Childproofing Your Home with Style
Perhaps you’ve recently visited a friend’s house and all you saw was large plastic safety locks everywhere. Or perhaps, you didn’t have to go to a friend’s house to see the safety features; instead you just turned toward your kitchen. Having children is a joy, but the safety devices, we must place everywhere are a hassle and an eyesore. After all these years, companies have finally begun to understand that we want our homes to be both safe and beautiful.
First things first – the horrible plastic locks on the cabinet doors that never seem to open when you most desperately need them to open. Rather than trying to pry the pieces of plastic off the handles, you can now purchase smaller, hidden plastic locks that go on the inside of the door. With these you simply push down on the plastic, and the cabinet door opens. These are especially wonderful before children get too tall as they may eventually learn the secret.
Speaking of doors – what can we do about the larger doors in our entryways and rooms? There are several options now. In order to keep children out of a room, you can purchase a small round piece of plastic that goes over any doorknob. When a small child reaches up, the piece will simply bounce around. However, adults can push on two tiny finger holds, grasp the door knob, and open the door. If you have a white door, you can buy a white ball and people will scarcely notice its existence.
If you’re like me, you had you hand smashed in doors a time or two as a child. Once you have the experience, you are willing to do anything so that it is not repeated and want the same for your child. Manufacturers now make small pieces of plastic that will stick onto the edge of the door so that if the door is slammed it will not close all the way, protecting your child’s fingers from harm. This tool can be purchased in a color matching your door so that it is not noticeable. Your child will be safe, while your door is remains beautiful.
Other almost unnoticeable options for child safety exist in small on/off appliance locks that can be purchased to match your appliances. The locks lock automatically if the on switch is turned, and you can place them high enough on the door so that children cannot reach them. These locks will help keep children’s hands out of your refrigerator and oven. Also, you can get cord windups to keep the curtain cords out of childrens’ reach without having to wrap the cord on a nail or tie it in knots. These small changes will help remind people that they are in an adult home rather than a child play center. Additionally, they will help you have peace of mind about your child’s safety while still living in a home that doesn’t feel like a child’s play center!
How to Change Your Car’s Oil and Save $10-$20!
Do you always take your car to the mechanic for an oil change? Would you like to do it yourself and save some money in the process?
If, so, after reading this quick ‘how-to’ guide you will be able to change your car’s oil, and depending on what make and model your vehicle is, save anywhere from 10-20 dollars on your usually oil change.
Every 3000 miles it is important to completely drain out and replace the oil in your vehicle. Today, we’re going to learn how!
First off, when changing the oil on your car you need to prepare with some supplies. You will need the following:
-Jack
-the correct size wrench or ratchet
-oil filter
-oil
-short bucket
-rag
-funnel
-a big piece of cardboard
The first thing you need to do is warm up your vehicle. Drive around the block once or twice, which will heat up your engine a little bit, or change your oil just after a trip to the grocery store, or when you come home from work. The oil must first be warmed up otherwise you will have trouble getting it out.
Then, jack up your vehicle, being sure to follow all safety precautions. Make sure to find a strong point on the bottom of your vehicle before jacking it up. An axle is the best place. After making sure everything is secure you are ready to get down and start the dirty work.
We’ll start by draining out all the old oil. Look under your vehicle and locate the oil drain, which is usually one of the only ‘plugs’ in view. Generally this plug will be located right around the middle of the engine. Place your big piece of card board under the vehicle, which will keep you off the ground and also serve to catch any oil that drips. Grab your short bucket or container and place it under the vehicle, just below the oil plug. Once the bucket is in place take your wrench or ratchet and unscrew the oil plug slowly, letting the oil drain.
Remember when you are doing anything with oil that has been warmed up it may be extremely hot. Give the oil time to drain into the bucket, waiting till it comes out in slow drops. Then, carefully unscrew the oil filter. As you remove the filter, a short stream of oil may come out. Be sure to catch this in the bucket while not burning yourself.
After you have drained all the oil out of your engine you will need to replace the plug and add the new oil filter. Once you’ve finished that, be sure to clean up any messes that were made with your cleaning rag.
Once clean up is done, it’s time to put in the new oil! Find out how many liters of oil your vehicle takes and pour it in with the funnel through the spout labeled for oil on top of your engine, beneath the hood of your vehicle. Use the dipstick to check and make sure the oil level is high enough. Once the tank is full put all caps back on and close the hood.
Be sure to properly dispose of all the old oil and the oil filter. You’re all done! You’ve saved about 10-20 dollars for only 10-15 minutes of work.
Recall of Television Wall Mounting Units
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: VisionMount model VMSA swing-arm television wall-mounting unit
Units: 14,000
Distributed by: Sanus Systems, of St. Paul, Minn.
Hazard: An undersized shaft within the wall mounting unit can cause the product’s main support component to loosen. As a result, the unit and the television it is supporting can fall from the wall, posing a risk of injury to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Sanus Systems has received one report of significant loosening in the product’s main support component. No incidents or injuries relating to unit failure have been reported.
Description: This is a swing arm wall mount for flat panel televisions. The TV wall mount being recalled is the VisionMount model VMSA. The TV wall mount measures 18.5 inches high and 29 inches wide and is sold in black and silver. There is no writing on the unit.
Sold by: Audio Video stores from December 2004 through May 4, 2005 for about $350.
Manufactured In: United States and China
Remedy: Consumers should contact Sanus Systems immediately to request a free safety bracket and instructions on how to install the safety device.
Consumer Contact: Contact Sanus Systems at (800) 359-5520 between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or go to the firm’s Web site at www.sanus.com
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled products, please go to: cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06039.html
