Expert Advice for your Lawn & Garden TV Host of Today's Homeowner^® and home expert for The Weather Channel

Even though the EPA banned the use of lead-based paints in 1978, there are still potential hazards of lead poisoning around your home that you should be aware of. Any older home has the possibility of containing lead paint.

Carbon monoxide has been called the “invisible” killer. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, every year more than 100 people die from unintentional exposure to carbon monoxide produced from using a charcoal grill, exhaust from an automobile, portable generators and various gas appliances.

Homeowners are often puzzled about why their clothes dryer takes longer to finish a load than it used to. The answer is usually a simple one, but it has some pretty serious implications. A build-up of lint in the dryer or its vent pipe can not only reduce the efficiency of the dryer but it can also be a fire hazard.

When you think about a home automation system there are several ways to approach it, from a stand alone video door answering system that can be mounted in the kitchen, or room of your choice, and set up to monitor the front door to automated lighting or even an extensive whole home automation system designed to control all the major systems within a home including lighting, HVAC, security and audio/video systems.

Thousands of homeowners are devastated by the destruction a hurricane brings. After a hurricane, homeowners assess damage to their homes and prepare for the future. Before the planning stages here is some advice.

The Holiday Season is a time of joy, but unfortunately it can also be a dangerous time for many. Every year about eight thousand people are treated for injuries resulting from accidents related to holiday decorating or decorations. Christmas trees alone are involved in more than four hundred fires each year. Decorating with safety in mind can help keep you from becoming one of those statistics.

I know from personal experience that burglars and vandals have a field day when they come across an exterior door unprotected by a dead bolt. Even a door equipped with a high-quality lockset is an easy target because the latch might not extend far enough into the door frame to withstand a sharp kick. A well-placed boot will tear the strike plate loose and splinter the jamb, providing easy access to a house. Installing a dead bolt in addition to the lockset you already have solves the problem.

Protect a pair of safety glasses or eye goggles from scratches and smudges by storing them in an old cotton sock. This will prove most effective if you store your glasses in a toolbox. Also, outfit your safety glasses with an inexpensive nylon cord (sold in most hardware stores and home centers). The cord will allow you to hang the glasses from around your neck and keep you from losing them, but more importantly, they’ll always be close at hand so there will never be a reason not to use them.