Chip Away At Your Home Project To-Do List With Skill

Saturday, March 1, 2003

To-Do List With Skill (NAPSA)—If you are among the three in four Americans who maintain a home improvement to-do list, experienced home handymen have suggestions to help you chip away at this plan with little stress and much success. The key, they say, is an organized workspacethat can be adapted to the task at hand. The top-ranking tasks on these timetables, according to a national retail survey, are as wide-ranging as reorganizing storage, enhancing the yard, hanging pictures, and painting. That’s why the experts call for flexibility in a workspace. “Walk through a job mentally from start to finish before you begin,” suggests John McMonagle, owner of the Exton, PA franchise of Cincinnati-based House Doctors Handyman Service. “Then set aside the tools you don’t need and place those you do need within easy reach. “If you’re assembling some- thing, or following instructions, clip the directions in front of you at eye-level,” he adds. A family of self-stick products with Command adhesive from 3M helps make any workspaceflexible. The series includes spring clips for holding instructions and hooks for hanging tools and lightweight equipment. The products adhere firmly to most smooth surfaces and can be removed quickly andeasily, without leaving holes, marks or sticky residue. They’re cost-effective because you can use them again and again with replacementstrips. “To see clearly, place an inexpensive swivel lamp near yourproject,” adds Roy Berendsohn, associate home improvementeditor of Popular Mechanics. A neat workspace makesfor a safer and more efficient one. A family of self-stick hooks with Command adhesive from 3M, in sizes ranging from jumbo to small, hold tools; spring clips grasp instructions; and a dust- cloth and cord clips keep the counterfree of wires. Safety goes hand in hand with efficiency, both men suggest. “Make sure electrical wires are directed away from tools, sharp objects and the immediate work area,” McMonagle warns. 3M selfstick cord clips and a cord bundler allow you to direct them out of harm’s way, off the work surface andalong the wall. “Hang safety gear, such as safety glasses and dust masks nearby,” says Berendsohn. “Keep a whiskbroom and dustpan handy. Stop what you’re doing and clean up periodically. Never continue to workif you are stepping on fallen debris that can trip you up.” For more information or a free brochure, “For the Times of Your Life,” with ideas for using Command adhesive mounting products, call 1-800-577-8778, ext. 70, or visit www.commandadhesive.com.

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