Furnace Filters, Fresh Paint and a Spare Plunger: Klinker's Guest-Ready Game Plan

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WAVERLY, Ohio: The holiday guests are coming, and at Klinker’s Lumber, the two weeks before they arrive follow a familiar script. Vice President Jarrett F. Klinker has watched it play out for years at the family store on Seventh Street, and he has the checklist down.

Start with the quick wins

The easiest fix comes first: replace the furnace filter. Klinker calls it a convenient, easy step that improves air quality and fights airborne particles before a house fills with people. Next is the carpet. The store sees a pickup in Rug Doctor carpet shampooer rentals this time of year, as people chase odors and pull stains out of rooms guests will actually see. A fresh coat of paint does wonders, he said, and swapping out cabinet pulls and knobs in the kitchen and bathroom is a small job with an outsized effect.

Paint the rooms everyone lives in

From the in-house paint studio’s perspective, the fastest room refresh before the holidays is the kitchen and dining room. Those are the most visited rooms of the season, Klinker said, and fresh color there brings a breath of fresh air to the whole visit.

Run the safety sweep

Before hosting a house full of people, Klinker advises a walk-through with a host’s eye. Test receptacles to make sure they work. Make sure drains are unclogged and flowing properly in the bathrooms. Check that handrails, into the home and up the stairs, are fastened tightly, and look for trip hazards. Replace any burnt-out light bulbs in the areas guests will use most.

Do not forget the forgettables

Key cutting gets busy when the whole family needs a set, but the items people truly forget are humbler: trash bags for picking up wrapping paper, batteries for the kids’ toys, and a plunger in the guest bathroom.

The local difference

As an Ace Hardware retailer with a working lumber yard, Klinker says the store’s edge over the big boxes is people and speed. Employees bring experienced backgrounds in almost every department, and the store runs a delivery service with reasonable charges, with some deliveries fulfilled the same day. The store has been a staple in the community for well over 75 years, family owned and operated for four generations, employing around 20 to 26 people.

Klinker’s Lumber is at 100 Seventh Street in Waverly and can be reached at (740) 947-2134.

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