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November 13, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

Do you think things go perfectly on all my jobs? You may have that impression if you watch lots of home improvement TV shows. Rarely do the producers show the hosts making mistakes. They don't want you to think they're human for goodness sakes! And when the host does make a mistake and messes up his hairdo, the producers surely don't want you to see that!

I was working my you-know-what off all weekend editing more of my DIY Shed videos and came across this very realistic video of what usually happens on a job site. Not only did I goof up on the words I was saying, I also had another issue.

If you need a laugh or two, opens in a new windowwatch this video. Rest assured I'm human like you, and when you're at my job you'll not always see rainbows arching over them and unicorns grazing nearby.

And speaking of goof ups, wait until you see all the outtakes from the shed videos. I'm building a reel of them. Oh my, will you laugh!

 

DIY SHED VIDEO UPDATE

I'm nearly halfway through editing the shed videos. I'm starting to upload them now to servers in remote locations. If you've heard the term "the cloud", that's what they're talking about. Having the shed videos in the cloud is a great idea. It protects them so they never get lost, and it makes it easier for you to access them.

I hope to have the first group of fifty videos for you by next week. I'm really happy with the way they came out. I'm sure you'll be pleased too.

 

INSTALLING AN EXTERIOR DOOR

Are you tired of your front door? What would you say if I told you there's a very good chance you can do this job yourself with a little assist from me? I often tell you when a job is beyond your skill set, but this time, I'm confident you can install a new front door with me at your side - virtually.

Just after Christmas, I'll be installing a new front door here at my house. Yes, it can be done in the middle of winter - even in New Hampshire! That's one reason why I waited. I wanted to show you how you can replace an exterior door in any weather!

I'll be doing an intense series of videos showing all the ninja tricks I use when I install exterior doors. Watch this newsletter closely for an upcoming announcement about how you can get access to this new video series!

 

TIP OF THE WEEK - CLEANING GREASY SURFACES

With Thanksgiving bearing down on us, Kathy asked me to help start to get the kitchen ready for the big day. It was my job to clean the oven racks and the vent hood.

This past weekend I made a bonehead mistake. I often chide others who make the same blunder. I forgot to take before photos of the greasy stove vent hood filters I cleaned with Stain Solver! Dang it!

They were so brown and greasy. They even had droplets of brown grease on them. Because these filters are out of sight for the most part, it's easy to forget about them.

To clean them, I put the stopper in our kitchen sink, and then added hot water in the sink to submerge the filters. The next step was to add two ounces of Stain Solver powder and let the filters soak for about 15 minutes.

As the filters were soaking, I took a regular wash cloth and got it wet with the solution in the sink. I used that to clean the underside of the hood. Within seconds, and with very little rubbing, the grease coating the underside of the hood came right off.

I could have made the job easier if I would have just put some of the Stain Solver solution in an old spray bottle and spritzed the underside of the hood. Had I done that and allowed the solution to soak for just five minutes, the grease would have immediately come off with no rubbing.

To clean the oven racks, I just soak oven racks in a Stain Solver solution to loosen baked-on grease and food. Harsh caustic oven cleaners can foul the finish on the metal racks. After they soak for a couple of hours, the baked-on grease comes off pretty easily with a new Dobie scrub pad.

Do you want to clean your oven and vent hood like I did? I'm having a sale on the popular 4.5-pound size of Stain Solver! You'll see that below!

 

LATEST BOOK I READ

I just finished a book on my opens in a new windowKindle Fire tablet. Oh do I love my Kindle Fire tablet!

The book was written by J. D. Trafford and is titled opens in a new windowNo Time to Run. It's a legal thriller, and the main character, Michael Collins, is one cool cucumber. His pal Kermit will have you laughing for sure.

I'm tough to please as I never like to guess the ending 80 pages from the back cover. Well, J. D. didn't let me down. You'll love this book.

 

COAST RAPID RESPONSE 3.90 KNIFE REVIEW

Recently, the UPS driver brought a Coast pocket knife to my doorstep. It was in a handsome black box with red accenting. This immediately telegraphed to me the contents of the box might be something a military special ops team member might use. Inside the box was the sleek opens in a new windowCoast Rapid Response 3.90 Tactical Knife.

I was right. I'm sure a Navy Seal or two has this knife. If not, they should.

Coast Rapid Response 3.90 Knife

This well-built knife sports a stainless-steel blade that's just under 4 inches long. When closed, the blade is hidden inside a gorgeous textured nylon-fiberglass handle.

WARNING: Do not allow the knife to leave your hands. Never permit your friends to touch the knife. This action may result in you having great difficulty getting the knife back into your pocket.

The Smooth Assist Technology TM roller-bearing design allows you to deploy the blade, once the safety is turned off, with a simple thumb movement. With a modest flick of your thumb, the blade snaps to attention ready to get to work.

You don't need two hands to open the knife. It's very slick.

The belt clip can be switched in less than a minute if you're a lefty. Because the knife only weighs in at 4.8 ounces, you'll not even feel it in your pocket. Traditional knives this size would make you feel like you had a rock in your pocket all day.

This knife, or really any one from Coast, would make an ideal stocking stuffer. opens in a new windowBuy two of them today and treat yourself to one. I guarantee you that you'll love this knife!

 

ATTIC VENTILATION

Justin Case, from Queen Creek, Arizona wrote to me:

"About three or four years ago you did a piece on attic vents, powered I believe and you said you would need some huge amount of air turnovers to get the attic temp down enough to make any real difference on air conditioning bills. Do you recall that article? I think it was sent out in your newsletter. I would love to read that again."

Justin, you bet I remember it. I'm sorry that my search engine at the website let you down.

I went back to AsktheBuilder.com, and typed these keyword phrases into my search engine:

solar attic fan

"thousands of cubic feet"

I found several articles of mine that you read before:

opens in a new windowAttic Fans

opens in a new windowSolar-Powered Attic Fans

 

SPILLED RED WINE STAIN SOLVER SALE

Thanksgiving is bearing down on us! It's my favorite meal of the year!

Will you have guests at your home? Will someone accidentally spill red wine on your heirloom tablecloth? Will they spill gravy? Or will the stain come from cranberry juice or beets?

If you're a seasoned subscriber to this newsletter, you know that Stain Solver will easily remove these stains, and MANY more, from your napkins, tablecloths, carpet and clothes.

There's already enough stress around the holidays, so don't freak out if someone spills something. Just continue on with the meal and Stain Solver will come to the rescue after you've eaten the pumpkin and pecan pie. Yes, one slice of each please!

opens in a new windowFLASH SALE! Only 200 Containers ON SALE.

Right now, I've got 200 containers of my 4.5 pound size on sale. You get FREE Shipping PLUS a 15% discount. Once the 200 containers are gone, the sale is over.

The normal price for the product is $39.97. You'll see the lower sale price at the shopping cart.

Hurry now and Be Prepared for the stains you know will happen on Thanksgiving. Order NOW so you have it by next week!

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