A sparkling window is the desire of everyone. Clean, bright shiny windows add a new look to every house. Like furniture, windows require their own cleaning methodology to keep them looking new and tidy. Here are 7 simple ideas to give your windows a marvellous shine.
1) Ensure that you dry your windows in one direction – leftwards or rightwards. Mixing the direction will leave unpleasant streaks on the glass and make it look untidy.
2) Before you wipe the window glass, remove all dust from the windows so that in applying a wet cloth, you do not leave mud on the window. Water and dust will form mud.
3) If you are cleaning window sills, rub the whole surface with a damp cloth sprayed with alcohol so that all the spots will clear off for a beautiful shine.
4) Windows are very sensitive to dirt. You should therefore apply only clean water in cleaning windows and in cases where you use damp cloth, use only clean cloths.
5) If the glass is greasy or smoky, apply some vinegar to the water before you clean the window. Vinegar removes grease without leaving streaks or stains.
6) When cleaning windows which are beyond the reach of you hand, use a step ladder if the height is medium or use a regular ladder if quite high. Always ensure that the safety clip is on and if possible, get some one to hold the base of the ladder for safety reasons.
7) Sprays are convenient to use than buckets of water. In cleaning windows of considerable heights, try to use sprays instead of buckets of water as they can spill and you will have to do everything again. The sheer weight and burden will get you tired easily.
Getting a window to shine is an easy task. All you need is the above window cleaning tips.
With warmer months just around the corner, spring cleaning isn’t far away. Whether you want to clear some of the winter clutter or just feel like a change in scenery, spring cleaning can make it happen. Now is the perfect time to clean out the garage, basement and/or attic. If there are any items that you don’t plan to use, this article will tell you how to get rid of them while making money doing it. As we all know, this can take a lot of work but a few simple tips can make your spring cleaning experience a breeze.
Tip 1:
If you are storing away your winter clothes, consider using large plastic storage containers that feature snap-on lids. These can be found in the house wares department at most stores and are very inexpensive. Storage containers are very important to keeping your clothes dust and discoloration free, which may otherwise be a problem if they are left hanging in the closet from one season to the next.
Tip 2:
When packing your clothes, roll them instead of folding. This not only eliminates creases and wrinkles, but also saves a lot of space. You will be able to pack a lot more clothes with this technique.
Tip 3:
Label your clothing containers as ‘spring,’ ‘fall’ and ‘winter.’ This will help you to easily locate your wardrobe inside the closet.
Tip 3:
If you have any clothing that you don’t plan to wear or simply have outgrown, consider donating them to a local goodwill or other nonprofit organization. Rather than tossing them out, your clothes can provide revenue for a worthy cause and help the less-fortunate to be able to afford clothing that would otherwise be unattainable.
Tip 4:
If you are looking to clear out some knick knacks or perhaps even some Holiday decorations in order to make room for new ones, consider a trip to the local flea market. Everyone is looking for a bargain and they just may be looking for something that you no longer wish to own. A setup fee is usually required which, depending on the location, can be $10.00 to 20.00 per day. Otherwise, you can always sell items at internet auction sites, including Yahoo and eBay.
Tip 5:
With all of the changes that you’re making, it may be time to switch to a lightweight vacuum. This will save from lugging around a heavier model and will glide across the floor with ease. There’s no use in completely wearing yourself out during spring cleaning, so try to make it as easy as possible.
It is normal to find mold spores in a homes indoor air and surfaces such as clothes, walls, and furniture. Most of the time mold spores found indoors are from outside sources. Regular housekeeping cleaning helps keep mold levels low. Cleaning small areas of visible mold, like the mold around your shower, is obligatory to maintain sanitary conditions.
When you should be more concerned is when your home has a large-scale of active mold growing. Such problems are most likely to happen when there’s been an on-going water leak, flood, or excessively high levels of humidity in the home. Indoor mold growth may lead to high levels of airborne mold spores, which, in turn, can trigger the spread of mold growth from the original source to additional areas of the home having high moisture levels.
Extensive mold growth will damage your home and furnishings, like carpets, sofas and cabinets. Over a period of time, uncontrolled mold growth can even instigate damage to structural elements of your home. While there is no practical way to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment, keeping your home clean and dry can avert extensive mold growth and the ensuing damage.
Damage to your home and possessions is not the only reason to be concerned with mold. Although most people are exposed to small amounts of mold or their spores on a daily basis without apparent harm, mold is an unsanitary condition that may present potential health risks to certain individuals.
