The Shaker of Salt

With the environment facing new challenges greater than ever seen before, now is the perfect time to start thinking ahead with regards to eco-planning. Your home doesn’t have to sacrifice style in order to become greener to the world. In fact, quite the contrary; you have a chance to forge a new path, go somewhere where many others dare to not even dream of. Everything you can think of in your home, can in one way or another be implemented in a safer more ecological way, without the encroachment of family living space. Not only are you choosing a decor and ambiance that’s becoming more and more popular by the day, but you’re also getting the benefits of saving money from energy conservation. Essentially the key is to use minimal materials that affect the environment, yet also engage in a positive atmosphere where heat, light and strength are reverberated and circulated throughout the home. By creating a managed green living space for your family, you’ll be passing on lessons and important values to those you love.

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Keeping warm

Insulation is one of the most important things that you need to consider while designing the interior of your home. You may already have insulation in the walls, but if your rooms are large, or you have thin walls, you’ll lose the warmth quickly or simply not catch enough of it, to begin with. Do away with metal chairs and items in the home. It takes a lot for metals to consolidate heat, yet take away almost as much. Clay plant pots, wooden-framed chairs and tables are much better at storing the sun’s heat as well as central heating. Rather than a leather sofa, you should get a fabric variant, so your body heat is better captured and given back.

Energy efficiency

If you have light bulbs of an older generation, they could cost you a small fortune of your lifetime. Currently, the technology the requires the least amount of power but shines brighter than any other sort, are LED bulbs. CFL bulbs are also more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs and last longer with fault rates lower. The modern trend in kitchens and living rooms is to have wooden flooring. No doubt, the price of a home goes up noticeably. However, where you make money, you lose somewhere else due to poor planning. With designers that have a remarkable ability in eco friendly building, you can decide how best to keep your true style alive, while creating an even greater insulated home. Whether it’s a rug, carpet or selection and design of flooring, your living room and other large spaces can capture and store warmth for longer.

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Becoming independent

Solar panels can free you from the burden of having to rely on energy providers. Of course, the sun isn’t always going to be able to produce the entirety of the energy your household needs, but every little step towards a greener, self-reliant home helps the environment. By installing solar panels on your roof, you can utilize natural power. Truth be told, most modern homes in the future will come with solar panels as the technology is ready to be mass produced, but governments and contractor companies are figuring out the price to install in ready-made homes. However, some government grants and the incentive of lower bills and tax breaks are a huge bonus to those who want to rely on solar power in their home.

Owning a home really is a huge responsibility. Even if you manage to save up for a deposit and are lucky enough to snag a mortgage that’s just the beginning. You have a lifetime of home maintenance ahead of you and a million things that could go wrong! Of course, owning a home is completely worth it and there are few greater achievements as an adult than getting a foot on the property ladder, although you do have to be prepared to deal with everything that comes along with it. Here are just a few of the jobs you will have to contend with when you’ve signed your name on the dotted line for your mortgage.

Pests

Pests are every homeowner’s nightmare. Don’t be naive enough to think you’re immune from getting them because you keep a clean home- while everything being clean and tidy makes them far easier to spot pests can (and do) move into clean and dirty homes alike. Rodents can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps, and cause havoc by chewing electrical wires, plaster, getting into your pantry and spreading disease over the home. According to rospa.com/leisure-safety/water/advice/weils-disease, rodents can spread diseases called Leptospirosis and Hantavirus which are incredibly dangerous to humans.  They’re also known to carry and spread antibiotic resistant strains of e-coli and salmonella which is extremely bad news. Then you also have pests like insects. If your home was unoccupied for a while before you moved in you could be dealing with nests of spiders, cockroaches, certain species of moth can even lay eggs in your carpet and feast on it for generations of life cycles causing damage. Termites are a particularly problematic pest since they can cause structural damage to the home. Outside you may get nests of wasps or bees, or pigeons nesting in the eaves of the roof. Because their droppings are corrosive, they can lead to damage which eventually causes leaks and other expensive repairs. While there are effective DIY solutions for pests, depending on the extent of the problem you may be better off calling in an exterminator. Since it can be difficult to completely kill the life cycle of some pests, you might think they’ve gone only for the problem to come back as a few eggs managed to survive. Have some money in your home maintenance account to be able to tackle problems like this as they come up.

