DIY

Health Issues and Faulty Plumbing

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Faulty Plumbing

Plumbing problems can cause more than structural or physical damage to your house. They can pose a major threat to your overall health. That means everybody in the household from you, your children and your pets. You have a leaky pipe? You better call the plumber, but you may need to call your doctor as well. There can be severe to minor health concerns associated with a bad pipe. Let’s take a look at some of the potential hazards and familiarise yourself with them.

Leaking Pipes

Leaking pipes go hand in hand with mould. Water damage to your walls, ceilings, floors, under your sink, and other areas are perfect breeding grounds for mould. Mould can grow in two days if there is sufficient moisture for it to breed. That’s not a long time.

Murderous Mould

If you live in a humid environment, you should know that mould is prone to grow if the humidity level gets too high. Condensation forming on your windows is the most obvious way to tell if the humidity inside is too high.

How does mould adversely affect your health? For starters, mould can make your allergies or asthma worse. Symptoms can include coughing, congestion, eye irritation, rashes on your skin, itchiness, a runny nose and asthma attacks. Mould can cause infections and these can lead to other respiratory diseases.

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DIY

How to Clean Your Pool with Minimum Effort

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clean-your-pool

Many people love their swimming pools and enjoy the lifestyle they have created by installing it. Swimming is a healthy exercise, but what is in the water is not necessarily good for your health. Pool cleaners don’t have to be chemicals that can be bad for your health. For instance, robotic pool cleaners quietly get on with the job and don’t put any kind of chemical into the water. You can clean your pool with minimum effort using automatic pool cleaners.

It’s bad enough that most pools contain chlorine to combat the bacteria that grows there.Chlorine  has been used for many years in pools, yet it is a suspected carcinogen and it has been proven by studies done in Belgium that many children exposed to the chlorine in swimming pools developed asthma, rashes and other allergies.

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DIY

How to Choose Carpet Cleaners for the Home or Work Premises

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carpet-cleaners

When your carpet starts to look a bit grubby you know it is time to call in someone like brilliance cleaning. However, it will pay you to choose them carefully, just as you would take care in choosing a builder for your home. You want the cleaners who do the best job, but there are several other criteria to be aware of when making your choice.

  • Not all professional carpet cleaners use non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaning products. Why is this important? It is an easy way to do your bit to save the environment, but in fact, it also saves your health. Many chemicals emit toxic fumes or cause allergies when your skin contacts the carpet.

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DIY

Renovating Your Kitchen

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Tired of your shabby old kitchen and thinking about renovating it? Kitchens are the centre of the home and these days is expected to look just as amazing as the rest of your home while still being totally functional. You may think that a quick DIY renovation will improve it, but when you come to think about it, what will new cupboard doors and a granite counter add? It will still be the same kitchen and all the things that annoyed you about it will still be there.

Advantages of getting a professional kitchen renovation

The best way to get an amazing kitchen is to have professional kitchen designers come in and suggest real changes that will upgrade your kitchen and make it more functional as well as changing how it looks. To simplify the job, choose kitchen designers that will not only do the design, but provide the materials and install it all for you. That way you won’t have to chase three different companies.

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DIY

3 Ways to Make Moving into Your New Home Easier

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Moving into Your New Home Easier

People often think that moving out of their home to another location is the biggest hassle ever, what with all the packing and arrangements that have to be made. But when they go through the move they realise that moving into a new home is almost as bad as moving out of the old one.

One of the reasons for this is that there is no time limit. When moving out you set a day and have to work towards getting everything done by then. But once you have moved in you tend to relax and put off unpacking – and that means you live in a mess for weeks, not knowing where vital belongings got to and tripping over half-unpacked boxes. Here are 3 ways to make moving in easier

The best way to label moving boxes

Label the boxes with numbers or letters, then write the exact contents of each into a writing pad or exercise book. Or you can just write something like, “Contents of laundry cupboard” or whatever. It is best not to describe in detail what is in each box on the carton itself. For a start, it’s hard to see when the cartons are stored together, and it becomes easier for potential burglars to pick out which ones to steal.

Keeping essentials together by room

Another way to make unpacking easier is to write the room on each box and get your professional home removalists to take the boxes into the rooms they belong to. That way, everything you need will at least be in the right room and your back will not ache so much when you don’t have to drag boxes around. (more…)

DIY

The Advantages of Limestone Paving

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Limestone paving has always been perceived as a natural and calming choice for a home. This may be utilized in various ways. Gone are the days when limestone was only limited to flooring. That is not the sole case these days. Limestone being the beauty that it is has undergone many years prior to forming on the surface of the earth. This would not occur if it was not for a remarkable pressure on it. This is responsible for the unique features seen in the said stone. This makes it a famous choice for any landscaping and construction projects.

