Hi, I'm Jane's Brother And I'm Here To Help!

Car care during winter, the best poop bag dispenser, and a multipurpose clothespin are on my mind this week.

This cardboard chair I sat on during a teaching session was as comfortable as it looked.

Allow me to introduce myself: I'm the guy who Jane and a lot of other people call when they can't figure out how to do something. Why isn’t my dishwasher cleaning? How can I get the best price on a new car? Which coffee maker is the best? As a product design professor for 28 years, I am uniquely qualified to help. Basically, I can fix anything. (Except software issues. Nothing irritates me more than software issues.) I can also share plenty of tips and advice that I hope will simplify your life. Feel free to ask me anything (my family and friends sure do), and I promise to share all of my DIY secrets with you (well, most of them anyway).

My advice of the week:

Run the AC in your car all winter!  
Even more important than cooling, the AC dries the air. When the air is dry, there is no dampness to fog your windows or frost the inside of them while the car sits. Most cars automatically run the AC when you are using the defrost function. However, they usually turn it off again when you switch to heat.  If you keep the AC on, it will continue to dry the air and the carpet or anything else wet inside the car. Yes, it will use 1-2 MPG more, but you won't need to waste the gas or time leaving the engine running while you wait for the defrost to heat up, and you won't get into an accident because you didn't!  

If you can’t wait for the water you’re using to get warm, use cold water.
When you’re in a hurry, like when quickly washing your hands or something, just use cold water instead of running the hot water. It takes longer for hot water to fill up and then warm up the pipes before it comes out of the faucet. So after you turn off the hot water, the energy to heat the water still in the pipes is wasted. A single handle faucet usually stays in the center, which is warm. You’ll need to consciously move it to cold to save the energy.

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As I said, I have a habit of researching every purchase to death. I'll spend hours deciding which window cleaner to buy, for instance. I know you can find recommendations for products everywhere, and infinite lists touting award-winning (and usually very expensive) products. But you won’t find that here: every product I recommend will be simple and cheap—the types of things you might overlook (if it weren't for me!)

So, without further ado, I submit to you the Earth Rated Poop Bag Dispenser. It is the best one on the planet. You won't notice how good it is until you use it. No frustration loading new bags and none of the annoyance of tearing them off one at a time. The dispenser easily attaches to any dog leash, and won't come off unless you want it to. The materials are high quality and hold up to abuse. Finally, it's attractive. For around $5, it's worth a try.

If we must pick up dog poop, this at least makes it palatable.

Next up is the generic Stainless Steel Clothespin. Whether you use them to hang clothes, or as a chip clip, these are eons ahead of everything else. First of all, they are unbreakable. Secondly, they last forever—can you say that about any other product?  And third, they don't stain your wet clothes. Why did it take so long for someone to make the whole thing into one piece instead of three? They sell for as low as 10 cents each on Amazon.

Only Ben would be excited about the evolution of this clothespin design, lol.

I’ll have more advice, tips, and product recommendations next week. Like I said, I’m here to help!