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Home Security

As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to keep your family and possessions safe. As long as you have anything valuable, there will be someone out there that’s happy to take it given the chance. Even if you live in a nice neighborhood, you’re not safe, if anything you’re more at risk as thieves will come from elsewhere knowing you more than likely have more valuable possessions. Your first port of call should be to get covered with a good home insurance policy. That way, at the very worst case scenario you will at least get the money back for the items stolen, and won’t end up out of pocket.

If you go to a site like oklahomainsurancequotes.net/home-insurance/ you can compare prices quickly and easy without the need to trawl all over the internet. Your next step would be to stop burglars in their tracks should you become a target. Both visible CCTV and a professionally installed burglar alarm will act as deterrents as well as be useful if a break-in attempt is made. Good quality windows and doors will prevent access being made through jimmying with a crowbar, and decent locks will physically keep your stuff in- and the bad guys out.

There are all kinds of other security measures you can take on top of this. Using smart home equipment allows you to monitor your CCTV through your phone as well as turn lights on and off from it. That way you can create the impression that someone is in, even if they’re not. You could use an automated curtain rail to open and close curtains- ideal if you work odd shifts or are away from home a lot. If you set up a tv or radio to a timer switch, this will go on and off periodically, again creating the illusion that someone is home. That way if a burglar is scoping out your home, it doesn’t look empty so prevents the chances of it being targeted. While dogs should be one of the family instead of purely seen as guard dogs, if you have space in your home for a furry friend then teach them to bark at the door. Burglars hate dogs, and should an attempt be made it’s likely to put them off if they can hear a dog causing a racket inside.

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Home Safety

As well as security, safety in the home is another issue. Our houses have the potential to be incredibly dangerous, so much so that more accidents happen in the home than anywhere else. Some of the home safety measures you should take are placing fire extinguishers and knowing what kind of fires each can be used on. For example, a foam extinguisher in the shed would be useful as it can be used for burning paint or petrol, but not on chip pan fires. A fire blanket is far more useful for this so something worth having in the kitchen. Water extinguishers are useful for things like wood and cloth, if a fire were to start in the bedroom or living room due to a candle being knocked over for example this would be useful. https://www.thespruce.com/best-fire-extinguishers-4119474 has more information on this if you’re planning on making a purchase.

Other home safety features you could add are a smoke alarm (one should be installed on every floor of the house) and a carbon monoxide alarm. You also have to be wary of things like nails sticking up in wood or loose carpet on stairs. They have the potential to cause a serious accident. If someone comes into your home and is injured on this, you might even end up with a lawsuit on your hands. If you have children in the home, childproofing is another important step. Remove cleaning chemicals from low down cupboards or buy cupboard locks. Make sure there are no choking hazards on the floor, and a lock on the outside of the bathroom can be useful too. Children have been known to turn on taps drown in shallow baths when adults backs have been turned for just a few minutes.

Maintenance

Paying for home maintenance is never much fun. It’s often expensive, and you usually can’t even tell anything has been done. Whether it’s electrical safety or repairs, plumbing, roof repairs or having the gutters cleaned. However, these are important jobs and something you need to be on top of as a homeowner. It can be useful to save the dates and nature of any maintenance visits you’ve had done, just in case you need to refer back to it at a later date. Other maintenance repairs include decoration- peeling wallpaper, chipped paint and out of date tiling might not be the end of the world, but certainly, wont be allowing you to make the most of your home. And don’t forget the gardens and outside space too. If you don’t want to pay a gardener, it’s something you could get into yourself. It will keep you fit and give you something to keep you busy over the warmer months.

