Around your house 3/7/07

Gardening

This week

Delay planting if the garden soil is too wet. When a ball of soil crumbles easily after being squeezed together in your hand, it is dry enough to be safely worked. Plant peas, lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi, mustard greens, collards, turnips, Irish potatoes, spinach and onions (seeds and sets) outdoors. -- www.mobot.org

Home improvement

Cleaning ceramic grout

Q: I have ceramic tile in my kitchen and entryway. It looks great except for the grout, which seems to get dirty easily. What can I clean it with?

A: One product that works very well for us is something you may already have in your pantry or medicine cabinet -- three percent hydrogen peroxide. Use a toothbrush dipped directly into the peroxide. If your stains are really tough and the peroxide doesn't work, try a local tile store. Stores that exclusively sell tile usually stock the best tile and grout cleaners. By the way, once you get the grout clean, purchase grout sealer and use plenty. This will greatly reduce staining and your grout will look much better much longer. -- AP

Home tips

Pare down costs for new cabinets

Are you planning a kitchen remodel and want to keep costs to a minimum? Start by becoming an informed kitchen cabinet buyer, because that's where much of your budget goes. A simple thing like knowing the price difference between cabinet doors and drawers will help. Cabinets with plenty of doors are the cheapest way to go, because with each drawer you add, the price increases. A door is cut from one piece of material, while even the simplest drawer has five pieces: four sides and a bottom, plus drawer slides -- which are far more expensive than hinges. To control costs, keep drawers to a minimum. A cabinet with a door and a drawer costs more than one with a door alone; a pullout drawer hidden behind a door is even more expensive. When a contractor or dealer suggests adding drawers, expect the price to increase accordingly. If they make a low bid, you can be sure drawers and pullouts will be kept to a minimum. -- AP