Category Archives: House Cleaning

Real Estate Sales – Should you fix up your home before listing it?

August 01, 2024   Matt

Real Estate Sales – Should you fix up your home before listing it?

Yes, you should fix all of the obvious things you can. When buyers visit homes, they look for the things they see that obviously need some fixing. Most buyers would rather not see the repairs in front of them. They want to buy a house that is in ‘perfect’ repair.

You should put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Think like a buyer. Would you want to repair or fix up anything in your new home? No, you would not. While you are still in the buyer’s frame of mind, tour your house. Make a list of all the things you see that need repair.

Here are eleven obvious things to look for and correction any defects:

1. Do your walls need a fresh coat of paint?
2. How about the trim?
3. Are all of your floors and carpets in good shape? Do they need cleaning?
4. Are your windows and shades okay? Are the screens in good condition?
5. Do your appliances work properly?
6. Eliminate squeaks and cracks of all kinds.
7. Is your basement clean and organized?
8. Is your roof in good condition and non-leaking?
9. Check all faucets, fixtures and knobs.
10. Make your lights as bright as you can.
11. Clean the fireplace.

The time and effort you put into this list will save you money and aggravation in the sales process. You can do these repairs yourself or hire someone else to do them for you. The money you spend doing this will come back to you in savings. Your house will show better and sell faster in tip-top shape.

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Clear Those Pipes With These Plumbing Tips (4)

July 27, 2024   Matt

Clear Those Pipes With These Plumbing Tips

Ah, plumbing. There are just so many ways to define it as it doesn’t mean the same thing to everybody. There are also so many ways that somebody can improve upon their own system at home. With so many ways to do things, you are probably wondering where you can begin. Try beginning with the tips below.

If you have infrequently used drains in your house, you should pour water into them on a regular basis. This water will fill the trap and will prevent odors from entering the house. If you have slow floor drains, you should snake them to ensure they are capable of carrying water away quickly in the event of a flood.

Avoid using hard cleaners on your toilets, such as drop-in cleaner tabs in the tank. When these tabs are almost completely dissolved, what’s left of the tab gets washed into the bowl. This can then end up clogging the toilet’s port holes, preventing the toilet from flushing properly. It can take months for this debris to finish dissolving in those holes.

It is a general rule of thumb that you should replace a water faucet every seven years, even if you do not see anything wrong with it. Some faucet problems are not visible to the naked eye, which is why it is so important for them to replaced every so often.

Treating your drains every month is a great way to avoid future clogs and other problems, and it’s a very simple procedure. Just run one to two gallons of hot tap water down each drain in your house.

To avoid freezing pipes in the winter, make sure to insulate any exposed pipes in you basement before winter comes. Pay extra attention to pipes near the outside walls. If you have had a problem with any particular pipe freezing in the past, apply some heat tape to insulate those pipes.

If you are looking to get new piping in your home, try to stay away from copper ones. Copper tends to have problems, due to water and soil corrosion. It is also harder to install these kinds of pipes. Steel or lead pipes tend to offer the best quality and are the most durable.

During the winter months, your water heater works the hardest. To keep it in optimum condition, flush it out before winter arrives. Flushing the system helps remove the sediment buildup, which causes internal corrosion of your water heater, shortens its lifespan, and reduces heating efficiency. Connect a hose to the faucet near the bottom of the tank and drain several gallons by directing the water into a nearby drain.

To get rid of dirt that accumulates under the edges of faucets, consider using an old toothbrush, rather than cleaning products. Many cleaning products will just cause damage to your faucets, and some of this damage could be severe. Just dip the toothbrush into warm water and then use it.

Yes, plumbing is quite a subject in that it is completely subjective by it’s very definition. No two people view plumbing the exact same way. What one finds useful to their system, the other may not. These tips should have given you some advice on how to start with your own plumbing.

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Reasons To Get A Robotic Cleaner

July 22, 2024   Matt

Reasons To Get A Robotic Cleaner

Since the day the robotic vacuum cleaners hit the
market, cleaning house has never been the same. Due
to the sleek design and advanced technology, people
are very eager to get their hands on their own
robotic vacuum cleaner.

