Outdoor ideas for your outbuildings, controlling pests, and more

Got an idea that's too good to keep? Send it in! You'll receive $100 for any idea the editors choose to illustrate. Include your phone number and sketch or photo if needed. All material becomes the property of Meredith Corporation (parent company of LCL). If your idea is chosen, you give Meredith the right to use it in any manner. Send your idea to Living the Country Life, All Around the Homestead, 1716 Locust Street/LS265, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023.

Floors stay cleaner

We built removable grates out of 1-inch strap iron and set them in holes cut from the cement right outside each door of our outbuildings. Of course, the holes could be made in the pouring stage. We scrape our shoes, and dirt falls through. Saves a lot of time sweeping. --J.K., South Dakota

Theftproof bait

To keep mice and rats from escaping with the bait, I drill two tiny holes in the kernels of corn. The holes are threaded with very small flexible wire and fastened to the trap. Pests can't remove the bait, so they trip the traps and get caught. --D.N., Indiana

No dirt in the summer nor snow in the winter

A strip of old carpet cut the same width as the edge of the floor in my shed and attached to the concrete with carpet glue gives a tight seal even when the big doors aren't locked. --W.L., Nebraska

Squirrel-safe feeders

I made holes in the centers of two popcorn tin lids and suspended them 10 to 12 inches apart above my hanging bird feeder. The wire just below each lid is wrapped about 1/4-inch thick in black electrical tape to give the lid something to balance on. --A.B., North Dakota

Illustrations: Thomas Rosborough