Product Review: Air Vent Deflector

 

This is a three-pack of magnetic air vent deflectors that hold on any metal vent and direct air horizontally into a room as opposed to straight down (like most ceiling vents) or straight up (like most floor vents). They have a single magnet on each side. There are similar deflectors that have two magnets on each side that definitely hold onto vents better, but I have one of these on both a ceiling and floor vent and they hold on just fine. The ones on the floor vents get bumped with a robotic vacuum and do not get bumped off or moved. The plastic portions can slide apart to accommodate the length of the vent you put it on. The plastic is not extremely heavy, but it is not cheap and flimsy either. I definitely think this is worth the price.

Product Review: Outlet Covers Wall Plates

 

This is a pack of wall outlet covers that I bought when I repainted many of the rooms in my townhouse and the old 1970s "almond" colored plate covers did not look all that nice against the new wall color. While this got me more outlet covers than I needed, it is a better value to get them in a pack like this than it is to order them individually. They fit any standard outlet and come with a screw to mount them, so you do not have to save and reuse the old screws.

Product Review: Leviton 80709-W 2-Gang Toggle Device Switch Wallplate

 

I got these switchplate covers after I painted the walls of my townhouse. They fit a standard double switchplate, and I had no issues with missing screws. Definitely recommend them for an inexpensive switchplate replacement.

Product Review: HomeRight C800251 3/8 inch Roller Cover for Paint Power Roller

 

This is a replacement roller cover for the Wagner Spraytech Right PaintStick C800953.M Roller Applicator. The fibers do not shed on the wall, and you get good coverage with it. I love using the PaintStick for smaller areas where you need to use a paint roller.

Product Review: Wagner Spraytech Right PaintStick Roller Applicator

 

This is a paint roller that allows you to put paint in the handle which then runs to the roller brush, reducing the need for constantly reloading paint on the brush. I found that watching the YouTube video on how to use this helped a lot. It works best if you have paint in a one-gallon can. The valve that you have to connect between the paint can and the stick does not really connect to a five-gallon bucket. It makes painting a far less messy process, with fewer drips than using a regular roller, as the paint is "stored" in the handle as you use it, and once you get it going, paints a lot more evenly. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Leviton 80701-W 1-Gang Toggle Device Switch Wallplate

 

I recently repainted my walls and wanted white switchplates to better match the wall color. These will fit a standard switch and includes the screws needed to install it, so you do not have to save the old screws which will probably be a different color if you are replacing an almond-colored switchplate, for example. These are sturdy, look good, and are a good value. I definitely recommend picking them up.

Product Review: EdenProducts Double Sided Sticky Carpet Tape for Area Rugs, Carpets & Mats

 

I have vinyl plank flooring in my front entry and stairway and on the living room/kitchen level of my townhouse. I used this to secure carpet runners on the stairs and to secure a corner of an area rug that I have in my living room that had curled up. This does a great job both with keeping the carpet runners in place and keeping the corner of the area rug down. I know one reviewer said that this did not keep the carpets in place and damaged what looks like a hardwood floor. But, on LVP flooring it works great to keep things in place and I was easily able to pull it up and reposition it without any damage to the flooring. So, if you have LVP flooring or anything similar, and need to secure rugs to it, I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Eastman Washing Machine Connector, Y Mixer Hose

 

I had a hot and cold water spigot put in my garage, mainly for giving the dog a bath, and occasionally washing my car by hand. It is a lot less expensive to do two separate spigots than a single spigot, but then you need a way to have water from both spigots to go through a hose, which is where this comes in. As long as the spigots are relatively close to each other (within a couple of feet), this will work. It is basically two small lengths of hose connected at a Y, that has a connection for a longer garden hose. It is not fancy but it gets the job done.

Product Review: Purdy 140786104 White Dove High Density Woven Covers 3/8" Nap Mini Roller

 

This is a very durable small roller brush, which is very good for doing smaller spaces and edges (although not cutting). You will want to edge with something smaller, like a brush, then use this to do a larger space around the edge. You can easily do a whole small room without the roller starting to shed or lose effectiveness.

Product Review: Trimaco SuperTuff 10 oz thick Heavyweight Canvas Drop Cloth

 

This is a canvas dropcloth to use when painting to protect your floors. It is not a huge canvas, but definitely does what it is supposed to. It will definitely protect your floors from paint drips. But, if you are doing a large room, you may want to get a larger one so you do not have to move it along with you as you go around the room.

Product Review: Chamberlain B2405 Quiet Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener

 

I upgraded to this belt drive from a very old (at least 20-year-old) chain drive, and the difference is amazing. While it is not whisper-quiet, compared to my old opener, it is almost whisper-quiet. My bedroom is directly over my garage and when the door would open before it sounded like a freight train going through the room and this barely makes any noise. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. The noise level. As I said it is much quieter than chain drives, especially older chain drives.

