Month: December 2020

Your Bad Driving Calls For A Garage Parking Mat

You may be wondering where all those small dents are coming from when you inspect your car. Could it be that you are challenged when trying to maneuver your vehicle into a very confined space when you return home? You might have been knocking over some of the oil cans or bursting some of the storage boxes as you try and gingerly find your way in. What you really need is a garage parking mat to help you avoid losing your temper!

None of us should be without a garage parking mat, as it is, in truth, a multipurpose assistant. We all have to rely on our automobile, as few of us have the luxury of living very close to well-planned public transportation systems, or within walking distance of our local stores. We need to plan for our transportation comprehensively and the first place to start is by inserting a garage parking mat.

Centering your vehicle in a cluttered space is only part of the battle and a garage parking mat can also help you by keeping everything that is stored nearby dry and safe. These rooms are not climate controlled, yet we store all our valuables in there anyway. You might not have room in your house to do so, but you should use some common sense advice and always remember that the garage is an inherently messy location.

The best garage parking mat will not only help you to locate your vehicle when you return from the store, but it will also absorb all the gunk and rainwater that drips incessantly from beneath. You’ve seen the mess that can be created otherwise, haven’t you? It will all migrate and absorb into your cherished keepsakes, stored in those cardboard boxes.

Mother nature does well at evaporating any rainwater over time. However, when it falls from beneath your car and truck it will first make it way to other areas and be absorbed into your spare clothing, which is stored within those boxes. Help mother nature by placing a garage parking mat underneath and the super absorbent will retain all the snow, slush or water before it causes damage.

Some of us are lucky to have plenty of storage room inside our house so we don’t need to use our garage. Even if this is the case, we don’t want to spend any unnecessary time cleaning. By putting a garage parking mat down you can forget this unnecessary labor, and just run a vacuum cleaner over from time to time to get rid of that residue.

As most of us rely on our vehicle for almost all of old transportation needs, we invariably find that the garage is the primary point of entry to the house. If you often welcome visitors or family who use this room as a point of entry as well, be careful to avoid any liability caused by a slip and fall. We know that this room can get quite hazardous, especially in poor weather. If you do not have a garage parking mat in place to absorb the infiltrating rainwater, you could have a potential problem.

There are many tasks that the garage parking mat can accomplish. You will be able to keep the room as dry as possible, protect your stored items, diminish your cleaning time, avoid slip and fall liabilities and center your vehicle correctly the first time!…

Using Moisture Control to Fight Mold in Your Home

You’ve probably heard some horror stories about lawsuits from mold damage and the toxic effects of mold on human health.A� But you may not realize that any home or business can be vulnerable to the threat of mold if proper precautions aren’t taken to control moisture levels.A� Improper ventilation for humid air will always result in mold growth, so it’s critical to learn effective methods for preventing this common yet destructive problem.A� Maintaining proper humidity levels, reducing air moisture, and increasing air circulation are all ways to keep nasty mold spores from taking root on your property.

Humidity levels should never be allowed to exceed 50%.A� Not only will this reduce or eliminate the threat of mold damage, it will inhibit dust mite infestation and other microbe growth.A� A humidity measuring tool called a hygrometer (found in most hardware stores) should be purchased and monitored.A� In addition to living in a humid climate, other causes of excess humidity include dishwashers, clothes dryers, and shower steam.

Once you’ve detected an excessive humidity level in your home or business, focus on proper ventilation to reduce the moisture.A� Fans, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners all circulate the air and reduce humidity levels.A� Sufficient air conditioning is particularly important during warmer weather since heat also promotes mold growth.A� And make sure whatever you are using to keep air moving is properly cleaned at least once a year to reduce mold spores and allergens as much as possible.

In general, the most effective way to prevent mold problems is to keep air flowing at all times; this means increasing ventilation whenever possible.A� Some additional ways to do this include leaving doors to rooms and closets open, making sure your clothes dryer vent is working properly, and using the bathroom vent fan or another fan during and after showers and baths.

