A & E

The company, now part of TTI Floor Care North America in Glenwillow, Ohio, is offering five machines in the line: a bagged upright, a bagless upright, a self-propelled bagged upright, a convertible upright that lets the user choose between bagged and bagless operation, and a bagged canister vacuum. All have Hoover's WindTunnel technology and HEPA filtration -- new features for the canister model -- as well as fingertip power controls and non-marring wheels.

The canister, which replaces an earlier model, also has a telescopic wand, a quieter motor, improved mobility and two new attachments.

Suggested retail prices range from $139.99 for the bagged upright to $299.99 for the canister model. The vacuums are available at many mass merchandisers and other stores that carry Hoover products.

Child Safety Kit protects from hazards

The entire Army couldn't keep your toddler from trying to stick his or her fingers inside electrical outlets. In other words, you need help.

CableOrganizer.com's Child Safety Kit includes more than 100 items intended to prevent common household hazards among children age 5 and younger.

Among other things, the kit includes: swiveling outlet covers, cabinet and drawer locks, table corner cushions for sharp edges, clear outlet covers, an extension cord with self-blocking outlets, cord winders for containing trailing wires and releasable cable ties for wrapping cables or tying cabinet doors.

You can order the kit online or by calling 866-222-0030.

Cost is $57.84.

Single-use caulk perfect for small jobs

Tear, squeeze and toss. That's how easy it is to use GE Caulk Singles.

The single-use, disposable packages of caulk make the days of messy caulking using bulky squeeze-tubes a thing of the past. Use the single-use packages to apply caulk around molding and trim, fix worn-out caulk around fixtures or seal gaps and cracks before painting.

Singles can be used with one hand and dispensed with no tools, leaving little or no waste in the package. The best part: Unlike caulk guns, they are small enough to fit in vanities, drawers and even your purse.

Available at Lowe's home improvement stores, Ace Hardware, True Value and Do It Best, caulk singles come in white paintable acrylic or white or clear waterproof silicone.

Cost ranges from $2.29 to $2.99 per 1.25-ounce packages. Details: Online.

Color blog encourages questions about painting

The employees at your local home-improvement store would love to answer your every question about paint, if there weren't 10 other people waiting to be helped. So blog about your paint issues on Color Buzz, Beehive Studio's Color Blog.

Through this blog, you can get advice about making color choices and tips for the painting process, while learning from others in similar situations.

The designers of Beehive Studios, color consultants for Valspar, lead the blog and take questions, comments and pictures about the color troubles and happy moments you experience.

Categories include bathroom finishes, bedrooms, color trends and designs, among others. Oh, and don't worry about missing posts. The blog has an archive.

Humane mousetrap uses empty water bottle

Plastic water bottles can get a second use as humane mousetraps with a device called Catch A Mouse.

Catch A Mouse essentially is a cheese-shaped portal that screws onto an empty water bottle. A mouse enters through a trap door in search of bait you've placed in the bottle, and it can't get back out. The bottle holds the live mouse until you release it.

The device can be ordered for $6.99 plus shipping online.

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