#2369 – Hot Topic: Are Smoke and CO Detectors Enough? | Cleaning Product Hazards

Show Notes

Join us as we cover the essentials of home safety and comfort! In this show, we discuss whether smoke detectors and CO detectors alone provide complete protection, then explore how to avoid cleaning product hazards. Plus, find a game-changing product that not only bolsters insulation but significantly enhances your home’s energy efficiency. All this and much more to answer your latest home improvement questions!

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Fire Protection: Are smoke and CO detectors enough to keep your home protected?
Cleaning Products: What to look for and what to do to handle cleaning products safely
Boost Insulation: This new product boosts insulation and increases energy efficiency and comfort.

Podcast Transcript

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0:00:30	TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles. This is the Money Pit Home Improvement show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
0:00:36	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
0:00:37	TOM: Look around your house. It is the holidays season. Do you have a decor dilemma you need to solve? Do you need a quick project to fix up your house for Some family and friends are going to be stopping by for a holiday visit. Or do you have a to do for the days and weeks and months ahead? Whatever is on your to do list? We would love to help you by sliding in over 2 hours. You need to call us first, though, to help yourself out. 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or post your questions right now at moneypit.com/ask. Coming up today, winter is the heating season and you all know that. But do you know this? It’s also the fire season. So if you’ve got smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fantastic. But guess what? There’s one other system that will totally insure your safety for you and your pets. Will highlight that in just a bit.
0:01:28	LESLIE: And since we’re all doing more cleaning than usual during the holiday season, it’s important to note that some cleaning products are more hazardous than others. We’ve got some tips on what to look for and what you can do to safely handle those cleaners that you’re using.
0:01:42	TOM: And when you insulate a home, the walls depth limits, the insulation amount. So, for example, if you’ve got a two by four wall that can only hold three and a half inches of insulation, right? Well, we’re going to share a new product that boosts wall insulation, seals drafts and improves energy efficiency. For greater comfort year round.
0:02:02	LESLIE: All right. But first, we are here to give you some expert help for the care and feeding of your home. basically, it’s like having another kid or your biggest kid and most definitely your most expensive child. Although I’ve got a 15 year old boy, it’s pretty pricey. Who do anyway, whatever you’ve got going on at your Money Pit, we are here to lend a hand get you through all of those projects happily and on budget.
0:02:25	TOM: The number here is 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or better yet go to moneypit.com/ask. Click the blue microphone button and send us your question.
0:02:37	LESLIE: Chris in Pennsylvania you’ve got the money pit. What can we do for you today?
0:02:40	CALLER: Well, I’m calling about a leak in a copper pipe that is coming from the boiler in the basement up and running along the ceiling of the living room wall and into the radiator, which sits in the bathroom and right in the ceiling, in the living room. It’s dripping about one drop per minute and we’re emptying the bowl. And I had a fellow look at it. He said that there is a leak where the two pipes are connected and it’s called the 90.
0:03:14	TOM: And that’s a 90 degree bend.
0:03:16	CALLER: Okay. Yes, which is something I did not understand. And then he said he would be back to repair it and hasn’t come back yet. The boiler is also working. But we have to kind of watch the water and the pressure in it.
0:03:34	TOM: Do you have a hot water system or a steam system?
0:03:35	CALLER: It’s a hot water boiler.
0:03:37	TOM: So it probably has an automatic feed valve. It puts more water in if it starts to get load if that’s the case.
0:03:42	CALLER: And no, I think we turn the we turn the valve in the basement and it adds water.
0:03:49	TOM: Well, you certainly have to have it fixed. Unfortunately, to do that, they’re going to have to drain the boiler off to below where the leaking joint is and then the plumber can go in and repair it and then refill the boiler. So you’re definitely going to need to have your plumber or your heating contractor come out, come back and take care of that. If this guy is ignoring you now that you’re going have to call somebody else, maybe you got busy.
0:04:11	CALLER: All right. Yes. Well, thank you very much.
0:04:14	LESLIE: Now, I’ve got Jay on the line, who’s got a question about a three season room. What’s going on over there?
