Category: Home & Living

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Home & Living

How to Keep Your Garden Safe and Secure

garden

You may not have considered it, but your garden contains a lot of valuable equipment that could easily be stolen. Not only do you have the lawnmower, but all your tools, furniture barbecue, and other things.

That is why it is important that your garden is safe and secure from theft. You should secure your garden to prevent unwanted people getting access to the house from your garden as they won’t be observed.

Storage

Investing in good storage is important if you have a lot of expensive equipment. It doesn’t matter what type you buy, it can be wood, metal or plastic, but you need to get the strongest you can afford.

It is also vital that you use strong locks to secure your storage so that no-one can enter it. There is little point in buying storage if you are going to leave it open.

The same goes for the shed; you need to make sure that it is locked securely and that it is still in good condition. Although a wooden shed might not seem a great deterrent, it still takes the time to get inside, especially with a good lock.

Gates

Your garden gate along with your fences should be strong and unbroken. You should regularly check their condition, especially after a storm, to make sure there are no breaks. If you do find damage, get it repaired as soon as possible.

Another good precaution is to fit at least one strong lock to your garden gate. You should buy the best one that you can afford so that it remains solid.

Lights

One of the best ways to deter thieves is to have good outdoor lighting. You can get high quality outdoor light fixtures that are weather proof and provide superior brightness. Automatic ones are the best because they will illuminate the garden if someone walks in to it.

If you have a side entrance to your garden, then install a light there as well. The more you can illuminate the dark area of your garden; the less likely thieves will hang around.

Leave Walls and Fences Clutter Free

You may have a nice strong wall or fence, but if you have bins or other things up against them, then someone could easily climb over it. Make sure you keep all your bins and other garden items such as benches away from where someone could use it for the wrong reasons.

You can grow roses or other plants with thorns near your fence; this will deter anyone from climbing over the fence to get to your home.

Be a Good Neighbor

If you have neighbors near to you, agree with them that you will all look out for each other’s houses and gardens. If you see anything suspicious, then you can call the authorities, this is especially helpful for when you are away on holiday.

Having good security measures in your garden are important to maintain the safety and security of your belongings.

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Home & Living

How Can You Bring Your Child’s Dream Bedroom to Life on a Budget?

girl bedroom

Redecorating a child’s bedroom is both highly exciting and very stressful. You want to do the best you possibly can, but sometimes your child’s imagination runs away too much for your budget and your decorating abilities. Decorating on a budget is always tricky, but doing so for a child is even harder. You want them to have a dream room, one they’ll love for their whole childhood. There are plenty of ways you can create a beautiful bedroom without a seriously high budget – you just need to be willing to put in lots of work, and not be afraid to try different methods from normal.

Wall coverings

Painting a room is hard work, it’s expensive and it causes a lot of disruption. So, if you can’t see how you’ll raise the funds or the time to repaint your child’s room, don’t worry about it. As long as the color isn’t wildly hated, you can go about covering it up instead. Wallpaper is usually a cheaper method, especially if you go for a ‘feature wall’ design. Then, you only need to paper one wall, rather than them all.

If you can get away with it, you could help your child to cover a wall in tasteful cuttings and art prints, making a gorgeous collage. It creates a unique look that your child will never forget. If you can include some photographs of you and your family, it’ll be even more special.

Carpets and curtains

Carpets are a hard one to replace: they’re expensive to both remove and to fit, and they’ll require the room being emptied. So, see if you can buy modern rugs to suit your child’s room instead. From thick and fluffy, to covered in their favorite animal or design, your child will love having a rug on the floor. Plus, it’s easy to change. So, if the fad your child was going through when they chose the rug ends abruptly, you don’t need to change much when they move on.

Curtains are much easier to change. Picking lovely, bright colors will help add a bit of sparkle to your child’s room – especially if you let them choose. Make sure that whatever you choose has blackout features, so you can give you child an uninterrupted night’s sleep, even in the middle of summer.

Throws, bedding and furnishings

Arguably the most exciting part of redecorating a room is picking out new bedding and new cushions. By now, you’ll know what sort of colors to stick to, what style to pick, and if there are any animals or characters you need to include. If you want to get a plain quilt set, but your child wants something livelier, then compromise: get the sensible bedding, but let them choose a more adventurous throw. That way, if and when they get bored of whatever’s on the blanket, you’ll be able to fold it up and store it away – and not have lost a lot of money on quality bedding! Don’t forget all the matching cushions too: as fluffy and soft as you can find them, of course.

