Making Do-It-Yourself Projects Easier (NAPSA)—It seems there’s no place like home for making improvements. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Har- vard, Americans spent more than $168 billion on home improvements andrepairs in 2006. Whether you're repairing a rusty fence, keeping furniture in shapeor doing simple chores, there are ways to make household pro- jects easier. Tools Of The Trade Be sure you've got the right tools on hand, in working order and ready to go. It also helps to keep an all-in-one product around, since you never know what one project will lead to. For instance, something called Jig-A-Loo is known as a “lubripel- lent”—an invisible, all-around lubricant and water repellent with hundreds of practical uses. It’s meant to stop squeaks, unstick just about anything, protect against the elements and more. The pleasant- smelling potion (think cream soda) can be used with surfaces ranging from wood and metal to leather and fabric. The product’s unique name was derived from “Tsi-gi- dou,” a French-Canadian phrase for “Ive got it!,” which the inventor exclaimed when he found the win- ning formula. It quickly morphed into the more phonetic “Jig-A-Loo,” and the product has been a mainstay in Canadian homes and garages ever since. In fact, its fans have been using it for 50 years. They recently sub- mitted their favorite uses for the spray. Here’s a look at someideas: Inside Keep your door hinges, bed, shower curtain and clothesline squeak-free. Loosen rusty nuts and screws. e Shine leaves of artificial houseplants. All-in-one products can make household projects easier to handle. Outside Prevent grass from sticking to lawn mowerblades and motor. Keep garden plant boxes bright and rust-free. Keep flowerpots from sticking together when stacked in storage. Lubricate hurricane shutters, swing sets and hinges on pruning shears. Help remove rusty nails from lawn furniture. Keep wicker chairs from squeaking. Fashion Provide all-weather protection to shoes and leather. Unkinkgold chains. Loosen screws in watchbands to enable link removal. For Fun Lubricate ski and snowboard bindings. Quiet squeaky piano pedals. e Spray on tents to repel water. Protect hatches and hatch locks on boats against salt water while lubricating. Prevent fishing flies from rusting. You can find the product at WalMart, Home Depot and other stores. Visit www.jigaloo.com for more information.
