Home Security System Signs Are Effective

Posted on June 26, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

If you are concerned about the safety of your home, you may need to hire a security monitoring company to keep an eye on it. Next you should definitely consider the installation of some strategically placed home security signs and stickers.  Make sure to choose prominent locations around your property letting anyone know that they are under surveillance when they choose to enter your property.  Only a fool would take the time to actually check to see if the signs, stickers, or cameras are real.  Most burglars and vandals are in a hurry and the last thing they want is the potential to get caught.  Security warning signs pose a problem for someone who is trying to remain unnoticed.

The last time you saw a security sign, camera, or sticker, did you check to see if it was real, or did you simply believe it for what it is? If you are an insider who works for the security industry you can tell in a flash, but the average person is likely not going to know the difference, just by looking at it. By simply placing the professional looking security warning signs in the same areas that the professionals do, your security system is going to be a great deal cheaper and you won’t have to pay the monthly monitoring charges year after year.  On the other hand, if you can afford it, get the real thing because it is a good investment no matter how you look at it.  If you can’t currently afford a real system, use home security signs which you can purchased right on the internet.

Alarm monitoring stickers can be applied to the inside of your windows do add a bit more to the ruse when you are trying to make your home appear to be protected.  The amateur burglar who is looking for an easy entry will shy away from your home security warning sign and monitoring stickers because he or she is likely another house nearby that is definitely not protected.

There are no guarantees, a security sign or sticker may not prevent all of the burglars from entering your house, but it certainly will deter the uninformed and lazy burglar who is not looking for a hassle.  You are in fact improving your chances by using security signs. If you cannot afford a real alarm company, there are many things you can do to improve your chances including locking your doors, window, and installing home security system signs even if they are fake.  The last thing you want is to look like an easy target in a neighborhood where the other homes appear to be well protected.

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Terror at the Furniture Store

Posted on June 25, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Buying any type of furniture is a terror-filled experience for me. I know little about design and decor. While I like individual pieces, I cannot put them together into a coherent image or arrangement. Furniture shopping is not a fun experience. Recently I planned to purchase dining room furniture. After watching hours of programs on interior design, I hoped I knew the important things I needed before going to the store. I even had enough common sense to measure the room before leaving. My current dining room is an eclectic (hodgepodge) mixture of decorating styles, so I made a list describing every stick in the room. My crib sheet said to consider a whole list of thing about the size of my family, number of friends, etc. It all boiled down to how many people I wanted to stuff in the room at the same time, I had no idea. The list I had swiped from a convenient commercial website wanted more decisions. Did I want to mix and match style and piece or purchase a set?

At last the big question, money. How much did I want to spend? Well, I know how much I had in the bank and I knew I couldn’t spend it all, but I like quality. I like the fine feel of craftsmanship.

Hummmm, the bloody sheet went on about the size of the room dictating the number of pieces I can buy. I would rather have one chair built by an exceptional craftsman, than a room of cheap junk. Next were room size and the size of the table, this I knew about. It’s simple geometry, I made an A. Small room, small furniture, which is simple enough. Small rooms only have room for a table, chairs, and things hanging on the walls. Let’s see, the crib sheet say big room contain table, chairs, hutch, and maybe a breakfront. Who wrote this? What is kitchen storage doing in a dining room? Hasn’t anyone ever heard of a butler’s pantry or china closet?

I’m told that the dimensions of a room specifies the furniture. Rectangular rooms are easier to deal with than oddly shaped rooms. I can see that, a triangular room, while interesting, would pose some difficult decorating problems. This sheet is too much, now it’s telling me that decisions on new furniture should be made on the dining room’s current decor. Well, that’s what I trying to change, I don’t like the current decor. Why should I consider the current colors, drapes, and wallpaper before buying something new. Changing that stuff is cheap compared to the money I will spend on the furniture. I’ll trash the whole lot to get something I like.

