Did you hang up your holiday lights, only to find that several don’t work? All is not lost. TODAY contributor Lou Manfredini stopped by Studio 1A to help with this and more viewer-submitted household problems.
Q: What’s the best way to fall/winterize drafty windows?
This question comes around every year, but it’s an important one as it can save you lots of cash on energy bills and keep you warm all winter long.
Window film kits are still the best way to go, which involves applying a particular sheet of film to the interior of your window. "It will increase the energy efficiency of a drafty window by up to 70 percent," Lou said. Just remember that you can't open the window while the film is up.
You can also use removable caulking to fill in gaps during the winter, then just peel away the caulk in the springtime when it's no longer needed.
Q: We have dry walls throughout the house and wanted to put up shelves in my 9-year-old son’s bedroom to put his Lego displays on, but nothing we’ve tried stays up. Can you help me?
Plastic and regular metal anchors are okay, but Lou recommends using expandable anchors which can securely hold up to 20 pounds. "You use a couple of these and it's really going to hold," Lou said.
Q: It seems like every year, after I put up my holiday lights outside, it seems like a section goes dark even though they worked before I hung them. Is there any way to figure out how to fix holiday lights without spending hours trying every single bulb?
There is a great tool called the Light Keeper Pro that can actually repair incandescent light strands that don’t work. The handy tool replaces the shunt in the bulb to get it shining bright. You simply take out the dead bulb and connect the tool to the light's socket. The trigger will send a pulse to activate the shunt. Then add a new bulb and your strand will back to its bright and cherry self.