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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 5, 2008

Stick It

Woolite has come out with some products to make carpet and upholstery cleanup a little easier.

The Rug Stick allows for stand-up scrubbing. Use it with Woolite Heavy Traffic Foam With Scotchgard Protector (an improved product, Woolite says) to inject deep-cleaning foam at the base of the carpet fiber. That's supposed to push the dirt to the surface, where your stick whisks it away.

It's $12.99; get a $3 coupon at www.woolitecarpet.com.

The Portable Oxy Deep pod is a hand-held carpet- and upholstery-cleaning device that removes spots and stains such as red wine, cola and grape juice. It's $3.99.

Both area available at discount retailers and supermarkets.

Stuff It

If you haven't yet given up on plastic throwaway shopping bags, Its-las-tik may send you packing. Literally. Made of a nylon-lycra blend, the bags are strong, stretchy and available in lots of bright colors, including trendy metallics.

The bounciness of the fabric is supposed to make the load a little lighter, as it springs up and down with every step.

Plus, the bags are made by Hurricane Katrina survivors; 5 percent of sales are donated to Hope House, a faith-based organization whose mission is to alleviate suffering in New Orleans.

A 12-by-13-inch bag costs $12.99, and a 5-by-9-inch pouch with zipper and wristband is $11.99. Find them at www.whatsurbag-usa.com.

Seed It

Tired of feeding the squirrels? Here's one trick that really works - I saw a squirrel run from my feeder after I loaded it with Cole's Hot Meats.

The sunflower meats are infused with safflower oil and habanero chilis, which gives a Cajun flavor squirrels apparently don't like. It took the neighborhood birds a few days to get over their suspicion of the new treat (they probably spotted the fleeing squirrel), but they're back and happily eating.

A number of retailers carry Cole's products, but none locally. You'll find a 5-pound bag of Hot Meats at www.birdwatchersupply.com for $15.38. Look for Florida retailers at www.coleswildbird.com.

If you prefer money savings to convenience, try Messina Squirrel Stopper. Spray it on bird seed before you put it in the feeder, bulbs before you plant - anything you don't want the squirrels eating. They'll turn up their noses at the all-natural, all-spicy flavor. Get it at TreeMart, 12505 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, for $13.95 a quart, and some Lowe's stores.

Try It

Wilsonart's new laminate sample service takes a lot of the guesswork out of redesigning your kitchen or bath.

Order an oversized 8-by-10-inch sample for $1, or 2-by-3-inch or 3-by-5-inch samples for free, at countertop.com. Just go to the site, click the Order Samples icon, and register to provide the information necessary to ship your samples. All samples are shipped free.

Penny Carnathan

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