Holiday Home Problems & Solutions Part III

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We continue our segment on problems with home repairs over the Holidays, and some solutions on how to overcome them, courtesy of This Old House:

6. Snow Shoveling

It's important to keep walkways clear of snow and ice to prevent injury from slips and falls. But, it's just as important to make sure you're shoveling correctly so as not to hurt yourself. Avoid pulling your back by bending at the knees, keeping your back straight, tightening your stomach muscles, and lifting with your legs. See more Digging Do's and Dont's from TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook to make sure you make it through the holidays with your back intact.

7. Wrap Rage

A large percentage of holiday-related emergency room visits are a result of attempts to open difficult product packaging, such as clamshells and shrink-wrapped goods. When opening packages you want to make sure that your hands—and whatever is inside the impenetrable container—make it through the process unscathed. If you're using scissors, cut with blades facing away from your body and hands, but you could also try a specialty tool to get things opened in a snap. Our favorite is the Plastic Surgeon which features a long ergonomic handle and a stay-sharp surgical steel blade with auto-close safety cover. Another option is to shop vendors who provide easy-open packaging (shown here); there are more and more of them as wrap rage frustration and injuries increase year over year.

Courtesy of  This Old House