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Home & Living

Essential Tips and Tricks for Helping You and Your Family Sleep Well on Hot Nights

air conditioning

Everyone looks forward to the summer: the gorgeous weather, the light evenings, the endless barbecues, the beach trips and the swimming pools. However, when it’s time to go to sleep, that’s when the struggles begin. Hot, stuffy rooms and sweaty, sticky bedsheets make bedtime awful, and don’t produce an environment that makes sleep come easily. Children tend to suffer the worst with this, and it’s vital to keep them cool so they can get the sleep they desperately need. From the obvious tricks like air conditioning and fans, to freezing your sheets and using hot water bottles, you’ll find plenty of tried and tested tricks below – and don’t forget to comment with any methods you have that help.

  1. Invest in air conditioning

If you’ve been planning to get air conditioning for some time, now’s definitely the right moment. While it’s initially quite a large investment to pay out, it’s worth it for when the nights get hot and sticky, and you’re struggling to get to sleep. Find a unit that suits your home: some people like the soft hum of air con, but others prefer to have one that works in silence.

  1. Use a fan

If you can’t stretch to air conditioning, or you just don’t want it, then using a fan is just as good. From small fans suited to a bedside table, to those large enough to cool a room down on their own, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Plus, because they’re often cheap to buy, you can invest in a couple. Ceiling fans are a good idea if you want a powerful fan that won’t take up space on your floor. If you buy a few fans and place them around the room, you’ll be able to create cross-breezes, cooling you down even more. Another option is to point fans at open windows, pushing the hot air back out.

  1. Try the bottle of ice trick

While fans are great during hot weather, they don’t actually cool the air down. They simply push it around, meaning that you could just be pushing hot air around your room, rather than cooling it down. If you’ve got little ones who are really struggling with the heat, try freezing a few bottles of water and then place them in front of the fan (or taping them on using industrial strength duct tape). This means that your fans will be blowing out icy cool air into the room, helping to cool you down considerably.

  1. Stay busy during the day

While it’s easy to get slow and lethargic when it’s hot, it’s vital that you still get your children out and about during the day. Kids who are left to laze around all day won’t be feeling tired by the time they go to bed. Plus, if you can start with a small amount of time playing in the heat, and then build it up, you’ll be able to get them acclimatized to the hot weather better. Just remember to follow all the normal sun protection procedures: wearing sun block; always having a hat that covers the back of the neck; sunglasses; staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, and drinking lots.

  1. No screens before bed

This counts for helping you get to sleep in any kind of weather, but limiting your screen usage is vital if you want a good night’s sleep. The glare from a screen mirrors the sun, so your brain doesn’t switch off. Try to put down anything with ‘blue glare’ at least 30 minutes before going to bed. Or, if your device has it, enable ‘sleep mode’. This changes the light from blue to yellow, and helps the brain better prepare for sleep.

  1. Take cool showers

If you and your children aren’t happy in the heat, try to have a cool shower or bath before bed. The cold water will bring your body temperature down, and will also wash off any sweat, grime and pollen you’ve collected throughout the day. Feeling fresh and cool will help you drop off to sleep quicker, as you won’t be getting into bed hot. While you don’t want to freeze in the shower, feeling a bit shivery when you go to sleep will help you drop off quicker.

  1. Stay hydrated

One of the best ways to stay cool is by drinking lots of water. You should be aiming to drink the recommended daily amount – at least. However, this amount usually goes up in hot weather, especially if you’re active during the day. You should also make sure your child has access to cold water throughout the night – using a lidded cup is a good idea if you’re worried about any spillages.

  1. Use the right bedding

Most people have a winter and summer duvet, but if you don’t already practice this, it’s worth starting now. A summer duvet is considerably lighter than a thick winter one, and it means you won’t get as hot underneath it. You could also look at only using a light sheet to sleep under, taking away the weight of a quilt. If your children are dreading going to bed in the summer, you could let them get fun, new bedding, to bring the novelty back: VisionBedding.com has some brilliant sets to browse through, making bedtime a fun experience for the children (especially when it’s hot and light outside). You should only ever buy cotton sheets for summer use: it’s much cooler, and you won’t get as sweaty underneath it.

  1. Put your sheets in the fridge or freezer

This might sound a bit daft, but putting your children’s sheets – or at least their pillow cases – in the fridge or freezer will cool them down instantly. You only need to do this for about ten minutes before they go to bed, so it’s ideal for adding to the bedtime routine: while the kids get into their pajamas, their sheets can cool down and be ready for when they get in. Make sure the shelf you’re putting them on is clean, and wrap them in a plastic bag, so they don’t pick up any smells or leftover food.

  1. Pick heat-friendly pajamas

Depending on what your child is comfortable in, you might just want to put them in a diaper and nothing else for when they sleep. However, if they love their pajamas, then stick to loose cotton tops – retailers like Gap, do adorable, comfy sets for kids (and for adults too!). Wearing a top is sometimes said to be better, as it will wick away any sweat that occurs during the night. However, this is very much down to personal preference: you know what you find comfiest to wear in bed.

