Spring Cleaning: For the Dogs

via

The birds are chirping and the bugs in your newly-landscaped yard are multiplying; Spring is here! And with spring comes spring cleaning. Pets can be sensitive to harsh cleaners. If you have resident animals, check out these recommendations from Rover.com to keep them safe while you’re cleaning.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a safe alternative to heavy chemicals because it breaks down quickly to water and oxygen. This solution is great for germ killing, so kitchen and bathroom countertops are an excellent place to utilize it. Try the ratio of 25% hydrogen peroxide to 70% white vinegar with a bit of water.

Borax

Bleach is harmful to humans and pets--thankfully, borax is a great alternative. Borax is a mineral perfect for cleaning tough stains out of fabric. Mix a half cup of borax with two tablespoons each of salt and borax for a heavy-duty carpet-stain remover. For laundry-stain remover, replace bleach with borax.

Baking soda and white vinegar 

Incredibly versatile and safe for your family, four-legged members included, baking soda and vinegar make an effective cleaner. If you desire a foaming cleanser, simply mix baking soda with lemon juice. To make a deodorizing cleaner, sprinkle baking soda on your carpet, leave it for five minutes, then vacuum it up. For more in-depth information about safely cleaning your carpets (accidents happen…) try this.

Wood floors can be difficult to clean but white vinegar is up for the challenge. Dilute a half cup of vinegar with one gallon of water to create a cleanser fit for countertops, sinks, etc. If you’re opposed to the smell of vinegar add lemon juice to the mix.

You likely already have these products in your home; if not, they’re easily accessible and inexpensive. We wish you a happy and safe season of warmth!

The Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Landscaping Your Yard

via

Now that the summer is coming, you will have more of a reason to redesign and landscape your backyard. Warm and sunny days give you a chance to brighten up your lawn and plant new flowers.
Do you find that you don't know how to make your gardens and yard look great? Do you often feel like you have done the wrong thing when landscaping your backyard? If so, you might want to avoid the following mistakes when redesigning your garden.

Keep reading to learn about the top mistakes you should avoid in your garden designs.

Having a large lawn because of tradition

If other people have large, green lawns spanning the entirety of their yards, that doesn’t mean you need to follow the trend. Many people seem to think that this is the common theme meant to be found in every backyard. However, this is not so.

In fact, the large, green lawn is a relatively new phenomenon to landscape design. If you only have so much space in your yard, be aware that a lawn is not your only option.

A lack of color in the autumn

One thing that many miss is the need to keep your garden and yard bright and colorful throughout the Autumn season. Many seem to focus more on the Spring and Summer which leaves the Fall free of flowers and greenery.

To avoid this, be sure to plant some bushes, trees, or flowers in the last months of the year.

You forget about the need for functionality in landscape design

Many people are more concerned about the esthetics and look of their gardens and yards leaving the need for safety, security, and general functionality behind. This means that people may have too many knick knacks including brick walkways and statues in their gardens. Visitors especially children may trip over a knick knack or badly placed brick. To improve safety in your backyard, remove an excess of statues and think about the functionality in your garden design. After removing an excess of knick knacks, think about installing just a simple contemporary water fountain to give your home a great outdoor look.

We hope you will be more prepared to redesign your outdoors by reading this list of mistakes to avoid when landscaping. Be sure to keep your yard functional, colorful in every season, and avoid the large lawn if you want to do more with your space.

Home Repairs: What to DIY and What to Save for The Professionals

Have a list of home improvement projects, but you’re fretting about paying a professional to get them done?

While it can be tempting to save a few dollars by doing the projects yourself (DIY), the reality is that trying to tackle a complicated home improvement project or appliance repair can actually end up damaging your appliances or causing bigger problems in your home. This ends up costing you way more money, and aggravation, than if you had hired a pro from the start.

DIY is best saved for easy, safe projects:

Leaky Faucet – if your kitchen or bathroom faucets are leaking, the cause is often a worn ring. Taking the faucet apart and replacing the ring is usually pretty easy.

Other causes could be worn-out caulking, or the faucet becoming loose from use.

In all of these cases, a DIY fix is faster and more cost effective than hiring a plumber. It’s also a safe project because if the DIY fix doesn’t work, and the faucet continues to leak, you know there’s a bigger problem and can simply shut the water off to that area and call a plumber for help. There is very little risk of damage to your pipes or plumbing.

Tile Floors – Need new flooring in your bathroom, kitchen, living room or elsewhere in your home?

Putting in tile floors is fairly uncomplicated. Making cuts can become a bit daunting, but if your room doesn’t have a lot of angles, tiling the floor is pretty simple, and poses almost no risks of damage to your home.

Painting – a survey of homeowners found that painting was the most hated home improvement task.

