While shade does keep the temperatures down inside a parked car, tree branches that ooze sap can cause major damage. Los Angeles Times staff writer Ralph Vartebedian terms it one of the most damaging substances ever to meet a car's finish. Act fast or act smart to get sap off and minimize clear coat damage. Significance Sap soaks into a clear coat, causing major damage. When tree sap dries, it hardens like glue onto your car.

Bamboo floors are growing in popularity as an alternative to hardwood floors. Bamboo can be attractive, durable and sustainable. As with any flooring, bamboo benefits from regular cleaning and maintenance. A steam mop can be used to clean bamboo floors in a non-abrasive and non-chemical manner. Use a steam mop to clean your bamboo floors. Shark and Bissell are two major manufacturers of steam mops. These lightweight mops work by heating water to steam clean the floors.

Use a doormat to keep unwanted dirt from being tracked into your home. Place it directly under the doorframe and use custom messages to remind guests to wipe their feet before entering. But first make it the right size by measuring the doorframe and finding a doormat to match. Step 1 Measure the length of the doorframe, including screen doors and frames. Step 2 Measure the number of inches from the concrete or ground to the bottom of the door frame.

Preparing a room for a new baby can be an awesome experience for new parents. Although assembling the crib may be a frustrating task, it's also a way to become accustomed to the idea of having a little one in the house. After the crib is put together, dress it up with nursery-print bedding. Adding a crib skirt or dust ruffle helps tie the nursery together -- and it turns the area under the crib into storage space.

Metal accents around or on your windows can add a classic touch to your home. But those accents can become rusty, and the rust can drip or transfer onto the surface of your windows. Rust is a type of organic stain that should be removed promptly so it doesn't transfer from your window to yet another surface. Metal objects near windows can transfer rust stains. Remove rust stains carefully so your windows aren't damaged or scratched, and tend to the metal objects nearby to prevent future rust transfer.

Hobnail glassware gets its name from the studs, or round projections, on the surface of the glass. These studs were thought to resemble the impressions made by hobnails, a type of large-headed nail used in bootmaking. History The history of hobnail glassware is tied to the Fenton Art Glass Company, a renowned maker of glassware. The company began production in 1905. In 1935 the company made the hobnail pattern for a lamp and soon expanded the pattern to perfume bottles, goblets and tumblers.

For homeowners with gas furnaces, it may be necessary to shut a furnace off and restart it to check the condition of the equipment and ensure that there is no gas leaking. For Goodman brand gas furnaces, you must follow the startup procedure exactly to ensure safety. Precautions Before starting a furnace, homeowners should ensure that the furnace has adequate ventilation and there is nothing obstructing the vent pipe. Also, if a homeowner smells gas five minutes after shutting off the gas valve to the furnace and the electrical power to the furnace, he should contact his gas supplier for help and not use any appliances.

If you have a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, you should be aware that when it's fired, the horn of the extinguisher will become extremely cold. The cold temperature doesn't really help put out the fire -- the carbon dioxide actually does the job by smothering the flames. The rapid cooling, however, can give you a cold burn if you try to hold the extinguisher by the nozzle during use.

Because the alternator and the battery are both components of an automobile's charging system, the operation of one affects the other. If either of these parts is bad, you can diagnose which one it is by knowing and identifying the specific signs that each of the bad parts will give. A bad battery and a bad alternator will each give out signals. Bad Battery Signs The easiest way to know you have a bad battery is when the battery light illuminates on the dashboard while you are driving.

One of the most common support systems for floors in houses and commercial buildings is the open-web truss system. Their appearance makes them seem easy to build because they look as if they are just straight pieces of lumber with angled pieces between them. Floor trusses are custom built to meet specific construction needs. However, several aspects of building, such as weight and the span that needs the truss determine their construction.