Well, I’ve finally reached the end and the “expert’s” crib sheet. It’s only marginally useful. However, it did score a few points:

  • Know what you have;
  • What size is the room;
  • Be ready to throw everything out;
  • Pick the table first;
  • Round dining tables generate a warmer atmosphere;
  • Leave plenty of room around the table;
  • Don’t over stuff the room with Kitchen Furniture;
  • Buy what you like, even if no one else does; and
  • Have deep pocket when buying craftsmanship.

I think that boils it down. I like round dining tables, never saw anything but round pedestal dining tables on a cruise ship. Well now, where’s my wallet, credit cards, and checkbook, I think I’m going to need all of them before this is over.

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Uses for Outdoor Garden Lighting

Posted on June 24, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Now that we are all spending more and more time outside due to the nice weather, we need to think about the lighting we have installed in our yards and elsewhere around our property. The right outdoor garden light can make a big difference in the beauty and safety of your yard.

  • If you have a pathway from your back porch to the rear of your property or a pathway to your pool, you need to be sure that pathway is safe. To make it safe, you can use outdoor garden lights to line the way. Whether you use hard-wired or solar garden lighting, it will make a huge difference in the appearance of your yard at night. It’s a small investment for an important safety feature; you don’t want someone to trip and get hurt.
  • If you have a beautiful tree that you would love to highlight in the evenings, a special outdoor garden light called an ‘up-light’ or ‘spotlight’ would do the trick. Perhaps you have a flower garden with some prized roses or other beautiful plants. You can use garden lighting to show them off.
  • If you love to sit on your back deck or patio in the evening, perhaps you would like to add some outdoor garden lights to the area. Outline your deck or patio for a special effect. Use table-top garden lighting as a centerpiece on your outdoor table and make party time unique.

Many solar lights now come in colors, so you have options that were not available years ago. If red is your favorite color, use red solar outdoor garden lights. If your little girl loves the color blue, get blue lights and surprise her. Make your garden, yard, deck or patio special. For a birthday party that you plan to hold outdoors, you can light up the yard with so many different lights to really make a dramatic effect. String some white holiday lights in the trees and then shine an up-light on them to really bring out the glow and warmth.

The possibilities are endless for uses for outdoor lights of any kind. You can get them in a black finish, brown finish, bronze finish or silver finish. Whatever fits in better with your landscaping and color preferences will work.

Make sure to set your lights to come on right around dusk. You can time them for several hours or let them stay on all night. Solar garden lights will take care of themselves.

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Three Ways To Have A More Environmentally Friendly Shower

Posted on June 23, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Ever think about how your morning or evening bathroom shower ritual impacts the environment? We all love to start or end the day with a relaxing burst of water, but anyone who is environmentally aware should give some thought to how to minimize the effect that showering has on the environment.

The problems to think about involving showering revolve primarily around the water you use and the chemicals you employ to lather yourself every time you get into the bath tub. It turns out that people often use far more water than they need to, and also use soaps and shampoos that are harmful to the environment or even your health.

Here are three things you can do to take a more eco friendly shower:

1) Use a water saving shower head. Showering accounts for a big portion of the water we use in America. In fact the EPA estimates that 17% of all residential indoor water use goes to showering. That is the equivalent to 3.3 billion gallons every day of the year. If you stop to think about it, this water comes from delicate eco systems in the nation’s rivers, streams and lakes. The more we use, the more harm is caused–so why not use less? Water saving shower heads use 2.5 gallons or less per minute compared to older shower heads that use upwards of 5 gallons a minute. Better yet, they are cleverly constructed to disguise the fact you are using less water, meaning you get to enjoy your shower just as much as with an old head. All you have to do is screw off the old shower head, screw on a new one that is listed as water efficient, and you are well on your way to lowering the burden on the local reservoir.

2) Switch to an organic or natural shampoo. People are often unaware of the extent to which harmful chemicals are often found in regular shampoos. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a non-profit group of environmental and health organizations, recently released a study finding that many popular baby shampoos and bath products contain formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, both of which are listed as possible cancer-causing agents. So not only do these nasty chemicals flow into the environment when we use these products, but we can potentially also harm our own health. Switching to a natural or an organic shampoo is simple and is much gentler on our health and the environment.

