Tag Archives: Tools

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  The Home Toolbox Essentials

  Posted on May 30, 2021 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  Tools are in abundance. I love tools. And I also realize that my passion and experience on home maintenance may be of help to you. In an earlier article I identified the first two tools every home owner needs. The first was a ladder. The second was a good wet-dry vacuum. The third is a […]

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  Ladder Advice

  Posted on March 10, 2018 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  I’m convinced that the most dangerous tool that homeowners own is a ladder. One of my recent continuing education courses reviewed ladder safety. Watching the re-enactment videos was sobering and put a healthy fear in me about climbing to places that only monkeys, squirrels and birds dare live! Here’s some advice I have for those […]

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  A cutting edge product

  Posted on January 16, 2017 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  My family members all clean differently. You’ve got combinations of the systematic cleaner, impulsive cleaner, zone cleaner, deep meticulous cleaner, random cleaner, as-needed-cleaner, and refuse-to-cleaner. Then you add the variables to make it even more interesting: Which room? What type of cleaning? What are the circumstances prompting the cleaning? Who is helping (or not)? Can you relate? Well I […]

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  Another of my favorite handy products

  Posted on November 29, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  The weeks and days leading up to Thanksgiving were a blur of house projects as we prepared to host dinner with my family. My children and wife joined me in the effort to clean, paint, finish the moulding project (started 4 years ago!), re-finish the front door, and several other stalled projects. The challenge I faced was getting […]

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  Garbage battery idea

  Posted on January 25, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  I remember learning to maintain the car battery with my dad. We would careful pry open the caps and check the water level of the individual cells. He warned me about the hydrochloric acid inside. Then in high school chemistry I watched HCl do its deteriorating work on various materials. That stuff is awful! I’ve […]

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  This gift sucks – in a good way!

  Posted on January 11, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  So did you get a wet dry vacuum as a Christmas gift? If so, it probably smells like new plastic and looks beautiful. The brand tag is clear and easy to read and the inside is so clean you could eat off it! After fifteen years my little 3.25 horsepower, 8 gallon Craftsman is anything but new. The only […]

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  Another of my favorite products

  Posted on January 4, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  One of the first tools my dad taught to use was a volt meter. I remember him giving me one of his old analog meters to add to my tool set. The two lead wires were red and black with sharp metal probes. These probes were to stick in those slots I was taught as a child to never […]

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  Two tools every home owner needs

  Posted on October 15, 2015 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  There are lots of important tools for home owners but there are two that I highlight when talking with clients. These are tools that I have found invaluable in my own home experience. A good ladder. One of the best investments I made when I started home inspections was a Little Giant Ladder. I saw Al from […]

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