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Spots in Your Home That are Often Overlooked When Cleaning

Keeping a clean and tidy home can be a daunting task, especially when there are so many areas that are easy to overlook. Here are a few things that most people forget to clean in and around their home:

Baseboards 

Baseboards are often overlooked when it comes to cleaning, but they can accumulate a lot of dust and grime over time. A quick wipe down with a damp cloth or a vacuum attachment can make a big difference in the appearance of your home. This is definitely a great job to have the kids help with. 

Window tracks

The tracks of your windows are another area that are often neglected. These areas can accumulate dust, dirt, and even insects. To clean them, use a small brush or a vacuum attachment to remove debris, and then wipe them down with a damp cloth. This is something I definitely plan to do after the pollen season in early spring slows down. 

Ceiling fans 

Ceiling fans are another common source of neglect. Dust and dirt can accumulate on the blades, which can then be circulated throughout your home. It's a good idea to also dust the actual ceiling right around your fan to catch any extra dust that can easily be missed. Cleaning your ceiling fans regularly can help reduce dust and improve the air quality in your home.

Light fixtures

Light fixtures are another area that are often overlooked when cleaning. Dust and cobwebs can accumulate on the fixtures, making them less efficient and less attractive. Cleaning your light fixtures regularly can help improve the lighting in your home.

Air vents 

Air vents are often forgotten when cleaning, but they can accumulate a lot of dust and debris over time. This can reduce the efficiency of your heating and cooling system, and can also contribute to poor indoor air quality. Clean your air vents regularly to ensure that they are working properly. If this is something you do not do regularly, it might be a good idea to get a professional service provider in for a one-time clean. 

Refrigerator coils 

The coils on the back of your refrigerator can accumulate dust and debris, which can cause the fridge to work harder and use more energy. Clean the coils with a brush or a vacuum attachment to help your refrigerator run more efficiently. This is good to do at least once per year. 

Shower heads

The shower head is often forgotten when cleaning, but it can accumulate mineral buildup and bacteria over time. Cleaning the showerhead regularly with a vinegar and water solution can help improve water flow and reduce the spread of germs. 

In conclusion, keeping a clean and tidy home requires attention to detail and regular cleaning. By remembering to clean these often-overlooked areas, you can keep your home looking and feeling fresh, and improve the efficiency of your appliances and reduce the spread of germs.

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Why Buying a Home in Texas is a Smart Move

If you’re planning on buying a house, one of the most important things you need to consider is where you want your house to be. While some people may need to look in certain areas due to a job or other responsibilities, others may be free to go wherever they please. If you are not sure where to buy your next house, Texas is a good idea.

There are many reasons why buying a house in Texas is a smart move, and we’ll be discussing a few of them.


Texas homes are often more affordable


While there are always exceptions to the rule, generally, houses in Texas are much more affordable than in other places. And even if a house costs the same as in another area, the odds are that the one in Texas will be much bigger, so you will be getting more value for money. 


Buying a house isn’t cheap, so you need to try and save wherever you can. Texas homes are known for being both big and affordable, making them a great option for those with smaller budgets. Have a look at Texas real estate to see more of what a house in Texas can offer you. 


Warm temperatures


If you are someone who loves summertime, you’ll probably enjoy Texas. While there are months that have more severe weather, Texas in summer is a paradise for those who prefer warmer temperatures. Even the winter months are often much milder in Texas compares to other locations.


So, if you love swimsuit season, the odds are that you will love the summers in Texas. That being said, you should keep in mind that you may not have as much snow there as you are used to.  


There are plenty of opportunities


Texas is one of the fastest-growing US states, which means that if you are seeking more opportunities, it’s a great place to be.


With it being one of the bigger states, you are bound to find something you will enjoy doing in Texas, and if you’re lucky, you could land a job with room for growth. If you feel suffocated and like you don’t have many options where you are, buying a house and moving to Texas might just be the change you need. Of course, you will also need to follow these steps for getting a better job once you are in Texas. 


The resale value is great


Another important thing you need to consider when buying a house is what the resale value will be. Luckily, as you can imagine, houses in Texas often have great resale value.


This is because of Texas’s reputation for low real estate, its warm climate, and the opportunities that it offers. If you do buy a house in Texas and you ever decide to sell it, you will probably have many willing buyers. 


For that to be the case, however, you also need to make sure that you keep the house in good condition and take on these projects if you want to boost its resale value.

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The Best Roofing for Residential Homes

When choosing a roof, you need something that will protect you and your family from nature's elements and lasts for a long time.  You also need a roof that will fit your budget and improve your home’s aesthetics. Check several options for residential homes on IKO Roofing and choose what works for you. Some best roofs for your home include:

Asphalt Shingles

This is one of the best roofs we have in the market today.  People prefer them because they are affordable, and they look good for most home styles.  It has a broad selection of colors, meaning you can easily find something that matches your home. If you enjoy DIY projects, you can easily install asphalt shingles on your home with the right skills, experience, and equipment. You can also reach out to a company like the IKO roofing team to do the roofing for you. 

