Shoe Goo

Got a pair of shoes that you just LOVE, and even though they are literally "coming apart at the seams" you just can't bear to part with them? Well, our cashier, Catelynn, suggests trying the Original Shoe Goop®. Clear and easy to apply, it is a superior adhesive/sealant that protects/repairs all types of footwear. Come and see our extensive inventory of adhesives and glues at your local, friendly, neighborhood Hassett ACE Hardware. We look forward to serving you, seven days a week!

VINEGAR WEEK IN REVIEW

We're starting a new month, and therefore are starting a new theme week. This month, its' awesome tips using vinegar - and it's not just for your salad anymore.

[caption id="attachment_1140" align="alignleft" width="150"] Image © Trvia King[/caption]

• Kill weeds and grass growing in sidewalk cracks and in the driveway by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them.


• Help acid-loving plants like gardenias, azaleas, rhododendrons and hydrangeas (helps turn hydrangea petals blue or purple if there is too much aluminum present in the soil)  by watering them with a distilled white vinegar solution now and again. A cup of white distilled vinegar to a gallon of tap water is a good mixture.


• Here’s an answer we give a lot: Cure a cement pond before adding fish and plants by adding one gallon of white distilled vinegar to every 200 gallons of water. Let sit three days. Empty and rinse thoroughly. It will help neutralize the alkaline cement.


• Clean your  hummingbird feeder with white distilled vinegar - soap or detergent leave behind harmful residues.


• Added too much garden lime to the soil? Neutralize it by adding some white distilled vinegar to the area.


• Keep cats out of your flower beds! Place sponges or cloths soaked in distilled vinegar around the plants.  Cats can't stand the smell.

Cleaning:

• About a year ago, I had a customer ask me how to fix his extremely cloudy glassware.  Since his glasses were so water stained, I suggested putting all his glassware in the sink, covering it with a full gallon jug of our white vinegar, adding enough water to ensure all pieces were covered, and letting it sit overnight. He was skeptical, thinking some strong chemical was needed, even though he was hesitant to use it on his drinking glasses. Well, two days later he came in, and hunted me down, just to tell me how incredibly pleased he was with the vinegar solution!  You gotta love happy customers.


• For your standard white spots/thin film you can simply soak paper towels or a cloth in full-strength distilled white vinegar and wrap around the inside and outside of the glass. Let sit a while before rinsing clean.


• For coffee makers, remove mineral deposits with distilled white vinegar. Fill the water reservoir with 1 cup or more of the vinegar and run it through a whole cycle. Run it once or twice more with plain water to rinse clean. (As with any appliance, check the owner's manual before doing any home repairs or cleaning.)


• Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup distilled white
  
  [caption id="attachment_1143" align="alignright" width="150"] Image © Holgar Ellgaard[/caption]
  
  vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.


• Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with distilled white vinegar ice cubes. Simply freeze full-strength vinegar in an ice cube tray. Toss several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.


• You know that box of baking soda in the back of your fridge and freezer that you're supposed to change monthly? When it gets old, use it to clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain. (Works fabulously to help prevent hair clogs in the bathroom sink and tub! Use regularly!)


• Want an easy way to remove sticky labels, decals, or price tags? Cover with a cloth soaked in distilled vinegar. Leave the cloth on overnight and the label should slide right off.


• Remove white water rings from wood with a solution of equal parts distilled white vinegar and vegetable oil. Rub with the grain.


• Create an all-purpose window cleaner with a few ounces of white distilled vinegar in a quart of water.


• Remove fireplace soot and grime with undiluted distilled vinegar. Use a brush to scrub and a towel to blot up the wetness and dirt.


• Clean fireplace glass doors with a solution of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 2 parts water. Spray or wipe on, then wipe clean with a dry cloth.

One warning: NEVER  use white distilled vinegar on marble. The acid can damage the surface.

[caption id="attachment_1141" align="alignright" width="150"] Image © Erin Kohlenberg[/caption]

Laundry:

• Lint clinging to your  clothes? Try  adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the wash cycle.


• To remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull use white distilled vinegar in your final rinse.


• Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight.


• Give patent leather shoes and bags a better shine by wiping them down with white distilled vinegar.


• Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalines in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.


• Fluff up wool or acrylic sweaters (hand- or machine-washed) and rid them of soap smell with 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar in the last rinse water.

Today’s Vinegar tips include some surprising beauty tips!

• Clean a hairbrush by soaking in a white distilled vinegar solution.


• Tone facial skin with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.