While it’s impossible to completely remove mold spores from your home or business, taking moisture control seriously will make a world of difference in your battle against this dangerous toxin.A� Mold can grow on many surfaces you may not even consider, including paper, carpets, and clothing.A� So even if you’ve never had a mold problem before, keeping humidity levels under control and increasing air flow is always a good idea to save yourself potential hassles and costs down the road.

Consult with a professional mold removal technician in your area to accurately determine the cause or causes of the problem and fix it immediately to prevent any future issues.A� Structural damage, plumbing leaks, or poor ventilation are common causes.…

How a Moisture Absorber Can Rescue Your Carpet

In certain conditions it doesn’t matter what you try and do, rainwater will just get in under those French doors, from your patio or other troublesome areas. It may be that these were badly designed or it could be that the prevailing wind cannot be overcome and the water has to go somewhere.

You might think that you’ve tried everything to deal with water infiltration, but still to no avail and you don’t want to have to spend all your spare time defending your home in this way, whenever it rains heavily!

It’s the nature of architecture that sometimes the area immediately surrounding your home can be elevated and despite seemingly adequate planning, rainwater may seek to find its way into your home. There may be several options open to you, including the construction of a new drainage system, but you might want to look at a more flexible option, and purchase a moisture absorber or two to cope.

The moisture absorber product is purpose made for those emergency situations when water threatens to infiltrate your home, potentially damage your property. When you think of what you have at stake, you would be crazy not to stock up on these items, as they are much more effective than trying to use rolled up towels or some other solution.

If you live in the tropical South you know all about your summer storms that can sometimes dump several inches over a very short space of time. If you have a backyard area with a pool, it can quickly become overrun and the drainage system will not be able to cope. This is when you need moisture absorber products to place around your pool bathroom door and your patio doors, to keep all that water from flooding your home.

The conventional moisture absorber utilizes corncob and is contained within a polypropylene cover. This solution is known to absorb up to 1000 times its weight in water. The chances are that your “emergency” event is only temporary and you will be able to let the products air dry out so that they can be used again in the future.

In parts of the South, moisture absorbers are known as hurricane socks, which is a testament to how effective they can be during the worst of all storms. If they can help you out when you are being bombarded with wind driven rains, then they can cope with almost everything.

If rainwater can get in, wintry drafts may also infiltrate the same space and some people use the moisture absorber as a draft absorber as well, finding multiple uses for the same investment.…

Tips on Unclogging Tub Drains

Without a doubt, one of the most common household problems encountered by everyone is a clogged drain. Things inevitably go down there that shouldn’t, and drains get clogged as a result. Maybe people feel intimidated by a world of pipes they can’t really see and they know nothing about, and for that reason people commonly leave the solutions up to professionals. When a tub drains slowly, many people continue using it until the clog is substantially worse. This only makes it harder to fix. The truth is, there are several things you can do to fix a clogged tub, and none of them require you to be particularly handy.

Pouring hot water is a simple first response. If the clog isn’t particularly bad, hot water can fix it. If this works continue to regularly pour hot water down the drain. Doing this once a week will ensure it stays clear. It’s also possible that it’s hair clogging the tub. If these are visible, pull them out yourself. Sometimes you’ll grab one and a clump will emerge. This is ideal! If you can see something in the drain, grab it, with tweezers if necessary. But if this isn’t the case then follow these instructions.

If hot water doesn’t sufficiently unclog your drain, try putting salt in the water. This gives the water a little more attacking power to go after whatever’s clogging your tub. It’s also an easy way of modifying an already easy solution.

If this doesn’t work, try pouring a half cup of baking soda and a half cup of vinegar down the drain. Allow it to rest overnight, and in the morning flush it down with hot water. This is a vintage, old school home remedy! For really stubborn clogs, mix salt and baking soda together and allow it to dwell overnight. Like in the solutions above, flush down the next morning with hot water.

To create real pressure, feel free to use a toilet plunger on other drains. Plunging hard fifteen to twenty times in a row can create a powerful suction. Really put elbow grease in it! It’ll look aggressive when you’re doing it properly. Last resort is the use of a snake plunger, which works on the same principle as a plunger, but has a flexible head and can get deeper into your clogged drain. Sometimes just putting the snake down the drain will push what’s clogging your drain, or else it might pull it up. In any case, this is an extremely useful tool.