Metal Roofing

Metal roofing has a life span of 50-100 years, making it one of the most durable roofs. You will be given a warranty of 30-50 years in most areas, which shows you how long-lasting it is. Also, it helps in keeping your home cool by reflecting solar radiant heat in hot weather. In recent years manufacturers have been producing metal roofing that resembles wood shake and natural slate, which can give your home the appeal you are looking for. 

Wood Shingles and Shakes

Wood shingles are machine-cut, which gives them a clean edge and a smooth surface. In return, it gives your home a uniform appearance enhancing its appeal. Wood shakes are hand-split with a rugged appearance because each piece has a different look than the rest. When you want to install this roof, keep in mind that this material requires someone with technical skills and knowledge with this kind of roof. Therefore, ensure that you thoroughly research a contractor and find someone who can deliver

Clay Tile Roof

This kind of roof is suitable for hot climates and coastal areas. It is also durable, withstanding fire, hail, and high winds. It comes in different tile shapes like flat, curved, or fluted, enhancing the curb appeal of your home.

Slate Roofing

Slate has a long lifespan due to its ability to withstand any weather conditions. It also requires minimum maintenance once you have already installed it. The cost of installation is slightly higher than other roofs, but it is worth it because of its quality.

A roof is a big part of home construction. It is recommended to research what kind of roof you can go for depending on your budget and the local weather conditions. Also, talk to different roofing companies, see what they offer, and then compare prices and choose the best alternative.

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DIY Home Ideas for Summer 2020

It’s time to get your house in order and ready to enjoy the summer weather. Skip the long construction projects and take advantage of some easy DIY ideas to upgrade your home this summer. 
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The Garage 

The summer is a great time to reinvent areas of your house. What better place to begin than with your garage? Besides a home for your car, your garage is an excellent spot for storage, an enclosed terrace, and even an extra room for entertaining. To help you take advantage of this space, install your own DIY garage screen door, add a few planters and perhaps even a DIY bar. With a screen door in your garage, you can enjoy the summer in the shade, and without the bugs. These doors are relatively easy to install and allow you to open up a whole new room for the season. 

The Sun Room 

When the summer hits, finding the perfect spot to read and relax is always a priority. No matter the space you have, you can create your summer oasis at home. Start by looking at the area and thinking about how you want to utilize it. If you are looking to create a place to relax during the day, you may want to line the area with lush plants and rich colors. For those looking for an evening hangout, a DIY fire-pit creates the ultimate hangout spot to unwind with friends after a hot summer day. Whatever you decide to do, be sure to add some lights so day or night your oasis is ready for you.
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The Restroom 

You may not think about your bathroom in the summer, but whether you are rinsing from a day in the pool or after working in the hot sun, you end up spending more time than you realize in your bathroom. This summer, take the time to invest in creating a sanctuary for you to relax from the heat of the day. To help you get on some of the summer's hottest trends, consider adding bold colors and patterns to give your bathroom a fresh look. Don't forget to add plenty of storage space, so everything you need is available without ever having to leave the room.
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The Kitchen 

During the summer, your menu changes to match the season. As you steer away from hot hearty dishes, you want your kitchen to reflect this switch in dining. Follow some DIY kitchen ideas to help you get the room ready to prepare the best meals possible. Before you get started with any big changes, take the time to update your storage and organization. Then, think about the small touches you can add to brighten up the room. Whether adding a splash of color as a backdrop or accessorizing the counter, there are tons of unique ideas you can do to make it summer-ready. 

No matter how you update your house, make sure it reflects your personality. Keep in mind where you will spend the most time, and enjoy your home this summer.

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5 Things No One Told You About Shopping for a Home


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Buying a new home is exciting, but if you’ve never gone through the process before, you may be in for a big surprise – and probably more than a few. When you aren’t experienced with the ins and out, your excitement can quickly turn into frustration. The National Association Realtors recently released some of the latest numbers related to home-buying transactions showing that of all homebuyers, 34% are purchasing a home for the first time. If you’re thinking about becoming a part of that statistic, knowing what most were never told about shopping for a home can prevent learning the hard way.

It’s Going to Cost You Lots More Than You Think

If you’re renting, paying say, $1200 a month, plus perhaps utility costs, you have a pretty good idea of what you have to pay each month. If utilities are included, you know exactly what you’ll be shelling out when rent is due. But when you’re shopping for a house and the lender says the mortgage payment will be only $1400 a month, you might think, “Well, that’s only $200 more, I can easily handle that.” But you’re wrong. There are lots of other things to consider in addition to that payment plus utilities. You’ll need to pay for homeowners insurance, maintenance and repairs (something that’s inevitable), property taxes, and perhaps home association dues and even appliances.

That makes it difficult to determine your exact monthly costs as you never know when something is going to break, and there’s no doubt that total figure is going to be a lot more than just the mortgage payment.