Eco-Friendly Features

Our homes can be huge energy drains, the average home using excessive amounts of fossil fuels to keep it powered. But as a homeowner, you have the opportunity to be a little kinder to the environment. Small changes like recycling your plastic and paper, or composting old foods and cardboard all reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill. Either buy a composting bin or make one yourself, your reduce your carbon footprint and get free compost to use on your garden once it’s all broken down too. You could switch the bulbs in your home to energy saving bulbs, these use far more power, and as a bonus, they have a much longer life too. https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/crees-new-led-light-bulbs-last-27-years/ states that some can even last over twenty seven years! So as well as spending less money on bulbs (which can be expensive!) you also save money on your bills and help the environment by using less power.

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Cleanliness

As an adult and homeowner, you’re the one responsible for keeping things tidy. You don’t have parents or anyone else nagging you to keep it clean, it’s something you have to just get done yourself. Find a system that suits you and stick with it. If you’re busy in the week, you could do a big clean at the weekend instead. Otherwise, you could spend fifteen minutes each day doing jobs to keep on top of everything. Each household member could have a set number of chores that they’re responsible for each week, or you could create a rota. When you’ve spent all of this money on a home, it makes sense that you’d keep it nice which will allow you to enjoy the space.

 

For people who are thinking of selling their home, one of the biggest worries is pulling their hair out with stress. After all, selling a house can be ridiculously stressful. However, there are some steps you can take to ensure you sell your home without pulling any hair out at all.  Here are 6 things you can try!

Invite Your Neighbors Over To Your Open House

Having an open house can be a little daunting. What if nobody shows up? What if they don’t like what they see? A good tactic you can use is inviting your neighbors over. Not only will you have morale support, they can introduce themselves to people and help you to sell your property. If you know you have great neighbors, this is a great tactic that will help you to sell your home easily!

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Make Sure Your Agent Is Properly Marketing Your Home Online

Marketing your property online is just as important as marketing it offline. Having a compelling online listing is so important if you’re going to get viewings, so make sure you check this out. Listings with more than 6 pictures are twice as likely to get viewed, so you need great, high quality pictures of 6 or more.  

Sell To A Company

If you want minimal paperwork and you’re not too fussed about getting as much money as possible, you could always consider selling your home to a company. Companies will attempt to make things as easy and quick as possible for you while giving you a fair offer. You can look at pages like www.varealestatesolutions.com/areas-we-serve-hampton-roads/we-buy-houses-in-virginia-beach/ to give you an idea of what is to be expected. It’s not an option for everyone, but for others, it really works.

Try An Unusual Technique

There are a few unusual marketing techniques you could try if you want to get as much interest in your house as possible. Why not make a YouTube video? If you’re good with computers and fancy yourself as a bit of a videographer, you could create a video showing off your home, the street, and even your neighbors. It’s probably best to keep this video short and interesting, leaving people thinking about what a great life and lots of fun they could have in your neighborhood.

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Depersonalize And Neutralize

Depersonalizing and neutralizing your home is one of the first things you should do. Rent a storage facility so you have somewhere to put your belongings. You should take away all things from your home that mark it as yours, such as pictures of the family.

Learn About The Competition

Learning about your competition can tell you where you need to improve. Attend open houses in the area and see what they’re doing that you could be doing. This is what your viewers are going to be seeing, so make sure you take note.

Try these 6 methods for selling your home and you should be able to sell with minimal hassle!

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Let’s face it, probably the most important part of your child’s party, aside from the presents of course, will be the party food. Of course, you want to provide healthy nutritious choices but it is also important to make it easy, delicious and fun. So let’s take a look at some of the party food options available when the sun shines.