As a means of pre-emptive strike, obviously it’s a good idea to be careful around what gets sent down your drain. There are metal guards you can buy for really cheap that don’t let big particles through. But if you do this and it fails you, at least you have a long list of helpful tips!…

Home Repair – You Can Do It Yourself

Do not be frightened by home repairs. With a little investigation and confidence, most home repairs are less difficult than they seem.

With all of the free information available on the Internet, in the library, local home improvement centers and friends even difficult home repairs can be accomplished without the need of hiring a professional.

The problem is that many of these home repairs can seem unapproachable to an inexperienced homeowner.

Most homeowners have no idea how the inside of a toilet tank works,how to shut the gas off to their water heater,how to relight a pilot light, how to install a thermostat for your heating & cooling system.

But most people do have the ability to fix their toilet, change the thermocouple on their water heater, relight a pilot light, caulk around the tub, and replace a light switch.

The first thing that is needed has to be the willingness to try. There is a great sense of accomplishment to be had when you take care of these things yourself without spending the money to call a service person.

Here are few things that every homeowner needs know to help them do their own home repairs.

Where your Electrical Breaker (or Fuse) box is located.

Know which breaker (or fuse) turns off the power to which parts of your home.

Where the Main Gas Shut Off Valve is for the Natural Gas or Propane coming into your home.

Where the Gas Shut Off Valves are for all gas appliances.

Where the Main Water Shut Off Valve is for the home. (Most homes have a shut valve before and after the water meter.)

If you know how and where to turn the water, gas and power off do different areas of your home if something were to go wrong there should not be too much of a mess.

If you take these basic precautions, you won’t have to feel bad about any attempt at maintaining or repairing anything in your home. After all, if you mess things up too much, you can still call a repair person to fix it for you.

So, how do you go about learning how to do these things?

Anymore my first stop is YouTube for almost everything I want to know something about.

If I do not find what I am looking for on YouTube or for a backup I usually ask a friend or neighbor.

Your local hardware or home center usually has knowledgeable people who can direct you to the proper way to handle any task.

Your local library and the internet have more information than you can process.

In my experience sometimes the best thing to do is check a few reliable sources and then get started.

For maintenance, look at your owner manuals. Almost everything in your home has a manual and if you do not have the manual, it usually can be found on the manufacturer web site.

What you’ll find is that the more home maintenance and minor repairs that you do, the easier it will get. Things no longer seem threatening and you’re willing to try bigger and bigger things. Each thing you do on your own saves you the cost of hiring someone to do it and often the job will get done faster.

I hope this helps.…

Should I Use Ready Mix Concrete On My Home Improvement?

When it comes to home repairs, sooner or later you are bound to need concrete. For small concrete jobs around the house you are going to need ready mix concrete. Your first thought might be to call a concrete company and get them to deliver you some concrete in one of their big cement mixer trucks.

The problem with that is, if your job is too small they are not going to drive a truck to your house or place of business. There is a minimum amount you have to order before they will bring it in a truck. Usually you have to order at least three and a half yards before they will bring it in a truck. The trucks usually hold like 8 or 9 yards so you would need to order half a truck load which in most home repair jobs you will never need this much concrete.

This is when you will need ready mix concrete. Ready mix concrete is made for those small jobs when you may only need to use half a yards worth of concrete. Ready mix concrete comes in bags ranging from 45 pounds to 80 pounds. The most popular size is 80 pounds but 45 pound bags are also available for the even smaller jobs.

Ready mix concrete requires that you mix the concrete yourself. Do not worry though it is very simple to do and anyone can do it. You won’t even need any experience. It is simply a matter of adding water to the concrete and mixing it with a shovel. For larger jobs you could also rent a portable gas or electric powered cement mixer. You want to add just enough water to get the concrete to a thick, not runny consistency.

