Christopher Lowell will be at the Tampa Convention Center on May 17.
Caldrea's stainless-steel cleaning sprays
Briefs and news of note
Love him! And he'll be here!
Christopher Lowell, the home design star from the Discovery Channel, will broadcast his show live at 1 p.m. May 17 from the Tampa/St. Petersburg Home & Patio Show at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 S Franklin St. Advance tickets (admission to the home show, priority seating for Lowell's broadcast and an autographed picture) are $20; call (727) 563-0502. Or simply show up and take your chances, since seating is limited. The Home & Patio Show will feature more than 700 vendors of home-improvement products and services, demonstrations, an outdoor living area, air-conditioning and energy-conservation products and programs; the paint guy, Glenwood Sherry, and more. Show hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and May 17, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. May 18. Tickets: adults, $7; seniors (60 and older), $6; kids younger than 12, free. Web site: www.floridahomeshows.com
Stainless steel comes clean
Everybody loves the professional look of stainless-steel appliances, but the dirty little secret is that those refrigerators and ranges show every fingerprint. Caldrea, the makers of natural-scented home-cleaning products, has just introduced a line of olive oil-based stainless-steel cleaning sprays. They come in four scents: Green Tea Patchouli, Lavender Pine, Citrus Mint Ylang Ylang and Jasmine Lily (which sounds like a Disney cartoon heroine). An 11.8-ounce spray bottle is $12. For local retailers, visit www.caldrea.com (There is no shortage of whimsy here: A line of diaper pail freshener and other cleaners for babies' rooms is called Sweet Pea.)
Roser Park homes to be revealed today
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, residents will welcome visitors to the Roser Park neighborhood of St. Petersburg for the inaugural Historic Tour of Homes. Six houses, two gardens and one mansion are open. This neighborhood, near Bayfront Medical Center, was developed in the teens and '20s and is in the midst of renewal. Tickets are $10 at 735 Eighth Ave. S. Information: (727) 894-1064.
A brush with recycling
Old toothbrushes add 50-million pounds of waste annually to U.S. landfills. Now they can add a little less. Recycline's Preserve toothbrushes are made from recycled polypropylene, most of which comes from Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. For $17.50 a year, Recycline will send customers a new toothbrush every three months and postage-paid envelopes in which to send the old ones back. The company, which develops products from recycled materials, recycles the old brushes (bristles and all) into plastic lumber for such things as benches and decks. Visit www.recycline.com (click on "about recycline," then "recycline in the news") or call toll-free 1-888-354-7296. - Compiled by Homes Editor JUDY STARK
