Doorstop Alarm Offers Security

To alert travelers, dorm dwellers or those who live alone who fear that an intruder may be lurking, there is a new battery-operated doorstop that, wedged beneath a door, emits a loud shrieking noise when the door is opened inward.

The Door-Stop Siren Alarm, manufactured in Hong Kong, is being distributed by Judy Berkowitz of Garden Grove, who, as area manager of cargo sales for TWA, travels a great deal alone. “It’s my little security blanket,” she said of the gadget. “I slip it under the door and I sleep well.”

The doorstop, made of plastic and metal with a non-skid rubber base pad, runs on two “AA” batteries, is six inches long and weighs a third of a pound. It is easily slipped into a handbag or suitcase. It works equally well when placed on carpeting or bare floor.

The unit, at $9.95 including shipping and handling, is available by check or money order from Berk International, P.O. Box 5294, Garden Grove 92645. Information: (714) 898-8648 or (714) 892-8942.

Ski Teaching Aid for Kids

The Ski Starter, a teaching aid for snow bunnies from ages 2 to 8, is the invention of Kevin Hoag of Ohio, a father of two and an avid skier for 26 years.

The device consists of a webbing belt (yellow or orange) that fastens around a child’s waist and attaches to a webbing harness with which a parent or other instructor skiing behind controls the child’s downhill speed and helps the child to steer. The harness, which snaps on and off easily, also can be used to pull the novice skier across flat terrain.

A webbing toe piece, with loops at either end, attaches to the child’s ski tops to keep the skis in snow plow position. Once the child has gained some confidence, the belt and harness can be put aside and the toe piece used alone.

Peggy Hoag, the inventor’s wife, explained the evolution of the Ski Starter: “We were teaching our 3-year-old,” using a prototype Kevin had rigged, and “40 sets of parents were asking, ‘Where did you get that?’ ” Using the Ski Starter, the Hoags plan to introduce their 2-year-old daughter to the slopes this year.

The Ski Starter, endorsed by the Professional Ski Instructors of America, is $24.95 and is available by check or money order from Casby Inc., 7491 Glenwood Road, Conneaut, Ohio 44030. It is carried locally by Pat’s Ski and Sport in Santa Monica, Long Beach and Redondo Beach.

Polishing the Plastic

Plastics, as everyone knows, are chic, sleek and trendy--and maddeningly susceptible to scratching, fading and dulling.

Now, Novus Inc. of Minneapolis is marketing two nontoxic plastic polishes as the answer for products that “grow old before their time.” The claim for the polishes is that, applied periodically, they will rejuvenate and protect plastic surfaces, including Formica, back windows of convertibles, acrylic aquariums and Lucite furniture.

Novus Plastic Polish 1 is a concentrated cleaner that leaves a glaze that is resistant to finger marking and dust buildup and is anti-static and anti-fogging. Plastic Polish 2 removes fine scratches and haziness from most plastics.

Plastic Polish 1 is about $3 for two ounces and Plastic Polish 2 is about $4 for 2 ounces. Retail outlet information by ZIP code is available from Novus at (800) 548-6872.