0:04:18	CALLER: Building a three season room. And I want to use passive solar. the sun coming in and I want to its concrete foundation. And I was thinking of putting like, a two inch rigid foam. it’s above ground. And then the two inch above the two-inch rigid foam is for a two inch layer of concrete.
0:04:44	CALLER: And then I want to use red terracotta on top of that. So when the sun hits it, it absorbs the heat and absorbs the concrete. And I’m thinking of the insulation. It would keep there.
0:04:57	TOM: You’re talking about only using two inches of concrete in the floor on top of the foam.
0:05:00	CALLER: Well, it’d be on dirt floor.
0:05:02	TOM: Yeah, but you need more than two inches of concrete. It’s not going to be self-supporting. It is just two inches. you get any movement and that’s going to crack. So I think you have to put the foam insulation down first and then woven wire mesh and then at least four inches of concrete so that it doesn’t crack. And so it’s dimensionally stable. Now, what kind of windows do you have in this? How are you going to get the solar gain into this?
0:05:24	CALLER: Well, that’s my basic question. What do you have for ideas?
0:05:29	TOM: Well, the common mistake that people will use is they’ll use low key windows, which we always recommend. The problem is that these low key, you’re not going to get any heat gain at all because low M0 inside the gas that makes up thermal pane windows is going to reflect the heat back out. So rather than relying on the entire section being heat heated just by the sun you might just want to consider making this as insulated as possible and adding a minimal amount of heat supplemented by the sun, because you’re going to need something because you know it’s not going to be heated by the sun all the time.
0:06:01	CALLER: Right.
0:06:02	TOM: So I would just make a really well insulated structure here. if you can oriented to the south to take up the heat, the sun, that’s great. But remember, what heats that room in the wintertime is going to heat it in the summertime as well.
0:06:16	CALLER: That’s great. Help, guys. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
0:06:19	TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at eight at 888-Money-Pit.
0:06:23	LESLIE: Hey, guys, if you’ve heard a helpful tip or two while listening to our show, please help us help even more home improvers by dropping us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.
0:06:32	TOM: That would be awesome. And you might even win a copy of our book My Home, My Money Pit, Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure. Just go to MoneyPit.com/review.
0:06:42	LESLIE: Now we’re going to chat with Diana in Arkansas, who’s got a super old house that’s acting a little strangely. What’s going on?
0:06:48	CALLER: My husband says that there is a main beam underneath this house that is broken and it is allowing it to settle in my kitchen. My refrigerator is taking a definite list and it’s not too far from that beam. How would we go about raising this house or whatever and replacing that beam?
0:07:16	TOM: Okay, so if you have a broken beam the way that that type of repair is generally done is, first of all, if the beam is just cracked and we want to kind of reinforce it so it doesn’t settle or move, what will often happen is a contractor will put a new beam next to it and bolt it to the old beam that’s called a sister beam. And in that way, you’re not really replacing it as much as you’re just kind of beefing it up. And that’s a smarter way to do that, because frankly, there’s no way there’s no wind mites taking it out. Now, if the house is settled, you may or may not want to do anything to try to raise those beams. Generally, we recommend you don’t raise a floor because everything’s connected to it. The walls and the pipes and the plumbing and the electrical wires. You kind of leave it in place. But reinforcing that beam in place is the best way to attack that. And that’s a not a terribly complicated job, but you can’t just have anybody do it. You need to have a contractor that really knows what they’re doing because you’re going to want to get those beams on both sides. You’re want to make sure that if there’s any seams in there that they have to be over a piling, for example, where there’s support and then you have to have both to go all the way through from the new beam in the old beam in back to the new, even to the side, and then sort of bolted together. And then that’s going to make a really strong repair and reinforcement. Do you know why the beam cracked in the first place?
0:08:35	CALLER: I have no idea. And the house was originally just a former room house. And then it has been built on and built on and built on and so I have no idea.
0:08:50	TOM: I supposedly might have skipped the structural step there. Well, I think that by reinforcing that beam is there is the right way to do it. So thanks so much for calling and good luck with that project. And if you have any more questions, let us know.
0:09:03	CALLER: Thank you so much.
0:09:05	LESLIE: Ken in Michigan is on the line and need some help with the water softener. What can we do for you?
