If you watch your neighbors’ trash as closely as Cait watches ours, you’ve seen how many fans and small appliances get thrown out after only one season.

With fans, the problem often is the gunk built up during a season and not the motor, so a fan ends up getting thrown out well before its time.

Via lifehacker.com we found this detailed info for cleaning a box fan and getting more years out of it.

Do yourself, and those you live with, a favor and clean the fan outside or in the garage with a tough grease-cutting cleaner, a big roll of paper towels and the vacuum cleaner nearby.

The same company that brought us the fabulous Power Squid, seen left, now has a plug that lets you easily remove cords from walls with less strain on your hands and fingers.

The EZ Plug by Power Sentry seen below right, has an ergonomic lever up top. Apply slight pressure to the lever and the prongs eject from the electrical socket. The adapter can be used with 2- or 3-pronged electrical devices.

The EZ Plug could be key for someone with arthritis, where just trying to pull the appliance cord from the wall is painful if not impossible.

Vacuums, food processors and Marty’s blow dryer are particularly vexing.

You can often find the EZ Plug on eBay, but otherwise it’s difficult to find on the Internet and the Power Sentry Web site does not list retailers.

Eds. Note: We know you know this, but the photos above - or anywhere else on our site - are not to scale. A Power Squid - which is so handy we own four between them - is much more humongous, of course, than the EZ Plug. We’re fairly sure you also know the meaning of humongous. We’re highlighting it only because it links to a history of that word which Marty found interesting.

Warning: Cait & Marty gush over Apple iPhone - again

Being gadget crazy yet technologically impaired, we are gung ho to control their home lights, appliances and security system with the iPhone Marty bought herself and then loaned to Cait, who hasn’t given it back.

We know bubkus about the X-10 wireless gadetry that makes this work, but we see how this could give you more independence at home.

For example, using Marty’s iPhone Cait could control her VCR and DVD, her TiVo (if she had one), her computer, her home security system and her lights - inside and out.

Using the iPhone as a remote control would save Cait extra steps when she inadvertently leaves the stove on and it would be lovely to light the bathroom before she walks in.

Again, remember, we know from bubkus of what we speak, but we have faith in Apple and Steve Jobs. For more information, ask anyone but us. Contact your local Apple store or seek a geek who worships All Things Apple.

To learn more about Steve Jobs, click here to read his profile in Dickipedia - a Wiki of Dicks.

Click here to see a brief video of the iPhone being used as a remote.

Eds Note: As we’ve noted previously, we have leaned on Apple products for years and appreciate their elegance, simplicity and intuitiveness. Apple, in our opinion, nearly has mastered the right side of the brain. Once software for Apple products easily and accurately translate speech into the written word, we will be in Code Monkey heaven.

These tough supportive Glove Lights have a bright LED built into the side of the index finger - great for late-night gardeners, dog walkers and wheelchair users who seek more visibility.

With waterproof electronics, the gloves have a push on-off button, an easy-to-replace battery in the top of the glove and and a timer that automatically shuts the light off after seven minutes to conserve battery power.

The gloves feature stretch panels between fingers for comfort and ventilation. The palm is made with a synthetic material that affords a firm grip while the top of the glove is stretchable Spandex. The wrist has an elastic cuff with velcro closure.

Gimpy people need all the independence we can muster and knowing how to do simple repairs helps greatly.

This clear and concise video will show you how to repair a hole in your wall with no screws, no backing material and no tape.

A scrap of drywall, a sharp knife, some compound and sandpaper are all you need for this trick of the trade.

You can do it!

(via MetaCafe.com)

Like many people, we have numerous improvised scoops to handle dog food, bird seed, chicken feed, potting soil, etc.

Usually, it’s just what we can grab - an old can, a pitcher, a plastic container - none of which were designed for scooping and most of which crack or break or spill the contents.

The ideal scoop, in our opinion, is a galvanized grain scoop - lightweight and designed for the job with high rounded sides and a nice balance. Even if your hands aren’t steady, these trusty farm scoops are easy to use and get the contents from barrel or bag to its intended destination.