You’ll Need to Limit Your Credit Card Use

Before you start shopping for a new home, you’ll need to hold off on purchasing any big items on credit cards, opening any new lines of credit, obtaining a car loan, etc. In fact, the more you can pay down your debt the better as the ability to get approved for a mortgage, and a good interest rate depends largely on your credit score.

Even If You Don’t Have Kids or Plan on Having Any, Considering Are Schools is Important

Singles and couples who don’t have children and don’t plan to often overlook the schools in the area when shopping for a home. While you probably think it doesn’t matter, it will if you ever decide to sell your home. That’s an important aspect to buyers, with homes in neighborhoods that have access to good schools generally appreciating in value faster than homes in neighborhoods where schools are average are worse, whether you’re purchasing a house among Charleston real estate or any other town in the country.

You Won’t Be Able to Resist Looking at Homes Higher Than Your Price Range

It’s only human nature to want something you can’t have, and nearly all people who shop for homes ended up looking at places that are out of their price range. While that’s all well and good, just don’t move forward with it. What’s even worse than living in a house that may need a few minor repairs is living in a nice home that you can’t really afford and eventually having to sell it when you don’t want to, or even worse, going through a foreclosure.

You’ll Probably Get Outbid

In a sellers’ market, or in areas that are hotter than others and likely to have cash buyers, you’ll probably get outbid, and more than once. While getting your offer rejected isn’t fun, keep trying - odds are that you will succeed.
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Get a Healthy Renovated House with These Zero-VOC Interior Paints

Renovating your house is always an exciting task. Nonetheless, this does not mean that you should not think about your health and your safety as well. Choosing your paint is an essential step in this process, and you should make sure that you select a color that does not have too many volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Today we will talk about some of the most significant alternatives when it comes to paint that does not use volatile organic compounds. You should also keep in mind that low-VOC paint usually has less than 250 g/L. If a paint claims that it is zero-VOC, it is required to have less than 5 g/L VOC.

Milk Paint

The paint from Old-Fashioned Milk Paint is fantastic if you want to go organic when painting your home. This paint calls itself “The Greenest Paint There Is,” and according to the company, the same ingredients are used in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

The base paint has components such as minerals or milk protein, and they are all completely biodegradable. However, a drawback could be the fact that there aren’t too many colors available. You can choose to mix specific colors with white so that you get different shades.

Sherwin-Williams

This brand is well known, so you shouldn’t have any problems when it comes to finding it in a store near you. This acrylic latex paint is zero-VOC, and it also has an ingredient that is anti-microbial. This means that using this paint should reduce mold growth and your walls will remain cleaner and healthier for a longer time.

YOLO Colorhouse

YOLO Colorhouse started with 49 shades, and they managed to add more than 40 new colors since then. This paint is created without using formaldehyde, phthalates, carcinogens or VOCs. This brand does more than that. The containers for YOLO Colorhouse are made out of recycled plastic, and the labels use recycled material as well. The ink for the labels is soy ink, and the products are shipped with vehicles that use biodiesel fuel.

Behr Premium Plus Enamel Low luster

If you want to have numerous alternatives, then you should choose Behr which is a brand that offers more than 4000 different colors, and they contain flat interior, semi-gloss, eggshell and base finishes. All products have zero-VOC versions, and you can find the perfect shade by using the color finder at Behr.com. Their website also offers pictures of rooms that were renovated using their paints, so you could see an idea for your house right there if you are not feeling inspired.

Benjamin Moore Natura/Aura

This paint brand has been around for more than two hundred years, but it managed to keep up with the latest needs. Therefore, Benjamin Moore included a line of Natural Waterborne paint, which contains the entire range of colors, without using any volatile organic compounds. Another advantage of this brand is the fact that it does not need a primer on most surfaces.

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What to Do if Your Furnace Short-Cycles

You most likely already need to use your furnace, at least occasionally. Hopefully, you performed the annual furnace maintenance. This kind of maintenance is very important for proper functioning of the heating system throughout the heating season.

Your furnace was dormant for the better part of the year, so it definitely needs some attention prior to everyday use to prevent breakdowns. If, however, you do experience problems with your furnace, you need to act quickly. You don’t want to be left without heating when proper winter sets in. Contact a professional and experienced heating service like https://www.actionac.net/heating-system-furnace-repair-san-diego/. One of the most common problems with furnaces is short-cycling. So, what is short-cycling and how do you recognize it?

Short-Cycling 

Chances are you have heard about this problem associated with air conditioning units, but it can just as easily happen to the heating systems and for the same reason. Namely, short-cycling happens when your furnace starts and stops too quickly and too often.

There are several possible reasons why this could happen. In most cases, you should able to identify the problem, but fixing it is probably out of your hands, and you will probably need professional help.

Your Furnace Is Oversized 

This problem should be evident from the first time you turn on our new furnace. You may think that bigger is always better, but it doesn’t really apply to furnaces. You don’t want the biggest thing on the market, you want something appropriately sized for your home. If you have miscalculated and gotten a furnace which is too powerful for your home, the result is short-cycling.