Possible adverse health effects produced by molds can include allergic, irritating, or toxigenic effects, and even infections, allergic reactions being the most common. Symptoms reported by affected people include: respiratory conditions, such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath, sneezing and/or nasal congestion, eye and/or throat irritation, headaches and fatigue.
Here are a few tips to keep moisture from becoming a breeding ground in your home for molds.
1. Ensure that bathrooms, dryers and other moisture-creating sources are vented to the outside
2. Take care not to block any of your house’s air conditioning vents
3. Install de-humidifiers in basements and crawlspaces.
4. Use your kitchen’s exhaust fans when cooking
5. Install insulation on cold surfaces like piping, air ducts or basement walls to lessen possibilities of condensation
6. Install moisture sensor alarms in potential water back-up and overflow areas to alert you when a leak occurs.
Posted by: in
cleaning on February 21st, 2010
The term HEPA has become synonymous with clean air. We hear about vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters that keep the dust particles from your carpets from floating back into your air. You may be aware of your office building have a HEPA filtration system because you’ve seen the maintenance crew come through and periodically change the filters. But do you really know what a HEPA filter is and does. This article should clear the air about what is fact and what is fiction as it relates to a HEPA air cleaner.
The HEPA Standard
First of all HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance. Any air filtration system that claims to contain a HEPA filter must be able to remove 99.97% of particulates larger than 0.3 microns in size from the air consistently. That is a high standard to follow and why the places with the most critical air quality requirements rely on HEPA filters. This high rate of filtration can also never dip below the 99.97% to maintain true HEPA quality.
Another distinguishing feature of HEPA filtration is that once the air particles are trapped into the filer, they cannot be allowed to re-enter the air. A HEPA filter is removed and washed or replaced to eliminate the trapped particles.
HEPA filtration systems also cannot produce any bi-products from the filtration process. Other methods such as ionic air filters emit ozone as a part of the filtration process.
One point of distinction regarding HEPA filters is that the high standard is the ideal. Not all HEPA filters perform at this level all of the time. As filters get dirty or if the air is excessively polluted a HEPA filter will not be able to always remove 99.97% of air particles.
Be cautioned that many products claim to be “HEPA type” filters and this is not the same product. The requirements for filtration on products labelled “HEPA type” are only 95% filtration of particles larger than 0.3 microns in diameter.
HEPA Filters for the Home
Home applications of HEPA filters are found in air conditioning systems, furnaces, and even vacuum cleaners and bags. There are also appliance-like filtration systems that resemble a piece of furniture. You can create an environment of fresh air in your home with a table top air purifier that contains HEPA technology. This may or may not be combined with a humidifier system that also adds moisture to the air creating the perfect blend of clean air and humidity.
An important part of creating a safe and healthy home environment is regular maintenance of home appliance and systems that contain filters. Also, use care to properly ventilate your home and make a home improvement project out of replacing and/or cleaning your filters regularly.
Any improvements in air quality can impact your health for the better. If you are prone to allergies, it is important to use air conditioning and filtration systems to keep pollens out. Keeping surfaces free of these allergens with regular dusting will allow air purifiers and filters to do a better job of trapping air borne culprits.
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Posted by: in
closet on February 20th, 2010
Do you remember the day you moved into your new home, very excited about the walk in closet and all of the space it offered? Has it become a messy location now with so much stuff in it that you can’t find where anything is? It is an unwritten rule that they more space we have, the more stuff we will accumulate to fill it!
Is your walk in closet full of items you really use or has it become a catch-all for those items you haven’t found a place for yet? It is very likely you don’t have any idea what all is residing in your walk in closet if it isn’t organized. Since a walk in closet is so much bigger than regular sized closets, you have many more options for customizing it to your liking while getting it organized.
Start by removing everything from your walk in closet and sorting through it. This is going to be quite a chore, but very necessary if you are ever going to get that space in order. Get rid of anything that doesn’t belong in there. This includes clothing you don’t wear anymore and items that don’t belong in there. Next organize everything in piles according to how you will be dividing it up your closet. Take an inventory of the amount of space you need for each pile. This will help you determine the types of custom closet equipment to install for all of it.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to customizing your walk in closet. Choose to add shelves, clothing rods, shoe racks, cubbies for your accessories, carousals for ties and belts, and hooks for hats and jackets. You have the option of adding a dresser or even building shelves to go into the walk in closet area.
If you have the room in your walk in closet, you may want to add a bench or a chair for you to get dressed on. Some people put an island in the middle of their walk in closet. They use the top as a place to iron and to lay out their clothing for the next day. A full length mirror makes a very nice touch too.