We live near farm country and Cait brought one home from a tag sale and gave it to Marty - The Official G.G. Scooper for chickens, dogs and what have you. Mary loves it and wishes she had more.

The eNasco online farm store has several sizes to choose from and many other fascinating products, including everything you need to raise an Alpaca or artificially inseminate a cow. (Isn’t the Web amazing?)

Click here to see myriad scoops.

Graduation is a great time to give students in your lives functional, reasonably priced, sure-to-be-used Gimpliments - which benefit everyone, not just the Gimpy.

Anyone of the following would be appreciated but the ultimate would be a “care package” of several Gimpliments sent later this summer, or in early fall, when the new grad is setting up a dorm room or a first apartment:

The top of the list is, or course, Mr. 7 Hands - a compact, multitasking screwdriver that comes to the rescue in myriad ways.

These self-adhesive labels will get a lot of use in identifying “stuff” in shared dorm rooms and the often revolving cast of roommates.

We are big on the Sylvania Power flashlight. Giving this gift to a young person will let them have a light on when they come home after dark and a flash light in emergencies - without the need for them to be responsible enough to remember to get batteries.

If you can afford to step up a little in the budget department, the Surefire Executive Elite light is a lifetime investment in safety.

And finally, if you really want to knock their socks off, give them Apple’s iPhone - which has just come down in price, remains amazingly easy to use and does more stuff than ever.

Cait thinks there are nearly a bazillion things you can do with these colorful Silicone SiLi Twists, while Marty thinks it’s closer to a kazillion.

These 16-inch Twists, with a core of steel wire, are easy to use, large and gentle on the hands and are microwave and oven safe up 428 degrees F. They can go directly from the freezer to the oven for myriad food uses, including trussing poultry, bundling asparagus for cooking and securing food to make chopping and slicing easier.

Cait uses the Twists to secure loose items - including sponges she wants washed - inside her dishwasher so they don’t fall through the rack into the bottom of the washer.

She also likes them as plant supports and as twists on strollers, walkers, wheel chairs. Bright and easy to see, the Twists could benefit people with visual impairment who need help identifying objects.

Eds Note: Do not use on a grill. The Twists are heat resistant - but not THAT heat resistant.

Sili Twists (Set of 6) - Silicone Zone

Cait & Marty use this torch year-round to kill weeds, start the barbecue, thaw frozen pipes and melt ice on the steps.

At first, Marty was a bit intimidated about handling a propane torch, but now she lives to flame. She invokes Harry Potter as she ignites her torch saying, “Wands at the ready!”

This torch is remarkably well-balanced, with a soft foam handle and easy to use and start. Just screw on a can of propane, press the trigger and it starts right up. No matches involved.

The wand is sturdy enough to serve as an impromptu cane when you are moving about outside.

And, as Cait knows, it quickly fires a batch of charcoal for the grill without having to use that nasty smelling charcoal lighter.

We kill weeds with the torch on damp days, following a rain when the lawn is wet.

Never use it when the ground is dry or you could have another California Cedar Fire on your hands.

To kill weeds, you don’t need to burn them to a crisp - Just hold the torch over the center of the weed for a few seconds, which causes the moisture within to boil and rupture the plant cells.

To eliminate ice with the torch, use MAPP gas, which burns hotter than propane, but also is more expensive.

Click here to learn more

Cait & Marty keep Mr. Seven Hands in their kitchens, their garages and their communal garden shed.

The several sizes of flathead and phillips screwdrivers fold down into a wide handle that provides plenty of torque and a solid grip for bigger jobs, while easily handling those annoyingly tiny screws in computers and eyeglasses.

Mr. 7 Hands is the perfect gift for someone starting out on their own or for an apartment dweller who uses a kitchen drawer as a toolbox. It can be found at Target for about $10 plus tax, last time we checked, and for about $14-17 plus shipping on line.

Mr. 7 Hands’ weak point is its nearly useless flashlight. In our opinion, the addition of an led flashlight would make Mr. 7 Hands the best household tool of all time.
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