Essentially, your furnace is too effective at heating your home. However, that comes with a drawback. It means that your furnace will not be as economical doing it. It will expend too much energy in a short time, then stay inactive for a period, and then repeat that process. A more economical setup is an appropriately sized furnace which will work continuously. Not only will it be more economical, but it will also help with reducing the wear and tear, so your furnace will serve you longer and it will be less likely to break down.

Overheating Issues

Another reason why your furnace keeps turning on and off so frequently may be due to overheating. Your furnace may be shutting down automatically to prevent any more severe damage. One of the biggest concerns with this issue is carbon monoxide leaking into your home. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, so the only way to figure out whether it is in your environment is to have a carbon monoxide detector close to your furnace.

The main cause of overheating is the restricted airflow, whether it is a dirty air filter or a blockage in the vents. This will trap very hot air near your furnace and cause some physical damage to your heat exchanger, leading to the problems listed above.

Thermostat Issues

Maybe your furnace is not to blame, maybe it is getting confusing inputs from your thermostat. The thermostat tells the furnace when to start and how hot it should run, so if the problem lies in the thermostat, your furnace can experience a whole range of problems, including short-cycling.

You can test this by setting your thermostat to different temperatures and monitor the changes. However, ultimately, you will need a skilled professional to come and take a look at the problem.

Short-cycling is not only a nuisance, it could be an indication of much more serious problems, which is why you should treat it seriously and consult your heating technicians as soon as you determine that there is a problem.

To contact Action Air Conditioning & Heating of San Diego
4455 Murphy Canyon Rd Suite 100–5,
San Diego, CA 92123, USA
800-400-4152
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5 Signs It’s Time For Smart Home Maintenance

Home maintenance is often ignored by homeowners due to the dent it can cause to their bank account. Nevertheless, in some cases, home maintenance is essential because it helps retain or increase the value of your property without compromising on your living standards.

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Not all signs will be noticeable until a detailed inspection is conducted. However, here are some of the tell-tale signs that will give you every reason to conduct smart home maintenance:

The Washing Machine Hose Is Bulging
If you notice a bulge in the hose, take action immediately. The hose may be about to burst. This is an emergency situation and needs professional assistance right away. This could also be a sign of leakage in the hose. If not taken care of in time, it could cause a costly damage.

When You Notice Melted Grommets On Your Water Heater
This could be a sign of the presence of deadly gases in your home. The gases generated from the water heater find their way out of your home through a duct. Sometimes, blockage in the duct may not allow the gases to release. Instead, the gases backdraft and combine the air with deadly carbon monoxide.

This happens if plastic of the duct is damaged due to heated water. You can seek assistance from a professional to detect and fix the duct. PlumbingFix, Santa Clarita based experts offer emergency services to fix water heaters. Contacting them may help you get rid of the damage.

The Water Meter Keeps Running
If you haven’t noticed any leakage in the water, the meter is the best way to find out. First and foremost, inspect the plumbing fixtures and faucets in your house. Find out if they’re properly turned off. In case the meter still keeps running, you need to get it checked and fixed immediately.

Indoor leaks are often easy to find. Also, check for water stains on the ceilings and walls. Inspect your kitchen and toilet carefully. Pay attention to the valves and focus on the water dropping sound.

Leakage In The Roof


If your roof is leaking, your roofing system needs immediate maintenance. It could be old, rotten, or damaged. To resolve this issue, you have two options: you can either consider complete renovation or go for various fixing methods.

The best way to decide is to first find out how much it is damaged already. New roofing with asphalt shingles is a pricey job and can cost you between $4500 and $10,000. Therefore, before you decide, get it checked and find out if repairing can fix it.

Efflorescence On Chimney Brick
Clearly, this means that a lot of moisture has built up inside. Efflorescence is a white material that appears on the chimney's brick and shouldn’t be ignored. Its appearance shows the movement of moisture through masonry.

The movement of moisture picks up minerals and leaves tiny white crystals behind. While this isn’t really harmful and a little amount of efflorescence is quite common, it’s a cause of concern if it’s too noticeable.

If the moisture is accumulating, it could eventually cause damage to the chimney. In worse cases, your flue liner may also be affected. The combustion of gases from the water heater, fireplace, or furnace is also harmful to your environment.

While these signs are easy to identify, the outdoor leaks can go unnoticed for years. Getting it checked and fixed by professionals is the best way to keep up with smart home maintenance.
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Why Is Your House So Dusty?

A little light dust is normal, but if you find a thick layer of dust that accumulates seemingly overnight, despite your best efforts to keep your home clean, you have a problem.

Dust consists of dirt, dead skin cells, hair, pollen, insect parts, pet hair, and dander. Additionally, dust can often hold hazardous chemical residues including flame retardants, phenols, and phthalates. Medical specialists have linked these chemicals to hormone issues and cancer.

Find out the reasons your house may be accumulating so much dust.

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Leaking HVAC Ducts

Gaps around fittings, holes, and unsealed joints between duct sections allow warm or cooled filtered air to escape and dirty unfiltered air to enter, complete with dust and other contaminants.