While few people like painting, paying a professional painter can be expensive.

If you can tolerate the taping and edging, you’ll save a bundle by painting your rooms by yourself.

If you want to take on these smaller jobs, that’s totally doable. More complicated jobs, like electrical or appliance repair, on the other hand, can be complicated and dangerous:

Water Heater
Your water heating system is one place where you don’t want to test your DIY skills, especially if you have a gas water heater.

Your water heating system is called into action multiple times every day. Most of us move into homes that come equipped with a water heating system, and we don’t think much about it until the day that we turn the tap and find no hot water.

Water heating systems can break down for several reasons:

Flue Misalignment or Breakage – When the flue of your water heating system is misaligned, broken, or not connected securely, it can cause a carbon monoxide leak. Unfortunately, this problem is common with DIY water heater repair, and it can be deadly.

Pressure Relief Valve Problems - One of the most dangerous, and common, DIY water heater fixes is to modify the pressure relief valve. This valve is responsible for letting out the pressure built up while your system is heating your water.

If this valve isn’t functioning properly, or has been modified improperly, it can lead to an explosion.

Never modify the pressure relief valve alone. This is usually a quick, cost-effective fix for a water heating system professional, and not at all worth the potential life-threatening explosion and fire risk of doing the job yourself.

Electrical and Wiring Problems – water heaters are built to last between 8 – 10 years. Usually, the wiring and electrical components break down first. If your water heater is still fairly young, it’s worth the small investment to hire a professional to fix the wiring.

Electrical issues in a water heating system can be complicated. Do not attempt to fix them alone because there is a huge risk of electrocution, irreparable damage to the water heater, and fire.

Gas Heater
Gas heat is an energy efficient way to keep your home warm.

When something goes wrong with a gas heater, it’s time to call in a professional.

If your furnace isn’t heating up, is cycling on and off constantly, is noisy, or won’t turn on because the pilot light won’t stay lit, you need to call in a gas heater repair expert.

Why not just fix the problem yourself?

Gas is dangerous. Even the smallest gas leak causes fire and explosion risk. Plus, gas leaks can make you and your family very sick.

It is never worth putting your family and home in danger by trying to save a few dollars with a DIY repair. Gas heater servicing by a professional usually costs very little, and you benefit by knowing that all connections are secured and there will be no dangerous leaks.

Dishwasher Repair
Dishwasher problems, such as water not draining, not enough hot water during the washing cycle, or leaks are pretty common.

Some fixes are complicated, while others can be fairly simple.

But, before trying to fix your dishwasher alone, you should know that small mistakes can cause huge problems.

For example, trying to repair your dishwasher when it is not draining can seem like a simple fix. Often, DIY methods only work for a few washes.

Why?

Because deeper inside the plumbing, there are bigger problems.

One of the most common is that DIY methods push clogs deeper into the pipes. This causes pressure buildup, which leads to burst pipes. One broken pipe is all it takes to flood your home and cause damage to your floor, walls, and cabinets.

Flooding also increases fire risk.

The main advantage to hiring professional to fix your dishwasher is that they have the tools, and experience, to fix the problem correctly the first time. They can also discover clogs early, and remove them up before they cause flooding.

Ovens and Stoves

Next to a water heater, ovens and stoves are the most dangerous to DIY repair.

Why?

Your oven is a lot more intricate than you might think.

Because we use our stoves and ovens every day, it’s easy to take for granted just how much is going on behind the scenes:

• Thermostat
• Gas pipes or electrical wiring
• Valves and fuses

These can be damaged unintentionally even during a fairly straight forward repair when done by a non-professional.

If you have a gas stove, do not attempt to fix it yourself.

Even the smallest amount of leakage can cause serious fire hazards. You can call the fire service to test, but they cannot test your stove every day. Daily use can knock fuses, valves, and pipes out of place. If you have not had a professional do the job, you risk causing a gas leak.

Gas stoves and other appliances are the number 1 cause of house fires in the United States. In Australia, cooking appliances, heating systems, and electrical equipment make up 3 of the top 4 causes of house fires.

Please call in a professional before you attempt any appliance repair.

Delicious Decisions – 10 Steps Toward Creating a Successful Restaurant

You have a passion for food and you want to share it by serving up the best there is on offer. Your dream to share tasteful dishes and tantalising flavours all boils down to culinary success in the restaurant business. And let’s face it, we live in a fast-paced society where eating out is a big part of life these days. But how do you make your restaurant stand out over the rest of the crowd?

Your restaurant is going to be a reflection of you and you should plan and set goals.
You need to make decisions on everything from lighting to signage and even as important as where to keep everything cold. Taking the stress out of this big decision, take a look at options such as Butler Equipment commercial refrigeration when deciding on your commercial kitchen catering needs. But as always in business, there’s plenty more to consider.