Paving with the use of limestone turned out to be a great option for homeowners whether you are doing it yourself, utilizing the services of a experienced handyman or going all out and employing a professional paving company. This is perfect for outdoor fixtures including terraces and pool surroundings. Do not get this wrong because this may also work well with indoor environments. This may feature corridors and bathrooms which are normally seen in homes and offices. Tiles made of limestone are also the right option when it comes to wet areas. They are ideal because they can provide slipping. Absorption of water will also not be an issue. It is just that limestone pavers may vary in appearance. This is why an exceptional look may be attained.

The Advantages

Limestone is a durable and heavy natural stone. This is enjoyed well by the building industry and this has been happening for so many years now. This limestone is common when it comes to architectural and landscaping applications. Paving through this may be applied in areas such as driveway, pool area, walkaway, patio, pathway, courtyard, stepping stones, landscaping and even verandas.

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DIY

3 Advantages of Moving Offices

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Moving-Offices

Business owners whose business is conducted in offices will realise that it is not always advantageous to remain where you started up. Often, a start-up office has been chosen with budget constraints in mind and will therefore be out of the main CBD. But once the business has become established you will find that a better location will have many advantages.

  1. For a start, you may need more room to expand as you increase staff or if your business takes a different turn, such as adding a partner or taking on peripheral work. With such expansion comes the need for more office space to house the added equipment and staff. Your first office may have only contained yourself and your computer so more is required.
  2. Certain locations will be easier for your demographic to find. Most people go to the CBD to find what they need when it comes to business. Such central locations often have easier access, for instance, an elevator instead of stairs, and better parking facilities for your clients.
  3. There is a certain amount of prestige associated with locations in the CBD. The decor of the offices there will reflect this and it is part of what draws in more clientele. Once your business is set up in such an office it reassures people that you are a bone fide, trustworthy person to do business with.

That brings us to the problem of having to physically move the office.  Office equipment must be handled with care as computers,  printers and other components can be easily damaged. Then there are all those connections that have to be pulled apart and reconnected in the new offices. You don’t let just anyone do this kind of removal.

Why professional removalists are best

Professional removalists have the training needed to ensure all your office equipment is packed up carefully and reconnected properly in your new offices. They offer special packing and wrapping services that ensure nothing can come loose and fall off and that all the cords remain with the equipment they belong to. (more…)

DIY

12 Tips to Protect Your Carpet from Pets

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Many households have one or more pets they allow into the house, especially in the town or a city, where there are no wide open spaces for them to play safely. Dogs, cats and other pets often become a part of the family and can add a great deal to your enjoyment of life. But when they mess on the carpet your joy will be dimmed, especially if it is a new one. So how can you protect your carpet from your pets and avoid endless home carpet cleaning bills? Here are some tips to help you: –

  • If your pet sleeps inside, make sure they have their own bedding rather than sleeping on the carpet. This can be placed in the family room until everyone goes to bed, then removed to the bathroom or laundry and the door shut to prevent your pet wandering around the house during the night and possibly leaving an oopsie behind.
  • Have a mat at each door entrance that the pet uses so that when they come in from outside, a lot of dirt from their paws will be left behind on the mat. One with some pile will help to rub dirt off from under their claws and between their pads.

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DIY

How to Have a Really Cool Basement

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If you have a basement you are one of the lucky ones. Not only do you have a spare room for storage, it is usually large enough to be remodelled into anything you want, all without losing storage space. The main thing to remember is that being under the house, it’s likely to be naturally dim, so good lighting will be essential. A qualified electrician can install both lighting and power points for your new basement room, once you’ve decided what you want to do with it. (more…)

DIY

Get Your Laundry Basics Correct

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Laundry Basics

It’s an essential room in every home and if you manage your laundry basics well, then the chore of doing the weekly washing and ironing becomes much more enjoyable. A mess in any room looks bad and leaves you feeling overwhelmed, which is all the more reason to have your laundry designed with practicality, this will help you maintain a well organised space. Here are some laundry basics to help you get your laundry back into shape:

Make space for folding: Install a countertop so you have a place to fold clothes as they come out of the dryer. Ideally, it should be right above the dryer, if space is limited then have a fold out table nearby so that you can bring it into the laundry when needed.

Create a space for hanging: Every laundry room needs a place to hang clothes fresh from the dryer or delicate items you prefer to air-dry. Installing a hanging rod either under your cabinets or next to them is one of the laundry basics.

Laundry organisation: Have a cabinet with shelves and spaces which can handle all your detergents, powders and pegs. You could also install a drying cabinet for air drying delicate clothes and a storage cabinet to put washed clothes in before ironing.

Convenient ironing: A wall-mounted ironing board which can fold in or out is a great space saver and makes ironing less of a chore. When planning your inbuilt ironing board make sure a power point is close at hand.

Plan it out: If you’re starting from scratch in designing your laundry and toilet, think of your plumbing. Place appliances where the outlets are placed. If you have a front-loading washer you can use the top for other things.

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