0:09:09	CALLER: Well, I’ve got a 22-year old house that we built and I had a contractor put the water softener in. And my question is, how do I go about cleaning it or do I know that it is still working or am I just throwing money away? It’s dumping it in.
0:09:29	TOM: Well, if it wasn’t working, you would probably notice a difference in the in your ability to use the water in terms of whether it got soapy and just sort of felt right on your clothes and your hair and that sort of thing in terms of cleaning it there’s quite a few steps involved. It’s why most people have service companies that do this But essentially you have to siphon or get rid of the water out of the brine tank and you need to be careful where you put the toxins. It’s so salty it could damage your lawn, your landscape, and then you have to clean it with soapy water solution. And then generally you have to put a bleach solution after that and let it sit for a while so it kills any bacteria. And then you have to rinse that whole thing and put it all back together. So there’s kind of a lot of steps to it. And do you know what? Who made this brine tank, what the manufacturer is? Because I’m thinking you might be able to find step by step instructions on their website.
0:10:26	CALLER: I just looked and I couldn’t find anything on the machine. And all I could find was so pure tech. And so I’m not sure who made it or word came from. And like I said, I had a contractor put it in about 22 years ago. I’m not even sure whether they’re still in business or not. I’m not familiar.
0:10:47	TOM: With that brand. But if you jump online, I found a couple of references to the procedure for cleaning those tanks and one is on a blog called Water Tech, which seems pretty well written. So just Google it and I think you’ll find the step by step. But there’s about ten or 15 steps involved in cleaning correctly.
0:11:03	CALLER: All right. Thank you very much.
0:11:05	TOM: And good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
0:11:09	LESLIE: Well, if your home has working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, you might think you’re well protected against a fire. Well, while these detectors are essential and exist in 96% of homes, there are still thousands of fatalities and billions of dollars in damage caused every year from house fires. However, according to the National Fire Protection Association, the odds of becoming one of these fire related statistics drop significantly when smoke alarms and co monitors are paired with residential fire sprinkler systems.
0:11:40	TOM: Yeah, and here’s why. the main advantage is the speed with which a sprinkler system reacts. The system reacts so fast, frankly, to the fire is often contained before the fire department arrives. And it also safeguards the lives of both people and pets because they react so quickly. And this is especially true in situations where fires escalate rapidly. They’re also crucial for protecting pets that can escape or of course, they can also use fire extinguishers.
0:12:08	LESLIE: Another reason is, think about the firefighters. It definitely helps keep them safe because the sprinklers will prevent small fires from becoming larger, more dangerous. Blaze is reducing risks for those firefighters that come to help. And this is going to help avoid exposure to smoke and toxins and eliminates the need for risky rescue operations. And lastly, you’re going to get lower homeowner’s insurance costs. Installing that residential fire sprinkler system can lead to a significant savings on insurance premiums. depending on your location and home size is going to be up to 35%, possibly making the system a cost effective investment.
0:12:44	TOM: Yeah. Now, let’s clarify one confusing point about fire sprinkler systems. They only work when they’re activated by a fire and the only turn on in the rooms where the fire exists. So it’s not like your entire house is now going to get a bath. If maybe you have like a kitchen stove fire, it’s only going to come on in that one particular area. So really the only downside is that it’s best if they’re installed when the house is new. So if you’re building or buying a new house, sprinklers are definitely a very worthy investment to make.
0:13:14	LESLIE: Now we’ve got Sheri on the line, who lives in a very rural area and is looking for some help with a home security system. I’m interested in buying a burglar alarm or some kind of security system for my house. I live in a rural area, so I’m not sure if that makes any difference in the choices that I would have to have installed. I would say first, how is your Wi-Fi connection? if you’ve got solid Wi-Fi, you can pretty much have any of these home security systems, sentinel nest, any of them. It’s interesting because so many of these you can do yourself, but they do require a very strong Wi-Fi signal. So that is really going to determine what and how we can do for you.
0:14:00	TOM: Yeah. And if you have a Wi-Fi connection and the Wi-Fi goes down, there’s also systems that have like a cell phone dialer backup. So you’re really never without that connection to a monitoring center. Now, speaking of monitoring, I have the DB Sentinel cameras, and the reason I like those is because they’re actually monitored 24 seven by security people. And so they’re pretty affordable and surprisingly affordable. Even the monthly service fee is and I love the fact that there’s somebody there sort of watching our property, even though when we’re not there. the fact that you’ve got everything’s Internet based now has really changed the whole game in home security, you could pretty much put in any systems to just choose one that has the features and the benefits that you’re looking for and you’ll be good to go.
