ReColor by Wipe New Blog

First Impressions and Curb Appeal

When you first meet someone, that first impression stays with you – and the same can be said about a home. If you are selling your home, or just want to increase its value, there are some simple changes you can make that will go a very long way!

Repainting an entire house can be pricey, but you can make a big impact by brightening up the shutters, the front door, garage door, and even your mailbox. Lighting fixtures and solar lighting will also help set a mood. Adding fun items like a colorfully painted birdbath or a wheel barrel with flowers growing from it, or perhaps a cluster of potted plants, are all ways to make your home stand out in the most beautiful way.

It might seem like a lot to take on, but instead of picking up a paintbrush or buying something new, let us help by restoring your old faded colors with one coat of Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New!

We all know that weather and time can cause colors to fade but with one coat of ReColor you can watch the original color return before your very eyes. And it will also protect your vinyl, plastic, stone, and metal surfaces by actually repelling dirt and water – it even adds UV protection.

So now you can get to the business of sprucing up your home with less fuss and long lasting results. ReColor is here to help you make a great impression and no one needs to know how easy it was.

Upcycling and Repurposing

Creating a second life for our things is a great way to conserve waste, save money, and get creative. There are thousands of ways that we can re-purpose various items in fun and creative ways, and though there are far too many for us to list here, there are plenty of great resources on-line that can guide you.

In the meantime, here are few ideas we love:

Ladders:

Re-purpose and old ladder into a:

Bathroom towel rack. Add a bamboo box to the top or bottom rung for storage space.
Hang the ladder on brackets
off the floor and against a wall or standing up upright and leaning against a wall.
Flowerpot holder. Great for either inside or out, ladders are a fun way to display potted plants and flowers.
Light show. Wrap an old ladder with twinkle lights for a cool lighting display inside or out.
Lean a small ladder next to your bed for a unique bedside ‘table’. Add a small piece of wood to make a shelf, add a clip-on reading light, and maybe even a dream catcher.

Wine Bottles:

There are so many fun and easy ways to reuse wine bottles:

Water it down. Add a cool stopper or cork and use as a water bottle for the dinner table or while entertaining.
Hang it. Turn a wine bottle into a lamp with a lighting kit.
Write it. Create a cool vase by painting a bottle with Chalk Board Paint. Then mark it with a poem, the names of the flowers, or just a love note.
Light it up. Add battery or solar twinkle lights to the inside of a clean wine bottle for a pretty lighting effect

Wood Pallets:

You can usually find wood pallets for free or dirt cheap and there are so many things to do with them:

Fence it in. Brace strong wooden pallets together to create a privacy space for your backyard.
Table it. Turning a pallet into an outdoor coffee table is as easy as adding legs! Fast, simple, and easy.
Sit on it. It’s also almost as easy to create matching couches. Stack two and secure together, then add a third pallet to the back for a backrest, then repeat for the size couch you are looking for. All that’s left is to sand it and paint it!
Plant it. Vertical gardens are easy to create inside a wooden pallet with the help of chicken wire, soil, and seedlings.

There are thousands of ideas out there so get creative and have some fun by re-purposing items throughout your home.

For your vinyl, plastic, stone, or metal surfaces, restore the original color by using Rust-Oleum Recolor by Wipe New!

Ways to Brighten your Home During Winter

The long winter months bring cold and darkness, but sometimes it’s nice to keep things light. Here are a few fun and easy ways to brighten our homes to keep us from feeling like we’re hibernating all winter long!

Lighten it up:

Twinkle lights are not just for a Christmas Tree, they can be used in many fun and creative ways to brighten your home all year round. They look great around fireplaces or large framed mirrors. Try crisscrossing them on the ceiling for a child’s room or hang them around windowsills.
Candles are not just for romantic dates. Safely place candles in groups for a lovely lighting effect in nearly any space.
Dimmers can create varying lighting moods with just a swipe of the finger and they are also energy efficient.
For naturally darker rooms, you may need to just increase the light bulb wattage.
Use lamps of varying heights throughout your home.

Décor:

Switch to lighter window treatments.
Hanging a large mirror opens up the space and allows for more light.
Avoid dark or bulky furniture.
Use lighter colored throw pillows, blankets, and accessories.

DIY:

Painting a ceiling white and using lighter paint color on the walls will help brighten any room.
Lightening floor color (wood or carpet) will make a space look larger and bring in more light.

Getting Your Winter Sports Gear Ready with ReColor

As cold weather sets in, our thoughts turn to Winter fun and Winter sports. Before the snow starts to fly, it’s a good idea to make sure that all your Winter sports gear is ready to go and that it’s in good condition.

There’s no better way to get your gear in gear and ready to rock ‘n’ roll than to use Rust-Oleum Recolor by Wipe New!