Firing up the Barbecue

All children love burgers and hot dogs and what’s not to love. Choose well made sausages and burgers which use natural ingredients and have a high quality meat content. Why not make your own bread rolls and get the kids involved too. All children love baking and if they get messy, so what! It’s all about having a good time and there are plenty of sites like bakingsmart.com which are packed full of handy hints, recipes and inspiration to make baking fun for all the family. Give it a try and they will love being able to share their homemade masterpieces with their friends.

Having a Picnic

Whether at home in the back garden, in the local park or even further afield, a picnic is always a winner. Take some large picnic rugs to lay on the grass along with an assortment of colourful plates and cups. If there is a movie or character that your child is particularly fond of then why not get some themed tableware to make it extra special. You can either make large platters of snacks or why not give each child a party box. Inside you can put a sandwich, crisps, some fruit and a sweet treat, whatever you like. You could even add a novelty toy for each child to take home.

When they have finished eating why not get a team game going to stave off any boredom,or perhaps storytime for the younger ones. Whatever you decide, a picnic is guaranteed to keep them happy until it’s time to go home. And if the weather fails you, just decamp inside and have a carpet picnic instead. Yes it might be a bit messy but they will still have a wonderful time.

Party or Finger food

If you are planning a more low key celebration this year for a few close friends and family  some nicely decorated plates of party food and snacks will do the job. Never underestimate the appeal of a frozen banana penguin or a strawberry mouse!

The main thing is just remember to enjoy it, have fun and they are guaranteed to do the same.

No one wants to see mold in their home. Not only is it unsightly, but it can also cause a range of health issues and cause untold damage to the home if left unchecked. It is, then, a good idea to  in the first place. I know that this is easier said than done, but there are lots of things you can do to seriously minimize your chances of being invaded by mold…

Inspect Your Home

First of all, you should take the time to regularly inspect your home for any signs of mold or any potential problems that could cause mold to grow. For example, a basement that is prone to flooding would be a big risk, as would a leaking toilet or sink. If you find any problems, do your best to address them straight away, even if it means calling out a professional, because it will probably save you a lot of money (and time) in the future. It’ll also help to protect your family’s health too.

Dry Out Wet Patches Immediately

Mold is only able to thrive in the home when moisture is present, which is why it’s so important that you clean up any leaks and dry out any damp patches in your home as soon as they become evident, and always within 24-48 hours. If you don’t do this, mold could spread rapidly through your home leaving you with a real mess to clean up.

Use a Smart Thermostat

If you don’t already have a smart home add-on, it might be a good idea to look into getting one. Having a programmable thermostat is a great way to keep mold at bay by very carefully climate-controlling your home to avoid the kind of humidity and moisture than mold loves.

Ventilate Correctly

It’s also important to correctly ventilate your home if you want to discourage mold from growing unchecked. This means that, when you’re cooking, showering or drying the laundry, you should always either turn on the extractor fan or dehumidifier or even just leave a window open. The less moisture that is in your home, the better.

Use Mold Resistant Products

There are lots of very affordable mold resistant products on the market, so it makes sense to use them if you want to keep mold at bay. Things like mold inhibiting paint, mold resistant drywall and mold killing cleaning products will all make a real difference to your property.

Maintain Your Gutters

Ensuring that your gutters are always free from damage and cleared of debris will help to prevent the kinds of leaks that cause mold to spring up and grow swiftly within the home. Water stains on your walls are an early warning sign of gutter leaks, so keep a lookout for them.

Boost Air Flow

When it gets cooler, it’s more difficult for air to circulate through your home and this means that it could get a bit too moist within your house. By doing anything you can to increase air flow, such as opening doors and moving furniture out from the walls, you will be able to stop too much moisture from building up and keep your home mold-free.

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As the western world becomes more health conscious, cookware isn’t escaping analysis. The benefits of using cast iron are vast, and along with being a material that can stand the test of time, cast iron is also one of the healthiest options to cook with. Here are some of the benefits you need to know about if you’re considering upgrading your cookware.

