SHOW NOTES:

This home improvement episode is all about safety, including common fire hazards associated with fireplaces and stoves, options for safe cleaning products, and the risks of hiring uninsured contractors. Listen to hear more about these and other callers’ questions to keep your home safe, sound, and comfortable!

- Fireplace and Wood Stove Safety: Learn how fireplaces and wood-burning stoves can be dangerous causes of house fires.

- Safe Cleaning Products: Get tips for choosing cleaning products with safer ingredients.

- Uninsured Contractors: Find out how hiring uninsured or unlicensed contractors poses risks that are your responsibility.

Q & A:

- Laminate Flooring: The seams in Judy’s Pergo laminate floor are bubbling up, either from moisture or after being installed incorrectly, and the floor will need to be redone.

- Gutter Guards: John’s gutter is overflowing, even with gutter guards installed. The water may be running too fast down a steep roof and washing over the guards, but he should check to see if they need to be replaced.

- Painting Tile: Can outdated bathroom tile be painted over? Chris gets tips on how to do it, but it may not last long and she may want to decorate around the tile colors for now.

- Wet Basement: There is condensation in the outlets and an odor coming from Ed’s basement. We offer info on improving exterior drainage, installing a dehumidifier, and removing carpeting and paneling that are harboring moisture-related bacteria.

- Dishwasher Clog: The bottom of the dishwasher fills with water after it runs. Mary needs a plumber to locate the obstruction in the plumbing line.

- Blocked Toilet: When Beth flushes the toilet, the water rises to the rim and then goes down slowly. A plumber can clear the partial clog that’s somewhere beyond the drain.

- Cracked Concrete: A crack in Mike’s concrete slab floor is not structural, so it can easily be repaired with a cement patching compound.

- HVAC Condensation: Gail’s contractor has moisture from her HVAC system dripping directly into the crawlspace. She needs to install a condensate pump to direct the water outside the house.

- Structural Insulation: Brad is boxing out the eaves behind the knee wall in an upstairs bedroom and finds out where to install additional insulation.

ASK A QUESTION:

Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask.

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