An HVAC technician can perform a pressure test on your HVAC system to identify leaks. You can use foil tape, mastic, and fabric tape to seal minor holes and gaps. A qualified HVAC technician will need to repair more significant leaks. After repairing and sealing all the leaks, a technician needs to thoroughly clean the ducts to remove any traces of mold and the inevitable accumulation of dust and dirt.

Inadequate Air Filters

Air filters which are the wrong size or type will not prevent dirt, dust, and other contaminants from entering your HVAC system. A clean, correctly sized proper air filter will promote ideal indoor air quality (IAQ) in your home.

Rather than buying an air filter blindly, use a tape measure to check the length and width of the grill where you insert the filter. If you are unsure whether you have the correct size, check with an HVAC technician.

The other measurement which is important when selecting an air filter for your home HVAC system is the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, or MERV. This measurement refers to the mesh density in the filter, with 12 being the finest available for residential use and four being the most coarse. If the mesh is too coarse, it may not adequately filter smaller contaminants, but if the mesh is too fine, it will not allow enough air to flow through it, leading to problems with your air quality.

Drafts

Older houses often have small gaps under doors or around windows which can allow outside air into the home. In addition to compromising the efficiency of your heating and cooling, these drafts also bring dust and other contaminants into your home. Many hardware stores carry assorted draft sealant products to repair these gaps.

Debris Transfer From Outdoors

Each time your family or visitors enter your home, they bring with them pollen, debris, and dirt from outside. Using a doormat to remove excess dirt from shoes and perhaps taking shoes off before entering the home will greatly reduce the amount of dirt and debris being bought inside.

To combat dust in your home, check your ducts for leaks, look for the correct air filter, and maintain your HVAC system. Taking steps like these can help you keep dust in your home under control.
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Tips for maximizing space in the home

Do you ever feel like you do not utilize the space in your home properly, leaving a feeling of clutter and crowding? Here are some simple tips for maximizing space in the most common area in your home.


1. The Kitchen 
To maximize your work space in the kitchen, it's important to be imaginative and invest in clever, space-saving storage ideas. A great idea to save space is to invest in integrated appliances - appliances that fit seamlessly into cupboards, therefore saving space around the kitchen. Integrated appliances can be expensive to be and often require a full kitchen re-do, but you may be able to place your appliances into existing cupboards to save money and space. The thought of hanging your pans and utensils from hooks around the kitchen may strike you as being a tad old fashioned, but it's an excellent way to save space; pans take up a lot of cupboard space, so by hanging them up, you'll be able to save yourself an entire cupboard for additional storage.


2. The living room
A great way to save space in the living room is to do away completely with hefty TV stands and install your TV on the wall. Corner sofas are another great space saving techniques; they make use of corners that would otherwise be left bare and unused.

3. The bathroom
Saving space in the bathroom can be tricky; after all, there are a lot of essential items - such as baths, sinks, showers, and toilets (check out this Toilet Review Guide) - to fit in and finding additional space to use can be a challenge. Corner sinks and vanity units are an excellent idea to save space; they are specifically designed to sit in bathroom corners that would otherwise go on used and are a great space saving technique, you can take a look at some examples here. Rounded bathroom furniture is another good thing to invest in; unlike convention, rectangular shaped furniture, rounded furniture has softer edges, and is usually slightly smaller in size than other types of furniture. The softer edging helps to create the illusion of more space, and the rounded edging fits in better with smaller bathroom styles. Shower curtains are another clever storage area.


If you have a combination bath-and-shower (a great space saving solution in itself), a shower curtain is definitely better than a glass door; they're easier to move, and can be pushed back to create the illusion of space around the bath area. Glass doors are more fixed, and can look clunky and in the way. Shower curtains can now be bought with pockets in them, giving you handy storage space for items such as sponges and shower gels; you can use it to store bath items that would otherwise be kept in messy rows around the bath, thereby freeing-up space around the bath.


4. The bedroom
Considering all the things we have to find room for in our bedrooms, it's a good thing that there are some clever storage techniques out there. If you aren't fortunate enough to have a bed that comes complete with storage drawers, you can improvise by investing in a sliding shelf for under your bed to store bed linen and other items. Under-bed storage items are a great way to save space, and help you to utilize room that you already have in your room, but otherwise go unused. If you store items under your bed anyway, an under-bed storage unit can help to make your room look tidier by hiding items that may otherwise poke out from under the bed.

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My Water Bill Was Sky High And Here Is Why

Last year we noticed a HUGE spike in our water and sewer bills. Unfortunately, we get billed separately for each service since they are from two different companies. Let's back up to 5 years ago. Our bills ran us about $60-$70. Last year it starting going into the $100-$150 range which seemed like a lot. Then suddenly it went all the way to a whopping $250 for the water and $300 for sewer. That was for ONE month per service. We knew something was wrong for sure. We had a licensed plumber come in and determine that we had a water pressure problem from the meter. Basically, way too much water was surging into our home and that wore out our plumbing fixtures. So not matter how often we changed out the toilet tank parts or washers in the faucets, they would blow out from the high water pressure.