Since a walk in closet is so spacious, you may not know the best way to use the space you have. You can meet with a closet organizer consultant, look at magazines, and even use closet organization software to come up with a solution that you are happy with. The cost of such a project is going to vary based on several factors. The factors to consider include who will be doing the work, the quality of the materials you plan to use, and how much closet organization materials will be needed to complete the project.
For those of you who have a walk in closet, use the maximum space you can get from it. This will take some hard work, planning, and investing. Make sure you use quality materials that are sturdy and durable. You want your custom walk in closet to remain organized for years to come. The time you will invest in getting this area of your home organized will be well spent. You will save time every day when you walk into that closet to get dressed or to find other items stored there.
Posted by: in
general on February 18th, 2010
As a human being, we need to help one to another. It is because we need to live together in peace. If only sense of belonging possessed by each humankind in this universe, it is guaranteed that there will be no longer war. One way to help another is to commit a charity. It is a simple way by donating money or your belongings to other people that really need help. For example, you would like to help children infected by HIV.
Car-donation-direct.Com is a place where you can donate cars without hassles. It is because of this site will do these things: pick up cars that you are going to donate, transfer of ownership and many more. You need no longer to move out to other buyers only to donate a car. Other benefit donating a car through this site is to get tax-deductible benefit. Donation of your car aimed to help people who suffer in cancer or it is simply a cancer car donation.
What are you waiting for? It is time to give something meaningful to other unlucky people. Through charity car donation, you will be able to give something that other people need although just a few.
Whoever said cleaning gutters was a pleasant task? It is messy and quite a hassle but it has to be done, unless you want to pay someone else to do the job for you. This article attempts to explain in as easy a way as possible how you can ‘do it yourself’ in a safe manner, by making use of the tips in the article.
In order to remove all the debris that collects in your gutter and then clogs the drains, you will need to clean them out at least once in every 4 months to avoid bigger problems like the overflow from backed up gutters seeping into the earth’s foundation down to your basement. If the water does not overflow, the trapped water forms the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Ladder safety concerns
• You will have to climb up a ladder to be able to properly clean out your gutter. Making sure you are safe up there should be your primary concern when cleaning the gutter. Place the ladder firmly on a flat surface and preferably get someone to hold it for you. You can also rig up a harness to hold you up should the ladder slip; take your safety seriously, don’t laugh off the danger, thinking it’s only a ladder.
• Extension ladders are good if you have them because they will reach above the roof line.
• Don’t stretch too far right or left when cleaning; it is far better to make the effort to climb down and move the ladder. When reaching out, the middle of your chest should always stay within the sides of the ladder.
• Never climb onto the top 2 rungs to do the cleaning, it is extremely dangerous.
Gutter cleaning tips
• First you need to dress appropriately, wear safety glasses and thick workman’s gloves that will give you a good grip and cannot be easily punctured.
• Place your ladder near the downspout, making that your starting point. Use a gutter scraper tool or a garden trowel to scrape the accumulation of debris up.
• Just drop the debris to the ground; it will be easy enough to rake it up when you are done. Alternatively, you can tie a thick garbage bag at a convenient height to the ladder and drop the debris into it.
• Start with the downspout at the low end, work your way to the high end, never reaching too far out but climbing down and moving the ladder instead.
• If the debris is dry or very wet it is more difficult to remove, if it is dry just give it a light spraying of water, it will be easier to remove and will make the job a lot easier and faster.
• Once the bulk of the debris has been removed from the gutters, use the garden hose to wash out anything that has been left behind.
A tip for blocked drains, if the reason you decided at long last to get the gutters cleaned is because of a blocked drain, you can clear the blockage by pushing a plumber’s snake up the drain from the bottom.
Posted by: in
home on February 11th, 2010
The awareness of the healthy foods has been spread in all over the world from long times ago. In United States, the first lady, Michelle Obama has given the excellent examples when she took her daughters to build their own little garden in the White House garden. She has decided to give some examples to her kids that gardening is one of our efforts to help the earth. Today, the gardening spirits have already entered anyone’s soul.
People have realized that it will be healthier if they eat some sorts of organic plants. They couldn’t make sure that they have eaten the organic plants. To make sure that they have eaten the organic plants, they should plant it themselves. Surely, this is the perfect time for anyone of us to start planting some vegetables on our house’s backyard. We could teach the kids to plant some vegetables.
The kids would learn to love the earth. They would also learn to grow some vegetables on the backyard. Moreover, the whole family could make sure that they have consumed the healthy foods. To plants the vegetables, they could get the vegetable seed options in the internet. They could try to click the Outsidepride.com to get the kind of seed that they wanted to plant.
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