Around The House

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Anti-allergen spray

A new spray promises to reduce common indoor allergens on soft surfaces up to 90 percent. The Clorox Co. says its Clorox Anywhere Anti-Allergen Fabric Spray is effective on such allergens as cat and dog dander and dust mite matter. It works by chemically breaking apart the allergen protein, which is the substance to which people are allergic.

Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, an allergist, noted that it can be proved that many products reduce allergens, but it's more difficult to prove they have health benefits. However, he said the spray may be useful as one intervention among many to ease allergy symptoms.

The product can be used on such surfaces as upholstery, curtains, carpets, bedding, stuffed animals and pet bedding, although the company recommends testing it in an inconspicuous spot first.

The spray has a suggested retail price of $2.99 and is hitting the shelves of major retailers nationwide.

Easy fixes

It's Saturday, so grab your hammer and get ready to tackle all those projects you've left unfinished.

"If I Had a Hammer: More Than 100 Easy Fixes and Weekend Projects" by Andrea Ridout (Collins; $17.95; paperback) offers step-by-step instructions paired with black-and-white illustrations for common household projects that take less than a weekend to complete. The techniques in the book are comprehensive and easy to follow and include: removing stains, updating old appliances with faux stainless steel, adding wallpaper cutouts to your bathroom, repairing leaky toilets and renovating a kitchen with new cabinet hardware. Projects for your outdoor spaces also are included.

Garden art

Painting and garden design both are forms of artistic expression. Gordon Hayward explores the relationships between the two in "Art and the Gardener: Fine Painting as Inspiration for Garden Design." Hayward, a garden author and contributing editor for Fine Gardening Magazine, pairs photos of gardens with famous works of art to point out the parallels between the two. He breaks down elements in the images to help gardeners better understand their effects and schools them in some of the basics of good design.

"Art and the Gardener" is due out in October from Gibbs Smith, Publisher. It sells for $40 in hardcover.

Smelly fridge

Have odors emanating from your refrigerator? Here are some tips:

Spread baking soda on shallow pans and place them on the shelves of the empty refrigerator to absorb odors. Leave the door open and the refrigerator unplugged.

Spread activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, in shallow pans and place the pans on the shelves. Turn the refrigerator on low and run it empty a few days till the odors are absorbed. Activated carbon is often available with the aquarium supplies at pet stores. It's also sometimes sold in the housewares section of mass merchandisers and at appliance stores.

You also can try the same method with cat litter spread on shallow pans, several ounces of imitation vanilla (not pure vanilla extract) poured into a saucer.

Pack each shelf of an empty refrigerator with crumpled newspaper. Set a cup of water on the top shelf or sprinkle the newspaper lightly with water. Allow the refrigerator to run for five or six days. This method takes longer, but it can be effective in removing strong odors.