Handy How-To's

Deter crime and gain peace of mind with a home security camera You may sometimes worry that your home is being broken into by thieves while you are away. Installing a home security camera will enable you to check your home any time you want to and record valuable evidence of a break-in if it does occur. Indeed, the mere presence of a security camera is often enough to deter crime. Let's say that you want to install a security camera in your home. What are your options? The traditional purpose-built, professionally-installed closed-circuit televison (CCTV) cameras are still unbeatable in terms of features and reliability, but they tend to be too expensive for the average homeowner. Luckily, as can be seen in the pictures below, you can now set up a home security camera using nothing more than your old smartphone or tablet and a free smartphone app. Of course, you also need to have broadband Internet and WiFi in your home. Set up an old smartphone as a security camera ...

Back in 2000, I purchased three window-type air conditioners. Since then, my neighbors have had to replace their air conditioners several times over, but mine are all still fine after nearly two decades of daily use. What’s the secret to their longevity? The answer: less cleaning. Whereas my neighbors have their air conditioners cleaned almost every month, mine get cleaned only annually.  How do I get away with less cleaning?  First, when I do clean my air conditioners, I don’t overdo it. Please refer to the section on cleaning tips below.  Second, I place a high-performance add-on filter directly on the air conditioner’s evaporator. I make sure that the add-on filter is big enough to cover the entire face of the evaporator, leaving no portion directly exposed to the incoming air.  Putting the high-performance add-on filter in direct contact with the evaporator ensures that all of the air entering the evaporator gets filtered, including the air that b...

Make the floor more visible   In an earlier post, I described how windows and mirrors can relieve the feeling of being closed in by a small room. Here, I will describe strategies that focus on improving sight lines towards the floor of your home. Using thin, streamlined furniture makes a small space more roomy. As can be seen in this example, the dining table and chairs take up very little space, allowing for greater freedom of movement in this small dining area. They also allow unobstructed views of the floor and walls, which create the illusion of a bigger space. A big bonus is that this type of furniture is durable, lightweight, easy to move, and easy to clean. By raising its bottom slightly above the floor, the cabinet shown below appears to float between the living and dining areas, looking a lot smaller than it really is. Raising the cabinet also improves the air circulation between the two spaces, making them feel cool and comfortable.  Anothe...

Use windows and mirrors to make a space feel big Confined spaces are so…confining, and many people find it almost impossible to feel comfortable in them. Unfortunately, many of us cannot afford to live big homes with expansive rooms and picture windows. But do we small-house-dwellers have to put up with that feeling of being boxed in? Not at all! In this article, I would like to describe a couple of strategies to make small spaces feel bigger and more relaxing. While being in small room or space can make a person feel ill at ease, a mere glance outside the window provides instant relief. Why? I believe it’s mainly because looking out the window enables the eye to focus on a more distant scene. So here is one way to make ourselves forget that we are in a small room: get a view of the outside world! Open those windows​ and curtains! If the window glass is frosted, replace it with clear glass. If there is some concern about security or about the heat, cold, rain, dirt, i...

Blue tack is a reusable clay that is used to temporarily stick one thing to another, such as a poster to a wall. Well, it turns out that blue tack can also be used to mount a smartphone to the dashboard of a car!  All you need is to do is to stick one or two lumps of blue tack to a convenient spot on the dashboard, and then stick your smartphone to it. But before you try blue tack, know how it stacks up against conventional car-mounts. Here is a brief run-down: Holding capability In my experience, a blue tack car-mount is quite capable of supporting smartphones with screen sizes of up to 6 inches. Use a clamp-based car-mount if your smartphone is quite large or if you drive your car off-road. Convenience A blue tack car-mount works just like a magnetic car-mount. Just glom your smartphone to it upon entering your car and peel it away when you’re done driving. No need to fiddle with the clumsy spring-loaded clamps found on many types of conventional car-mount. What’s...