Summer home tips

Easy summer storm tip
For summer storms and winter snows, losing power means you might not have water. Keep five gallons of water in rotation throughout the year for drinking.

But if you know a storm is coming, one easy way to build a water reserve for pet bowls and flushing is to fill the bathtub halfway up. This should give you enough reserve to keep you going if power is off for a few hours — or even a day.

Put these in the home toolkit
To fix most simple home problems, build a tool kit with these items, according to Lowes.

Screwdriver set or one screwdriver with interchangeable tips. Add a variety of screws.

Hammer, 16 ounces, claw style with a variety of nails.

Tape measure, 25 foot. Make sure it has a blade lock.

Pliers, 8-inch needle nose and 10-inch groove joint. Padded grips help. Locking pliers help to turn jammed screws or pull out bent nails.

Utility knife and blades.

Adjustable wrench set.

Level. Good for hanging pictures.

Stiff-blade putty knife. You can scrape away loose paint.

Head flashlight. Hands-free light for projects or just taking out the trash.

Clamps. If you ever have to glue something, you need a clamp.

Bright tips for landscape lighting
If landscape lighting is on your summer to-do list, a quick trip to the local home store will leave you with lots of choices and maybe some confusion.

To narrow down the choices, decide if you want solar or wired lighting.

Solar lighting is easy to install and probably less expensive. The downside is that it won’t work well in areas with no sunlight. The LED lights are often not as white or bright as wired lighting.

Low voltage electric landscape lighting is usually the choice of professional landscapers, according to DoItYourself.com. They look professional and offer superior illumination and timers, something you won’t get with solar lights. The downside is wiring, which usually is not that difficult but might require a professional to install.

Once you decide on the electronics, placement is the next consideration.

According to Better Homes and Gardens, landscape lighting falls into three categories: Space, task, or accent.

Space lighting illuminates places like gazebos, decks or patios.

Task lights provide safe access along paths or steps.

Accent lights highlight architectural features and are used to wash a wall with light and accent plants.

No matter what kind of lighting you need, the first rule of thumb is that less is more, according to ThriftyDecorChick.com.

Too many lights distract from the beauty and too-high wattage looks and feels garish.

For wash lighting on the side of the house, use a wide beam. Pay attention to the shadows the lights cast and whether the lights shine too severely into the house.

With wired lighting, wait a couple of days before you bury wires. You will almost certainly change your mind on the light locations and even the number of lights. Experiment with positioning.

The idea behind great landscape lighting is to create safe areas and layers of light.

Avoid creating a runway effect with lights placed in a straight line.

Use lower-wattage wide beams focused upward to wash your home in a delicate glow. Make sure it doesn’t shine in the neighbors’ eyes.

Uplight interesting trees.

Downlight patios and decks. Make sure you can turn the light off if you want just candlelight.

An important tip for fans of bleach
Bleach is a great way to clean and disinfect, but many people unknowingly use it incorrectly.

According to Good Housekeeping, the worst thing you can do is dilute bleach with hot water. Hot water can render useless the active ingredients in bleach.

Always dilute in cold water.