When removing leaves, rake judiciously
Q. What options do I have for getting leaves off my lawn other than an expensive and noisy leaf blower. I found that raking does a poor job in getting the foliage out from under the bushes and shrubbery. Any suggestions?
GNUS-TO-ME, in Hotton’s chat room
A. Yes, raking is good, but you should rake the lawn and garden - or actually anywhere there are plants that sleep in winter and come back in the spring. Leaves left on these plants will smother them. But whoa, leave the leaves under shrubs. They will decay over the winter and provide nutrients.
Here’s an old idea you can consider: Buy a mulching mower and leave the ground-up leaves and grass clippings on the grass as you mow. But be sure to rake leaves off gardens and garden beds.
Q. A big chunk of concrete broke off from my garage floor near the door. Then smaller chunks broke up when the car drove over them. How can I pour new concrete? There’s a rebar in the shallow pit, which is holding those chunks tightly, so I cannot get them out. The rebar is heavily rusted. Can I keep it in place?
JOEY LEVINE, Orleans
A. To get the chunks out, break them up with a sledge hammer. You can leave the rebar in place, if it is not so rusted that it can be bent and taken out. The “trench’’ is probably not so big that it needs ready-mixed concrete that comes in those rolling barrel cement mixers. So, you can buy bags of Concrete Mix, by Sakrete or Quickrete, just add water as you mix it in a wheelbarrow, and fill the space until it is level with the old concrete. You can puddle the concrete, which means you can push a shovel blade into it up and down to compact it and eliminate air pockets. When the concrete is level with the old, you can smooth it off by rubbing with a trowel, giving it a rough surface.
Q. The pressure-treated floor in my screened porch is unfinished, and plagued by sunflower seed hearts spilled on the floor, then stepped on, creating greasy spots. I tried several degreasers without success. How can I clean those spots and keep new ones from coming back?
KAREN, Chelmsford
A. Keep the hearts and feeders out of the porch. Or use regular sunflower seeds with the hulls on. Birds are expert at opening those hulls. As for cleaning the oily spots, try wetting them with paint thinner to dissolve the grease and sprinkling lots of any absorbent material on, then sweep up and throw it away.
But wait: I just got some propaganda singing the praises of a new deoiler. It is called OilGoneEasy of Weston, Conn., and is a bio-remediation product that uses bacteria to eat away oil, gas, and other spills on driveways, concrete, and every place else. Don’t ask me where you can get this stuff, except online at www.oilgoneeasy.com.
Q. I saw in your column a while ago about insulating a pull-down stairway, but now I cannot find it. I saw one for $250, which sounds a little expensive. Do you have any listed?
AKICIA,
Norwood
A. You can make your choice and take your chances. Try one of these: Draft Cap, PO Box 51, Newton, MA 02464, 888-292-2229. The Battic Door, a simple cardboard cover over the stair opening: 800-493-9997, sales@batticdoor.com. Or, 508-320-9082, marc@tyrolengineering.com
Or, you can make your own cover, or have it done by a handyman, for less.
Q. I have had ants in my house, and powder post beetles. I actually saw the beetles and powdery sawdust but saw no holes in the wood floor. The weird part is that I am on the top floor of a building. An exterminator got rid of the ants, and the beetles are gone, too. How can I keep them away?
JEFFREY,
Boston
A. Borates, which include good old boric acid, are a popular choice. But if they are gone, who knows how long they will stay away? They might have come in with the groceries or an old wood chair or table. If the beetles come again, and you see tiny holes in the wood (oak is one of their favorites), you can treat the holes with bleach or boric acid. Keeping humidity low can also help.
Q. I have a space under my deck that is good for nothing but my neighbor’s cat’s bathroom. The deck is too high to board in the perimeter. How can I pave it to keep the kitties away? Crushed stone? They might dig through it. Brick is too expensive, and so is concrete or asphalt.
CHARLES MADEK, Dorchester
A. Get the biggiest-size crushed stone you can get and put in 6 inches’ worth. The cats will go elsewhere. Maybe. Or, lay down 16-by-16-inch concrete blocks. These can be quite inexpensive and will not budge.
Handyman on Call also appears in the Globe’s Style & Arts section on Thursdays. Peter Hotton is available 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair; call 617-929-2930. Hotton chats online about house matters 2 to 3 p.m. Thursdays, at Boston.com. Hotton can be reached at photton@globe.com. 
