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Re-Stocking and Stocking-Stuffing
‘Tis the season to get the handy “candy” for home owners and maintainers. Winter months can raise the urgency of delayed repairs, the coming new year stirs inspiration of project progress, and Christmas seems to promote the purchasing of stuff. These suggestions come from one who is always looking for a few handy items to help him keep up on the up-keep. Whether re-stocking or stocking stuffing this will be money well spent. Buy one or many and I will almost guarantee a smile – or grateful head nod – from your loved one!
TIP: No need for the “Costco-size” industrial quantities and bonus sizes. Less is lower cost, a small investment if you don’t like it, won’t disappoint if it dries out or runs out, and takes up lots less storage space!
Masking Tape. A role of 3/4″ and 2″ are terrific to have on hand. Spend a little more for a nicer brand (blue or green). Though tempting, avoid the old tan-colored masking tape and traditional duct tape.
Utility blades. A fresh utility and straight-edge blade make quick, accurate and easy work. Waiting for the blade to get a fully rounded tip, impossibly dull, or broken is pointless (pun-point!). Just put a new blade in already!
Shrinkless spackle. A tiny tub is all you need to fill in small nail, staple and wall dints. Many of the tiny patches can be accomplished with one’s finger. If you don’t have a 1″ flexible mudding blade add this accessory.
Paper towels. Keep this roll in the garage or storage room and away from the kitchen stock pile so that it will be available when you actually needed it.
Sanding block. There are sponge like blocks with multi-coarseness on the different sides that can be used for all kinds of repairs.
Lubricating oil. Door hinges, latches, overhead garage door casters, shelf turntables, window clasps, and more are in need of lubrication. WD-40 is a classic but is messy, smelly and will make interior applications smell like a mechanics shop, so find a simple household, low-odor alternative for inside use.
Inexpensive maintenance gloves. These can be disposable or something that can be thrown away without a painful hit to the budget. Painting, greasy repairs, slimy drain pipe cleaning or simply gripping the stubborn jar whose lid does not open will benefit from some of these.
Glue. My library of stand-by adhesives include a small super glue (Gorilla), wood glue (Titebond II), a few sticks for my hot glue gun, and a small two-part epoxy. A tube of adhesive, water-proof caulk for sinks and plumbing fixtures could be added to this library.
Anti-glue. By that I mean Goo Gone, Goof Off, and waterless hand cleaner that can take care of those hard to clean adhesive and oily surfaces.
Batteries. There is certainly a head lamp or flashlight sitting in the bottom of the tool tub that has not been used because the batteries are expired. What type? Get what you need. For extras, I would recommend at least 1 nine-volt, 8 AAA and 4 AA batteries. There may be a smaller specialty battery you need. I hardly have a tool that needs a C or D battery-size anymore.
Current tester. What if there was such a thing as a magic wand that you could safely rest near a power cord or insert into an outlet slot and know if it was energized or dead? There is! Get this non-contact electricity detector!
Home Essential Tool Box. There is a wonderful list of the starter home maintenance tool box in an earlier Fix It and Use It article. Don’t spend money on the box-store kits. Just print this list and you will have what you need.
