2015

2 Ways You Might Be Unintentionally Inviting Pests Indoors

You clean and vacuum your place, so why are pests infiltrating your home? If you have found yourself with an unexpected pest problem, you might lie awake at night wondering if rodents, spiders, or cockroaches are scurrying through your place. Fortunately, you might be able to regain control of your house (and your sleep) by making a few simple changes. Here are two ways you might be unintentionally inviting pests indoors, and how you can turn things around:


Maine Stonewalls Don't Always Serve As Boundary Markers

If you live in Maine, you’ve probably seen old stone walls meandering their way through the woods. These stonewalls often follow property lines marking the boundaries between two plots of land. If you have recently purchased land that has a stonewall separating your property from your neighbor’s property you may assume that the stonewall is the legal boundary line, but this isn’t always the case. You may need to hire a land surveyor to find out for sure.


How To Remove Sludge From Your Home's Water-Fed, Wall-Mounted Radiator

If your home’s wall-mounted radiator doesn’t seem to be putting out an adequate amount of heat, it is possible that sludge buildup is causing the problem. Fortunately, flushing sludge from a radiator is a simple task that can be performed by homeowners. Below is more information on sludge buildup as well as how to flush a radiator containing sludge: Tools and materials needed Adjustable pipe wrench Adjustable pliers Screwdriver Heavy towel Garden hose and spigot Step-by-step procedure


Treating Your Home For Fleas Without Toxic Chemicals

If you have pets, you might have the experience of having a flea infestation in your home. Even if your pets stay in your home and yard, you can carry flea eggs in on your clothing or shoes, or the fleas can be brought to your doorstep by stray cats, raccoons and other animals that live outdoors. If you want to avoid using potentially toxic chemicals on your pets and in your house, here are some ways you can treat your home for fleas using natural or less-toxic products.


4 Different Fabrics For Drapes And Their Advantages

There are a number of different fabric choices you can choose from when selecting the right fabric for your the drapery in your home. Often, these fabrics fall into two different categories: natural and synthetic. Each category has a few different options beneath them, and within those, there are a couple choices that outshine the others and make for the top-four perfect drape fabrics. Cotton The first fabric, and probably most commonly used from the natural set, is cotton.


Tips For Building A Log Home | How To Keep Insects & Wood Rot At Bay

If you are thinking about building a log home, you want to make sure it’s done properly. Log homes are susceptible to rot and wood-boring insects. Decisions you make during the building process can lower your chances of these issues happening. Here are some tips for building a log cabin that will last a lifetime. Keeping bugs at bay Laying down mulch can give bugs another reason to come crawling to your log home.


3 Reasons Your House Is Infested With Mice

Mice are incredibly destructive pests. They eat your food, gnaw into your home, and spread diseases with their urine and feces. Every year, rodents such as mice cause about $900 million worth of damage in the United States, and Americans spend about $100 million every year controlling them. When mice move into your house, you may wonder why they chose to destroy your house, and not someone else’s. Here are three possible reasons.


Moving Tips - How To Set Up A Quiet Space For Your Dog

If you need to move to a bigger home because your family has expanded, or if you want to find a smaller home to save on costs, then you have a lot to do to get yourself into your new residence.  Many people hire movers to reduce stress, anxiety, and exhaustion during the moving process.  Your family is likely to appreciate the help of the professionals.  There may be one member of your family who becomes anxious and stressed due to the presence of the movers and the general excitement of the move, and this member is your dog.


Fiberglass Vs. Cellulose: Which Material Works Best For Blown-In Insulation

Blown-in insulation is an increasingly popular way of adding insulation to both brand-new and older homes. Simple to install and relatively affordable, blown-in insulation offers a great way of delivering the sort of comfort and energy-efficiency you expect out of your home. When it comes to blown-in insulation, you have a choice between cellulose material (normally made from recycled paper products) and loose fiberglass. Each material has its own set of advantages and drawbacks in blown form.


3-Step Guide To Naturally Killing Small Patches Of Dandelions In Your Yard

When your home’s lawn contains small patches of dandelions, you may feel the weed detracts from the beauty of your landscape and want to get rid of them. However, you may not want to use poisons or have to pull them out one at a time. If so, use the following three-step guide to naturally kill the dandelions using household ingredients you may already have or can find in a grocery store.


5 Contaminants That Might Be In Your Drinking Water!

If you get your tap water from a community water supply, you have the security of knowing that this water is tested on a regular basis to ensure that it means minimum safety standards. However, that doesn’t mean that using unfiltered tap water can’t pose health hazards. Following are five contaminants that are frequently found in city water supplies that have the potential to negatively affect the health of you and your family.


2 Ways To Avoid Trouble With Tenants

When you originally envisioned owning an income property, you probably imagined a steady infusion of rent checks, nice tenants, and respectful visitors. Unfortunately, the dream of property ownership can become a nightmare if you rent to the wrong people, or if they don’t understand what you expect. Here are two ways to avoid trouble with tenants: 1: Go Over the Contract In Great Detail Have you ever mentioned an ongoing policy to a new tenant only to be confronted with a blank stare?