Messy Kitchen? It May Already Be A Winner

Fri., May 7, 1999

Tom Skierka Correspondent

Are you afraid to open up the plastic butter tubs in the refrigerator because you’re not sure when you put that tuna fish in there? Do your kitchen shelves have avalanche warnings posted? Is your idea of a garbage compactor a foot in the bucket so a pizza box will fit in? Well, Sara Cynthia Sylvia Stout, don’t worry about taking that garbage out. Instead, take a picture of your mess and you could win free house-cleaning for a full year from Molly Maid, one of the largest residential cleaning services in the United States.

Sponsored by Sunlight cleaning products, the “Clean Up Your Kitchen” contest deadline is Sept. 15. Essay entries on “why your kitchen needs a good cleaning” will be judged for content and persuasion. Five grand-prize winners win a housecleaning twice monthly. Ten will win monthly cleanings. Mail your entry to “Sunlight Clean Up Your Kitchen” contest, P.O. Box 1477, Young America, MN 55494-1477.

Stop pointing that thing at me

When my wife went to River Ridge Hardware on West Garland to get an electronic stud-finder so she wouldn’t put 1,000 holes in our wall, I wasn’t too offended until she put it on me and didn’t get a reading. “Yep, it works,” she said. Gentlemen, to save face, there is an ego-saving solution. It’s called E-Z Ancor made by ITW Brands. This fastening anchor eliminates predrilling and searching for wall studs. You just screw it in and hang away. It works just like a screw. You don’t have to worry about ripping up the wall, and it comes in three weight classes, up to 90 pounds. It’s available at most hardware stores.

So the next time she says she needs a stud-finder, put on only that tool belt and smile. When she stops laughing, call your mother for reassurance.

Baking may help sell your home

Colleen Flynn of Coldwell Banker Classics on North Division offers a great tip that could help in selling your home. The morning before you open your house, make a big batch of chocolate chip cookies or toss a mix in the bread maker. The lingering smell will stimulate perspective buyers’ memories and possibly make the house feel more like a home. Or try baking a pumpkin pie. For some reason, that scent stimulates the male more than roses and most perfumes. If baking isn’t your forte, Flynn suggests putting a drop of vanilla on a light bulb. “If the house has a pleasing smell,” said Flynn. “It adds to the presentation.”

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