• If commercial aftershaves cause rashes and itching, try using undiluted white distilled vinegar as an aftershave lotion.


• Lighten body freckles (not facial freckles) by rubbing on full-strength white distilled vinegar.


• Eliminate bad breath and whiten your teeth by brushing them once or twice a week with white distilled vinegar.


• Stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar.


• Soothe sunburn with a spray of white distilled vinegar, repeating as often as you like. Ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling.


• For cuts and scrapes, use white distilled vinegar as an antiseptic.


• Foot odor? Wash feet well with antiseptic soap daily, then soak them in undiluted cider vinegar for 10 minutes or so. Also helps with nail fungus.


• Make your nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.

[caption id="attachment_1139" align="alignleft" width="150"] Image © The Hungry Dudes[/caption]

After learning how to clean with vinegar, garden with it and do our laundry with it, lastly we're going to learn we can cook with it too! Who knew, right?

• Perk up any can of soup or sauce with a teaspoon of red or white wine vinegar.


• Eliminate the greasy taste in food cooked in a deep fryer by adding a dash of white distilled vinegar.


• If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe, add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.


• Keep molded gelatin desserts and salads from sagging or melting in the summer heat by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for each box of gelatin used.


• When making tuna salad add a dash of any herb-flavored white distilled vinegar.


• Turn out great rice by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to the boiling water.


• To make the perfect picnic potato salad dressing combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.


• Olives or pimiento covered with white distilled vinegar can be kept almost indefinitely if refrigerated.


• To keep eggs from cracking when boiling add a tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar to water.


• To make basic vinaigrette salad dressing use 1 part white distilled vinegar to 4 parts oil.


• Make creamy vinaigrette by adding some plain or whipped cream to a mixture of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 3 parts oil.


• Tenderize meat with white distilled vinegar. Use it in marinades or when slow cooking any tough, inexpensive cuts of meat.


• When poaching eggs, add a little white distilled vinegar to the water. The whites stay better formed.


• For extra tenderness with boiling ribs or stew meat add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar.


• To add a zesty new taste to fresh fruits such as pears, cantaloupe, honeydew, or others, add a splash of rice or balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately to prevent the fruit from becoming mushy.


• Freshen wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water containing a spoonful or two of white distilled vinegar.


• When boiling or steaming cauliflower, beets or other vegetables, add a teaspoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water to help them keep their color. This will also improve their taste, and reduce gassy elements. This also works when cooking beans and bean dishes.


• Make pasta less sticky and reduce some of its starch. Add just a dash of white distilled vinegar to the water as it cooks.


• Give some extra zest to your white sauce by adding 1/2 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar.


• Try cider or malt white distilled vinegar instead of ketchup with french fries—that’s how the British like to eat them. Either one is also great on fish or any fried or broiled meat.


• Remove kitchen odors that come from burnt pots or when cooking certain foods by boiling a small amount of water with 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar so that the steam circulates throughout the room.


• Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.


• Add moistness and taste to any chocolate cake—homemade or from a box—with a spoonful of white distilled vinegar.


• To keep frosting from sugaring add a drop of white distilled vinegar. It will also help keep white frosting white and shiny.


• Make perfect, fluffy meringue by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for every 3 to 4 egg whites.

-Larissa Texter

Repair Cafe, Palo Alto, Take Five

We (along with the Museum of American Heritage) sponsor this super cool event that happens once a quarter in Palo Alto, called Repair Cafe, where thirty-plus volunteers spend their Sunday helping fix things - most any manner of things, for anyone who shows up with something broken. We see a lot of small electrical appliances: microwaves, fans, lamps. We see lawnmowers and chain saws, bicycles and family heirloom pieces. We have jewelry repair, electrical and woodworking volunteers. It's a really fun time, especially if you're a tinkerer or the owner of something broken. Come on by and see for yourself!

Coffee Week in Review

This past week on our Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/HassettAceHardware )  we featured used for used grounds.  That's right, after you squeeze out every drop of caffeinated goodness, those grounds are still useful.

Tip 1:  Coffee as an air freshener! I tried this one, and it did work! I have a small pantry, which the previous tenet stored some super stinky candles. So I placed come grounds in a cup and stuck them in the cabinet, and it neutralized the odors! Gonna try it next in the fridge and freezer.
Also save some used grounds under the sink. When chopping onions or garlic, rub some on your hands afterwards, and the smell is gone.

Tip 2:  Hiding furniture scratches in dark wood, and antiquing paper!

For dark wood furnature, you dip a cotton swap or cotton ball in steeped grounds, and rub on the scratches to hide them. Test in inconspicuous area first!

