Tips of the trade will keep your home sparkling

1. To move heavy furniture without scratching a wood floor, tilt the item about one inch and lay a towel or old blanket under it, then pull the pad as you move the item.

2. After you have had your furniture cleaned, you will discover nicks and worn spots on the wood. Some of the books that I've read say to use walnut meat, iodine or shoe polish to cover the spot. Actually all that does is cause a dark spot on the wood. The best thing to do is go to the paint store and get a set of furniture crayons. They're easy to use, last longer and you can match the color.

3. To pick up those fine floor sweepings that are too fine for the dust pan to pick up, just wet a paper towel and whisk it over the pile. The fine grit will stick to the paper like glue.

4. For folks who have wood floors and find dust bunnies to be a problem, buy a dust mop, spray it generously with Endust or a commercial dust mop oil. Roll it up like a sock and place it in a plastic bag for about 24 hours before use. This will allow the "treatment" to penetrate through the whole mop head and distribute evenly so that it will catch and hold the little bunnies.

5. One of the things my company does is refurbish basements. On initial inspection, the homeowner usually complains about the smell. During my examination of the cavity, I usually find the floor drain clogged. Most floor drains have an "S" trap that is meant to hold water and block sewer odors from coming back into the cavity. If the drain isn't often used, the water will become stale, which will produce nasty odors. To stop this problem, pour a bucket of water with 1/2 cup of pine cleaner added to it into the drain. This will stop the odor.

6. Have you ever had a bottle that you wanted to clean but you couldn't get a rag into it? Try this. Get a half a handful of rice and pour it into the bottle. Put two drops of Dawn dish soap into it and fill it half full of water. Shake the bottle vigorously. You'll be surprised how clean it will become.

7. Do you have a wooden drawer that continually sticks? Pull it out and rub some candle wax on the tracks. The drawer will slide smoothly.

8. When you're building, remodeling or decorating, remember that the greater variation in materials and surfaces you have, the more cleaning supplies and time it is going to take to clean.

If you would like to share a cleaning idea or concept with the reading audience, call Ed at NWES (255-2266) e-mail them to madan@surf1.ws or send them to Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., Sandpoint, ID 83864; Attn: What Would Ed Do?

For more information about Ed, check him out at www.NWEES.com.

Copy written by Edmond E. Madan, certified forensic, fire, flood, mold inspection and remediation contractor. Ed is the CEO of Northwest Executive and Environmental Services, LLC.