Home briefs | Follow safety tips for bunk beds

It's 3 a.m. Do you know whether your child is safe on his bunk bed? The American Home Furnishings Alliance offers this safety checklist:

• Children younger than 6 shouldn't sleep on a bunk bed or play unattended in a room with one.

• The top bunk should have guardrails, with no more than 15 inches open at one end for entering and exiting.

• Rails should be secure and sturdy and should extend at least 5 inches above the top surface of the mattress.

• The mattress should be the proper size for the platform, as stated by the manufacturer.

• Use a sturdy ladder to enter and exit the top bunk. Only one person should be on the top bunk at a time, and never position a bunk bed under or near a ceiling fan or light fixture.

• Bunk beds manufactured after March should not have any type of "finial" or corner post on the headboard or footboard. This helps prevent accidental strangulation caused by something the child is wearing or carrying catching on the bed as the child exits the upper bunk.

Take your paint

problems online

Employees at the local home-improvement store would love to answer your every question about paint, if there weren't 10 other people waiting to be helped. So why not blog about your paint issues on Color Buzz, Beehive Studio's Color Blog, colorbuzz.valsparblog.com?

Through this blog, you can get advice on making color choices and tips on the painting process, while learning from others in similar situations.

The designers of Beehive Studios, color consultants for Valspar, lead the blog and take questions, comments and pictures about the color troubles and happy moments you experience.

Categories include bathroom finishes, bedrooms and designs, among others.

Bundle your bread

in bamboo bags

Next time you visit a bakery, offer your own bag for toting home a loaf of fresh bread.

Bamboo-bag sacks ($16 each) are made from natural antimicrobial bamboo fabric, an alternative to paper and plastic. Available in three designs, the bags are tailored for carrying and storing bread, keeping it fresher longer.

The turtle bag has a wide mouth and pleated sides to fit a 2-pound levain loaf. The loaf pouch holds up to two 1-pound loaves. The baguette quiver, which closes with a drawstring, carries up to three long loaves.

Details: bamboo-bag.com.

The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.)