Also you can antique paper with coffee by mixing the used grounds with water (making a watery soup) and letting paper sit a few minutes, let dry and brush the grounds off.

Tip 3:  offee grounds in the garden! Back home I had a friend who grew the most beautiful roses. She even won some ribbons at the state fair with them. Her secret? Coffee grounds! She would save the leftovers from her morning brew and dump them around her plants. The grounds provide nitrogen (Nitrogen: 2.28 percent, Phosphorus: 0.06, percent, Potassium: 0.6 percent), and has trace amounts of other minerals, like phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and copper that plants love. If applied topically it also helps repels slugs and snails. Coffee grounds are great for other plants too! Another bonus, coffee grounds are worm candy! If you have a composting worm bin, they will love you for adding some coffee grounds. Plus they will be drawn to your garden when you add it direct to your soil. Creating an aerated, microorganism rich environment your plants will thrive in. Please keep in mind the pH or reaction of the coffee grounds is considered slightly acidic and in a favorable range at 6.2 on the pH scale.

Tip 4:  Our last coffee ground tip is.. Coffee grounds in your beauty routine (say WHAT??): Yes, you read that correctly! Your left over grounds are on their way to be coming your next favorite spa items.

Grounds for the hair! Did you know before you use your favorite shampoo, you can put a hand full of grounds and scrub your scalp. The course grounds help get build up residue off your hair, leaving your hair silky and shiney, while exfoliating your scalp. Use caution if you bleach or lighten your hair, or are blonde, this could darken your hair. (or in my case help blend the grays away in my dark hair)

Grounds for your skin! Yes, coffee grounds make a great body scrub. It's a natural exfoliant, and helps remove dead skin cells, and grime.

Grounds for your face! How does a Mocha-Frappuccino Morning Mask sound? Good enough to eat right??
Mocha-Frappuccino Mask (Coffee, Cocoa Powder, and Honey Facial Mask) Recipe
2 Tbsp freshly ground coffee (the finer the grind, the better)
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. milk (whole), heavy cream, or yogurt
1 Tbsp. honey
Mix all the ingredients together well. Apply to a sleepy morning face. Allow the mask to dry for 15-20 minutes. Wash off in the shower, scrubbing VERY lightly over the skin while rinsing.

Coffee and cocoa are both awesome antioxidants, so it’s a great anti-aging and detoxifying mask. Coffee also helps with the morning puffiness. The benefits of honey are widely known.
(Thank you, Crunchy Betty! http://www.crunchybetty.com/mocha-frappucino-mask-coffee-cocoa-and-honey-facial-mask)

Bonus!:



ingredients

2 c. almond or refrigerated coconut milk
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp. vanilla (optional--add for more intense vanilla flavor)
instructions

Combine almond milk and sugar in a large saucepan. Slice open vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape insides into saucepan, then place empty vanilla bean into mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking to break up clumps of vanilla. Once mixture has come to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes more, whisking occasionally.
Allow vanilla mixture to come to room temperature. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl with a spout, then pour mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze until completely solid, 3-4 hours (depending on the temperature of your freezer and size of the cubes). Serve with iced coffee, tea, root beer, cola, and other beverages.

Organic Willow Glen Oasis Garden Update!

• We promised we would give you some fun garden updates. So here we go! The Garden is shaping up to be a welcoming backyard park, complete with patio swing!

Fourth Repair Cafe in Palo Alto a Success

Sunday, July 21, was the fourth Repair Cafe in Palo Alto and again, we had a great time.

Here is what the founder, Peter Skinner, reported on the event:

Thanks to all of you who participated in yesterday's Repair Cafe.  We had the usual eclectic collection of stuff come across the transom, including bikes, clothing, cameras, cell phones and computers, lawnmowers, luggage, lamps, toasters, cd players and microwaves.  We saw 3 broken sewing machines and a vintage film projector.  We even had a brush with a Silicon Valley legend [Dan Kottke...known as 'Apple employee number one']  – see my blog post here.



All told, 73 people brought in 114 items. We were able to fix 76 of them (67%)  and partially fix another 14 (12%).  The remaining items were deemed worthy of the recycling bin (provided by Greenwaste of Palo Alto) or carted away by their owners.  Not a bad fix rate!  There were many very happy people when they left.  Here's feedback from two satisfied visitors to the Repair Café:

Just wanted to weigh in to tell you how pleased we were to bring our “old”super 8 movie projector 

for repair and have so many volunteers show an interest in making this family relic work correctly. 

