THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 21, 1995 TAG: 9505190078
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
IF YOU OWN a couch that is so ugly even Fred Sanford would put it on the curb, this might be your lucky day.
The first annual Ugly Couch Contest has been announced by Sure Fit, the division of Fieldcrest Cannon that manufactures slipcovers.
Send in a color photo of your old, worn, torn, stained or just plain ugly couch, along with a written explanation (no minimum or maximum number of words) of why you'd like to cover it. First prize is a new couch, winner's choice, worth up to $2,000. Dozens of slipcovers and accessories will be awarded to runners-up.
When Sure Fit's marketing director Liana Toscanini learned that Hampton Roads couch owners would be told about the contest in this column, she offered to award the author of the best local entry a free slipcover.
Even if you're not a winner, you'll be contributing to a winning cause. For each entry received Sure Fit will donate $1 to be divided between two organizations that help the homeless in New York state. Furnish-A-Future is a program that works with furniture and interior design businesses to supply furnishings to families leaving New York City shelters. H.E.L.P., the Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged, provides transitional housing and social Services at 10 locations in New York state.
There's still plenty of time to take your photo and couch your phrases, so to speak. Entries must be received no later than June 30. Mail them to Lee Barry, Sure Fit, 58 West 40th St., 2nd floor, New York, N.Y. 10018. HELP AROUND THE HOUSE
Some household tips from the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service:
Loosen stains from carpet immediately with a drop of ice water or ice cube. This will prevent deeper staining when nothing else is handy.
Try refrigerating cut flowers nightly. They'll last longer.
Keep kitchen sponges, cloths and plastic scrubbers clean by running them through the top of an automatic dishwasher.
Recycle cardboard tubes from gift wrap. Cut cylinders in about 17 1/2-inch lengths, then slit from end to end and place on hangers. The rolls will prevent creases when hanging up clothing or linens. DON'T GET COLD FEET
Chilly mornings can be rough on bare feet as they pad into the kitchen or bathroom. You could buy yourself a pair of slippers or you could buy a Warm Floor Kit by Infloor Heating Systems.
Guaranteed to take the chill out of any ceramic, tile, wood or marble floor, the kit includes a heating system of low-wattage cables attached to the subfloor and operated by a wall-mounted thermostat. The system can be adjusted to emphasize a particular section of the floor, such as the area nearest the sink or coffee maker.
The medium-size kit covers an area from 30 to 60 square feet and sells for $198. The large kit can accommodate an area from 68 to 144 square feet and costs $239. Both are available at Home Quarters at Janaf shopping center in Norfolk.
The floor heater can be installed during building, remodeling or adding on. During a typical Virginia winter, the large kit costs $8 to $12 a month to operate, the small kit $4 to $8 monthly, according to the manufacturer. ILLUSTRATION: COLOR PHOTO COURTESY OF SURE FIT
If your couch is uglier than this - and you do a convincing job of
explaining why you'd like to cover it - you could win a new couch or
slipcover.
by CNB