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Five Rules to Remember Before Using Your Basement for Storage

19 Dec

What good is a basement if you can’t store things in it? Unfortunately, if you’ve ever heard of the saying “there are two kinds of basements, those that have flooded and those that are going to” you know that basement storage isn’t without risks. Here are five rules that you should remember when it comes to basement storage. Ignore them at your own peril.

1. Humidity control is not optional. Basements are almost always more humid and damp than the rest of your house. A basement dehumidifier is a good idea to keep humidity levels between 30-50%. Look for mold and mildew resistant paint and flooring to help limit moisture damage

In certain climates, basements can be too dry. If this is a problem in your area, use a humidifier to keep the air moist enough to prevent damage to wooden floors, furniture and books. Hygrometers are inexpensive and can help you monitor the humidity levels in your basement so that you know if and when to take action.

2. Keep items off the floor. A good rule of thumb is to use shelving to keep all objects at least one foot off the floor. This will reduce your damage in case of a flood and keep moisture from seeping into boxes from damp floors.

3. Use air-tight, hard plastic bins to store your things. This will provide additional protection from floods and keep insects, rodents and other pests away from your belongings. As an added precaution, you can put small packets of dessicant saved from shoe-boxes and other packaging in the sealed boxes. Avoid storing things in plastic bags, cardboard boxes and wood as these do not offer adequate protection from moisture and pests.

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How to Save Money on Home Appliances

19 Dec

More and more people are now using appliances in their homes or companies. Most of them use electricity, and you have to choose the best one carefully. When shopping for them, make sure you go to a place where they are affordable. Make sure to do your research. Compare at least three different stores! Then, follow these tips to get the most for your money.

1. What To Consider
There are a number of things that you must consider when buying the appliances. Since some of them require electricity, you have to make sure that you go for the most energy-efficient items. This will allow the appliance to pay for itself. Also consider the warrant; appliances should always be ensured. Most warranties are for one year, and in case it spoils during this time, the company that manufactured it will have to repair it for you at no charge. You might even get lucky and get a newer model.

2. Where to Shop
Before buying any kind of machine, you have to make sure that you have done your research. Try to buy directly from the manufacturer. Some manufacturers sell their items at very affordable rates. They will also give you a discount if you bargain, depending on the item that has been bought. When buying items online, usually free shipping is provided. This way, you will not have to worry about the cost of transportation and it will reach you on time. To avoid any complications, go to an online company near you. This way, you will be given a discount and the item will reach you at the right time in good condition. If you’re lucky, you might also find something on Craigslist, Ebay or Amazon. Auction and community exchange sites can really be helpful, though there’s always the risk of purchasing a lemon. If you can find a mutual friend or acquaintance of the people looking to sell, you might be able to get some insurance for yourself.

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Gutter Cleaning DIY Dangers

18 Dec

In the Fall, we come across one of the most annoying tasks – gutter cleaning. Leaves and debris are a mess. They fall and pile up on sidewalks, driveways, roofs and gutters. The problem with this is that we can’t delay it either. Spilling and overflowing roof gutters can affect the building and its foundation. The water can also seep through into your basement, damaging all the things you have stored there.

So it’s important that you clean the gutters every spring and fall. But while you are at it, you need to be aware of the dangers that DIY gutter cleaning poses.

Gutter Cleaning using a Power Blower

The most convenient way you can clean the gutter is to use a power blower. Since power blowers require you to be on the roof, you have to take precautions and not fall. When you use a power blower make sure that your roof top is dry and safe to walk on. Also that the gradient of your roof top is less angular so you can easily use a power blower and that the power blower is securely tied around your body and set to a speed you can handle. It’s suggested you use gym shoes with a grip, rather than flat leather shoes. This will give you more stability when you walk.

Gutter Cleaning using Hardware Tools

If you don’t have a power blower or if you’d prefer not to climb on the roof then you can use hardware tools for gutter maintenance.  You’ll need tools like a trowel, ladder, and drill along with touch-up paint. You must follow certain safety guidelines as using these tools for gutter cleaning can be dangerous if you’re not cautious.

Trowels

When using a trowel, for gutter cleaning, ensure that you don’t spike yourself with its pointed edge. Trowels can leave a deep cut or scare which will require immediate medical attention.

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Handling your Home DIY Projects

18 Dec

Almost everybody wants to have the pleasure and satisfaction of working with their own hands and creating or fixing things around their home. While not all those projects may turn out like we would want them to, we can certainly handle some things easily. That requires a bit of expertise, a lot of patience a few other things that we’ve listed below:

The Tools make the Man

We all know that things often go wrong because we try to improvise. If we don’t have a torque wrench, we try tightening nuts with a regular wrench. Eventually, we end up tightening them too much and things start going wrong. When you are going through your tool box, if you don’t have the necessary tools required to complete your Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project, then its probably better to not do it yourself.

Be Safe, Not Sorry

It is a fact that DIY tasks result in more accidents than any other task in the average household. Don’t meddle with things you have limited knowledge about. That means, fiddling around with your electric wiring might not be a brilliant idea unless you are professionally trained for the job. Also, just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean that you should be doing it. If you weigh too much or are too old to comfortably fix roof tiles, it would be slightly dangerous to try something like that.

Do Less Damage

There are professionals who specialize in handling plumbing, electricity and other such jobs. They are there for a reason, which is that they are constantly handling such tasks and know their way around problems. If you don’t know much and go in at full tilt, you might just end up causing more damage than helping!

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Decorating your Home Cheaply

17 Dec

There are plenty of things just lying about our homes that we consider trash or a waste of space. We don’t give them a second thought before throwing them out and replacing them with stuff we buy from stores. However, with a few simple things and a little bit of effort, we can completely turn their fortune around and make our homes a much better place.

Annoying Boxes

Every time you buy something new, like a television set or even a toaster, you get a box. After a while, it almost seems as if you’ve got more boxes than you’ve got stuff! You can keep piling them in, thinking that one day they will come handy, but the chances of that happening are too little and too far away. So what do you do? Improvise!

Almost all boxes that come with large appliances are made of hard cardboard. Instead of throwing them away, you can simply paint or stick coloured/textured paper on the outside and convert it. Into what, you ask? Into a clothes’ basket where you dump all the clothes after wear; into a toy-bucket for your kids to store all their toys in, and what not!

If you’ve got smaller boxes, like those that come with electric shavers or hand-blenders, you can create jewelry boxes, a box for all the remote controls or keys, or simply a box to store away those tiny things, like paper clips, hair clips, nail clippers, pins and all those things that keep getting lost all the time!

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