3) Use gentler soaps. The concerns about chemicals in shampoo apply equally to soap. Two additional complications are that the synthetic fragrances and anti-bacterial nature of many soaps today are detrimental to the environment. On the latter point, anti-bacterial soaps kill off good bacteria as well as bad, they do not discriminate. So when the lather from these soaps ends up in our bays and rivers it ends up doing a lot of harm to the Earth’s beneficial bacteria. Instead of using harsh soaps, consider better products like castile or vegetable based soaps, which contain more natural materials less likely to wreak environmental harm.

If you want to go green and make a difference, give some thought to the tried and true daily shower routine. You can have a relaxing shower every day, but do it in a way that minimizes your footprint on the environment. The Earth will thank you for it.

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Easy 10 Foot Trampoline Install Tips

Posted on June 22, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

In recent times, if you have bought a 10ft trampoline, then there is a possibility that the installation process might have left you stumped. Before you start using your new toy, there are many things to be taken into consideration.

If you are going to install the 10ft trampoline with enclosure, then obviously your installation process might take a bit longer. Firstly, you will decide the place where you will put up your 10ft trampoline. The place should be even and you should avoid soft ground as far as possible. It is very mandatory for all homeowners to read and follow the guidelines as instructed by the manufacturer while installing 10ft trampolines. The tips provided here are mainly intended to help you during the installation process rather than replacing the instructions that is provided with your product.

To start with the installation process, you need to have an area that permits you to have space of at least twelve feet. The 10ft trampoline is designed in such a way that it adjusts itself on a firm and flat surface, hence the areas of ground coverings must be cleared before the installation process. To get your product to be ready to use, you must spend at least three hours for it. Never try to put the 10 ft trampoline underground unless it is specifically designed for such purpose.

Follow the instructions that came along with your trampoline on how to put the aluminum tubing together. While you putting the tubing together, you have your mesh jumping surface laid out in the sun to help it to lay out smother and to make the installation process easy. The next step that you will be doing is attaching the springs to your trampoline 10 foot jumping surface. Once you are done with this, you can start to have the springs placed into the designated holes in the tubing part. Ensure that all screws, nuts and bolts are fastened tightly so as to ensure safety and durability.

Basically, the trampolines are sold with a protective padding or it can be bought separately. This product is highly recommended as it is very essential in protecting the children form getting hurt on the metal springs. To lessen the risk of children or to prevent the children from falling off the trampoline, you might prefer 10 ft trampoline enclosure.

Perform a careful review once you are done with the manufacturer’s instructions and have the trampoline tested by an adult. Once this step is over, you can now go ahead to enjoy your trampoline. Take careful notice of any wear occurring on the springs or on the surface before you start using. This task must be carefully checked by an adult before playing each time. No matter what, safety always comes first!

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Oil Heaters 101: The Basics

Posted on June 22, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Oil heaters, which are also sometimes referred as column heaters, are heating devices that are usually used in most homes. These heaters consist of metal columns that have hollow cavities, where oil freely flows inside the heater. They feature a heating element located at the base of the unit, which functions to heat up the oil and then allows it to flow around the heater’s hollow cavities through the process of convection. The oil inside the heater basically acts as the unit’s heat reservoir. The oil has a high boiling point, which allows it to remain in liquid form for heating purposes. It also has high specific capacity, which permits the oil to store and sustain high levels of thermal energy even in smaller amounts.

Oil-filled heaters generally work by heating the oil, while the oil serves as the unit’s reservoir. The unit is capable of keeping the oil for a longer period of time as the heat is gradually transferred into the room or space via radiation and conduction. The unit’s columns are typically constructed from thin fins, which typically have a large surface area. The heater’s columns must have a large surface area to allow sufficient amount of air to come in contact with the unit at any given time. This will allow the heat produced by oil heaters to be efficiently transferred into the room being heated.