This lead to the rubber parts causing leaks, which added to the high water bills. We ended up having a water pressure regulator installed a couple feet away from the city water meter and it took the pressure down from over 100 psi to below 70 where it should be. The plumber pointed out the fact that they meter was "spinning" 24/7 which meant water was being used non-stop, even if were weren't actually using it. 😑 Even after getting the regulator installed, we still had to get all new toilet parts replaced to make the meter stop spinning. Needless to say, it was a costly visit that took 5 hours to complete.

Thankfully our city water and sewer companies worked with us to adjust our bills since we proved we had the leaks fixed. Although it wasn't a super big amount they took off, we were still grateful to get some sort of discount. We saw a big price difference already on the first bill after the repairs were made, at around $100. I got the latest bill yesterday and we are now back in the $55 range. This makes me so happy! I think about how much we overpaid in the last year and it makes my head hurt. Oh well, glad we have it fixed and can have a little peace of mind now.

One thing about home ownership is that you will forever have work and projects going on. It is so important to stay on top of things when you see your bills go up unusually high. Have you had any homeowner debacles or projects lately?
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How to decorate a Southwest Styled House

What does a Southwest Style House look like?
A Southwest-styled house is specially made to give an inviting and gorgeous look to guests and visitors. You can recognize a Southwest-styled house with some prominent features such as flat roofs, its covered porches, stoned pillars and walls, smaller windows, large wooden doors and lower roof when viewed from inside. It has patterned tile work creating a cool environment. Another feature which is noticeable is the use of stucco walls.

Stucco walls are made by applying thick layer which hardens when dried. These houses are usually found in single story homes. Such houses are commonly found in Southwestern areas of America (like Phoenix, Las Vegas, California, etc.). These houses have also embraced current trends in decoration along with old traditional wooden style.


History
Southwest Style house plans have a historical background after which it was known all over the world. In earlier times, Southwest style houses were also known as Pueblo Revival Style. This design was taken up from Spanish mission in New Mexico. Its popularity increased during the 1920s and 1930s. The main features of such houses at that time included the use of bricks and concrete on walls and flat roofs. This style was very famous in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado in earlier times.

Tips to decorate your Southwest Style house

  • As you will start decorating your house, you will also color its walls. Southwestern styled houses are painted with bright and vibrant colors (including yellows and oranges). On the other hand, those colors should not be extra bright that it irritates your eye. The color chosen should be warm. Shades of yellow, orange, golden and blue are in tradition with this style. Paints denote natural colors of the sky.
  • Use of wood should be easily seen. Using different kinds of wood such as pine, oak, maple, birch, etc. can indicate Southwestern style. Bold wooden furniture is also encouraged. New Mexico was famous for more use of wood.
  • If you do not feel like using more wood in your house, you can go for metalwork. Furniture made from metal is also found in Southwestern styled house. You can set up wrought iron tables and chairs or railings.
  • Add creativity to your walls by either making it with stones or stucco. Textured walls are more liked in such houses. You can enhance the interior by putting spiritual content on the walls.
  • Every house has pillars inside it. Making it out of stonework will look more inspiring. It will then look more like a Southwestern styled house.
  • Simple wooden flooring will not sound like a house of such category. Therefore, adding art will help you. You can either use stones or rough planks and brick. To add beauty, you can also place rugs all over the floor with different designs. Southwest house designs have variety, so you could also add mosaic tiles on the floor.
  • Include more of Spanish decoration. Guests should find more Spanish details. Pottery of different shapes and sizes are promoted.

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Turn your spare room into the ultimate den

Your idea of bliss might involve curling up on a plush, overstuffed sofa with your favorite paperback and a steaming mug of tea. For your partner, heaven might be the thrill of tearing up some virtual tarmac with the latest white knuckle racing game and a mini fridge full of ice-cold craft beers. Everyone likes a little time away from the rest of the family, so it’s only natural to want to dedicate a small portion of the home to the preservation of everyone’s sanity. If this sounds like you, it’s time to transform your spare room into a family den.

If you do have a box room eligible for promotion to living space status, it has probably been used as the household dumping ground. Your first step towards creating your family haven is to banish the bumf and clear out the clutter. Any long lost articles of clothing and literature you are not instantly overjoyed to rediscover in the clear out should be recycled. Hoarders is not an aspirational lifestyle.

Once the room has been completely emptied, you can begin to determine the function and personality of your den with a bit of decor. Need a brooding man cave? Dark maroon or bottle green with wallpaper accents or wood paneling may exude the sophistication you crave. An airy meditation retreat will require lighter colors; duck egg blue will help you reclaim serenity, while light woods and white walls are necessary to make the most of the light in an aspiring artist’s studio.

As for furnishings, comfort trumps style every time. While we all picture ourselves staring into a crackling fire from the embrace of a chunky Chesterfield, the reality is that Chesterfields are a bit slippery, and fires consume as much time as they do fuel. Big, plush sofas scattered with squishy cushions work best. For the pyromaniac seeking a bit of fiery atmosphere, a few candles or fairly lights in a hurricane lamp will work as well as an inferno. In the same vein, exposed mahogany floorboards might sound grand, but toe splinters are no joke. Instead, layer traditional oriental rugs near well-trafficked spots to keep bare feet warm.

