PSA – The Frugal Father

How to Tell If a Car Was Previously Damaged in a Flood

Flooding can do some major damage to a car, even if it’s not immediately visible (once it has been cleaned). Unfortunately, this means that some vehicles that are irreparably harmed may be shipped off and sold in other parts of the country—specifically, places less prone to flooding where buyers may not be aware of this issue.

A vehicle’s mechanical systems, electronics, and/or lubricants may have taken a hit during a flood, but may appear to be in good, working condition. Consumer Reports has put together a guide to help people spot flood-damaged cars before buying them. Here’s what to look for.

Signs of flood damage on a car

So what, specifically, should you look for? Here are some of the most common signs, courtesy of Consumer Reports:

Inspect the carpets to see whether they show signs of having been waterlogged, such as smelling musty or having caked-on mud. Brand-new carpets in an older vehicle may be another red flag.
Check the seat-mounting screws to see whether there’s any evidence that they were removed. To dry the carpets effectively, the seats must be removed and possibly even replaced.
Inspect the lights. A visible waterline may still show on the lens or reflector.
Inspect the difficult-to-clean places, such as gaps between panels in the trunk and under the hood, for mud and debris.
Look on the bottom edges of brackets or panels, where grime wouldn’t settle usually.
Look at the heads of any unpainted, exposed screws under the dashboard. Bare metal will show signs of rust in flooded cars.
Check to see whether the rubber drain plugs under the car and on the bottom of doors look as if they have been removed recently. That may have been done to drain floodwater.

Lastly, some buyers are aware of and concerned about purchasing a car with flood damage. So if you’re selling a vehicle and happen to live in an area that recently dealt with flooding, the team at Consumer Reports recommends taking your car to a mechanic for a checkup, and requesting documentation of its (non-flooded) condition.

September 14, 2021 by The Frugal Father Categories: Automotive, PSA, Saving Money Leave a comment

Find Free Food in Your Area With This New Google Tool

Food insecurity has long been a concern for many Americans—a problem exacerbated by the pandemic, which left nearly 1 in 4 households struggling to meet this basic need. There are resources out there for those who need additional support, and now, there’s a Google Map to help people find them.

If you or someone you know needs help putting food on the table, you can use Google’s new Find Food Support tool to search for food banks, food pantries, and school lunch programs in your neighborhood. All you have to do is enter your address and click “Find Support” to populate locations on the map. Tap the blue flags to pull up information about the food bank or school program, including the address, contact information, and operating days and hours.

Note that the Google tool simply aggregates information on more than 90,000 programs, with data provided by Foodfinder, No Kid Hungry, and the USDA. That means some information on the map may be incomplete or out of date. Even if hours are listed, you should call ahead to confirm.

In addition to the map, Find Food Support links out to other resources—including hotlines and benefit programs—for older Americans, families, military members and others impacted by food insecurity.

Another type of local food resource is a community fridge, or “freedge.” These are communal, neighborhood-based refrigerators maintained by volunteer organizers. Unlike food banks and pantries, which often stock a lot of non-perishables in large quantities, freedges are filled with donated leftovers and perishable items (like produce) that would otherwise go to waste.

Folks experiencing food insecurity can access these community fridges for free. There are a handful of maps and resources that track community fridge locations. And if you have the means to donate or start a fridge, we have a guide for doing just that.

Photo by Aaron Doucett on Unsplash

July 1, 2021 by The Frugal Father Categories: Children, Food, Free, PSA Leave a comment

How to Clean and Sanitize Your Humidifier, Because It’s Probably Gross in There

Humidifiers can make breathing and sleeping more comfortable in the winter, giving off a gentle mist that can help with everything from dry sinuses and bloody noses to cracked lips and skin. But if you’re not cleaning your humidifier regularly, it can breed mold or bacteria, and make you feel worse—especially if you (or someone in your household) has asthma or allergies.

In fact, dirty humidifiers can make people sick even if they don’t have asthma or allergies. This is because breathing in air contaminated with bacteria and/or mold can cause flu-like symptoms or even lung infections, according to the Mayo Clinic. Here’s what you need to know about cleaning and disinfecting your humidifier so you can reap all the benefits without the gross stuff.

Types of humidifiers

Though some homes have a central humidifier built into the heating and cooling system, the humidifiers we’re going to focus on here are the portable kind you can get at the drug store. There are several different types of those, including evaporative humidifiers (which blow air over a wet wick filter), steam humidifiers (which use electricity to create steam that cools before leaving the machine) and cool-mist humidifiers (which emit room temperature water). According to the Mayo Clinic, evaporators and steam vaporizers may be less likely to release airborne allergens than may cool-mist humidifiers.

