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Home Improvement

2 Ways to Unclog Your Sink

A clogged sink is a problem every homeowner encounters at least once. When it finally happens to you, here aretwo simple DIY tricks to try before calling in a professional plumber in Brisbane, CA.

Successful Recipe: Hot Water + Vinegar + Baking Soda

Whenever you’re faced with a clogged drain, this is the first thing you should try. Not only is it the easiest butalso the least expensive solution out there.

Start by removing as much standing water from the sink as you can. Generously mix baking soda and vinegar in a cup and pour the solution down the drain; to help it flow through the pipe and dissolve hardened oil and food chase it with a steady stream of hot water from a kettle. Once is usually enough to get things flowing again but it’s perfectly fine to try again if draining is still slow.

The “CPR” Method: Using a Plunger

It’s not always hardened food and oils that are backing up your pipes, though. It can also be pieces of plastic, metal rings, or other things that can’t be dissolvedwiththat fizzy mixture. When that’s the case, it’s time to bring out the plunger.

Use the suction-end to cover the drain opening and push and pull with the handle for a minute or two. Since there’s very little air inside the pipes, it may be a bit hard for good pressure to generate. Making sure you have the right sized tool for the job will help ensure an air-tight seal is formed. Additionally, plungers specifically made for sinks have a bigger head and a shorter handle, so you can easily maneuver it while you’re standing.

When to Call Plumbing Professionals?

When you’ve tried both methods, and neither has worked as planned, then it’s time to call in the big guns – a certified plumber in Brisbane, CA. They have the expertise and experience needed to battle a clogged sink. There are so many possible causes of an obstructed drain. Food and oils, as discussed above, but sometimes it could be a bigger problem. Mineral buildups and saltwater corrosion, for example. Having the name of a good plumber handy is one of the most important numbers you can have.

Plumbershave different tools, professional-grade products, and experience that you just can’t buy. In some cases, they may even have to open your pipes to remove the particles by hand. All in all, if you can’t solve it on your own, or you feel unequipped at tackling the clog yourself, a plumber in Brisbane, CA is who you should call.

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Home Improvement

Make the Most of Your Yard This Summer

The warmer weather means more outdoor living for your family. There’s no greater sensation than walking barefoot through a lush lawn. If your own yard is far from lush, don’t lose hope. Hiring a professional lawn care company may be the answer to having a yard you can be proud of. Whether you want to create a kid friendly play area, an outdoor kitchen area at which you can host parties, or if you want to enhance the exterior of the home with an eye toward upping your curb appeal, a good lawn care program is essential. You need to make the most of your soil, use native plants that grow well in your climate, consider how much watering and mowing you want to do on a weekly basis, and then implement a plan, which may include using a professional lawn care service.  Not all lawn care companies are alike, however, so proceed with caution when choosing a lawn service in Atlanta.

What to Look For

  • Choose a company who offers a wide range of services that are customized to your individual lawn needs.
  • The company should be certified by the state and have an extensive background in using safe and effective compounds.
  • They should be licensed, bonded, and insured and guarantee their work.
  • Read the testimonials and reviews from the company’s website, and from independent sites like Angie’s List or Home Advisor.
  • They should develop a lawn care program tailored to the needs of the local environment. They should use a nutrient that controls weeds while adding a high grade grass seed.
  • A personalized lawn appraisal will spell out a recommended program based on existing conditions, shade, available water, and other elements in your existing yard. The company should develop an individual lawn care program tailored to your yard’s specific needs. Only then should treatment be scheduled.
  • They should monitor the lawn during scheduled maintenance and treat the yard as often as needed.
  • The company should guarantee their treatment.
  • You want a company that is locally owned and who has a good working knowledge of the climate, the soil, and what plants and grasses work best in the Atlanta area.
  • Not only should they be members of a local business organization, the company should belong to a professional group, such as the National Association of Landscape Professionals, who offer on-going training for their members.