No less than six and more like seven or seven gentlemen had a look and tired MANY ideas to make 

the projector work as of old. At the end of the afternoon with Jim and Casey’s expertise, they 

got the it to almost work correctly. Movies can be seen and with a bit of “hands on” the movies 

can be seen without the flicker that plagued it before. It was a 

solution is to have at least some of the most precious family memories done by a professional unanimous  that the BEST 

and use the projector for family night entertainment. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR HELP

 

Nick and Barbara Mardesich

Cupertino, CA

Fiber Fix - Repair Things Without Welding, Nailing or Gluing

Ever broken a tool in the middle of a project, but it's too late in the day, or you're too over the project to do much about it but swear (or possibly cry)?

Next, you think about Duct taping it together and go so far as to come up with a splint-type fix-it plan, but as you're getting the piece of starter wood from the woodpile, you realize it's just a pipe dream.

At ACE, we break stuff all the time, and we thought fixing things like shovel and broom handles, chairs, hoses, and leaky PVC pipe was just a dream too, until we were introduced to Fiber Fix. It's 100 times stronger than Duct tape, it hardens like steel and it just wraps around the broken area!

I know what you're thinking - at the moment it only comes in black, but it's paintable, and sandable.



I'm thinking this is a must in our household's camping kit and in the car's tool kit next to the Duct tape!

For full instructions, check out this video, but it's really easy to use: Just wet it, tightly wrap the item to be fixed, wait five to 10 minutes and get back to work. It will be fully cured after 24 hours and is meant to be a permanent repair. It comes with gloves, and we recommend using them. The resin will stay on whatever it touches (ie: hands, clothes), so if you trim it with scissors, or get it on your hands, wash the resin off quickly. See instructions for full safety details.

Find FiberFix at all four of our locations: Half Moon Bay, Palo Alto, San Mateo and Willow Glen.

- FACE team, Hassett ACE Hardware, Half Moon Bay

DIY Animal Toy Wall Art

[caption id="attachment_903" align="aligncenter" width="477"] Image from HarpersHappennings.com[/caption]

Ok. This project from HarpersHappenings.com is one of the cutest and most inventive DIYs with painted animal toys I've yet seen. Turns out our ACE stores also carry most of what you need for this fun project, which I would argue looks both swank enough for a library and whimsical enough for a kid's room.

Ingredients:

Miniature Plastic Animals - Not generally found at our store, unless you ask our mom customers, who probably have one in their purse.

X-acto Knife - Check.

Rust-Oleum Metallic Spray Paint in Gold - ...And Silver, and just about any other color you could want.

Eye Goggles - Oodles of choices.

Mask - I prefer the old-fashioned white one, but we've got several.

Glue Gun and Glue Sticks - Not our specialty, but if you're looking for DIY Animal Toy projects, you've probably got a glue gun already.

Frame - You might have one already that needs some art, or check your local thrift stores.

White Card Stock - Nope.

Pencil - Check.

For complete instructions, please see the original post on HarpersHappenings.com

Repair Cafe, Palo Alto, Feb. 24, 2013

We just finished our second Repair Cafe at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto this weekend and it was a fabulous success!

We had over 100 people in line by 11:30am, just a half-hour after the Cafe opened!



Our nearly 40 volunteers saw less lamps, toasters and vacuums this time and many more small appliances, computers and other electronics. We also fixed several sentimental or heirloom pieces.

I'll update this post with more details when I get the full report from the Repair Cafe folks, but by my estimation, we had about 200 community members show up with all manner of broken items, from heirloom and sentimental pieces, to newer retro-remakes of 1950 toasters, to hedge trimmers to rolling hand carts to puppets. Thanks for coming and volunteering or bringing your broken items - this event is so much fun and is only possible because everyone shows up!

The next Repair Cafe will be held on April 21, from 11am to 3pm at the Museum.

Cub Scouts Make Pinewood Derby Cars at ACE

We had the fun privilege of hosting Cub Scout pack 236 and helping them cut out their Pinewood Derby cars! We also got to go watch them race those cars last weekend at their Pinewood Derby in Half Moon Bay.

We are hosting more car-cutting events. The next one is schedule for February 10, 2013.

At our Palo Alto store: 10am - 12pm at 875 Alma St.

At our San Mateo store: 10am - 12pm at 545 First Ave.

At our Half Moon Bay store: from 12pm - 4pm at 111 Main St.

We've got all the tools, supplies and accessories the Scouts need - even the cars!

Here are some photos from the last Pinewood car-cutting event and from the Derby itself!