If you do have a forlorn little spot in your house, show it some love; not everyone has the fortune of a spare room to play with. Whether you choose to transform it into a home cinema, a billiards room or a crafts haven, you’ll find getting creative with a bit of personal space can do wonders for the soul.
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Vinyl Wall Art Decals for Nursery - Best Choice for Your Baby’s Room

For a new couple who are well-off, it can be exciting to have a baby. The joy of expecting can be difficult to believe at first but when the realization finally dawns on the mind, there is excitement brimming in the minds of would-be parents. The entire process seems more real once you begin to plan the nursery for your bundle of joy that is soon to arrive. As a new parent, you want to make the room of your kid more special and make it look like a safe haven for your child. Vinyl wall art can make the decoration more beautiful. When you use wall decals for nursery, you can be assured that you are creating a room that can be more inviting for your baby. You can buy from wallstickersshop.co.uk if you want to decorate your children’s room.

Advantages of Using Vinyl Wall Decal for Nursery

You can get a lot of advantages out of using wall stickers for nursery.

1.    Many individuals, especially those without an artistic bent of mind, find it extremely hard to decorate nurseries properly. You can use vinyl wall art to make a perfectly themed decoration for your baby nursery walls and transform the simple room into a fantasy land for your baby. It can be really simple to use this type of instant wall decoration. You do not require any professional assistance for the placement and installation of these stickers. It is very simple to set up and can be performed by any person.

2. As your baby continues to grow up, his or her maturity and interests will obviously change. You can easily customize the walls by removing the old vinyl decals and replacing them with fresh wall decals for nursery. You wall can be a sign of the growth and maturing tastes of your child over the years as they continue to make their journey to adulthood. You can easily peel off these vinyl stickers and change them as your kid grows up. This can make an economical as well as sun decoration for your child’s room. A lot of teenagers do not like to use cartoon characters or alphabets in their rooms. You may easily remove them and stick an inspiration picture or a family photo, whichever is loved by your child.

3. Vinyl wall art can be an excellent way to add flair and color to your nursery. You may select geometric designs, characters from fairy tales or other artistic stuff to express your thoughts and your love for your baby. You can create a nursery wall where you can display the achievements of your child in vinyl lettering as he or she continues to grow up.

4. Decals are available in a variety of shapes and sizes that you can choose from for your nursery. You can create a beautiful summer garden blooming with cute animals, bright flowers and streams to make a personal and warm environment where your baby can live and grow up in. You need to select those decals that you wish to have and peel off their backside to paste them smoothly on the walls of the nursery and provide it with a fun décor.

5. You need to tamper with paints and stencil which need some amount of finesse that you will probably be lacking in. You will not have to worry about any spills or drips and find out that your nursery does not look as bright as it is supposed to be. When you use vinyl wall art, you can get the bright colors that you deserve. You may even take the stickers, which have been designed for your nursery, along with you as you shop for the perfect wall paint that can match the color of your stickers. In case you paste them in a wrong area, you can also easily peel off the backside of the stickers and move them over to the exact spot that they should rest on.

6. The majority of wall stickers for nursery and replaceable and reusable. This means you can easily peel them off and store them for use for the next generation. This can really be the best way to transform the room of an older kid back into a nursery.

Things to Remember While Going for Vinyl Wall Stickers for Nursery

When you are looking for the best wall decals for nursery of your baby, you need to keep a few things in mind.

7. You can select from thousands of designs to customize the wall of your baby nursery in the most apt manner. Wall decals can be availed in a lot of colors that you can choose from to match the paint and overall decoration of your walls. There are many vinyl wall art decoration items available, which include Vinyl Wall Word Art, Vinyl Wall Lettering and of course Vinyl Wall Stickers which are the most common. You may even opt for customization.

8. You may even use your own photos or your family photos for vinyl wall decals. If you show off an enlarged family portrait as a wall decal, it can appear as if it has been painted by a professional artist and hung on the wall as was the custom in the olden days. With wall decals in vinyl, your creative designing options are truly endless.

9. Wall quotes, flowering trees and branches, customized photos, stars, lettering and geometric shapes are some of the more famous types of vinyl wall art. You can browse the online catalogs or directly call up a qualified representative in order to have a discussion about your artistic ideas.

10. Bright shapes and colors on walls can make a warm atmosphere for newborns and also learn to recognize shapes, stars and dots from an early age. It can be a god idea to coordinate dots of varying colors and sizes on the wall that can match floor tiles, crib sheets, furniture and curtains of bright color.

With wall art decals for nursery, you can showcase your creativity and make just the type of growing environment that your kid will love growing up in. It can be fun to use wall decals and you will be surprised at the number of options that you can pick from.

