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Wednesdsay March 24, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C3 Homes & Gardens i Get your yard in shape for outdoor livin A s the days get longer and warmer, we find ourselves drawn outside to relax and entertain. Homeowners are spending more time and money than ever to transform their yards into private functional retreats by treating the deck, yard and patio as they would any indoor room. But indoor living also means out­ door cleaning. Busy Canadians want to spend less time doing those dreaded outdoor chores so that they can take advantage of every avail­ able moment of warm weather. To spruce up the backyard with minimal fuss this spring and sum­ mer, try these easy outdoor cleaning tips: P la n a T re a s u re H u n t The backyard can be a junk mag­ net attracting clutter, flyers and gar­ den debris. Get the kids involved in regular backyard cleanings by plan­ ning a "treasure hunt." Very simple preparation - just take some black eyeliner or leftover Halloween make-up and draw a pirate patch on each child. If the kids have some other pirate-like garb around the house, such as a sword, have them grab it. Give kids a garbage bag to collect "treasure," really the debris in the backyard, and they are all set to go treasure hunting. Great pre­ lawn mowing activity so that the kids can find any items that might get stuck in the lawnmower. F r e s h S m e l l in g G a rb a g e Summer sun has garbage cans emitting very unpleasant odours in between garbage pickups. So, whether garbage cans are kept in the backyard or in the garage, an easy way to keep them smelling fresh is to generously line the bottom of each can with kitty litter. Kitty litter absorbs foul odours quickly. Just change the litter every few weeks to keep garbage smelling fresh throughout the hot summer months. "P a n e "le s s W in d o w C le a n in g Cleaning windows the old fash­ ioned way can be an all day job and hiring an outside service can be an expensive alternative. To take the hassle out of window cleaning, try new Windex® Outdoor - one 950 ml bottle will thoroughly clean all the outside windows of the average house in about an hour. There is no more need to climb up the ladder and carefully balance to get at those hard to reach places or sit backward on the windowsill; windows can now be cleaned to a beautiful shine from the safety of the ground. Simply attach a bottle to an ordinary garden hose. Don't bother removing screens; its sudsing action cleans all the grime right through the screens. A quick rinse leaves a streak-free shine. U n s tic k T h o s e P a tio D o o rs Patio doors can take a beating in the summer with everyone going in and out. A quick tip to fix up a stick­ ing patio door is take an ordinary white candle and rub it along the bottom runners. The candle wax will help the doors glide smoothly until you have time to thoroughly oil the doors. This is an easy project that the kids can do with supervision. B a tt le o f th e B u g s Nothing ruins some quiet time in the backyard more than irritating mosquitoes. Homeowners can take some simple steps to minimize encounters with mosquitoes. Be sure to keep grass, hedges and shrubs well trimmed to reduce mosquito resting areas. Get rid of any stand­ ing water - a natural mosquito breeding site. Empty water from children's toys and wading pools. Birdbaths should be emptied and refilled once a week. Also, check gutters for clogs that cause water to pool. A d d S o m e C o lo u r And one final spruce up project is to add some colour to your yard. If you aren't much of a gardener, planting some colourful annuals in window boxes is an easy alternative. Get the kids involved. They'll have fun choosing and planting flowers. Kids can also add a personal touch to planters. For younger children, let them decorate the box using some inexpensive, colourful stickers from your local dollar store. If you have older children, a simple project is to add picket fencing to a wooden planter. With your supervision, the kids can nail the pickets in place and paint them a colour to match your windows. S h h h ! . . . just between you & me, we have new arrivals at. AIRHOME FABRICS Sheers, plaids, suede look, upholstery and much more! 905 338-8856 490 S peers Rd., U nit 5, O akville, ON L6K 2G3 •MON.-THURS. 9:30-6 »FRI. 9:30-8 • SAT. 9:30-5 Business Opportunity! O ne of the best methods to attract new customers quicldy and to raise your company's profile in the community is to exhibit in a community home show. Now is the time to inquire about exhibit space in the upcoming spring home shows: Oakville Lifestyle Burlington Lifestyle Niagara Lifestyle Home Show Home Show Home Show April 16-18 April 23-25 April 15-18 Call Sharon or Dave today at 827-4632 Jenkins Show Productions Special Pre-S eason Event!! Save $300 Installed AIR CONDITIONER Plus No payment till July 1/99 QAC Reg. Price *1570 A IIR CONDITIONING• 5-year Free Parts & la b o ur • 10-year com pressor w arranty • 1 1/2-ton condenser & c o l only. Installation attra PPLEWOOD (905) 275-4500 SALE PRICES END SATURDAY, A PR IL 3 , OR WHERE SEARS IS OPEN, SUNDAY, APRIL 4 , 199 9 , W H ILE Q U A N TITIES LAST Save $ t m CRAFTSMAN® 20.5-H P LIMITED EDITION 6-SPEED LAWN TRACTOR Our most powerful lawn tractor at the lowest price of the year! A CRAFTSMAN exclusive! Twin cylinder platinum turbo cooled engine. 42" 'QC EZ3 mulching mower deck lets you mulch, discharge or bag grass clippings**. 2-year warranty'. m970. Sears reg. 2899.99. 1999.99 Hydro/automatic model. Save $900! *60980. Sears reg. 3199.99. 2299.99 " Optional bagger sold separately. ' Warranty details in store CRRFTSMRN®MD Save s150 CRAFTSMAN 6-HP LIMITED EDITION 4-CYCLE 21" 3 IN 1 REAR BAG GAS MOWER Lowest price of the year! Mulch, bag or discharge grass clippings. 21" cutting deck, fully assembled with engine oil. 2-year warranty1. *36945. Sears reg. 429.99. 279.99 pH Plus, use your Sears Card and Don't pay for one full year on the above models shown* *0n 6-hp lawn mower (#36945), 20.5-hp lawn tractor (#60970) and 20.5-hp lawn tractor (#60980). Don't pay until April 2000, on approved credit, with your Sears Card. Minimum $200 purchase. $35 deferral fee and all applicable taxes and charges are payable at time of purchase. Excludes items in our Liquidation/Outlet stores and Catalogue purchases. Offer ends Saturday, April 3, or where Sears is open, Sunday, April 4, 1999. Ask for details. NP0342399 Copyright 1999. Sears Canada Inc. Come see the many sides of Sears TM Visit Sears Oakville Place Mon.-Fri. 9:30 am-9:00 pm. Sat. 8:00 am -6:00 pm. S un.11 am -6 pm.