0:14:49	LESLIE: Vincent, you’ve got the money pin. How can we help you today?
0:14:52	CALLER: I have got an issue with a leaking ceiling. I’m not sure if it’s coming from my roof or from our air conditioners. Doesn’t do it all the time, but sometimes when it rains, it comes down. And then other times when it’s not right. And then about the work out kind of that allows we’ve got a metal roof on it. It’s an older, structured house, right? I think it may be the drip edge. It can go on more. It goes into the gutter and you know, but like that, I’ve not had any luck because I’ll think I have it fixed and then it’ll come around and it comes in again.
0:15:32	TOM: It comes in again, right? So what have you been doing to fix? And they’ve even sealing the seams in the, in the metal roof.
0:15:37	CALLER: Yeah. We got up and put some calkin and stuff along that, you know where the edges and stuff was. And then it’s supposed to be a 20 year race and we’ve only had it on the house.
0:15:49	TOM: Probably about maybe so this is a metal roof is supposed to be a 100 year roof. Mean metal roof is last a long time. Here’s what I would do. I would try to make it leak. So I would go up there, Can you get up there? That area with a hose? Yeah. So I would try to make it leak. So I would try the normal light duty rainfall when it falls down from the top and see if that does anything. And then I would try some directional pressure against those seams and see if I can figure out what type of driving rainstorm is coming in here, because I suspect it is due the rain driving in and those and it might be trapped in there. And it’s why me comes out days later after a rainfall. I don’t know. But I think what you’re going have to do is to try to figure out what part of that is breaking down. And then once you do, if you’ve already going the cork route, I would suggest taking apart that section of the roof and then putting it back together with the proper sealants to make sure you get it done once and for all.
0:16:41	CALLER: Okay. Yeah.
0:16:43	TOM: All right. Yeah. That’s the way to approach that.
0:16:46	CALLER: We’ve got to repair the sealant. We’re not going to repair the sealant.
0:16:49	TOM: Yeah. No, you don’t want to do that. So if you got this leak done. Yeah. And by the way, when you do repair that sealing, make sure you use Primer on it, because if you don’t prime over leak stains, they’re going to come right through the finish paint. Okay?
0:17:02	CALLER: Yeah. Actually, I think what we’re going to do is put up a lip starting or like a not a paneling, but it’s a plate that’ll go up and get rid of the popcorn that’s up there now.
0:17:16	TOM: Yeah. Well that’s really the four most expensive words in home improvement while you’re at it. Yeah. All right. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit.
0:17:27	LESLIE: Carolyn from Ohio is on the line and has a noisy neighbor. her siding is being noisy. What’s going on?
0:17:33	CALLER: This siding is just noisy. The second floor, you can hear it. when you walk through the bedrooms, you can hear the fighting.
0:17:39	TOM: This vinyl siding.
0:17:40	CALLER: It is.
0:17:41	TOM: So vinyl siding is not supposed to be nailed securely to a home. It’s supposed to be nailed loosely. That’s why if you look at a piece of vinyl siding, it doesn’t have holes and it has slots and it has to be nailed loosely because the siding is designed to expand contract when it’s exposed to the sunshine has a pretty high expansion contraction rig. As a matter of fact, I haven’t really heard anyone complaining about noise from it, but I do think it would make sense that if you are in a windy area, perhaps you might hear some of that unfortunately don’t have a good solution for you because you cannot tighten it up if you do, you’re going to start getting buckled areas. And if you start driving around neighborhoods that have vinyl siding in the summer, have you ever seen the house that’s just got all the sort of wavy siding on it? That’s what happened and went on too tight and it buckled. So if it’s moving, it’s put on correctly. One way to check is to take a piece and just put your hand out, try to slide it back and forth. The boards actually should slide if they’re installed properly.
0:18:39	CALLER: Okay. I’ve had people out to look at it to fix it. And they say that that’s it’s okay, cause I always worry that it’s always going to fly off the house or something.
