THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608020057
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: 105 lines
BET YOU'RE HAPPY you took so many great photos of the family vacation this year. Bet you're just going to toss them into a shoe box.
Instead of any old shoe box, you might want to try these chic photo files featured in the Exposures fall preview catalog. They are almost as pretty to look at as your photos. Covered with five soft shades of handmade paper dappled to look like vintage wallpaper, the sturdy boxes hold up to 1,000 photographs each, with room for negatives. Each box also includes 24 acid-free photo storage envelopes, I.D. labels, four glassine negative sleeves and a brass label holder.
The Arbos Shoe Box Photo Files, in beige, sage green, tan, mustard and sky blue, are item number 170047 in the catalog (800-222-4947). They range in price from $11.95 to $16.95 each. For those best-in-show photos you want to display, the catalog offers plenty of other products for framing, hanging and mounting. ALL ABOUT APPLIANCES
If shopping for a new appliance gives you a headache, the ``Home Appliance Buying Guide,'' 1996 edition, by the editors of Consumer Reports magazine may be just the pain relief you need.
Ratings, repair histories and recommendations are served up on appliances large and small - from washing machines and ranges to flashlights and electric blankets. Products described in the book were purchased by anonymous shoppers on the open market and tested in Consumer Reports' independent labs, according to Consumers Union, the publisher.
The book sells for about $9 at bookstores and newsstands. It can be ordered by calling (800) 500-9760.
This valuable resource also offers plenty of general tips for appliance shoppers:
An extended warranty isn't worth the extra cost. Stores make much of their profit from these contracts, so you can expect a hard sell.
Sometimes buying an older model makes sense. You may not always get a product on the cutting edge of modern technology, but it will likely perform well and be lower priced.
Front-loader washing machines are more energy-efficient than top-loader machines.
The new ``fuzzy logic'' dishwashers wash dishes well and offer convenience features, but they may not save water or perform better than a regular machine. BEAUTY OF A BOW
All thumbs when it comes to bow-making?
Then you haven't heard about ``Mary Ann's bow-rific bow maker,'' a new invention that will make even a klutz feel like a master of bow-making.
Wisconsin hairdresser Mary Ann Leiser was never quite satisfied with the bows she made for friends' weddings. Then one day she experimented by pushing ribbon through holes she'd cut in the plastic lid of a coffee can. The result was so impressive, Leiser tied the knot. By April, her invention had a patent.
The bow-making kit is now manufactured by Fibre Craft, an Illinois craft company, and sold in craft and discount stores across the country, including Wal-Mart. It is also available through Kirchen Brothers catalog, where it is called the bow-maker starter set. The set, six plastic forms and an instruction and idea book, sells for $4.49 plus shipping and handling. Call (800) 378-5024 to place an order. MIND YOUR MILDEW
Out, out, maddening mildew!
What are the best ways to rid your home of this thin growth of fungus that is as much a part of a Hampton Roads summer as the late-afternoon thunderstorm?
The department of family and consumer sciences at North Carolina State University has some suggestions. When the relative humidity has been 60 percent or more for several days, take these precautions, says a department press release:
Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner or furnace fan to keep interior air dry.
Keep closet doors open, closet lights on. A 40- or 60-watt bulb uses little electricity and can make a big difference in keeping out mildew.
Trim shrubs or trees that grow close to the house. Remove debris from yard, roof and gutters.
Turn off vent fans in crawl spaces. When the outdoor humidity is over 50 percent, these fans can increase humidity in the crawl space and the house above.
Change heating- and cooling-system filters and vacuum air-return covers and screens. HINTS FOR HOME
Odds and ends of advice and updates come from The Baltimore Sun and Philadelphia Inquirer newspapers:
Hemp is hot for the home. So says Swing, a new magazine for twentysomethings. And so says Calvin Klein, who told the New York Times that hemp is the coming ``fiber of choice.'' It is being used to make everything from furniture to hanging lamps.
Swing magazine also reports on a New York company called Dialog Box that has designed the apartment of the future - an office by day, an apartment by night. A rotating wall hides the kitchen, a desk turns into a bed and a commercial bathroom conceals a shower. (Sounds like it will be possible to work overtime and cocoon at the same time.)
When choosing a paint color for a room, select a color one shade lighter than the paint chip because colors are darker when applied to walls.
Keep coolers fresh and clean. After washing and drying the interior, place a softener sheet inside to eliminate musty smells. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
EXPOSURES
Photo file boxes from the Exposures catalog let you store
photographs and negatives safely and attractively. by CNB