How to clean a humidifier

First, check to see if your humidifier came with any specific operating and/or cleaning instructions that you should follow. If not, use this method—which was put to the test by the team at Better Homes and Gardens:

Supplies

White distilled vinegar
Soft-bristled brush or toothbrush
Liquid chlorine bleach
Water

Step 1: Take the humidifier apart

Unplug it, empty the water tank and detach any removable parts (including an air filter, if yours has one).

Step 2: Clean it

Per Better Homes and Gardens:

Pour enough white vinegar into the humidifier tank to cover areas that most often come in contact with water. Depending on the size of your humidifier (and how long you’ve gone between cleanings), you can also choose to dilute the vinegar with warm water for a less concentrated cleaning solution. Place smaller pieces, such as the tank cap, into a large container filled with vinegar to soak. Wait at least 20 minutes to allow the vinegar to break down any scale buildup.

After that, empty the humidifier and use a soft-bristled brush (a toothbrush works!) to clear away any debris or residue.

Step 3: Disinfect it

Mix 1 teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of cold water, and fill the humidifier tank about halfway. Swish the solution around to coat the inside, then let it stand for 20 minutes. This should kill any lingering bacteria.

Step 4: Rinse and dry

Rinse each piece of the humidifier under running water several times until you can’t smell bleach anymore. Then let the parts air dry before you put the humidifier back together.

Clean your humidifier at least once a week while it’s in use, and then once (thoroughly) before putting it away for the season.

January 4, 2021 by The Frugal Father Categories: DIY, Home Improvement, PSA, Safety Leave a comment

Here’s The Entire List of Education Companies Offering Free Learning Subscriptions

Below we have the entire list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings. We’ve provided direct links for you below. All you need to do is click the link and follow the instructions on that website to sign-up.

2Simple

AdmitHub

ABCMouse/Adventure Academy

ALBERT

Alchemie

American Chemistry Society

KET’s PBS Learning Media

Minecraft: Education Edition

Huge thank you to Amazing Educational Resources for this list!

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 by The Frugal Father Categories: Children, Deals, Education, Free, Parenting Tips, PSA Leave a comment

When Picking Out a Car Seat, Follow the AAP’s Safety Recommendations

A disturbing report published today by ProPublica about the safety of belt-positioning booster seats sold by Evenflo and other companies serves as an important reminder for parents: Always follow the American Academy of Pediatric’s guidelines for car seat safety first. A manufacturer’s recommendation for height and weight minimums may not be as safe as they claim.

At the crux of the issue is whether Evenflo’s Big Kid booster seat is safe for children who weigh as little as just 30 pounds, which is the minimum requirement it was advertising as safe, at least until very recently. But Evenflo’s own side-impact test footage, obtained by ProPublica, illustrates how a child could experience severe head, neck or spinal injuries—or die—in such a crash.

Parents may assume that because the seats have been tested and because they meet federal safety standards, it’s always safe to follow the manufacturer’s recommended height and weight guidelines. But although the seats do technically meet federal safety guidelines, that may only be because there currently are no such standards to test the seats for their effectiveness in side-impact vehicle crashes.

That’s why, rather than following height and weight guidelines outlined by the car seat’s manufacturer, parents are better off following the AAP’s guidelines, which are thorough and updated regularly. ProPublica explains:

While car seat recommendations have changed over the years, the American Academy of Pediatrics has been consistent about one key safety principle: Parents should not move children to a booster seat until they reach the maximum weight or height of their harnessed seat. Back in the early 2000s — before Evenflo, Graco, Dorel and others told parents boosters were safe for children weighing as little as 30 pounds — the American Academy of Pediatrics advised that kids who weigh 40 pounds or less were best protected in a seat with its own internal harness. That was the limit of most harnessed seats back then. Today, the overwhelming majority of harnessed seats on the market can accommodate children who weigh up to 65 pounds and who are as tall as 4 feet, 1 inch.

Booster seats, the AAP says, are for “older children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats.” Although booster seats are easier to install and transfer from vehicle to vehicle, it is best to keep kids in harnessed seats as long as possible.

Note: ProPublica reports that after its inquiries into the safety concerns for kids as small as 30 pounds, Evenflo changed the weight minimum on its website to 40 pounds. So they ordered another car seat from the company’s website and found that the seat’s box, manual and label still say the seat has a 30-pound minimum.

February 7, 2020 by The Frugal Father Categories: Children, Education, Parenting Tips, PSA, Safety Leave a comment