weekend, but different enough to feel like I’m really away. I love hte beach but in winter The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, PA is tempting and only 2 1/2 hours from New York City. The 58-room luxury destination spa has rooms and a complete spa facility set on an incredible 75-acres or woods, streams and a 15-acre lake. The 40,000-square-foot spa features a full range of treatments as welll as an Aqua Garden with heated hydro-massage waterfall pools. Call toll free 1 (866) 255-3353 for a reservation.
3. Once I’m back from the spa, it’s back to real life…and I’m finally going to clean the condensor coils on the back of my fridge. Seriously. I know it’s not the most glam job in the world but it sure makes my appliance work better and as a result, cuts down on my electricity bill. Did you know your refrigerator  uses more energy than any other appliance in your home? They work hard ’round the clock – you can’t turn them off – so the more efficiently they run, the better. When dust, dirt, and pet hair accumulate on the coils, they blank and trap heat in. Temporarily cut off the power to the refrigerator by unplugging it or cutting its circuit breaker-since the job takes just minutes nothing will spoil as long as you keep the doors closed. I love Brushtech’s tapered Refrigerator Coil Cleaning Brush-B47C. At 7.99 it’s a steal.
4. Winterize: Why not – it’s winter! Check for cold air leaking inside around windows and doors and window air conditioning units. Seal any openings or replace old worn weather stripping. I use AM Conservation’s Foam Outlet and Switch Gaskets to block drafts around outlets and light switches. At 10 cents per piece, you really can’t afford not to get this simple task done. While you’re at it install door sweeps on entryways, and apply weather stripping or caulking around windows.
5. Look into permanent holiday lighting. ChannelBrite Permanent Outdoor LED Lighting System remains on your home year-round so you are instantly decorated for every occasion at the press of a button-whether it is for Christmas or a summer time backyard blow out. The system is made to blend seamlessly with your home’s trim and ensures that the lights remain perfectly straight and beautiful for years. The LED lights are extremely safe and 90% more energy efficient than traditional holiday lights, giving you savings on your energy bill as well. They’re also programmable, so homeowners can control the speed, pattern, and color of the lights. ChannelBrite costs about $25 a foot to install and comes with a 3-year warranty.
6. Cuddle the water heater. Unless you have a tankless water heater or you have one with a high R-value of insulation (at least R-24), adding insulation to your tank can reduce standby heat loses by 25%-45%, which can save from 4%-9% in annual water heating costs. To find out if a blanket around your tank  is needed, simply touch the tank. If it feels warm, it needs insulation. Home centers sell pre-cut water heater jackets or blankets for about $15-$30, depending on the size. Choose one with an insulating value of at least R-8 and wrap it around the tank following manufacturer’s instructions, such as Frost King’s Water Heater Insulation Blanket. It has an R-value of 11, and it’s about $22 at Home Depot.
7. Paint: It’s about time you redid your living or bedroom, right? Well with the new low and no VOC (that’s the stuff that makes paint smell really bad) you can paint on a chilly afternoon without having to open all the windows. And when there isn’t much else to do, you’ll be happy come spring that you painted over the winter. Sherwin-Williams Harmony line of paint is no-VOC and costs about $30 a gallon-and comes in an array of yummy colors besides.
8. Organize: Another task that’s so easy to put off when the sun and sand beckons, organizing your kitchen, bathroom, and closets pays big dividends. Once you know where to find everything, and you know exactly whatn you have, you’re much less prone to buy things you don’t need because you can’t find them or you can’t remember  you already have whatever it is you think you’re out of. And since The Container Store is offering a whole bunch of organizing tools at new, permanent lower prices, there’s no better time to shop for under-bed drawers ($21.99); clear sox boxes ($5.99); and stacking shoe bins ($7.99), and Expand-a-Shelf brand kitchen cabinet storage steps ($3.74-$14.99).
9. Replace standard light switches with dimmer switches-romantic and flexible. Dimmers allow you to use just the amount of light you needm which saves energy. They’re super-simple to install – follow manufacturer’s easy instructions,  including cutting power to the switch you’re working on. Lutron’s new MeadowLark eco-minder dimmer (about $30) shows you saving 15% or more energy via an LED light that changes from red to green as you dim the lights. It controls up to 600W incandescent/halogen lighting, and its sleek design will blend unobtrusively with any decor.
10. Install motion sensors on outdoor lights or replace your current lights with motion-sensing models. They provide security and also ensure lights aren’t going all night unnecessarily. Motion detector light fixtures switch on when they sense movement. You can set the amount of time the light stays on after motion is detected (perhaps the amount of time it takes you to unlock your door and get inside, or the time it takes to raise your garage door). SteinelAmerica’s Dual Floodlight with Motion Sensor ($64) is super-sensitive, and programmable. If you buy it from The Home Security Store (homesecuritystore.com), you’ll also get free lifetime technical support.