If you mix the concrete and add too much water do not worry. You will just need to add some more concrete to the batch and mix it up. Ready mix concrete is extremely handy for those small jobs around the house. Make sure to wash your mixing tools thoroughly when done so the concrete does not stick to them.…

Water Saving Tips

When the cold weather rolls around many homeowners begin thinking of ways to save money on their energy bills. While you are busy insulating, weather stripping and getting your heating system checked you should also give a thought to saving on another essential expense – the amount of water you use in your home.

The average U.S. family uses about 400 gallons of water each and every day. Put in black and white like this it looks like an incredibly high figure but think about it – you run water to do the dishes at least once a day, you do laundry a couple of times a week and who knows how many times the toilet gets flushed every day. If your heating system is hot water based you will be using even more.

Much of the water we use in our homes is wasted, costing money and as the environmentalists keep reminding us hurting the planet. Saving water on a daily basis does not have to be hard. All it takes is a few simple remodeling and repair tweaks that are both affordable and easy to implement.

Your Toilet

Even though toilets use far less water per flush than they did just a decade or so ago, they are still pretty wasteful things. A newer generation of super low flush toilets can change that though. The EPA have launched a program called Watersense that now certifies certain models of toilets. WaterSense labeled toilets can save the average family of four more than $90 annually on its water bills. Ask your plumber which models he or she recommends.

Unseen toilet leaks are another source of water waste. To check for water leak in your toilet add a little food coloring to its tank. If it is indeed leaking the color will appear in the bowl within about fifteen minutes.

Your Shower

Your showerhead tends to drip occasionally after it has been used but that is not a big deal as it stops after a while. Wrong! The trouble is that it is a big deal. Every one of those drops of water is costing you money, more than it would for you to have a new low flow showerhead installed or at least call in a plumber to fix the existing one.

The same holds true of any of the faucets in your home. Get those dripping taps fixed now; you will be pleasantly surprised by your next water bill and that annoying drip, drip, drip, that wakes you up at 3a.m. will be gone as well.

Cut Back on Water Use

There are lots of ways you and your family can cut down on water use. To begin with, only run the dishwasher when it is full and similarly only do laundry when you have a full load – choose a different blouse for that date tonight, don’t run the washing machine just for that.

Even the simplest little changes can reap big savings. Stop running the water while you clean your teeth and cut a couple of minutes off that morning shower. None of these things cost a penny but they certainly will save you more than a few.…

Searching For Home Repair Grants That Work

When it comes to such advertisements that offer home repair grants too good to be true, ensure that you are extremely cautious and suspicious about such benefits. They probably are scams or likely to be one. One such factor to ensure their legitimacy is by conducting quick research. Check the site’s testimonials and reviews to find out if at all the organization runs properly and is genuine or not. Check to see whether the reviews are actually the experiences put together from genuine users or not.

Another method to locate or discover suitable home repair grants is at your local town, city or even at the state government office. You can unveil innumerable software programs, which will surely aid in the ordeals of grant acquisition. You will discover different grant programs for specific purposes, depending on your requirement, choose what ideally suits your needs. But do not expect huge amounts of money from these grants as these will only cover the price or a certain percentage of the repairs.

So to apply for these home repair grants, you must at first qualify to their terms and conditions. Before you fill out any forms, you must read the paperwork and see when you qualify or not. If you feel that you are most likely to qualify, then proceed with the next stage of application. If you have questions regarding the form, marketing promotions, campaigns, and more, contact the office so that you do not make any mistake.

More often than not, local governments that grant software programs, maintain an initial first come first serve policy. Hence, the earlier you appear for a grant request the more is the opportunity for your grant getting approved. Also remember to submit at least three professional bids for your home repair. Asking a certified contractor for a precise estimation is recommended.

Apart from the federal government, there are also private sectors, corporations and charitable organizations that are willing to assist with your expenses. You just need to know where to locate such groups of people.

For disaster damages to your home, you may as well apply for disaster emergency funds offered for US residents and citizens. A lot of business groups provide monetary assistance for less fortunate folks who are victims to unfortunate disasters. In addition, there are several grant programs for our disabled brothers.

Ensure that you have fully understood all these valuable information prior to applying for any home repair grants. Application to several institutions will raise the probability of your grant getting approved.…