Now, we’ll take a look at some reasons why you
should own a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Efficiency
As everyone already knows, cleaning is very hard
indeed, and nobody wants to do it. Getting a maid
isn’t cheap anymore. With a robotic vacuum cleaner,
you can get any room in your home nice and tidy in
no time at all. It has features of the upright
vacuum cleaner, only better. Robotic vacuums offer
filters, brushes, cleaning mechanisms, and more
within a sturdy case that ensures you’ll get the
operation possible.

Easy to use
As you probably already know, the robotic vacuum
cleaner is automatic, as you don’t even need to be
at home to run it. Simply turn it on, leave it
to clean, come back home, and you’ll find the room
spick and span clean. There are no special switches
or configurations either. All you have to do is
press a button and the robot will start cleaning
right away.

The robotic vacuum cleaner will automatically pace
the room, using a random programming technology.
It can cover the same area many times, and it can
also recharge on its own once the battery starts
to get low. There is no need to go looking for it
when it gets finished either, as it will return
to the homebase and wait for you until you need
it again.

Compact design
The robot vacuum is a small, flat device that is
shaped like a disc. It is designed this way so
that it can go under furniture, and reach places
that the standard vacuum can’t. This way, there
is no need to move stools, sofas, and low set
tables. It also has bumpers as well so it can
absorb any type of collision with solid devices
along the way.

Cutting edge technology
The concept that drives the robotic vacuum is
similar to what the army uses when clearing land
mines on the field. Robotic vacuums contain
several sensors that will detect the dirt that
is sucks in. The sensors are also what makes it
possible to go towards the dirtier part of the
room, clean it several times, then stop when there
is no more dirt detected. The device is so smart
that it doesn’t fall down steps or stairs. With
the virtual wall device that’s included with it,
it won’t even go outside of an open doorway either.

Easy to afford
Although they were a little on the expensive side
when they first hit the market, they are now more
affordable than ever. You don’t need to be rich
to own one, which is one of the main reasons why
they are so popular these days.

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Keeping Asthma In Check In All Aspect Of Your Life (4)

July 17, 2024   Matt

Keeping Asthma In Check In All Aspect Of Your Life

People of all ages can suffer with asthma. It can be hereditary or can suddenly occur with no prior problems. An asthma attack can be frightening and potentially fatal if it is not treated and the asthma gotten under control. This article can help you to manage and treat your asthma attacks.

Start and stick with a regular exercise regimen to help you control your asthma. Be aware of how your asthma affects your physical abilities, but remain active. This helps your endurance and lung capacity as well as serves as a stress relief. As a side benefit, regular exercise improves your overall health, making it easier to manage a chronic condition like asthma.

There are many harmful chemicals in the air inside a home that can aggravate your asthma. Air fresheners, chemicals from furniture, building materials and much more can harm a person with asthma. Keeping house plants in the house can ease the effect of the harmful chemicals on an asthmatic person.

With asthma, it is extremely important that you take time to meet with a doctor in order to help you not only get the proper medication but also plan out an appropriate plan to manage your condition. This is important because self help will get you only so far before you need the help of an expert.

Learn how to recognize asthma so you can treat it. When you get asthma, you usually have difficulties breathing and feel as if your chest were getting tighter. Asthma is often accompanied by coughing and wheezing. If you experience different symptoms, you might have another illness that requires more medical attention.

If you have asthma, it is not a good idea to have a real fireplace lit in your home. This will cause some smoke to go into the house, and can trigger an attack. Even though it is a very small amount of smoke, it can still be harmful. Try installing a gas fireplace instead.

A yearly home inspection by a qualified professional for common asthma triggers, such as mold spores and dust, is a must for asthma sufferers. Removing any of these substance’s if they are present in your home can reduce the number of asthma attacks suffered and make life more comfortable for the entire family.

Develop an asthma attack action plan. Get to know your symptoms so you can tell when an attack is coming, and have a plan to deal with emergencies. Make sure your doctor approves of your plan, and see if he or she has any suggestions. Share your action plan with family and friends.