These are a few points to consider when searching for a lawn service in Atlanta

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Home Improvement

How to Choose Upholstery for Your Furniture

When looking to upholster furniture there is a lot that goes into the decision making process. Choosing the right fabric can feel like a lot of pressure and it is a decision you need to get right the first time. There are many options for upholstery in NYC and it can feel overwhelming seeing all the fabrics available. Here are some guidelines to help you in your decision-making process.

Design

Design is going to be your starting point in deciding on your fabric, think of your personal style, design of the furniture and style of your home. When looking at the style of the piece of furniture you are looking to upholster, think about whether you want to go the traditional route and match the style of the fabric to the style of the furniture or perhaps be more adventurous and choose a fabric that is in contrast to the style of the piece. Take into account the other furniture and fabrics that are going to be present in the room where the piece will be.

Durability

The environment that your furniture will be in and the amount of wear and tear it will be subjected to are major factors to take into consideration when choosing upholstery. If you have children or pets you are going to want to choose a fabric that is going to be hard-wearing. Fabrics such as leather can be better for pets and children as it is easily wiped down. If you choose to go with a woven fabric, choose one with a higher thread count as it will hold up better with a lot of use. Another factor to take into account is whether your fabric is going to be in an area with high exposure to sunlight, the sun will bleach out fabric so keep this in mind when choosing your upholstery.

Color and Print

The final step is to pick the fabric itself and this involves choosing the color or print of the fabric. Upholstering furniture can be an expensive endeavor so you will want to choose a fabric that you know you will be happy with for years to come. For many, this will mean sticking with neutral colors but for others bold is the look they love. Keep in mind where the piece will be going to make sure the nyc upholstery you choose does not clash with other furniture or décor in the room.

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Home Improvement

Tips for Maximizing Your Family Bedroom Space

For families comprised of parents with young children, managingtheir sleeping spacecan be a challenge.Are there enough rooms for everyone to sleep apart? If not, one solution would be a co-sleeping arrangement where parents sleep close to their children. This allows parents to attend to their children’s needs more quickly. Some children need their parents close to them to feel safe and secure. Through co-sleeping, both parents and children can get better sleep.

There might be plenty of choices for family beds in Salt Lake City, UT, butmake sure to choose one that best fits your family’s sleeping needs. If you have limited sleeping space at home, consider looking for custom family beds while keepingthese tips in mind:

Follow a Space-Saving Design

Elizabeth and Tom Boyce’s bedroom-for-seven layout is a prime, space-saving example. Bunks and mattresses are arranged within a limited space, giving everyone enough room for sleeping. The design also comes with built-in shelves for storage and twinkle string lights to set the mood.

Consider a Wall-to-Wall Layout

If customfamily beds in Salt Lake City, UT are hard to find, a wall-to-wall or corner bedroom layout can do the trick. In this layout,the family bed occupiesthe space closestto3 walls, leaving a space between the fourth side of the bed and a wall. This open sidewill serve as the footof the bed.Keep it clear of any obstructionsso that everyone can safely move in and out.

Include a Special Spot for the Baby

You can use sleep nests or sidecar cribs where your baby can sleep safely while being within your reach. Make sure that you choose sleep nests with breathable material. As for sidecar cribs, choose onethat has railings on 3 sides and can be attached to the side of the parents’ bed.This crib must be as high asthe parents’ bed or lowerto prevent the baby from rolling off. Keep pillows and blankets away from the crib.

Arrange Floor Bedding

If you’re on a tight budget, you can ditch the bed furniture and arrange mattresses on the floor instead. Thinner floor beds are safer for crawling babies. Futons are good materials as they’re lighter and more flexible than traditional mattresses. You can even roll them up and fit them in a car to bring with you on out-of-town trips.

The tips above can help youbuy the best family bed in Salt Lake City,UT and maximize your home’s sleeping spaceto accommodate the sleeping needs and preferences of everyone in your family.

