Garage gear - What's New? - from Rubbermaid Home Products

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), March, 2003

* Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines the noun "garage" as "a shelter or repair shop for automotive vehicles," which may have been the original purpose, but it's one that has changed considerably over the decades. The dictionary's definition of the word as a verb--"to keep or put in a garage"--is much more accurate nowadays. Homeowners have been cramming so much into their garages that, in some cases, the vehicle winds up in the driveway or at the curb, looking longingly at what once sheltered it from the elements. Shelves and other storage aids, lawn and garden equipment, tools, freezers, washers and dryers, and a myriad of other items deemed not suitable for display in the house proper have been relegated to the garage, rapidly supplanting the basement and attic as a storeroom, especially for heavy goods and/or those designed for messy cleanups.

This is not to say that what is encroaching into the garage environs is not useful. A number of new products are designed to make the homeowner's life easier and have earned a place therein. For example, the heavy-duty cabinets from Rubbermaid Home Products, Wooster, Ohio, are a marvel of efficiency, offering extensive storage space for cleaning goods, paint cans, car polish, etc. that otherwise would wind up helter-skelter eyesores stuffed wherever there might be unoccupied space. With rugged, modular construction from durable resin, these combinations of shelves and doors assemble without tools (although a rubber mallet proved extremely handy when it came time for us to get the parts to nest solidly). The Full Double Door Cabinet ($99.99) measures 72" high x 36" wide x 18" deep and has four shelf layers with a total capacity of 690 pounds--for instance, more than 50 one-gallon paint cans-tucked neatly behind battleship-gray doors, out of sight, but readily available. Meanwhile, the matching 5-Shelf Modular Unit ($69.99), with the same overall dimensions, consists of two open shelves and two others behind doors (the fifth being the roof of the unit), each capable of holding at least 75 pounds. These utilitarian, yet attractive storage modules can be found in mass merchandisers, "big box" home equipment depots, or online at www.rubbermaid.com.

For a wide assortment of household projects that require sawing, planing, and any other tasks that are too messy for doing indoors, the Black & Decker Workmate 375 Portable Project Center & Vise ($59.99) is a handyman's delight. Constructed from heavy-gauge steel capable of supporting up to 350 pounds, it is a combination workbench, sawhorse, vise, and bench tool stand, with a working surface that has recessed grooves to hold screws, nails, nuts and bolts, and other small items needed to be ready at hand. The vise opens and closes with a pair of hand cranks, while the jaws provide solid gripping, from small items like picture frames all the way up to doors, furniture, and bicycles, thanks to a capacious 4 5/8"-width space between the jaws, though material as wide as 10 1/4" can be handled by utilizing adjustable swivel pegs. An organizer bar holds commonly used tools--hammer, screwdriver, chisel, etc.--close at hand. The Workmate's two six-inch wheels allow you to move it easily to wherever you might be working, and a spring-loaded lever snaps the device into place with a quick one-hand operation. When finished the job, you can fold it flat for storage or hang it from the wall until the next time it's needed.

For cleaning up afterward, try Black & Deckers 2 Gallon Wet & Dry Vac ($24.99). Shaped sort of like R2D2 of "Star Wars" fame, this lightweight portable vacuum does exactly, what its name pro claims, picking up any sort of liquid spill, dirt, or the fallout from woodworking projects, such as sawdust. The hose stores neatly onboard it when you're finished, and the vacuum empties in a snap by simply pouring the contents down a drain or into a garbage bag. Both the Workmate and Wet & Dry Vac can be found at home centers, mass merchandisers, and hardware stores.

Of course, you're not likely to get away with simply vacuuming the floor and claiming that everything is spruce. For heavy-duty cleanups, you can eliminate a major portion of the exertion with the Steam Fast Steam Mouse Cleaner from Top Innovations, Inc., Riverside, Mo. As the name makes quite evident, this ingenious device utilizes steam to dissolve grease, scum, and other nasty dirt from virtually any surface, including baked-on grime from barbecue grills and road stains from cars. Just fill the top-mounted reservoir with water (a two-cup maximum), attach the power cord, and plug it in. Within a few minutes, the water turns to steam and you're ready to go. Simply point the nozzle at whatever you're working on and spray, using a slight back-and-forth motion to loosen the dirt, then wipe it with a cloth while still wet, taking care not to burn yourself on hot surfaces, especially metal ones. An assortment of attachments--extension wands, scrub brushes, a squeegee--give wide versatility for a number of chores, and a shoulder strap allows you to carry the device wherever needed, freeing the hands for directing the steam. The Mouse can be ordered online for $99.95 from the TechnoScout catalogue at www.technoscout.com or by calling 1-800-704-1210.