Just think of all the possibilities! Since it works on so many surfaces, you can use it for virtually almost any type of sports gear.

When you use ReColor as directed, you can bring new life to all sorts of weathered winter gear, such as:

Ski Boots
Ski Goggles
Sleds
Snowmobiles
Snowshoes
Ice Skates
Toboggans
Snow Saucers
Hockey Gear
Bobsleds
And more!

One application will last for years, so you’ll be good to go all winter! Now all you have left to do, is to have fun!

Drama-Free Christmas Tree Transportation Tips from Wipe New

(originally posted on the Wipe New Blog)

For those who celebrate the Christmas holidays, it’s a great time of the year, isn’t it? There are parties, cookies, gift exchanges, special celebrations, and family traditions, which include going to get a freshly cut Christmas tree. You can almost smell the pine needles, right?

Let’s get real, though… as much as we love Christmas trees, they can get messy… and who wants to get poked by some pine needles? That’s something that can turn you into a grinch in about two seconds flat.

So without giving up and buying an artificial tree, how can you get your majestic tree from point A to point B, drama-free? Here are some tips to help you out:

Wear thick gloves. It sounds so obvious, but wearing gloves will go a long way to insure yourself against being poked.
Select a tree that will either fit on top or inside your vehicle.
Ask the Christmas tree person to net your tree to secure the branches.
If you’re tying your tree to the top of your car, make sure that you put something down such a tarp or a sheet to minimize the scratches and tree sap.
If you’re transporting your tree inside your car, make sure that you have sheets to protect the upholstery and to catch those pesky, errant needles.
Make sure you have plenty of rope to make sure that you more than securely tie your tree to the roof.
Once you’ve secured your tree, drive a few feet and then stop in a safe place and tighten the ropes if necessary.
Take your time getting home; it’s better to be safe transporting the tree than for you, the tree, and your car to be strewn all over the road.
If the tree is taking the trip home on top of your car, make sure that the trunk is pointed toward the hood of the car.

Braving the Storm

No one wants to think about what would happen when a storm gets out of hand and creates serious damage, but it’s best to have a plan in place:

Make a family plan:
- Have one place that everyone should gather in the home
- Everyone should be in charge of a task
- Everyone should know where the water and gas valves are to shut them off if needed.
- Everyone should know where the emergency kit is kept.
Tasks:
- Task those who are able to collect important items if there is time:
  - Secure family pets
  - Collect needed medications
  - Retrieve important documents and extra cash
  - Grab the emergency kit

Emergency Kit:

You can create your own Home Emergency Kit in a water resistant plastic container:

First Aid Kit
Flashlights
Radio
Extra batteries
Cell phone charger
Work gloves
Bottled water
Canned & nonperishable foods & snacks
Can opener
Pet food
Candles & Matches
Toiletries
Toilet paper
Zip lock bags
Blankets

Put a very clear label on your kit, make sure it’s visible and easily reachable at all times.

Also, make sure to go through the kit every 6 months to replace anything that has expired, and check that the batteries are not corroded.

You can use a backpack to make a condensed version to keep in your car, especially for winter driving:

First Aid Kit
Flashlight
Extra batteries
Cell phone charger
Work gloves
Bottled water
Nonperishable food and snacks
Flare
Toiletry kit
Cash
Towel/blanket

Paperwork: as important as the originals are, scan all imperative documents so there is a digital copy in case the originals are lost. Save on a thumb drive, cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive, or email it to yourself for safe keeping.

Kids: If you have children, stay as calm as possible. Make sure they are able to follow instructions and get everyone to safety as fast as possible. It’s also wise to run a drill so the kids know what to do in a real emergency. They also practice at school, so you can even do it on the same day so they are completely clear on the Family Plan.

Pets: If you have to leave your home, make sure to get dogs on a leash (they can get spooked and flee even if it’s not their normal temperament) and collect small animals in a secure pet crate. Make sure to take enough food and water for them to survive for 3-7 days.

Bedside: If a storm or emergency hits in the middle of the night, keep a flashlight and a pair of shoes at your bedside, in case there is broken glass.

Weather Radio: Particularly if you live in an area that experiences tornadoes, make sure that you have a battery or crank-operated weather radio handy. The best ones also plug in to conserve battery life, so that they are always on to warn you in an emergency.

The best way to prepare for a storm is to talk through what you need to do, make an emergency kit, and always have gas in your car in case you need to evacuate. Above all, stay calm. You’re not the only person going through it, and there will be a lot of people there to help in every way they possibly can. Listen to your local and state authorities and heed their advice.

Happy Thanksgiving

We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope your travel is as stress-free as possible. Safe driving!

Thankful Tree

When the holidays come rolling in, it’s easy to get consumed by the stress that comes with it. Preparing for a Thanksgiving dinner can be all-consuming, but it’s important not to lose sight of what is really important, and what all the hard work is for.