  1. Know how to cool down quickly

If you or your children have gotten off to sleep quickly, but then wake up when it’s hot and stuffy, you need to know how to cool down quickly. Taking a shower in the middle of the night is ok if it’s just you at home, but you don’t want to wake the entire household up. So, to cool down quickly, hold wrists or feet under cold running water. These points will let you cool down your blood, meaning your body temperature will decrease. You could also try popping a cold, damp flannel or towel on your child’s head, but only for short periods at a time.

  1. Set up camp at home

If you’re all really struggling with the heat, then it might be time to think outside the box. If you’ve got a safe back garden, in the school holidays you could camp in your yard, with nothing but an open tent or mosquito net around you. It’s great fun for the kids, and after a night in the wild, they’ll be more than happy to jump into bed the next day! If you’ve got the space inside, you could try stringing up hammocks or cot beds. These are often cooler, as you don’t have the bulk of a mattress beneath you.

  1. Keep the curtains drawn all day

One of the easiest ways to keep a room cool and ready for sleep is to keep the sun out of it. Invest in some good black-out blinds and keep the curtains closed all day, so the sun doesn’t have chance to warm your house at all.

  1. Use a hot water bottle

Now, this might sound counterproductive, but there’s a way you can use your hot water bottle all year round. Simply fill it with water – and pop it in the freezer. Once it’s frozen, you’ll have an ice-cold bottle to hang onto in bed, or to use to cool down your sheets before you get in. Just remember to put a fabric cover over it, so you don’t get uncomfortably close to the ice.

  1. Put damp sheets on

This is a great way to get some sleep on hot nights. Known as the “Egyptian method”, you either put a towel or sheet onto a short cycle in your washing machine or chuck it in the bath or shower. Wring it out so it’s damp, and then use it as a blanket. Just make sure you’ve got a dry towel or sheet underneath you, to protect your mattress.

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Home & Living

4 Things Every Parent of a Toddler Should Know About Air Conditioning

mom

If you have ever had to sit in a hot park with a fussy toddler, you know how relieving it can be to go back indoors where there is a working air conditioner. Although they can’t always explain why they are cranky and uncomfortable, if you can see your toddler beginning to sweat it is definitely becoming too warm for their taste.

Being out in the sun won’t harm your child, particularly if you are applying sunscreen regularly. On the other hand, children can be very susceptible to overheating if they aren’t being kept hydrated or they have to spend extended periods of time in excessive heat. You should allow your toddler to cool down inside of your home and keep your air conditioning system maintained if you are intending on making this a fun and safe summer for your child. Here are the four most important things that you should know about air conditioning and children.

1. Extreme Temperature Changes Aren’t Good For Children

In instances where your child has been playing outside for a long time out in the heat, you should take care to keep your toddler’s body temperature regulated. You can offer your child cool treats and stay in the shade, but the best relief will come from going back indoors. At the same time, you don’t want to expose your child to a sharp shift in temperatures. If it feels chilly inside, you should change the temperature settings so that it is somewhere around 75 degrees. Realize that drastic changes in temperature can send your child into shock and lower his or her core body temperature in an unsafe manner.

2. Air Conditioners Are Best Checked at the Beginning of the Season

Even if your air conditioning system comes on just as soon as you hit the power button, you can’t assume that everything is okay. First and foremost, the air filters need to be clean if you are going to be running an air conditioner with a toddler present. Dirty air filters can reduce the quality of the air, leading to respiratory issues in childhood, excessive sneezing and allergies. You should also have your air conditioner checked at the start of summer because of the risk of leaks.

3. Watching Your Child Is the Best Way To Learn If the Temperature Is Right

People have an ideal temperature range that keeps them most comfortable. Go into a room that is too hot and within a few minutes you will start to sweat. Relocate to a place that is just a smidge too cold and you will soon start to shiver. Your toddler will react the same way, so if you notice that he or she no longer wants to play and socialize in a home that is being air conditioned you should immediately check the thermostat. Even if it feels comfortable to you, you want your child to be able to walk around in weather appropriate clothing.

As long as you interact with your child and check on him or her while taking naps in your air conditioned home, you will find that every day goes pleasantly. Keep the popsicles on hand, apply sunscreen whenever necessary and seek out relief if it just gets too hot to stay outdoors. Be happy and thankful that you have air conditioning as it would be a lot more difficult to keep your toddler content in the summer if you didn’t have one.

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Home & Living

How to Clean Upholstered Furniture Professionally

Clean Upholstered Furniture

Importance of Cleaning Upholstered Furniture

There is no wonder that cleaning the upholstered furniture regularly will increase its lifespan. Hence, it is important for all the people living in Perth to include this regular cleaning habit of furniture in routine. Cleaning furniture not only is important to enhance its lifespan but it will also assure the hygiene of the surrounding environment. If not regularly, at least after every six months cleaning the upholstered furniture must be done. Almost all the houses in Perth have kids or pets that can easily make furniture dirty and this can eventually be unhealthy for all the members of the houses.