Concept

One of the early steps involves creating your restaurant master plan.
What do you want the overall feel of your restaurant to be? Think about things including the menu, the type of service you want to provide, the direction you want your restaurant to take over time. Try to delve into the mind of your guests as they will ultimately play a big part in how your restaurant concept will play out.

Location

When it comes to running a successful restaurant, location is paramount.
Making this decision will depend on a number of factors including your target customer base (upper market, families, young couples, etc.), if you’re up against competitors or the only restaurant of its kind, budget and what will meet your business needs.

Have a business plan

You will be making lots of plans for your restaurant venture but the most important one of all is creating a business plan. This will help create a structure and clarify the direction of your company support as you grow, manage and develop your restaurant.

Budget

While money isn’t always everything, you need to ensure you have a budget.
Why? Overspend and you could find yourself in trouble. Don’t spend enough and you might find you aren’t meeting the needs of your customers.

Menu

Possibly one of the most important aspects to consider is your menu.
Your menu choices will say a lot about you as a business and ultimately bring your customers in. Keep it simple where possible, keeping in mind what type of restaurant you’re developing when deciding on dishes. Review your menu over time and revise if you find particular meals aren’t selling. Another option is to have seasonal menus that change over a set time period.

via

The right staff

These are the faces on the phone and the floor representing you.
Always pick staff that you feel are the right fit for your concept. You don’t want rude or forgetful people as the face of your business. Look for the talent that fits your business ideal and ensure all team members are trained to fit your business model.

The look and feel of your restaurant

What kind of atmosphere do you want to serve up to your customers?
First impressions are lasting ones and you want to impress from the minute people walk in the door. Consider comfort, signage, décor, staff, accessibility, the list is endless. You also want the visible look to be a reflection of you and the message you want to portray to your customers.

What is your standout secret?

What do you have that the next restaurant doesn’t?
Will you have a particular item on the menu that makes you stand out? Any restaurant can serve drinks, meals and a tasty dessert, but in order to stamp your mark on the restaurant scene, you need to find a tempting morsel to sell to your customers. Think secret sauces, new recipes or it could be as simple as the atmosphere.

Marketing

How do you want people to find out about your restaurant?
How you market your business needs to be effective. Consider aspects such as advertising, social media, word of mouth and the impact they will have in marketing your business.

Feedback

Always welcome feedback, both good and bad.
You want to hear what you’re doing right but also what is going wrong so you can improve on it. Embrace your customers as they are what keep you in business.

Running a restaurant isn’t easy but with a little patience and planning, you have the potential to set yourself up for success.

Tips for Creating a Safe and Stylish Bathroom on a Budget

photo credit

Creating a safe bathroom to suit the entire family can be challenging. With little ones running around and the needs of aging parents, it can be hard to know where to start. Fortunately, there are many modern bathroom designs and DIY projects that allow you to create a safe and stylish bathroom without breaking the bank.

Non-Slip Features
If your goal is to make your bathroom safer, non-slip mats can be used at the bottom of any bathtub or shower. Wooden models or silicon rock mats are a chic alternative to traditional bath matts. If you are unable to find a mat that fits your bathroom aesthetic, you can create your own out of any non-slip material.

Bathtub Safety
With safety in mind, consider a walk-in bathtub. These are ideal for family members with mobility issues because they grant those with disabilities the freedom to bathe on their own. It is common knowledge that many senior citizens end up in the emergency room every year due to bathing related accidents. However, this is not just an issue affecting seniors. Bathtub accidents affect around 235,000 people of all ages per year. With this information in mind, investing in a mobility aid is not a bad idea. Walk-in bathtubs can be an important part of fostering a sense of independence and dignity for many people. Many walk-in bathtub companies offer hundreds of unique designs fit for bathrooms of any size and suit any style. These tubs can be designed to include a built-in shower option and eliminate the danger of bathing for senior citizens. They can even be designed to accommodate wheelchairs or other mobility devices. Since walk-in bathtubs average a depth of 2 and-a-half feet, they can create a relaxing, spa-like atmosphere. Tubs can even be created with jacuzzi jets for extra luxury and relaxation. For those with unique health concerns, tubs can be equipped with built-in medical alert systems, so bathers can call for help should the need arise. This feature gives many users the peace of mind they lack when using traditional bathtubs.

Adding Your Style
A safe bathroom doesn’t have to be a drab one. Fun and creative DIY projects can help you to infuse your personal style into any bathroom. House plants can also be used to bring the outdoors in and create a relaxing ambience. A new lighting fixture can give an old, worn-out bathroom new life. An interesting chandelier or antique lamp might be just the ticket to reinventing your bathroom.