0:18:49	TOM: No, don’t worry about that. Because like I said, it’s supposed to be loose.
0:18:52	CALLER: Okay. Okay. Thank you. All right.
0:18:54	TOM: Good luck. Carolyn. Thanks so much for calling us at eight At 888-Money-Pit.
0:18:58	LESLIE: Well, there are all kinds of things that need cleaning around your home, especially during the holiday season. But while there are countless cleaning products that you can buy, some may be more toxic than others. We’ve got suggestions for healthier and less hazardous cleaning options.
0:19:12	TOM: Now, first, you may have noticed that there’s a lot of increased marketing these days for natural cleaning products that are touted as being nontoxic, earth friendly or hypoallergenic. Well, that all sounds great. The fact of the matter is these terms are actually not officially defined, so the claims can be subjective. Plus reading all the tiny print on the labels can be challenging, and sometimes not all of the ingredients are listed yet.
0:19:38	LESLIE: And of course some do. It yourselfers prefer to use DIY products that are made with simple and inexpensive ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, salt, even olive oil and lemon. Now, these are all convenient, affordable and effective, but you should still check before mixing them with any additional ingredients because the wrong things mix together could cause a harmful reaction. We’ve got some posts on our website that walk you through how to make your own cleaning supplies.
0:20:04	TOM: Now, regardless of which ones you choose, there are some things to always keep in mind when using those cleaning products, beginning with the most important one. Keep them away from kids and also keep them away from pets to avoid any accidental ingestion, spills, burns, or even inhalation.
0:20:20	LESLIE: All right. Now, when you’re shopping for cleaning supplies, you want to read those labels carefully and check out not only the ingredients, but any warnings or directions that are listed. And then be sure to follow them, wear gloves and any other protective equipment that they recommend, glasses, anything. You’ve got to protect your eyes. Also, you want to be sure to ventilate the area while you’re cleaning and never mix cleaning products. Disinfect dents and other chemicals together. If you’re using a spray cleaner such as a disinfectant, spray it onto the cloth instead of the air, because that’s going to help reduce any inhalation you might have.
0:20:54	TOM: And you don’t always have to turn to cleaning products. for simple dust and dirt, damp cleaning cloths and mops do a heck of a job without having to use potentially harmful chemicals. And you can use soap and water for dirty or greasy spots.
0:21:07	LESLIE: David in Texas is on the line. What can we help you work on this weekend?
0:21:11	CALLER: I’ve got a stained patio, concrete patio that was done when they built my house and hide it from the sun. But when you wet it with water, it looks like it works. And they did it. Is there something I could put on that? Yeah.
0:21:24	TOM: So the wet look is working for you, in other words. Yes. So, there are a number of different products out there that will work really, really well with concrete patios. So, you can always stain the patio, which will change it will make it more uniform and it may blend in that stain. But I think you might be better off looking at one of the refinishing products. One of our sponsors is a company called Daich Coatings. They’ve got a bunch of different patio and pool surround finishes, and many of them use real stone as part of their makeup. And so you can have a finish that looks like marble or it has a decorative sort of epoxy grade to it. There’s a lot of different options to it. I would take a look at some of those products and maybe think about how that might work for you, because it’s a lot less expensive than replacing the patio and they’re really durable finishes.
0:22:22	CALLER: Do they offer like a clear?
0:22:24	TOM: Oh, yeah, they definitely have clear finish. And you’re thinking that if you put the clear on that might just make it all and even color. I would try to test it just to make sure it’s going to come out the way you expect. But yeah, they do have a clear epoxy finish, a matter of fact.
0:22:38	CALLER: Yeah, because they did the in the inside of the house, it’s done the same and we have big bay windows and so you see the outside in the inside and it’s just kind of uniform.
0:22:48	TOM: Yeah. There’s a product called heavy duty epoxy clear coat.
0:22:51	CALLER: Okay. Well I’ll give that a try then. Thank you.
0:22:53	TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us. Bye bye.
0:22:56	LESLIE: Mandy needs some help fixing a stone porch. Tell us what’s going on.