Upholstered Furniture Cleaning

Be the upholstered furniture in one’s house or office is leather covered dining chairs or corduroy sofa, it can be cleaned. There is no such upholstered furniture that cannot be cleaned. All furniture has the own way and products of cleaning. Cleaning the upholstered furniture can be done both by own or by hiring the professional cleaners. No matter who does the cleaning but people have to make sure that the furniture is clean and safe to maintain a healthy surrounding. It is also important to think how any guest or visitors of one’s house or office might think while visiting.

People invite guests or clients in house or office often and they definitely want that their guest will regard them with respect as much as possible. Now this would be possible if the furniture that embellishes a house is neat and clean. First impression is very important as this only stays in one’s mind and heart. If a person can create a good impression at the first instance, then there is probably nothing more to worry about. Hence, it is necessary to maintain the regular upholstery furniture cleaning as one never knows when guest can arrive.

However, it is necessary to keep in mind that upholstered furniture is utilized more compared to other ones in a house or office. This is why one has to be more careful while cleaning. Stains, grime, dirt and grease can make the upholstered furniture look tired and old. Moreover, one has to remember that bacteria breeds well in soft furniture. Therefore, upholstery furniture cleaning is very necessary to protect a house or office from harmful diseases. All these things make it very clear that routine upholstery cleaning is really necessary. People can begin the cleaning process by themselves at first and then can hire any professional cleaner who knows the correct techniques and necessities of upholstery cleaning.

Basic Materials Required to Clean Upholstered Furniture

cleaning materialsUpholstered furniture is not only at risk to dust, dirt or surface stains but that the grime can too penetrate deep inside the fibers.  The dirt or dust on the furniture might not be visible but it is actually there. Hence, for the sake of tidiness and hygiene, it is important to clean the upholstered furniture regularly. Upholstery cleaning is not a difficult process. People can start up with the process simply by removing the covers of the chairs and sofas if any. After this, one can put it in washing machine or to dry cleaners. However, in case of non removable covers, proper products of upholstery cleaning and suitable methods will be required to remove the dirt and stain. Some of the ingredients that would help in cleaning upholstered furniture effectively and quickly are as follows:

 

  • Warm water and light clothes detergent

To start with the cleaning process, one would just require warm water and light clothes detergent. The detergent has to be mixed properly in the water to form lather.

  • White Vinegar

White vinegar is very valuable and effective to remove stains on furniture surfaces. However, after using vinegar, a soap solution will be required for more rigorous cleaning. Vinegar smell is quite strong so after the cleaning is done completely; one must open the windows to allow the smell to pass with air outside as much as possible.

  • Baby Wipes

Baby wipes are just perfect for spot upholstery cleaning. These wipes are very tender so there will be no chance to destroy one’s furniture. Moreover, baby wipes are dry comparatively so they won’t even over saturate the upholstered furniture.

Tips for Cleaning Upholstered Furniture

Upholstered furniture cleaning is not only important to maintain its quality or lifespan but also for creating a hygienic environment. Proper environment is important for maintaining a healthy livelihood. Clean and neat furniture will also help to create a good impression in front guests or clients. Cleaning upholstered furniture is not too complex. With the help of the basic ingredients, one can easily start cleaning by own without hiring any professional cleaner for it. Whether one is living in Perth or Joondalup, professional upholstered furniture cleaning service providers are available everywhere. However, these are some tips that would help everyone to keep their furniture clean and tidy:

  1. Removing Stains

All upholstered furniture has own its technique of cleaning perfectly. Likewise, stains can be of two types, one is greasy and the other one non-greasy. For removing the stains that are non greasy, one can use cold water and on the other hand, for removing the greasy stains, warm water has to be used.

  1. Avoid using excessive water

Although water plays an important role in cleaning furniture but it must not be used too much. This is because excess water might leave stains under some conditions. Now this can eventually make things look worse and dirty. Therefore, it is better not to use imprudent water while cleaning upholstered furniture.

  1. Pretesting the cleaning products

One has to take care that the furniture in their house or office is shining just like a new one as it will help in making a good impression at the first glance in front of guests or clients. There are certain products of cleaning that can fade the color of furniture. Therefore, before using any ingredients for cleaning, it must be tested for shrinkage and colorfastness by applying on any non-visible part.

  1. Preparing household non-toxic cleaner

One can make an environmentally, non-toxic safe cleaner for upholstered furniture just by blending a cup of lukewarm water along with 1/4th dishwashing soap. Now the mixture has to be beat till it forms a thick lather.

