Home Improvement News Bureau

Spring Spruce Ups For Your Home

MONEY PIT NEWSBUREAU - March 15, 2005 - Spring is in the air and a great time to not only really clean, but spruce up your home inside and out.  To get started on the right foot, home improvement experts Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete of The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show have some suggestions on cost effective improvements that can make sure your house avoids money-pit status.

 “One of the easiest and most noticeable home improvements you can make is to replace your entry door,” suggests Kraeutler.  “Research has shown that a new front door system can add as much as $24,000 to a home’s perceived value – about five times the cost of a new system adding up to a great return on your investment.

Kraeutler likes the Therma-Tru Classic Craft Oak Collection that offers the look of real wood graining but the performance of fiberglass.  “While these doors look like beautiful wood-grain, they have much better energy efficiency and are more affordable and easier to maintain since they don’t rot, warp or peel like wood.”  For more information, visit www.thermatru.com.

A spring cleaning wouldn’t be that without a good scrubbing – inside and out.  “Spring is a great time to tackle carpets and upholstery in addition to the usual kitchen and bath surfaces,” says Segrete, “and don’t forget the outside, too.  It’s a perfect time to clean the gutters and the patio furniture before the start of the summer entertaining season.”  Segrete likes OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover.  A new formula was introduced in March it really works to lift, trap and dissolve stains.  The Oxiclean website also offers suggestions for fighting specific stains. For more information visit www.oxiclean.com.

With warmer weather and open windows, there’s also bound to be more dirt and pollen in the air – a problem for anyone in the family who suffers from allergies or respiratory problems.  “Many people don’t realize that indoor air is often 10 to 100 times more polluted than the air outside,” says Kraeutler.  “Home air cleaners are an excellent solution. You can minimize the risk of allergies, colds and flu.  

Aprilaire offers a range of products that will remove particles 1,000 times smaller than the eye can see – including viruses.”  Aprilaire offers a patented design that removes tobacco, smoke, dust, bacteria, pet dander, fungi and pollen.  The Aprilaire Electronic Air Cleaner is a combination unit that does not have any plates to clean yet cleans all of the air traveling through your heating and cooling equipment and prolongs the life of your furnace and air conditioner.  For more information call your local heating and cooling contractor or visit www.aprilaire.com

And when it is time to throw open those windows, Money Pit co-host Leslie Segrete (TLC’s While You Were Out) suggests a new retractable screen.  “Retractable screens are the latest rage” she explains.  “ODL’s makes one that is that is there when you need it but when retracted simply blends in with the door frame.”    ODL’s model ensures maximum airflow into the home and makes use of rugged weather-stripping in the screen tracks to keep dirt and insects out.  Another feature of the fiberglass screen is a Slam-Proof system that allows the screen to return without pinching small (or large) fingers.  It’s available in three colors and accommodates both exterior in-swing and out-swing doors.  For more information visit www.odl.com    .

Your spring clean up can be profitable in more ways than one – not only on your return on investment in your home but in a healthier, cleaner more attractive one.

Print Version

Search Related Topics: Air Conditioning, Cleaning, Doors, Heating, Insulation & Ventilation, Mold...