These heaters are commonly used in small-to-medium size rooms, like in bedrooms or living rooms. Although they are an affordable heating alternative, oil-filled heaters have lesser spatial heating capacity as compared to gas heaters. Hence why, they are not highly recommended when heating larger spaces. But since they do not produce harmful emissions, they are the best choice for indoor heating. The power consumption of oil-filled heaters can be anywhere around 300 to 2400 watts, depending on the unit’s size, heating capacity and output.

When it comes to safety, oil heaters are undoubtedly the best choice. In fact, they are much safer as opposed other heating options since they have lower surface temperature, and they are often equipped with additional safety features. Some models even have tilt sensor which automatically turns off the unit when it is accidentally knocked over. With that said, you can sleep soundly at night knowing that your heating device won’t bring your house on fire. But still, it would be best not to leave your oil-filled heater unattended when in use, just to be on the safe side.

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Best Way To Get Rid Of Fleas

Posted on June 22, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Fleas are never any fun to deal with. Sometimes even people without any pets can end up having to tackle a flea problem. Fleas are usually not considered as a potential health hazard and are more irritating than anything. With a serious flea problem you cannot even take a step in a room of your home without groups of fleas jumping up on your legs. They can leave bite marks and even cause an allergic reaction.

Any person with fleas in their home should deal with the problem immediately rather than leaving it and expecting it to go away on its own. Especially if there are pets in your home they must get treated as well to get rid of fleas for good.

The best way to get rid of fleas at home involves use of flea bombs. A flea bomb is an effective way of dealing with these pests. The process of flea bombing a home is one which is quite simple.

First purchase a flea bomb of your choosing. Make sure you read the label and choose one that contains the ingredient IGR. This is important because it is this ingredient alone which ensures the fleas are not able to reach reproductive age. It is also important to ensure you have enough of these bombs to cover the whole house. The last thing you want is for one of these pesky critters to remain behind and start the problem all over again.

It is essential to plan ahead when using a flea bomb. No one should stay in the house when a flea bomb is set to go off and that means your pets too. The chemicals can be very harmful to humans and animals alike.

Set your bomb in the middle of the room, preferably one on the main level of the home. It is always better to have it go off on a lower level as opposed to a higher one, as the fumes from the bomb will move upwards not downwards.

Once the bomb has gone off, give it time to work and for the vapors to dissipate. When you return to the home you must launder all bedding and clean the floors. You want to ensure there are no chemicals leftover from the bomb release. Wipe down all exposed surfaces and only once you have completed the full house cleaning can you and your family return.

For those people who wonder do flea bombs work, the answer is yes. They are also easy to use, making them a convenient method of getting rid of fleas in the home.

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Cube Shelves For Storage And Display

Posted on June 21, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Lack of storage space is a common complaint most household’s know far too well. However, there are several ways additional storage can be added to a home without remodeling or investing large sums of money. One of these options are cube shelves. Cube shelves can easily be added to any room.

This particular style offers practical functionality while complementing interior decor. Cube shelves are sturdy enough to hold a variety of objects that weigh a considerable amount together or separately. Residential homes that are equiped with maple, oak, or mahogany shelving tend to be complemented well by using cube shelves in coordinating woods.

Displaying collectables and other miscellaneous items is a hobby people have had for many years. Cube storage shelves accommodate this favorite past-time well. Like other display units, such as curio cabinets, lighting can be installed inside the storage shelves. Lighting plays a large role in how the showcased objects will appear.

Display cases are for showing specialty items. Living rooms are often furnished with these delightful pieces. Dimming the room lights and turning on the lighting in the cube shelves makes for a wonderful atmosphere when guests are visiting. Not much thought is given to the importance of lighting until a dazzling display becomes the focus of a conversation.

Shadows are an unavoidable aspect of most light sources. Rather than viewing shadows as an inconvenience or a nuisance, shadows can be used to enhance certain features over others within a decorative storage unit. Depending on how the items are arranged, shadows will be cast in different directions. Experimenting with the placement of items and taking note of how the shadows fall can be a fun experience.

Crystal and glass blown sculptures are excellent items for displaying. When light strikes these artful creations, colors become more vibrant. Antiquated books even take on a new look under carefully planned lighting.