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Home Improvement

The Selling of the Family Home

If you are in the market to upgrade the bed in your master bedroom or any of the other bedrooms in your home, it is important to understand what your options are and what sort of financial costs you will be looking at in order to obtain the bed that you want. This article will discuss a few tips on purchasing a new bed, including examining your needs as a consumer, awareness of the sizes that are available to you and what kind of costs you may be looking at. Understanding this process will make purchasing a new bed much easier and allow you to leave your purchasing experience happy.

Of the utmost importance when deciding to upgrade or replace a bed is an awareness of your potential needs as a consumer. By understanding your needs, you are better equipped to address them and be able to find the bed that is perfect for your situation. Perhaps you are buying a new bed for your children, in this case you will have different needs than if you were buying a new bed for yourself and a husband or wife in your master bedroom. Since our needs will vary person to person, make sure that you are specific with what you want and what your expectations are for your new bed.

When shopping for a bed, you will discover that there are a wide variety of sizes that are potentially available to you. Much of this comes down to what was discussed in the first paragraph, that being your individual needs as a consumer. For example, if you are purchasing a crib mattress for a newborn, you would need to know the dimensions and how they would fit the space you intend to place it in and how your needs are addressed. Potential sizes available range from twin, to full, to Queen, to King all the way to California King. These range on the small end from a twin that is 39″ x 75″ in to a California king that is 72″ x 84″. There are even examples of a big family bed that is designed to fit multiple members of the family and can be even larger than the above-listed sizes. An extra large family bed is a novelty item that is not found in many stores and is something that is a specialty for families. Be aware of these sizes and know how they will suit your individual needs when making that purchase.

Cost will be an important factor in your decision when making a bed upgrade or replacement. Since there are many sizes of potential bed available, there will also be many different costs involved. Because a variety of materials and sizes are involved when purchasing a new mattress, make sure you evaluate your budget efficiently and thoroughly to decide what size of bed will fit your needs and budget. Search online for some retailers near you to gauge how much you could be looking at spending on a new mattress or bed. You can expect to pay anywhere from $500 for a queen sized mattress to sometimes as much as $4,000 for a foam mattress. An awareness of these costs will help you make the best decision for you.

Now that you have an understanding of what this purchase will involve, you are now ready to move forward and upgrade or replace that mattress or bed. Develop a keen awareness of your potential needs, understand what sizes are available to you as a consumer and evaluate what costs you could be looking at. Whether you are in the market for a new crib mattress or are looking for a big luxury beds, knowledge is power and will help you make the best decision for you and your family.

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Home Improvement

3 Common Reasons People Invest in Custom-Made Beds

Getting a good night’s sleep every night is essential, and the characteristics of the bed you are sleeping on can have a significant impact on the quality of your rest. When you decide to invest in a custom-made bed, you’ll have the opportunity to reap a host of benefits that are aligned with sleeping on a mattress that’s been tailor-made to suit your specific needs. Below are a few ways custom made beds can make your night more comfortable and restful overall.

Customization Options

The characteristics of your bed can have a substantial effect on how well you sleep each night, which is exactly why generic, “one size fits all” options tend to have certain limitations. When opting for a custom-made bed, you’ll have the chance to choose between a thicker mattress with more support or a mattress that isn’t as cushioned. And depending on whether you’re on the shorter or taller side of the spectrum, you may prefer a bed that suits your height and makes it easy to get in and out of bed in the morning and evening.

Better Mood

The quality of your sleep can have a huge influence on your mood, especially when it comes to one’s overall unhappiness and stress levels. Sleepless nights may cause you to feel lethargic and worn down the next day, and continuous issues with sleep quality can lead to a host of issues including irritability, memory problems, and several different health issues. Having a custom-made bed that is designed specifically for your personal wants and needs can be the difference in a good night’s slumber and a painfully restless one. As a result, you can expect to wake up feeling fresh and ready to start your day every morning.