0:22:59	CALLER: We have a question about fixing a front stone porch. We want to fix the joint. Do you want me to use a crate with a red stripe that says corner and edges? Or do you want me to use type S mortar mix? Also, on the steps at the back, I see a crack. Do you want me to use a concrete and mortar acrylic sealant that comes in the tube and you stick an across on to that? And another question is at the back of the house there at the bottom of the red brick where it meets a large concrete patio. There used to be concrete there and it broke off and at that place to seal that up. Do you want me to use the concrete and acrylic sealant that comes in the tube and you stick in a cup from so many?
0:23:45	TOM: A couple of things. First of all, if you have cracks that you’re trying to fill quickly does make a product that specifically for that is called the concrete crack sealant. And it is good for cracks that are up to a half inch wide. And they like it because it’s portable. So it sort of flows into those cracks. And then is self-leveling so you don’t have to worry about traveling on. Now, if you found areas of that porch where the concrete is broken away and you have some deteriorated surface, sometimes surface gets worn from maybe using too much salt on it in the winter. There’s another product that is fairly new. It’s maybe three or four years old, but it’s really terrific. And it’s called recap or recap and it’s a concrete resurfacer. So this can do two things for you. You had you mentioned some areas where there were some missing chunks. If you mix it up to sort of a trail like consistency, you can patch those areas, then smooth it out, and then you can put another layer of the recap across the whole surface and it’ll look like a brand new concrete surface when it’s all done. The nice thing about the recap is it’s designed specifically to stick to old concrete. So if you’re trying to fix a sidewalk pulled deck, a concrete floor or a driveway, it works for all of those services and it doesn’t chip and fall off. It’s a really super product, super strong product because they’ve designed that bond into it. So it just doesn’t separate from the old surfaces underneath.
0:25:09	LESLIE: Well, when it comes to insulating your home’s walls, the walls depth is a crucial factor. Consider a two by four wall that’s only going to offer you about three and a half inches of insulation space. But there’s a smart solution to beef up that insulation and reduce drafts simultaneously. That’s combining that insulation with depth, touch and foam.
0:25:30	TOM: Yeah that just introduced the touch and foam professional wall and cavity foam system. It’s a portable, soft, contained one component polyurethane foam kit. Now it’s versatile. It’s perfect for sealing gaps in a lot of places like walls and floors and attics and basements and even crawl spaces. And what’s nice about it is that as the foam is applied, it expands and fills gaps, effectively sealing out drafts.
0:25:53	LESLIE: Now, to improve the wall insulation, you want to start by applying a layer of touch and foam to the exterior wall. Watch it as it expands to seal and insulate the entire wall cavity. Now, once it’s dry, you can add the bat insulation to that cavity. This two pronged approach is going to seal out future drafts while maximizing the wall’s insulation capacity, and that’s ultimately going to lower your energy bills.
0:26:16	TOM: And make you feel a lot more comfortable when you cut those drafts. And today’s weatherization tip is brought to you by DAP, featuring the innovative touch and foam professional wall and cavity foam system. DAP has revolutionized spray foam application with its one component, broadcast spray foam. You can find the DAP touch and phone system at Menards and select Home Depot stores.
0:26:36	TOM: Learn more at DAP.com.
0:26:40	LESLIE: Heading to Arkansas. We’ve got Roger on the line whose faucet does not stop leaking. What is going on?
0:26:46	CALLER: Bathroom sink, faucet mowing. Brian, I was wondering if the heart has a lifetime warranty. I’ve replaced a plastic cylinder that has two o rings on it and it stopped the leak. But it’s starting again. Can I just replace those old rings instead of buying the whole car if it’s not under warranty?
0:27:13	TOM: Roger, my experience with trying to repair faucets is that you absolutely, positively have to use the original manufacturers parts for this. And I have done kind of what you’ve done. And I’ve purchased O-rings just from the hardware store or home center and the seams and the same. They look the same, but they don’t work as well. And I’ve had forces that I fixed re leak. However, when I’ve gotten them direct from the manufacturer, that has not happened. And the good news is that mowing has a limited lifetime warranty on pretty much all of their faucets. And it includes the ability or the offer, I should say, for them to send you parts, original parts that you need if a faucet ever starts to leak. So what you want to do is call their warranty department. That number is 800-465-6130. And tell them which force you have and they’ll send you the parts that you need to fix it once and for all. So bad news, you’re going to have to take it apart one more time. But good news once you do it, you should be good to go.