  1. Using Vacuum cleaner

One of the easiest ways to clean up the furniture is by removing the covers and cushions. Then with the help of vacuum cleaner, one can vacuum all the furniture surfaces.

  1. Using brush for fabrics

A soft bristled brush would come in a good help for cleaning the furniture fabrics. The brush would help to clean the fabrics using the lather solution. Later, the foam can be removed with the help of spatula. And at last a damp, one can use clean cloth for clearing the remaining foam.

  1. Using fan for drying fast

To make the process of drying fast, one can simply use a fan. This is very easy and effective trick to dry up the upholstered furniture in the fastest way. However, one can let the furniture dry up outside but in that case it will require extra attention.

  1. Protecting from bacteria

Slipcovers can be used for protecting the upholstered furniture while staying away for a week or month. However, bacteria breeds well in the soft bed of the furniture and this will be eventually harmful for one’s health. Lemon is the best thing for killing or preventing the bacteria to breed in furniture. This is very effectual against maximum household bacteria.

Reasons to Hire Professional Upholstery Cleaners

Maximum time there is a high probability that one will fail to see the dust, dirt, stains or spot in the upholstered furniture. But this certainly will not implicit that the furniture is really clean. It is a fact that furniture such as sofa, couches, upholstered beds, ottoman and such others attract and accumulate unnecessary things like dirt, dust, hair and many other unhealthy substances. These unwanted substances are not always possible to trace easily by bare eyes and can eventually cause serious impact upon health. Here comes the necessity of cleaning the upholstered furniture regularly. It is already mentioned earlier that one can simply do the upholstered cleaning by own undoubtedly. But it is not possible to compete with the outstanding service that is offered by the professional upholstered furniture cleaners. Professional service providers of upholstered cleaning can successfully render the exclusive service as they employ the modern equipments of cleaning and perfect techniques to deliver outstanding result.

Here are Some Reasons for Hiring Professionals:

  • Difficult to clean upholstery

Every fabric of upholstered furniture needs a distinctive cleaning technique. One might not know the perfect process and can result in damaging of furniture unknowingly. Hence, it will be better to hire any expert upholstered cleaner instead of taking any risk of destroying the furniture by employing imperfect technique for cleaning.

  • Stains can be challenging

There are different kinds of spots and stains that can be seen on the furniture. Among these, there some spots and stains that one can remove easily but there are some obstinate spots and stains that cannot be removed even by putting any extra exertion. And if one tries any imperfect way to remove these, it can settle deep inside the fabric. Hence, it will be better to hire professionals as they have the perfect tools and experience to remove all types of stains. This would then make the upholstery furniture look just like a new one.

  • Saves time

To get the upholstery cleaning done perfectly, one would require the correct equipments, ingredients as well as know the proper technique just like professionals to get an effective result. In spite of spending much energy and time on cleaning furniture by own, leave the task upon the professional upholstery cleaners.

  • Manufacturers suggest professionals

Many manufacturers of upholstery furniture suggest hiring professionals only for cleaning. It is said to void the warranty if the upholstery cleaning is done by one self as it might result in damaging the upholstery furniture more in the process. Hence, to keep the warranty valid, one needs to hire professional furniture cleaner.

  • Upholstery furniture is costly

Couches, chairs and all the other upholstery furniture are very expensive. Hence, instead of cleaning these things by own using improper techniques and ingredients, it will be better to depend upon experts. Expert service of upholstery cleaning will ensure an extended lifespan of the furniture.

  • Avoid nuisance

Implementing the wrong process and products of cleaning on the costly upholstery furniture can lead to various types of problem in future. Hence, leaving the work of upholstered furniture cleaning on the hands of professionals will help to avoid any kind of problem and assure that everything will just be perfect.

  • Can get other significant services

Professional cleaning service providers also provide other types of services along with upholstered furniture cleaning such as builder cleaning Perth, carpet cleaning Perth, bond cleaning Perth, vacate cleaning Perth, end of lease cleaning Perth and window cleaning Perth.

These are some of the authentic reasons to depend on professionals for cleaning the upholstered furniture. However, while selecting a professional company for getting this cleaning service, one has to check some of the important things like reputation, years of experience and price rates.

  • Reputation is one of the significant factors that need to be considered for upholstered furniture One can literally search in the websites to check the reputation of the hired cleaner. The reviews of the customers in the company’s official website will provide a good idea about them.
  • Experience is must for rendering an outstanding upholstered cleaning service. An experienced service provider is well acquainted with all the perfect techniques and most importantly with the problems that might arise during the process. Therefore, they would be able to manage every issue easily due to their prior experience.
  • Price rate is a very crucial factor while considering professional upholstery furniture cleaner. Some might charge high rates but there are such professional cleaners in Western Australia who render the same service in much affordable rate.
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Home & Living

What Type of Heating System Should You Choose for Your Home?

heating-system

For the sake of comfort during the cold season, most of us rely on some form of central heating system. Choosing a functional and cost efficient heating system is an extremely important part of designing any space. In this article, we’re going to explore different types of heating system so you can choose the best system, depending on your situation.

Forced Air

Forced air system is one of the most popular types of heating system in use today for both homes and buildings. As the name suggests the system works with heated air being forced through a distribution system that runs around the house.

The air that is forced through this system is heated in a centralized furnace that uses some form of fuel. The system may rely on natural gas, electricity, and other fuel types. This form has many advantages to it over the other types. For instance, if you want to install an air conditioning system in the future, you won’t have to install any additional vents and ducts. However, forced air has a tendency to blow dust around the house, which may be a deal breaker to some.

Hydronic Heating

Hydronic heating is in many ways very similar to radiant heat. It also uses water heated by a boiler system, which is then distributed around the house. Instead of the heat transferred from the floors, however, the heat in this system is transferred from wall units.

There are many advantages to this heating system. One is the fact that it is very quiet compared with other heating systems. Another major advantage is the fact that it can be controlled very precisely when it comes to the temperature.

Radiant Heat

This is another popular form of heating, but it is mostly found in homes. The main heat conductor in radiant heat systems is water. The water travels from a central boiling system and through a series of pipes until it fills the various radiators around the house.

Radiant heat systems are not only efficient but can add a certain old time cachet to a house. Companies like warmrooms.co.uk have a wide selection of stylish radiators ranging from the traditional cast iron radiators all the way up to modern chic vertical radiators with all sorts of colours and finishes.

Steam Radiators

While this type of heating system was used a lot in the past, it is a lot less common now. It uses radiators that allow steam to pass through in order to distribute heat. The steam is generated from a central boiler which distributes the steam to various rooms in the house.

The problem with steam systems is that the radiators are not really great to look at. They also limit decoration options because of their sheer size, which is one of the main reasons why they aren’t as popular as they used to be.

A lot of things have to be taken into consideration when choosing the right home heating systems for your residence. Firstly, know what you need exactly depending on your priorities. Secondly, check on your budget and account not only for the price of the boiler, but also operation costs, maintenance, and repairs. Lastly, always ensure that any system is properly cared for to avoid future problems.

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Home & Living

Keys to Dealing With Extensive Water Damage

water damage

If you have ever water invade your property, you well understand the urgent nature of the situation. Water can quickly seep into the inner recesses of the building, causing extensive damage to personal property and perhaps affecting the overall integrity of the structure as well. Left uncheck, water damage can result in mold that can not only be dangerous to the health of the inhabitants, but costs to remove as well. Consider the following tips when you need emergency water restortion services for your residential or commercial property.

Beware of Danger

The first thing you need to do when you discover that your building has incurred severe water damage is to beware of danger. It is not safe to rush into a building, as there could be issues with the electric and gas to the building. In addition, large amounts of standing water can attract dangerous insects and bugs that need to be dealt with first. These tend to lurk below the surface, so it is often best to allow professionals to enter first.

Document Everything

As soon as you are able, you will want to take a complete set of pictures and possibly videos in order to document the extent of the damages. This will prove helpful down the road when you to go file a claim with your insurance company. Taking digital pictures with your smartphone or portable camera is acceptable, and try to have the date and time stamp feature active.

Get the Building Dry

Once you have followed the above steps, it is important to get the building dried out as quickly as possible. Depending on the amount of water that invaded the property, this might necessitate the bringing in of commercial grade equipment. The clean up process really cannot begin until this process is complete. It is also important to dry out the building as quickly as possible in order to stunt and thwart the growth of mold.

Don’t Forget the Attic

It may not seem like it, but water the seeps into the insulation of the home can actually make its way upward towards the attic. This is a good place to start inspecting for damage to the home, as if the water were to remain up there then the wood to the house can rot and mold can result as well.

Use a Restoration Company

When you have extensive damage, it is usually best to call in a professional water restoration company. This will help ensure that your building will be secured as quickly as possible. It is important to have someone with experience in this area in order to give you the best possible change to recover your personal belongings and salvage the furnishings.

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Home & Living

How to Find the Perfect Maid

maid

Not everyone has enough time to clean and maintain their house. Some of us work long hours and have other commitments. When this happens, the best thing is to hire a maid rather than watch your house descend into chaos.

But, getting a maid isn’t as straightforward as you would think. How do you know if they suit you or even if they’re trustworthy? After all, you’re going to be letting them inside your home without supervision.

I’ve used maids in the past when I’ve moved around different countries with work. I’m going to share with you some tips on how to find the perfect maid.

How to Search for a Maid:

There are several options available to you that can help you find the perfect maid. You can search online or contact a domestic staff agency who will help find someone on your behalf for a small fee.