Improved Productivity at Work and Home

Our sleep has a huge impact on not only how we operate in our daily lives, but how productive we are as well. Replenishing your energy levels each night on a custom made bed can help ensure you’re getting the best quality of sleep possible, which in turn can improve your overall productivity at work and home by a great margin.

Unlike “one-size fits all” beds, custom made beds can provide you with a truly high-quality sleeping experience. Taking a look at some of these benefits of custom made beds can assist you in deciding if the investment is the right choice for you.

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General Home Improvement

Basic Concrete Repair Tools

The most important things to have for concrete repair (after the concrete repair product, of course) are your hand tools. Not only will the right tools help you make a long-lasting repair; having them close at hand will boost your confidence.

Hammer and Chisel

You’ll need a hammer and chisel to break up the rough shard of concrete around the crack you want to repair. They should be appropriate sizes for the crack you’re working on.

Garden Hose and Nozzle and/or Hog Bristle Paintbrush

After breaking up the concrete around your crack, you’ll need to wash it out in order to remove any remaining shards and dust. If the crack you’re working on isn’t very big, then you can use a hog bristle brush of 3-4 inches to remove this dusty debris.

Trowels

For most DIY concrete crack repair products, you’ll need two trowels: a margin trowel and a finishing trowel.

A margin trowel has the handle on the end of the blade. You’ll use this versatile trowel to mix the concrete repair product in the bucket as well as apply the concrete mix to the crack. This trowel might be the most important tool you use in your patio crack repair process.

The finishing trowel will be used toward the end of the crack repair to smooth (or “finish”) the surface of the concrete.

Trowel blades can vary in weight and flexibility. These differences are a matter of personal preference. Most trowels come in a standard or stainless steel blades; these trowel blades are firm, with little give. The other option you’ll find in trowels is blue steel. This blade is lightweight and flexible.

Hog Bristle Brush

It might seem strange to think that a paintbrush is a key tool in concrete repair, but you’ll find yourself turning to this handy brush more than once in the process of repairing your cracked patio.

Not only can you use this natural bristle brush to brush concrete dust out of the crack as you prepare it for repair, but you’ll also use it to wet down concrete if your product requires it, to brush a smooth surface into the concrete as you’re finishing up, and other purposes.

When you’ve gathered your concrete patio crack repair product and your tools together, then it’s just a matter of waiting for the perfect weather to get out there and start repairing your patio.

Categories
Home Improvement

Three Tips for Maintaining a Cool Temperature in Your Home During Summer

When you walk into your house on a hot summer’s day, you want to feel the coolness right when you open your door. You want your home to be an oasis when the humidity really kicks in outdoors. There are several things you can do to keep your home feeling cool and comfortable over the summer months. Look at three examples.

Change Your Air Filter

Changing the air filter on your air conditioner is one of the easiest things you can do to keep it in excellent working order. When you remove the old air filter, you’ll notice the dust, pet hair and dirt caught in its screen. Putting a fresh air filter in your air conditioner allows it to work in an efficient way when cleaning the air and cooling your home.

Arrange for AC Service Before Summer Arrives

Before the summer season arrives, make an appointment to have your air conditioner checked. The technician will look at the various parts of your air conditioner, clean and tighten connections, make sure the fan is working as it should and more. Having a checkup can help you avoid any issues when the weather really warms up and your air conditioner is in constant use. If you do have an issue with your air conditioner, go with a reliable business such as 24 hour AC repair Tampa to get the service you need right away.

Utilize Your Ceiling Fan

If you have a ceiling fan, then you have another way to keep your home’s atmosphere cool and comfortable this summer. Make sure the blades of your ceiling fan are set to run in a counter clockwise direction. The switch to change the direction of the blades is usually on the body of the fan. This directs the cool air in your home down into the living space. Enjoy the free flow of air throughout the rooms of your home!

Finally, try these three tips and make your home a more comfortable place to relax this summer.