As far as collections go, baseball cards and shot glasses rank right at the top. Museums, restaurants, stores, and universities are just a few of the places that make use of cube shelves to show off memorabilia outside of residential homes. There is a reason for this. Like photographs, objects tend to look better when they are placed in a display case. Often times such items are fragile, sentimental, or worth a great amount of money. Storing these item’s in this fashion assures the object’s safety and safeguards them against loss.

A good amount of thought generally goes into the process of purchasing and placing cube shelves in a home or place of business. This is necessary as height needs to be considered. Measuring certain items ahead of time and comparing them to the dimensions of the shelving unit will result in a pleasing match.

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Shopping for Media Storage Cabinets

Posted on June 21, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

The market is full of innovative media storage cabinets, shelves, and towers but most expose your valuable equipment and titles to dust and especially burglars.  If you are tired of dusting each and every shelf of your media tower, shelf, or bookcase it may be time for you to consider a media storage cabinet that contains door or drawers.  You can find such home furniture pieces in various different styles but most will also offer you the option to lock the unit when it is not in use to keep small children but most importantly burglars out of your collection.

When choosing a media chest or dresser, make sure you consider the size carefully because you will need room to grow your collection.  If you only consider enough room to house your current collection you won’t have room to store any additional media equipment, supplies, or titles you may be adding in the future.  Purchase a unit that offers plenty of room to grow, easy access, and most importantly a locking mechanism.  The unit can be placed in just about any room of your home so it is idea for a media room, home theater, or bedroom that contains a television and other media devices.

If you don’t like the idea of media storage cabinets in your fancy home theater or media room, you can consider placing an interesting lamp or potted plant on top.  Make sure you choose an item that is eye catchy so the dresser appearance of the unit is less noticeable.  Even though a chest of drawers may not be most appealing furniture option for your media area, it will offer you the best alternative for organizing your favorite movie, music, and gaming titles.  You can choose to store your titles in order by type and then alphabetically so you can quickly access the title you are looking for.

When shopping for your new media cabinet, make sure you consider the material of the unit.  If you are working with a modern design or style in the room, you should look for units that are simple and sleek.  Bulky pieces that contain large hardware are more intended for a traditional design or style of room.  Some media cabinets incorporate shelves so you can even store some of your equipment in a more organized fashion.  It is up to you to find a good combination of both equipment and supply storage that will best fit your needs and still leave you plenty of room to add-on to your collection in the future.

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Basement Remodeling Ideas For Your Home

Posted on June 20, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

A lot of people are trying to come up with all sort of ideas on how to better use their basement space, especially if they haven’t had water problems with them. If you have a dry basement, you can of course use it for storage but you might want to consider some other basement ideas and doing something a little more creative with that space.

People have all sorts of basement ideas and have used them as personal workshops, small gyms, game rooms, or the place where they can get their friends over and play poker. Remodeling your basement is quite a good idea, as a finished one can significantly add space to your home. One other thing you are sure to like about this is that cost less to remodel or finish your basement than it would to add another room to your house.

If you happen to have a basement that has its own entry, you are sure to have more options when it comes to remodeling. You could then use it as a room to rent out or a place where an older child can live and enjoy more privacy. Finishing the basement as another bedroom or a place where you can add a small kitchen will really add value to your home when it comes time to sell.

Though having the extra space might seem wonderful, there are some things to consider before starting your basement remodeling. First of all you need to be sure that there is no risk of water flooding your basement as the loss will be much more significant once you remodel it. Humidity can also be a problem as basements are typically cold and wet due to them getting little sunlight.

Another thing you need to be concerned about is temperature. The temperature will always be lower in the basement so if you happen to live in an area known for low temperatures and really cold winters, you might want to consider getting heating floors so that the space becomes more comfortable.

Once you have arranged it to your liking, you can enjoy relaxing times with your family watching movies, playing different games, working on hobbies, or any other activity you enjoy doing down there. In the end, any investment will seem little compared to the benefits and extra room a finished basement can bring. Don`t let old conceptions stand in the way and use your imagination to make the best out of your house. You will not be sorry.

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