2. It has a motion sensor on it, so when you open the door to the garage going into your house, the lights will turn on and stay on for a couple of minutes, so you do not need to fumble with a light switch if you are just bringing something to or from the car and/or the garage.

3. The ability to use an app to see if the door is open or closed is great. I know I get that feeling in the middle of the night of wondering if the door is closed, or after I have driven off, wondering if the door closed if I did not watch it the entire time. Now I can just check the app and do not have to run downstairs in the middle of the night or turn around and go back to the house.

Cons:

1. There are no written instructions. There are virtual instructions that you have to access through an app that you download, and you have to dig a bit in the documents that do come with the unit to figure that out. The virtual instructions are handy at times, but it would be nice to use them in conjunction with printed instructions.

2. Once you have it wired you have to calibrate it through the app in order to get the door to go up or down, and at first it may seem like you wired something wrong or the unit is defective. Basically, the app walks you through what buttons on the side of the unit you have to push to calibrate where the door should stop both in the open and closed positions and make sure the safety sensors are working correctly. 

3. The learn button, which you need to push to program the keypad, is not labeled. It is the yellow button on the side of the unit, but that is not clear in the instructions.  

Overall, it is a very good, reasonably-priced Wi-Fi-enabled opener. It does not have all of the bells and whistles that the more expensive openers have, like built-in webcams, but if you are not interested in those extra features this is a good one. It definitely takes a couple of able-bodied people to get it installed, and it may require you to move existing brackets around (if you are replacing an old unit). It took two people about 3 hours to get it installed. I absolutely recommend this if you are in the market for a new garage door opener.

Product Review: Accord ABSWWH2126 Sidewall/Ceiling Register with 2-Way Design, 12-Inch x 6-Inch(Duct Opening Measurements)

 

When I had my townhouse renovated I painted most of the walls. All of the vent covers and registers were original to when the place was built in the 1970s, so I decided to replace as many of them as possible and I got these for a couple of sidewall vents. They are easy to install and fit well as long as you measure your ducts correctly. Depending on the size of your existing vent covers, the holes may line up easily, otherwise, you may have to drill new holes. I personally like the slider to open and close the vents.

Product Review: Three-Way Plastic Side Wall/Ceiling Register in White 10" w X 6" h for Duct Opening (Outside Dimension is 11.75" w X 8" h)

 

I repainted rooms in my townhouse from a tan/almond color to a very light blue and wanted new sidewall vents to replace what was likely the original vent cover from the 1970s. As long as you correctly measure your ducts, this is very easy to install and looks great against a newly painted, light-colored wall.

Product Review: 10x6 3-Way Wall Register

 

I recently finished my basement, and the old ceiling registers that were likely original to my townhouse, which was built in the early 1970s looked old and grungy. I definitely did not want to put the old ones back on in what was essentially a brand-new room, so I got these as replacements. As long as you measure the duct correctly these fit perfectly and are very easy to install, and are an easy way to spruce up a room.

Product Review: Glacier Bay Irena 4" Bathroom Faucet

 

My old bathroom faucet, which was probably original to when my townhouse was built in the early 1970s started leaking and needed to be replaced. I went with this due to the low price, and so far, I am satisfied with it. It is sturdy and outputs a good stream of water. The model I have comes with a drain plug that you push down to fill the sink and does not have a pull on the back of the faucet spout.  The handles turn toward the front to turn the water on and then back to the side to turn it off. I feel that the handles are very sturdy and, as long as you do not crank on them with a lot more force than normal, it does not seem that they will somehow break. It is a decent-looking faucet but is certainly not as fancy-looking as the more expensive models out there. But, if you are looking for a good, inexpensive faucet, this is a good option.

Product Review: Shur-Line 6620 9" Premium Grip Paint Roller Frame

 

This is a very solid, and well-put-together paint roller. It is much better than some of the cheaper rollers out there. It holds the roller brushes on well, and I have had no issue with them sliding around. My only complaint, and what knocks it down a star for me, is that when you attach it to an extension pole, as you paint it unscrews itself and becomes loose, so you keep having to tighten it to the pole. That can be a pain when painting elevated areas like vaulted walls. Aside from that, however, if you are just holding onto it and not using it on a pole, this is absolutely worth the price.

Product Review: 3M Large Area Drywall Sanding Sponge

 

This is good for sanding down small uneven portions of drywall or drywall paste that has been used to patch holes in the drywall to get a smooth surface before painting. One side has a medium grit and the other has a fine grit, so it will allow you to get the surface very smooth. It is probably not something that you would use to sand down an entire freshly dry-walled room (or even an entire wall), but it is perfect to spot sand in small areas.