WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016
HERMISTON HERALD/EAST OREGONIAN • PAGE 5
SPRING HOME & GARDEN
Organize
your garage
The garage: the catch-
all section of our homes
that neYer seems to get as
much T/& as it deserYes
,t’s Zhere the oYerÀoZ
of holiday decorations,
outgroZn clothes and
sports equipment con-
Yerge, often in disarray
,t’s time to take Eack
control of this Yersatile
space in your home The
garage has so much to
offer if you’re Zilling
to regularly maintain it
This may mean hanging
neZ shelYing for extra
storage space or repaint-
ing the Àoor for a protec-
tiYe, great-looking shine
Here are three steps
you can take this Zeek-
end to achieYe a more
organized garage:
1. Give Yourself
Enough Time
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
Hard water stains on window are not only unsightly, but the hard water can also reduce the lifespan of window.
Maintain windows
to extend their life
By JENNIFER COLTON
Staff Writer
Homes are full of main-
tenance requirements, from
air ¿lters to laZn care, Eut
one maintenance opportu-
nity is hidden in plain sight
and often ignored Zin-
doZs
For Hermiston Glass’
Phillip and Kirk Marcum,
ZindoZ maintenance is a
daily education
“Our most common
calls are proEaEly defectiYe
units or hard Zater Euild
up from sprinklers — and
then the replacements from
laZnmoZers, EaseEalls and
golf Ealls,´ Phillip Marcum
said
Although maintenance
can’t help much Zith the
stray golf Eall or EaseEall,
it can extend the life of
your ZindoZs and giYe tips
as to Zhen those ZindoZs
should Ee replaced
The lifespan and condi-
tion of a ZindoZ can Yary
greatly depending on qual-
ity, maintenance and in-
stallation, Eut the experts
pointed to one exception:
6ingle gla]ed ZindoZs
haYe de¿nitely passed the
end of life point
The more layers a Zin-
doZ has, the more it Ereaks
up heat, UV light, and
sound, according to the
Marcums Most ZindoZs
Hermiston Glass sells noZ
haYe triple pane some haYe
gas layers in EetZeen to
further Ereak up those par-
ticles Glass technology
changes yearly, and the
U-factor — the measure-
ment of heat transfer that
marks hoZ Zell a ZindoZ
insulates — reÀects the
changes
“They’re changing the
glass and technology so
fast, making them more
energy ef¿cient,´ Kirk
Marcum said “,t seems
like eYery year Ze can get
a Eetter U-Value´
(f¿cient ZindoZs Zill
help Elock the Zind Uma-
tilla &ounty is knoZn for,
as Zell as keeping a home
cool in the summer and
Zarm in the Zinter
“We can’t tell you that
µthis ZindoZ Zill saYe you
; amount on your Eills in
a year,’ Eut in time, people
generally reali]e the saY-
ings it does giYe them,´
Phillip Marcum said
To keep your ZindoZs
in good condition:
• Keep tracks clean,
Eoth on ZindoZ frames
and sliding glass doors
Tracks ¿ll Zith sand and
deEris, Zhich Zears our
the Zheels and guides and
Zeakens Zeather strip-
ping The experts recom-
mend cleaning the track
and letting it air dry —
neYer use luEricants as
these can attract more dirt
and deEris
• Do not use garden
hoses or other hard Zater
on ZindoZs Eecause it can
cause a Euild up of ¿lm that
Zill diminish the quality of
the ZindoZ and, Zith time,
require replacement
• When spraying in-
secticides, aYoid spraying
chemicals near ZindoZs
as the chemicals can re-
act Zith those in the seal-
ant and Zeather stripping,
Zeakening those areas
• WheneYer you haYe
questions aEout mainte-
nance, quality or condi-
tion of ZindoZs, contact
an expert for an eYalua-
tion
Many
homeoZners
think they can poZer
through a garage reor-
ganization in a matter of
a couple of hours 6ure,
if your garage is already
in relatiYely good shape,
that may Ee possiEle
But for people looking
to complete an organiza-
tional oYerhaul, it is Eest
to deYote the Eulk of a
Zeekend to the chore
Not doing so can
leaYe you feeling frus-
trated Ey a MoE half done
GiYe yourself enough
time to not only assess
your current garage stor-
age situation, Eut then
also to put together a
plan that highlights Zhat
goes Zhere and hoZ
much you’re Zilling to
spend on neZ storage
materials
2. Be Ready to
Donate
OYerfloZ can Ee a
real proElem in the ga-
rage Fishing poles,
soccer Ealls and kids’
Eikes may as Zell call
the garage their oZn
Without ample space
for these materials, the
garage’s Zalls may feel
like they are caYing in
on you
The solution: GiYe
things aZay Plenty of
organizations offer some
sort of item drop-off
Start a donate pile out-
side of your garage to
collect all the extra items
for Zhich you haYe no
use Take your extra toys
and EaseEall gloYes to a
deserYing charity, Eut
only if you’re sure you
Zon’t need them again
doZn the road
3. Never
Organize Alone
One of the Eest tips
for organizing your ga-
rage is to inYite friends
and family memEers
oYer to help A maMor
garage oYerhaul can Ee
time consuming, requir-
ing numerous hands on
deck if you’re hoping to
finish anytime soon
&all
oYer
some
friends and family mem-
Eers HaYe a list of spe-
cific responsiEilities for
Yolunteers to maximize
their time Zhen they
are helping you And re-
memEer to alZays treat
your helpers to hot cof-
fee or lunch, a gesture
that Zill let them knoZ
they are appreciated
Mentzer & Elliott
Mower Tune-up Special
Walk behinds $29 • Riders $99
Chainsaw & Weed Trimmer Tune-up $19
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541-443-2351
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