Some families have traditions: maybe it’s cooking together, playing football in the back yard, or maybe a hard-won game of team charades. This year you might enjoy shaking things up a little while getting to the core of the holiday with a Thankful Tree.

This gives everyone in the family and their thanksgiving dinner guests an opportunity to say what they are thankful for writing it on a tag and hanging it on a small tree. It won’t be long before your little tree will be filled with notes of love and gratitude.

How to

There’s no wrong way to do this, so make it your own! You can put a pretty tree branch in a vase, find a small fern tree, or create a 3D paper tree! Anything goes.

Then have a stack of blank gift tags for your friends and family to fill out. Lastly, tie a festive ribbon through the gift tag and hang it on a branch. And you can have anyone stopping by during the holidays add a note of thanks to the tree.

When the season is over, collect them in an envelope and date it. It’s a nice keepsake for years to come.

View this project on HGTV http://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/new-thanksgiving-tradition-create-a-thankful-tree

Reviving Memories (And Decorations)

Let’s face it, when we pull out the holiday decoration boxes and dust them off for the new season, we can’t help but reflect on memories from years past. Old decorations, handmade ornaments, holiday villages, and stockings fill us with nostalgia, and as hard as it is to see our old faithful front yard Santa looking so run down, somehow we can’t bring ourselves to toss him. But luckily, we don’t have to! While it’s important to replace our holiday string lights every few years, the same does not go for most of our other treasured decorations.

Old plastic candy canes that proudly line the walkway, and Rudolph with Santa propped up on the roof or prancing on the yard, are welcome sights. This year, make them look brand new with Rust-Oleum ReColor by Wipe New! A simple wipe will take years off while holding on to fond memories a good while longer. As you unpack your treasures, set aside all the ones that could use a little upgrade, like the star or old decorative balls and plastic signs, and then revive them with a quick wipe down with ReColor.

If you are looking to change things up a little this year, there are loads of fun ways to decorate using everything you already have, just in a new way! Some things are traditional and should remain so, but if you are willing to mix things up a little, here are some fun ideas:

If you have an old wreath that’s seen better days, consider spraying it with white frosting spray paint.
Take a handful of pretty ornament balls and place them in a glass vase or bowl to create a beautiful centerpiece.
Take the garland you might normally place around the fireplace and let it line a doorway instead.
Add pretty ribbon to ball ornaments and hang them in a group of varying lengths.
Find a pretty branch, place it in a vase and hang small decorations and candy canes, or tie a festive ribbon to the branches.
Fill a clean and empty wine bottles or glass vase with battery or solar mini twinkle lights for a gorgeous effect.
Create a centerpiece by laying an old wreath flat a large plate or tray, and then place a group of candles of various heights inside of it.

Wishing you and yours a safe and festive holiday season!

ReColor Your World

We love how people have discovered ReColor® and are amazed at how old, worn-down items can look like new again.

It’s like that in life, isn’t it? We’re always looking to upgrade our personal appearance, our jobs, our homes and our possessions, and it’s amazing that we can save a great deal of money by spending just a little money to revitalize what we already have!

Many customers ask if they can use ReColor® on their cars… and the answer is a resounding YES! While we can’t work miracles and roll back your odometer or improve your mileage, ReColor® can help you regain your car’s luster. Just follow the directions and see the difference!

While we’re on the subject of cars, we have a whole line of Wipe New products to help you keep your car looking like new. Let’s take a brief look at each of these products:

Wipe New® Tires: Your tires take a lot of abuse, don’t they? They make the first contact with roads and can get dirty and marred pretty easily. When used as directed, Wipe New Tires can restore your tires’ rich, dark look in just a matter of minutes!

Wipe New® Headlight Restore: Have you noticed that the light coming out of your headlights is looking pretty dim these days? Are your headlights looking pretty dingy? You may not realize it because you’ve just become used to it, but chances are that there’s an accumulation of dust and dirt covering the headlights. Wipe New Headlight Restore can restore the shine of your headlights and increase the brightness of the light coming from your headlights at the same time!

Wipe New® Wheels: Remember when you first got your car and everything was so shiny and new? What’s happened to the wheels of your car since then? When was the last time you showed them some love? If you’ve neglected them, it’s time to make things right! Use Wipe New Wheels will rekindle that relationship with those wheels in no time!

Wipe New® Fleet: If you own multiple vehicles, Wipe New has you covered, too! If you own a fleet of vehicles such as rental cars, taxis, buses, limousines, or trucks, Wipe New can significantly reduce your detailing costs. We offer Wipe New® Pro in a 32-ounce bottle, and we also offer Wipe New® Wipe-its! A little Wipe New® goes a long way and you’ll be amazed at the results!

See for yourself: