Category: Main

Your home is likely the place where you spend the most time. Because of this fact, it’s very critical that your house is a safe and healthy place to be. If you have a family or pets, this is all the more reason to ensure your house is healthy. One way that you can ensure the wellness of your home is to check the air and water for radon. If you don’t know what radon is, here is the answer! Radon is a gas. It doesn’t have odor, color, or taste. When radium and uranium break down, radon is produced. Radon can be a hazard. Keep reading to see how you can keep your home safe from radon for everyone living there. 

Air Testing 

Radon can be airborne. Because you breathe in air, this is a problem. Because of this, it’s important to get your air tested. Radon can change because of the temperature. This can happen easily during winter. It happens easily during the cold months because of the warmth in the house. Utilizing both air and water testing Weston CT can help keep your home safe from the hazards of radon. 

Water Testing 

Just like the air you breathe, it’s vital that the water you drink is clean and safe. Radon in your water can deter this essential need. Radon levels can change at times. These changes can be due to different causes, including water usage and climate. If you have small children, it’s extremely critical that they have access to clean water. Getting your water tested is a vital step in making sure your water is safe to ingest.

Some known methods used to remove radon in the water are: granular activated charcoal activation and water aeration. Water aeration can help your drinking water by increasing pH and eliminating odor. Granular activated charcoal activation is also a benefit to your water as well. 

When you’re buying a new home, you want to do a lot of due diligence to learn about its overall condition, ongoing maintenance costs, and any upcoming repair projects that may be on the horizon. While you’re doing your research, you should be sure to find out as much as you can about the heating and cooling system. Here are four key questions to ask about an HVAC System.

1. When Was It Installed?

The general lifespan of an HVAC system can vary greatly by make and model. For the most part, HVACs should last at least ten to fifteen years. A system may fail to meet its projected useful lifespan if it has not been properly maintained.

2. Is the Warranty Valid?

Many HVACs come with ten year warranties on parts. Find out if a system is still under warranty and whether the coverage is transferable.

3. When Was the System Cleaned?

Routine cleaning and calibration are essential for enhancing an HVAC’s energy efficiency and optimizing performance. Find out about the time that all components were cleaned including the ducts, air handler, and condenser. If it has been more than a year and equipment appears dirty or clogged with debris, you can schedule a condenser cleaning St Louis MO with a reputable service company.

4. What Are the Operating Costs Like?

Try to get a sense of how much energy goes into powering a system. A home’s previous owners may be able to give you some good insight into operating expenses and how they change with the seasons.

Ultimately, it isn’t necessarily a red flag if you discover that a new home’s HVAC system isn’t all that you hoped it would be. You may be able to repair or replace a system affordably. It is important to ascertain what work may be necessary in order to budget strategically and avoid surprises.

Clean air is something that many people take for granted. However, indoor air quality can vary greatly between places. Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to improve indoor air quality. Whether you have a family member with allergies or asthma, or you just want to ensure the healthiest space possible for your family, these tips can help.  

Change Your Filters

Air filters are more common than you might realize. You might know about the large filter on your home’s central return register, but did you also realize that many smaller appliances also have air filters? Check humidifiers, space heaters, vacuums and window air conditioners to find how often they need to be changed. 

Clean the Air Ducts

Air filters aren’t your only line of defense when it comes to central heating and cooling systems. The ductwork that carries air throughout your home can accumulate large amounts of dust, pollen and debris. Professional air duct cleaning services Osage Beach MO remove that buildup so it doesn’t;t contaminate your indoor air.

Open the Windows

In general, opening the windows is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to improve indoor air quality. It lets cooking odors, smoke and germs dissipate into the outside while also letting fresh clean air inside your home. Of course, that assumes you live somewhere with good outdoor air quality. If there is a lot of smoke, smog or pollution around your house, it’s a good idea to keep the windows closed until it clears. 

Monitor Humidity Levels

The amount of moisture in the air can impact overall air quality. Humidity that is too high can make breathing difficult. However, if levels fall too low it can cause airway irritation and help colds and viruses proliferate. Most people will find that a humidity level between 30% and 50% is comfortable. 

Changing air filters and ducts, maintaining appropriate humidity levels and opening a window can all help improve your home’s indoor air quality. 

The architectural style of your home should be a deciding factor for which grids you choose for your windows. Most manufacturers offer plenty of grid options to browse. Additionally, you will need to sort through your material choices to find one that matches your home. The only thing to remember is to check the design of your home. 

Victorian and Neo-Victorian

Victorian and Neo-Victorian-era homes have elaborate decorations inside and out. One of the more common window grids has diamonds on the top of the sash and a full panel at the bottom. Decorative stained glass is also standard for these houses. However, a double-hung sash with six or eight square panes in each sash is a good substitute if you can’t find these options. Keep in mind that you should match the fanlights to your main grids. 

Colonial and Cape Cod

These styles will have six square panes on each double-hung window panel. If you live in a fancier version of this home, you may also have a large picture window filled with a smaller decorative grid layout. 

Prairie

Prairie homes generally use casement windows, so these are the perfect thing to tackle if you want to modernize your home and save electricity. Look for small grid squares in the corners, long ones on the sides, or anything else that offers decoration but leaves the center of the window plain for these types of homes. 

Arts and Crafts

Generally, these homes have double-hung windows with a single pane on the bottom and two side-by-side panes on the top. When choosing a grid for the top sash, remember that vertical muntins are good, but horizontal ones should not be present. That said, if you have transoms on your arts and crafts home, these can have decorative grids. 

These are some of the more common architectural styles and their matching grid patterns. By following this advice, you can choose the perfect grids for your home. 

Windows need to be replaced more frequently than many other household features. People won’t usually have to get entire walls replaced. Something dramatic needs to happen before they will need any sort of household upgrades like that.

Fragile Windows

Many windows will start to wear down after a while, even when people are careful to make sure that they clean the windows and keep dirt away from them. It’s still possible for a window to shatter after a comparatively mild accident. Getting replacement windows Lakeland FL-based, or elsewhere, can help the people who have had this problem. 

When a window starts to develop a crack or break of any kind, people should usually get ready to replace that window. Some windows can still last for a while after something like that has happened to them. However, that crack in the window glass will usually only start to expand, which will threaten the structure of the rest of the glass very quickly.

People might want to change their windows when the glass is cracked anyway. It might make more sense to have the windows replaced when it’s convenient to do so. They could break at a particularly inconvenient time, making things much harder for the people who will need new windows then. 

Locksmiths are skilled professionals that handle problems with locks and keys. They are usually known as the people you call when you accidentally lock yourself out of your home or vehicle.

If you’re looking for a residential locksmith Orlando, you should know that these professionals handle much more than simply getting you back into your home. Keep reading for other situations where a locksmith can assist you.

1. When You Buy a New Home

New homeowners have many things to do, but calling a locksmith should be top of the priority list. Since it’s difficult (or impossible) to know who a former homeowner may have given keys to, a locksmith can help make your new home more secure by changing the locks and providing you with new keys.

The same idea applies when you move into a new apartment or condo, but if the property is rented, it’s a good idea to check with your property manager beforehand.

2. When You Need a Lock Repaired

Locks are usually durable, but they’re not immune to wear-and-tear or breakage. If your locks aren’t working properly or need to be fixed, call a locksmith to fix the problem and make your home secure again.

3. When You Forget Your Combination

Keep in mind that locksmiths aren’t limited to fixing only the basic key-and-lock setups. They can also assist you with troubleshooting your unconventional locks such as digital or combination locks.

4. When You Want to Upgrade Your Security

In today’s digital world, electronic lock systems are becoming more and more common. Some locksmiths are able to install and manage keyless digital entries which can be harder to break than conventional locks. Check with your local locksmith to see which advanced security systems they handle.

Although locksmiths are best known as the people you call when you’re locked out, they can perform a variety of security-related services.

At one time or another, everyone has had a mouse in the house. Many times you catch it and that’s the end of the story, but more often than not, the problem is worse than just one curious mouse. If your rodent problem isn’t letting up, here are four signs of an infestation.

1. Daily Droppings

Usually, the first evidence of mice is the telltale droppings they all leave behind. However, if you’ve caught several mice and the droppings continue, you’ve got a more serious problem. A mouse infestation requires help from Staten Island pest control to eliminate the problem for good.

2. Noises in the Walls

Nothing is more disturbing than waking up at night to scratching in the walls. This hair-raising experience is proof that you’ve got mice. Although you might see a mouse during the day, they’re more active during the night as you can tell by the scurrying sounds in your attic or basement.

3. Chewed or Shredded Paper

Mice will devour any food or crumbs around your house, but they also eat paper, cardboard and even tin foil. If you find a pile of finely shredded paper in a cupboard or drawer, it’s safe to say you have mice. They’ll also chew on electric wiring, plastic containers and pet food bags.

4. Weird Pet Behavior

If you have cats, you might think they’ll quickly hunt down mice, but often pets just start acting weird. Both dogs and cats can see, smell and hear mice around the house and in the walls. If your pet is lurking around a certain area or trying to get behind the stove, you can bet mice are to blame.

While one mouse is easy to catch, an infestation is another story. If you find daily droppings and your pets are acting suspicious, call pest control as soon as possible.

