Ivy is out today due to family medical issues, so she asked me to write for her.  I'm reposting this from today's Shak & Jill about a friend who came home from work this morning to find his house had been vandalized.

I am filled with righteous indignation right now.  A friend of mine bought a house earlier this year.  He was so joyful to own his own home, he has it all decked out for Christmas and recently said this is possibly the best year he's ever had.

Unfortunately, when he came home from work this morning (he works third shift), he found the side of his house and his garage door had been spray painted by vandals.  There are obscene words and one really vile picture.  At first he thought it was a personal attack, but we think it may have been a random act of violence.  School is out and crimes like these always spike during the holidays and in summer, according to the police.

The other reason my friend is upset is he didn't know how to remove the paint.  I consulted a friend who is a home care expert and learned that you can paint vinyl.  If possible, remove a little chip somewhere where the missing piece won't be noticed.  Go to Lowe's, Home Depot, or another paint store and ask the clerk for Kilz that will work on vinyl, along VINYL exterior paint.  The Kilz should prevent the graffiti from leaking through.  In addition, they should be able to match the color with the sample vinyl you're bringing in.

I would also wait until the weather gets above freezing to paint.  (Temperature now is about 10 degrees – ugh!).  Finally, I advised my friend to install motion sensor lights and a motion sensor camera so he'll both feel safer and to potentially scare off future vandals.

Merry Stinking Christmas indeed.

Photo by Brad-514 courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.