Glenn Haege: The Handyman

These gadgets help make life a little easier

Whenever I watch TV or look through the hundreds of catalogs we receive at home, it occurs to me that gadgets have become a big part of our life. While some gadgets are truly just "junk," there are many gadgets that can be useful, especially around the home. Here are some gadgets I like that can help with home projects or make life around your home easier. Many are available at local home and hardware stores or at the Web sites I have listed.

• If you have ever pulled out of the driveway and immediately wondered if you locked the front door when you left, the Schlage LiNK door-lock system, www.link.schlage.com, is for you. It allows you to lock and unlock your door via your cell phone or your computer, change the access codes on your door lock keypads, and even know who in your home has opened the door with their personal code.

• As winter approaches, making sure your heating system works efficiently can make a big difference in your comfort level. One of the best ways to find out how your heating system is working is to know the temperature and humidity in each room. One of the best ways to check room temperatures is with an infrared laser thermometer like the Kintrex IRT0421 from Kintrex, www.kintrex.com. This easy-to-use device has a pistol-grip design, runs on AAA batteries and reads temperatures by aiming it at a spot in a room and pulling the trigger. It's available from many online stores such as amazon.com or kaboodle.com.

• Unlike a thermometer, a hygrometer measures the humidity and temperature in your home so you can adjust your humidifier in the winter and de-humidifier in the summer to keep your inside air quality and temperature perfect. Ace Hardware stores stock two hygrometers; the Bemis Hygrometer-Thermometer and the Taylor Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer-Hygrometer with remote sensor.

• If you park your cars in a garage and have a tendency to pull in too far and hit the wall or other items with your bumper, the 2-Car Laser Parking Guide from the Improvements Catalog, www.improvementscatalog.com, could be the answer. This laser parking guide mounts to the ceiling of your garage and can be programmed so that a laser beam will shine on your dashboard or hood when your cars are parked properly.

• If you always seem to be hanging and re-hanging pictures or other wall objects, you know how important it is to find the stud in the wall to ensure your wall anchor can hold the weight of your hanging object. But the old method of tapping on the wall to find the stud is guesswork at best. That's why I recommend a laser stud finder like the Black & Decker BDL190S BullsEye Auto-Leveling Laser w/ Stud Sensor, www.blackanddecker.com. This stud sensor detects wood and metal studs and live electrical wires and it also transmits level horizon lines to save you time and the aggravation of drawing lines on the wall using a regular level.

• As we approach Thanksgiving Day and the holiday season, having sharp knives available for preparing meals and carving the turkey is vital. One of the easiest, safest knife sharpeners I have found is the AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener available from the C.Crane Co., www.ccrane.com. The sharpener features tungsten carbide burnishers to sharpen knives, axes and garden tools.

• If you have an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, there are a lot of great "apps" you can download that are very useful around the home. One of these is called iHandy Carpenter, available at www.ihandysoft.com/carpenter. The iHandy Carpenter allows you to use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a measuring tape, a plumb bob, and both a surface and bubble level bar.

• Another iPhone and iPod Touch app is the Handyman Sidekick, www.handymansidekick.com, that provides you with calculators to help with painting, wallpaper, flooring and garden materials for your home projects.

So the next time you are in the mood to buy a gadget, buy something that also can help make life easier around the home, and won't end up at the end of your driveway on trash pick-up day.

If you would like to suggest a question for this column, e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com. If you want to talk to Glenn Haege personally, call his "Handyman Show" on WJR Radio 760 AM at (866) ASK GLENN, (866) 275-4536 between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The HANDYMAN SHOW can be heard on more than 130 radio stations nationwide.