Hemp CBC capsules are an excellent nutritional supplement that can provide numerous benefits to the consumer. As a herbal medicine, hemp CBC capsules benefit the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of both body and mind. It does this by regulating several systems in the body, including sleep patterns at night, mood during the day, appetite, digestion, metabolism, immune response, and motor skills. All of these systems rely on a combination of cannabinoids to properly regulate themselves, leaving many sufferers seeking dietary supplementation if their ECS is lacking cannabinoids.

Used As A Nutritional Supplement

Hemp CBC capsules contain cannabidiol (CBD), one of over eighty cannabinoid compounds found in cannabis Sativa L. This is in contrast to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), also found in cannabis Sativa L., the cannabinoid most famously known for its psychoactive properties. In recent years, CBD has been utilized as a nutritional supplement to relieve various conditions, including seizures, inflammatory disorders, physical pain, and mental stress.

Researchers recently discovered that hemp CBC capsules have beneficial effects on the ECS since its endogenous cannabinoids are produced naturally by the human body. The external supply of cannabinoids from dietary supplements such as hemp CBC capsules works to supplement any levels lacking within the endocannabinoid system.

Minimal Side Effects

Side effects are notably minimal with hemp CBC capsules supplementation, which is in stark contrast to other cannabis Sativa L. supplements. CBD extracts are often made using harsh chemical solvents, leaving behind traces of toxic residue inhaled when smoking or vaping the substance for its medicinal benefits.

Hemp CBC capsules can be consumed orally, added to water or juice, or simply held within the mouth topically without producing any psychoactive effects. If insufficient amounts are taken, the effects of hemp CBC capsules supplementation may take several days to register.

Are you looking to sell your home or just get the most out of your investment? There are hundreds of things appraisers look at when valuing a property, but here are three quick ways to get the most benefit from your money and effort.

1. A Fresh Coat of Paint

Residential painting Los Angeles CA can go a long way toward making any space look fresh, clean, and up to date. When choosing a paint color, there are several things to keep in mind. Bright, trendy colors are unique and can give a room a specific atmosphere, but neutral colors appeal to the widest variety of buyers in the market. Also, dark colors can trick the mind into thinking a space is smaller, while lighter and brighter colors make a room feel larger and more open.

2. Energy Efficiency

Using less energy is good for our planet and your wallet. Replace any old and outdated light fixtures, electrical outlets, and breakers. Swap out any oddly sized light sockets with more uniformed sizes that fit a wider variety of cost-saving bulbs. Eco-friendly flooring such as laminate or tile not only saves the power you would have used for vacuuming, but it also improves air quality, meaning your central heating and air system doesn’t have to work as hard.

3. Low Hassle Curb Appeal

Nice flowers and shrubbery help your yard make a great first impression. Plants that are native to your area will thrive with the least amount of effort and maintenance, and many even help support the local pollinator population. Also, look for drought-tolerant species. These species require less water, so they are green for your yard, your bank account, and the environment. If you have time to wait for a landscaping improvement to grow, plant a tree that will provide shade. In addition to looking beautiful, a healthy shade tree can cut summer cooling costs by up to 40%.

Even if you are planning on keeping your home for years to come, making these changes will improve your property and your quality of life.

When the summer season rolls around and you begin to smell the smoke from neighboring grills, you know it’s time to get outside yourself and make something yummy. Be the envy of all the neighbors when you have a grill set-up that is made for success. Besides knowing the best recipes and your favorite cuts of meat, all you have to do is get your space ready. Here are some things to do when you’re ready to head back outside to prepare your meals.

Stay Organized

One of the best ways to stay organized on your patio is to have a rolling cart dedicated to holding the necessary grill items. With strong wheels and stainless steel roller bearings, your cart can handle the outdoor environment with ease and provide you with the things you need at arm’s length. A heavy-duty cart can hold your apron, seasonings, grill tools and recipes. Instead of running back and forth to the kitchen, you can relax and enjoy the grilling experience.

Clean the Grill Every Time

Another pro tip is to keep the grill clean between each meal. A metal brush is a must-have for cleaning the areas between the grates. Getting all of the gunk off prevents the flavors of the previous meal from mingling with today’s delicious masterpiece. When the grill is hot, it’s easier to clean.

Have Your Tools Ready

The grill tools you have should be made for grilling. These tools typically have longer handles and are designed for use in the flames. Don’t ruin the kitchen tools in the process of making a meal, instead, have spatulas, spoons and tongs at the ready in a separate area.

Enjoy the most of your backyard when you can grill your food as often as possible. The unique flavors are a delight and your family will thank you.