Another great way to find someone reliable is by using word of mouth. If a friend recommends them, it means that they’re far more likely to be reliable. This is how I found a maid throughout my time working in Asia, which is imperative when you can’t speak to local dialect.

How to Choose the Perfect Maid:

Regardless of how you find them, you want to start off with around three candidates. From experience, some maids are just downright awful and a local referral may very well be a friend of the family for favours.

Invite each to your home on separate occasions to discuss the position. Talk about their background and cleaning experience and how much they want to get paid. You should also ask them to estimate how long it takes to finish. Better maids can give good estimates of how long and can tell you in advance exactly what they will do.

After talking to each, follow your gut instinct. Hire them on a trial period and make it clear that if the work isn’t up to your standard, you’ll find someone else.

What Happens After Hiring the Maid?

Until you’ve established a working relationship, make sure that they turn up on time and inspect afterwards. If you’re unable to do it in person, ask a friend or family to nip over and check that they actually come and leave when they say they do.

After a few weeks, everyone falls into a routine. When you’re on good terms with each other, I find that everything starts to run smoothly.

Be Ethical:

This isn’t so much a problem in the UK, but in other countries it is. Some people like to treat their maids as inferior because they pay them to clean the house. Never do this. You’re not superior and you don’t have the right to treat them poorly. And are they really going to commit to helping you 100% if you’re not nice to them? A small bonus can go a long way.

The Takeaway Message:

Finding and hiring the perfect maid can be a stressful experience, especially if you’re short on time. But, follow my tips here and you’ll be happy with your maid in a just a few weeks.

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Home & Living

Should I Choose a Walk In Shower or a Wet Room? Pros and Cons

shower

In the modern bathroom you have one of three options for showering – a shower enclosure, which has a shower door and panels along with a shower tray, a wet room, which has a screen or may not have any screen at all depending on the bathroom, and a walk in shower. The walk in shower has a shower screen along with a tray, or there may be no tray. Both a walk in shower and a wet room provide a stylish solution to your bathroom needs. They are modern and smart, and both provide many advantages. But which one should you choose?

Pros of a Walk In Shower

Walk In Shower Enclosures have trays that help to minimise water spillage and keep the water in one place. This makes them more convenient than wet rooms because you do not have to worry about installing special drainage. Another benefit of a walk in shower, over a wet room, is therefore that you can install the shower in a shorter amount of time. It is easier to install and cheaper. If you are on a tight budget and you want to get a shower into your bathroom quickly, a walk in shower is the best option over a wet room.

And talking of cost, a walk in shower will be cheaper to install than a wet room. The walk in shower gives you more space, and you still have the benefits of a stylish look, but the cost is significantly lower. Shower trays for the walk in shower last a long time, and you are not likely to encounter many maintenance problems.

Pros of a Wet Room

The wet room does certainly look more streamlined and is more eye-catching than a walk in shower. If the look of a wet room suits you, you are unlikely to be happy with a walk in shower. You get a lot of space, too, in a wet room. This is one of the main reasons why people install wet rooms – you are missing the limits of a shower stall, making bathing a highly luxurious experience. Putting in a wet room in the en-suite or the second bathroom in the house can increase the value of your home, so long as the installation is completed to a high standard and the products used are high quality.

A wet room is easier to clean than any type of shower enclosure. You have more space to move around and there are fewer tight corners that collect dirt and bacteria. And if you have a tiny bathroom then the wet room gets rid of the problem of fitting in a shower cubicle. Simply take out the bath and use the space for an open or semi-enclosed showering area.

 

Image courtesy of sombatkhamin/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Home & Living

Choosing the Perfect Finish for Your Miscellaneous Furniture

furniture

Furniture like cupboards, cabinets, and counters are not designed to be the main showpieces in your home. Nonetheless, they play an important role in the overall look and comfort level in your house and also complement the primary pieces that you want guests to notice when they visit you.

Because of their importance, fixtures like sinks, counters, and more come in a variety of styles and colors that you can mix and match to suit your particular decorative needs. You can shop online today for counters, cupboards, cabinets, and bathroom vanities in New Jersey to find miscellaneous furniture in the perfect color and style for your home.

Softer Earth Tones

When you want these fixtures to blend into the background and complement other furnishings like your window coverings or table and chairs, you may prefer cupboards, vanities, and more that are painted or finished in softer earth tones. The website has furnishings available in muted colors and wood finishes like ash or pine. These lighter tones allow the fixtures to take a backseat to more prominent furniture in the room without becoming entirely invisible themselves.

Darker Tones

However, if you want these fixtures to be showpieces in and of themselves, you may prefer to shop for cabinets, counters, and more in darker tones like cherry wood, oak, and maple. These more prominent colors let these pieces stand out and set the tone for the decorative scheme in any room. They are also colors that are easy to match or mix with as you add more pieces to your bathroom, kitchen, or elsewhere in your home.