Avoid Chemicals

Using a cast iron pan will ensure you avoid digesting the chemicals that are present when using Teflon pans. When preheating a Teflon pan, it will release chemicals called perfluorinated compounds which can get into your food, especially if the pan is scratched. These chemicals have been linked to many different health problems, and it’s important that pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding avoid them at all costs. A cast iron pan is naturally nonstick when seasoned properly so you don’t need to worry when it comes to switching from Teflon.

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Easy Cleaning

In comparison to a steel pan, cast iron is a breeze to clean. If you’re already doing a lot of home cooking, you don’t need the dishes to be a hassle too. To maintain your cast iron pan and keep it from rusting, all you need to do is place it in the sink while it’s still hot and scrape off any leftovers with a rough brush or spatula. When you’ve done that, leave it to cool on the stove. After your meal, wipe it down with paper towel and add a little oil to the pan to ensure the seasoning stays intact.

Dose Up on Iron

Did you know that cooking with an iron pan can actually help you if you have an iron deficiency? Studies have shown that the iron quantity in foods that have been cooked in cast iron has increased. This is great news for pregnant mothers who may need to increase their iron count. The longer food is cooked in cast iron, the more iron ends up in the food. For example, a passata sauce that’s cooked for an hour is likely to be full of iron, where a scrambled egg may only benefit slightly.

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It’s Cheap

There seems to be some sort of misconception that cast iron cookware costs a lot. On the contrary, cast iron pans are one of the cheapest kinds you can purchase. You’re far more likely to pay more for steel or stone frying pans. In addition, cast iron tends to last much longer than any other cooking material, so it’s likely you’ll only have to purchase a pan once if you’re willing to maintain it. You could save yourself a lot of money by investing in cast iron.

Hard Wearing

It’s near to impossible to destroy a cast iron pan. I know what you’re thinking – ‘my family will give it a good go’. However, you may be pleasantly surprised. You can drop it, misuse it and leave it rotting in the kitchen for days and you’ll still be able to restore it to its former glory.

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If you love DIY projects, you may want to tackle all corners of your home yourself. While this is admirable, and there is no doubt that you could probably manage most tasks, there are times when it is better to call in the professionals. The last thing you want to do is end up causing more damage, which will result in an even more expensive service in the long run. So, how do you decide whether to call in the professionals or do a bit of DIY?

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Is the project something that could cause major damage to your home?

The first thing you need to consider is how disastrous it would be if the project went wrong. Would it cause major damage to your home? Would you need to spend huge sums of money rectifying the problem? There are many projects that are fun, decorative, and harmless, such as these tips for creating a serene bedroom space. However, there are some projects that really do require an experienced and specialist touch. Consider what is the worst that could happen if things went wrong, and ask yourself whether this is something you could deal with.

Does your project involve plumbing, wiring, or electricity?

These are three types of projects that require an expert touch. Let’s deal with plumbing first. You may think sticking a coat hanger down the toilet is a great way to deal with a blockage. In actual fact, you could make the situation much worse, as you are merely pushing the blockage further down the piping. There are so many ‘home DIY plumbing’ articles on the Internet, but a lot of them are filled with poor advice. Do you really want your toilet to be overflowing for days o

n end? This is why it is best to call in the professionals like Maplewood Plumbing services instead. When it comes to electricity and wiring, you are putting the safety of you and your family at risk if you go about such a task without the required experience. Not only this, but your insurance could end up being void too. Imagine if a fire was to start because of dodgy wiring. Not only would this be disastrous, but also you would have no insurance to cover the damage either.

Are you in the right frame of mind?

The final thing you need to consider is whether you are in the right frame of mind, i.e. are you feeling up to the task? You definitely should not push yourself if you are feeling unwell or if you are pregnant. You know what you are most comfortable with, but do not push yourself if you aren’t feeling 100 per cent. The last thing you want to do is cause harm to yourself or your unborn little one for the sake of rearranging the living room.

All in all, if you ask yourself the three questions above, you should be able to determine whether it is better to do-it-yourself or call in the pros.