DATE: Sunday, September 28, 1997            TAG: 9709270058

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE

SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   82 lines

KNOCK OUT OUTDOOR CLEANUP CHORES BLACK & DECKER'S NEW SCUMBUSTER KIT MAKES SHORT WORK OF DIRT

The party's over - time to put away the barbecue grill and lawn furniture until next summer. Now a new product from Black & Decker makes quick work of sprucing up outdoor items for cold-weather storage.

The ScumBuster Outdoor is a motorized scrubber and scourer designed to banish filth from a variety of outdoor surfaces - shutters, decks and vinyl siding in addition to outdoor grills and furniture. Weighing just 1 1/4 pounds, the battery-powered appliance has four attachments: a brass bristle brush for rusted metal surfaces; a wide-bristle brush for decks, siding and shutters; a heavy-duty brush for busting grease and grime from grills; and a scrubbing pad for scouring outdoor furniture.

Son of the original ScumBuster, which was created by Black & Decker last year to tackle tough bathroom cleanups, the ScumBuster Outdoor sells for about $50 at home centers nationwide. POWER OF PLANTS

A garden has the power to soothe and heal, according to a recent report from Diane Relf, an environmental horticulturist with Virginia Cooperative Extension. Studies show that positive changes in behavior result when people are able to see plants, Relf says.

For example, when researchers at Texas A&M compared the hospital records of patients recovering from surgery, they discovered that those with a view of a group of trees spent less time in the hospital than those looking out at a brick wall. Those who saw the trees also required fewer and less potent drugs.

In a study at Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York City, women recovering from breast-cancer surgery found that routinely walking in the garden for 20 to 30 minutes helped restore their ability to concentrate and reduced their depression.

Research at the University of Michigan showed that workers with a view of flowers and trees experienced less job pressure and were more satisfied with their jobs than workers who had a view of buildings or no view at all.

The workers with a view of plants also reported fewer headaches and illnesses. SAVE ON HOME FURNISHINGS

Kimberly Causey says that any consumer can slash 50 percent to 80 percent off the retail prices of home furnishings by shopping from wholesale sources. The author of ``The Insider's Guide to Buying Home Furnishings'' (Home Decor Press, 1996) will share her tips in a talk, ``Home Furnishings without Highway Robbery,'' free to the public at 7 p.m. Monday at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Chesapeake.

An interior decorator with experience in the manufacture of home furnishings, Causey has shared her bargain-hunting secrets in nearly 200 TV and radio shows nationwide.

Her book is a consumer guide on how and where to get the best bargains and best quality on furniture, wallcoverings, carpeting, lighting, fabrics, custom window and bed treatments and decorative accessories.

Barnes & Noble is in the Greenbrier MarketCenter at the corner of Greenbrier and Volvo parkways. MAKE FIRE SEASON SAFE

In honor of National Fire Safety Week, which is Oct. 5 to 11, Forest Technology Corp., maker of home-burning products, offers tips to make the indoor-fire season safe:

Have your chimney inspected and cleaned annually to rid it of obstructions that could catch fire or that could prevent the flue from properly venting the fireplace.

Keep the area around the fireplace clear of flammable objects, such as lighter fluid, matches, newspapers and magazines.

Always use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks from flying out.

Keep a fully charged fire extinguisher within reach of the fire.

Make sure smoke detectors are in working order.

Don't use the fireplace to burn garbage. Burning refuse can release chemicals and flying ash.

Don't burn too much firewood at one time. Too many pieces of wood can burn hot enough to damage the chimney.

Use good wood. Hardwoods such as oak, hickory, ash or seasoned woods burn better and cleaner than softwoods. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

BLACK & DECKER

The ScumBuster...

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