0:28:22	LESLIE: Jack wrote in to Team Money Pit and says, I want to buy a house that’s priced to sell quickly and I need to know if there’s a way to get rid of some nasty cigarette smells inside. It’s carpeted throughout most of the space, so I’m sure that’s part of the problem.
0:28:36	TOM: Well, it definitely is, Jack, and it really is going to depend on your tolerance for perfection here, because I know you want to get rid of all of that. Let me tell you what’s involved. First of all, that smoke gets everywhere. You have to start with this carpet. You’re going to need to remove the carpet, toss it, remove the padding, toss it, the floor, the subfloor. You’re going to need to wash it thoroughly and then you’re going to need to seal it. You’re going to do very good quality smoke sealing paint. And there are products made specifically for that, but it’s the equivalent of sort of a solvent based good primary concealing any smoke smell. It’s foul smelling is the wood. Now, aside from that, of course, all the furniture will be gone because they tell you to do that as well. But you’re going to need to wash down the floors, wash down the ceilings, wash down the railings, wash down everything, and do a really good cleaning because you’re trying to pull out not only the smoke but the tar and nicotine that’s left behind. And once all that is done, it’s still going to have some residue of this left and eventually it will go away. But, man, it’s an awful lot of work because that smoke gets everywhere.
0:29:40	LESLIE: Jack, I think you should really think about making sure the price that you’re paying for this house reflects the amount of work that’s involved to get rid of that smoke smell, because you shouldn’t be paying the same price for a house that smoke free. And definitely you can also look at a service to handle this for you as well. There’s many out there that do this.
0:29:58	TOM: Well, after spending so much time at home recently, you’d like to change up your decor, but maybe your budget is already strained. What to do? How about a little creative brainstorming? Lesley’s got some ideas to get started in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word. Leslie sounds like a great opportunity for some repurposing, huh?
0:30:17	LESLIE: Yeah, totally. these are the ways to stretch that budget. You really want to get creative here? This way, you can create a home that you are super proud of. repurposing what you’ve got. Definitely. Great. Better yet, ask friends and family if they’ve got something that you can have to repurpose as well. You never know. Now the first step is to experiment with what you’ve got at home. Have fun, move things around, pull something from one room test, drive it in another experiment with creating vignettes, those sort of groups of items that you know, look like a moment in a design magazine. Groups of three or five look best to the eyes when you’re doing something on a shelf or a side table or on a chest. Now, the key here is to not worry about matching designers, for the most part, despise sets of furniture. So you’re going to end up with a much more personal and homey look by mixing and matching those pieces, which is great when you’re borrowing things from friends and family. You can even carry this idea into your bedroom by buying single sheets, pillowcases, shams, find things that are on sale and then mix and match. You’re going to get a custom look that’s going to be really fantastic. And also think about using baskets. These are great for storage and small spaces and the woven designs of the basket themselves are going to add some texture, some warmth, some depth, especially if you’ve got an apartment that’s kind of got to stay white and very simple on the walls. This is a great way to bring in different textures to make that space feel homey. You can also get them on the cheap at off price stores, and even you can find vintage baskets in different shapes and sizes at flea markets. Remember, guys with a little bit of imagination and a willingness to bend those rules a bit? really, what are the rules? Go with what you love. There’s no reason why your apartment or home can’t be a place that you’re going to love spending more time in. We’ve got some more tips for budget decor on Moneypit.com.
0:32:08	TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement show. Coming up next. Time on the program, is space in your home at a premium? Well, one area to not overlook is up in the attic. We’re going to highlight several ways to take advantage of the space overhead of the very next edition of the Money Pit. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
0:32:26	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
0:32:28	TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself.
0:32:29	LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

	(Note: The above referenced transcript is AI-Generated, Unedited and Unproofed and as such may not accurately reflect the recorded audio. Copyright 2023 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. No portion of this transcript or audio file may be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.)

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#2369 – Hot Topic: Are Smoke and CO Detectors Enough? | Cleaning Product Hazards | Boost Insulation

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