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Wall Art Prints from Minted.com

I am a very simple person. I am not into a lot of "stuff" all over my home. As a matter of fact, although I have owned my house for many years, I still have a lot of empty walls that could use some sprucing up. One place in particular is my office. The only thing I have hanging up is a calendar and some random sticky notes. I have been browsing  wall art prints from Minted.com and came across a few pieces that caught my eye. This one called, "Museum" is my favorite:

What's neat about this particular print is that you can choose from 3 color schemes. It has such a feminine and sophisticated feel. You can choose from a variety of sizes and frames. You can also go with an unframed piece if you want to personalize it with a frame of your own.
The Minted site gives some great suggestions for grouping wall art prints for a contemporary and unique look. I saw some fun pieces that are all kitchen or food related that would make a cool clustered look for my dining area. 
With the amount of time I spend in my office, my wall needs to be treated to a lovely piece of art. My eyes could use the treat as well! 

Be sure to connect with Minted.com on Facebook and Twitter for the latest products updates and promotions.

I received a gift code as a thank you for sharing this article to promote Minted.com's wall art prints. All opinions are my own as always. 
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Are you moving? Here are some great tips from Unpakt

Moving can be expensive—from movers to insurance to down payments—the bill can add up quickly.

Fortunately, packing supplies do not need to be added to your list of expenses. Actually, you may already own some of the best packing materials around—you just didn’t realize it yet!  Unpakt, a price comparison site and online booking tool for consumers searching for a reputable moving company, put together a list of household items that can be used for packing:

Sandwich Bags – These can be used to hold hardware from disassembled furniture and appliances. They are also ideal for toiletries—if something leaks during the move, a sandwich bag will prevent other items from being damaged.
Towels, Socks, other Clothing Items – Towels can be used to wrap plates, serving platters, vases, or breakable décor. Make sure you keep one out to pack  n your overnight bag though!  Balls of socks can be used to fill open space in boxes of breakables. You want items secure, so they do not bounce around. Rather than using packaging peanuts or other costly products, use socks. Longer socks can also be used to wrap glasses and stemware. T-shirts, tanks, and sweaters can also be used to wrap breakables. A nice soft sweater or sweatshirt is ideal to line the bottom of the box. This will provide cushioning in case the box gets roughed up during the move.

Beer Boxes – There are three reasons to use beer boxes. First, they are heavy duty and can hold a lot of weight. Second, they have handles on the side, which makes them easy to carry. Third, you get to drink the beer to empty the box! If you’re not into drinking a case of beer, head to a liquor store and see if they will give them to you for free.

Drawers – With the exception of clothes you do not necessarily want movers peeking at, most clothes can stay in your dresser drawers. Simply cover them with Glad Press’n Seal. If you plan on doing this, make sure the moving company doesn’t have rules about handling unboxed items.

Twist Ties – Use these to stop cables and cords from getting tangled.
Other household items that can be used as packing supplies include trash pails (after a thorough clean!), suitcases, Rubbermaid containers, baskets, underbed storage, gym bags and backpacks, trash bags, and hampers.



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Tips for buying a home

Everyone dreams of owning their own home, but buying one is a lot of work. Just preparing for homeownership is a massive undertaking that can seem daunting. There are processes that you have to go through before you can even think about looking for the home you want to buy.

Budgeting and banks
First, you have to know exactly what your budget is and how much you can afford to spend. The banks will need this information before they will even think about giving you a mortgage loan, so have it all ready. The difference can sometimes help in negotiations with a seller for a better price on the home. Make sure that you are pre-approved not pre-qualified. Research diligently through different lenders as well. Make sure you get the best possible mortgage and interest rates.

Look into the area
You will have to know what you need as far as size like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, etc. You will have to take into consideration schools, transportation, and stores as well. If you prefer public transportation, you will have to make sure that you are near to the local pick up. Do you want the local stores to be close at hand? The Local Records Office can give you a lot of information about the neighborhoods you are considering, so make sure to look them up.

Contract a buyer's agent
The housing market changes constantly. Even though we are recovering from the housing crisis from a few years ago, you will want to do plenty of research. You don't have to have a real estate agent and honestly, agents work for the seller not you. However, you can contract a buyer's agent if you wish. A buyer's agent will ensure you find the house you want for a good price and actually works for you.

Look for homes
Look at a lot of homes before you make an offer for one. You want to make sure that you are getting exactly what you want and not just settling for what you think you can afford. After all if you are paying that much money to buy a home, you want to be happy in it. Likewise, don't allow an agent to push you into a house you can't really afford either. Just because you qualify for it, doesn't mean you should buy it. You could overtax yourself and that will lead to trouble later on.

Once you make an offer and it is accepted, there are several steps that have to be taken. A home inspection to check the foundation, construction, heating and cooling system, electrical etc must be done. This is important so that you and your bank know that the home is sound.

You will have to buy homeowners insurance and bring the document with you to your closing along with your down payment and another check for closing costs unless you have negotiated for the seller to pay them, you will be responsible for those.  The closing should take about an hour and when you are finished, you will be the proud owner of a home of your own.

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