Variety of Styles

Along with choosing the right colors, you may also be on the lookout for the perfect style of fixtures for your bathroom, kitchen, and more. The website has a variety of styles available including shaker furniture, Park Avenue, Cherry Avalon, and other upscale yet affordable designs.

The styles all feature unique geometric cuts and shapes that give each piece a clean, dimensional appearance. You can research each style in depth by clicking on the website’s pictures.

Miscellaneous furniture like vanities, cupboards, and more typically are background props for more prominent pieces of furniture in your home. However, they also are important for color and style coordination. You can find these important fixtures in a variety of styles and colors when you shop online today.

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Home & Living

Essential items that a good chef needs to have

Chef_Cooking

Being a good chef is not enough if you want to produce great meals. Of course, if you have talent you will probably be able to create something that people will enjoy eating, even if the circumstances are not the best. But if you want to display your skills in the best way possible it’s important that you have the right items to enable you to do so.

So, what items should every good chef have to hand? The advice we provide in this article is intended to answer that question. Hopefully, after reading it, you will know what you need if you want to make the most of your talent as a chef.

A good set of knives

Obviously, you will need to do a considerable amount of slicing, chopping and potentially butchery. If you want to make a good job of all of these it’s essential that you have good quality knives at your disposal. The most important knife is the chef’s knife which is a multipurpose implement. You also need to ensure that you have specialist knives for tasks such as slicing and paring.

Most good chefs prefer knives that are made from forged steel. They are more durable and they are long lasting. You will probably pay more for this type of knife initially but you will be able to use the knives you buy for many years. It’s a worthwhile investment in the long term.

The right clothing

If you are working in a kitchen you need to make sure that you are comfortable and well protected. You have probably seen the white jackets and specialist bib aprons that chefs wear. They protect against hot liquid spillages and they also reflect the heat of the kitchen. These jackets are also reversible so stains can be tucked away until they are cleaned.

Although, the pattern of chef’s trousers tends to be less formulated than it was in the past, the style is similar. Trousers are designed to have plenty of room in them so that air can circulate in a hot kitchen environment.

Pots and pans for every occasion

Generally, it’s not a good idea to choose a full set of pans from one supplier. Matching pan sets may look good but they are often not the most effective solution to your cooking needs. You will find that each maker has a reputation for excellence in a certain material. Each type of material works better for some types of cooking than it does for others. For example, if you want to cook Asian food you are generally best advised to use cast iron pans. You should choose each pan based on how you are going to use it as well as its quality.

You can see that being a good chef is not just about your cooking skills; it’s also about making sure you have the right items to use.

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Home & Living

What to do When Your Household Appliances Breakdown

Household Appliances

Are you a busy mom with kids? Do you like every day to be structured and ordered? After all, you believe that children cope better when they are in a structured routine, and they know what is expected of them. You also manage your day more competently if you stick to your routines. In order to make your life more manageable, you have purchased the correct household appliances to get through every day.

For example, you have high achieving kids who excel at their academic studies as well as all the different sports that they play. Consequently, your washing machine and dryer are constantly on the go, washing kids’ clothing, bedding, sports gear, and other sundry items. All you need to do is to sort the washing into piles according to colour, fabric, and specific washing instructions. The next step is to set each pile to wash in the washing machine. Once a particular washing cycle is complete, the wet clothing needs to be transferred to the dryer, and finally, once the dryer has finished drying the clothing, they need to be shaken out, folded, and packed away.

Unfortunately, some days to not pan out as you expect them to. It’s easy to forget that children are human beings with their individual personalities, quirks, and interests, etc., household appliances break, and you can fall ill; ergo, sometimes life throws curve balls at you. How do you deal these daily challenges?

Solving the daily challenges

In my experience, the answer is simple – deal with one crisis at a time. Here are some tips on how to solve your crises:

Breathe

This is probably the most important point. If you are stressing and panicking about the particular crisis that you have to solve, you will more than likely not be able to think clearly to find a solution. Breathing is a well-known and accepted way of calming down and allowing yourself to think.

According to WebMD.com, “deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message to your body… [your] increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, [will] all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax.”

Decide how to approach the problem

For example, if one of your household appliances breaks down, for instance your washing machine, contact an appliance repair service to come out and have a look at your washing machine. These repair technicians carry a wide range of spares with them which will allow them to repair your machine on site. Should they have to take your machine back to their workshop, ask about a loan washing machine. Most repair companies have a range of household appliances that they loan out in cases where they have to take your machine away.

Final words

Due to our hectic, fast-paced lifestyles, it is easy to become overwhelmed by all of life’s challenges; however, it is possible to slow down amidst the chaos, solve the issues one by one, and finally, enjoy yourself.