Use natural cleaning products in your home instead of store bought chemical cleaners. Harsh chemicals can produce harmful fumes that can trigger an asthma attack. Even if you are not the one doing the cleaning, the fumes linger and can affect you for days. Use natural cleaners: they are better for you lungs and the environment.

As previously stated, asthma can attack people of all ages. There are many different causes but the result is the same. There is great difficulty in breathing and even the possibility of sudden death. This article hopes to help you manage your asthma and find treatment methods to bring you relief in breathing freely.

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The Latest Vacuum Cleaning Equipment Is NOT Your Mothers Old Machine!

July 12, 2024   Matt

The Latest Vacuum Cleaning Equipment Is NOT Your Mothers Old Machine!

There was a time not to long ago when a vacuum cleaner was basically the same machine no matter where or how it was purchased. In previous times, the decision on what vacuum cleaner to purchase was based more on the “extras” the salesman offered but more often than not, it was the financing arrangements that were available.

Like now, most families could ill afford the additional expense of replacing home appliances, what few that were available. The vacuum cleaner however was one piece of equipment that was considered almost a necessity once it was used, especially with the advent of wall to wall carpet.

Many homes pre-1960 didn’t have wall to wall carpet but instead relied on area rugs for floor coverings. These large rugs could be taken out to the backyard, hung over a fence or clothesline and beaten with a carpet beater to remove ground in soil.

Vacuum cleaners removed the need to take rugs out of the house for cleaning. Today however, there are several carpet cleaning technologies available. Two of the most popular types of vacuum cleaner technologies include HEPA filtration and bagless.

Both technologies have the champions and like everything else have their positives and negatives. The positive with HEPA filtration is that small particulate dirt is better captured. This allows for a cleaner exhaust and theoretically, a cleaner indoor environment. The negative with HEPA type filters is that because they capture the finer dirt particles, they tend to need more frequent bag or filter replacement. Another potential issue is that as the HEPA filter captures more dirt, it also tends to lose some suction power as the filters fill.

Bagless vacuum cleaners are exactly what the name suggests. Bagless vacuum equipment typically features a cup or hard plastic container that captures the dirt during use. This makes emptying a lot easier and the amount of consumables like vacuum bags and filters is a lot less.

Consider not only the technology but the ease of use, general quality of the equipment, weight if you’re going to carry it up and down stairs, etc. Onboard tools are nice but why carry around all that extra weight when not needed. Every vacuum technology has their share of people who love and people who hate it. The key is to find the vacuum cleaner you like.

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Clean Up To House Up: Your Credit History And You

July 07, 2024   Matt

Clean Up To House Up: Your Credit History And You

Blemishes and events we’d rather not remember have one thing in common: they can be wiped off. Whether the blemish is on your shirt, furniture, or credit history, it can be cleaned up. Clearly, a tarnished credit history should not prevent you from owning a house. Late payments, repossessions, write-offs, and bankruptcy are sure to leave stains in your credit history the size of a crater. The good news is that they can be cleaned. The bad news is that it cannot be done overnight. In fact, cleaning up your credit history would most likely take you a year at the very least.

You Can’t Clean House Without Cleaning Up Your Credit History
A home mortgage lender is a businessman who will not fork out any sum without the assurance of getting it back. This is why home mortgage lenders verify would-be homeowners’ credit history before granting them their loans. Credit history is as good an indicator as any of a borrower’s willingness to pay off debts on time. For the same reason, blemished credit history make home mortgage lenders nervous – and with good reason, too! Think about it. If you are a home mortgage lender, wouldn’t you quail in your shoes at the possibility of not getting repaid?

Spotting the Spots
While home mortgage lenders would rather have borrowers with pristine credit history, they don’t shut the doors on borrowers with smudges on their ratings. In fact, home mortgage lenders are very understanding when it comes to late payments and reporting errors. They are not as forgiving, however, of unpaid debts or loans that have been written off as bad debts by creditors.

So, what kind of spots do home mortgage lenders look for in your credit history? They’re on the look-out for old, outstanding debts and bad debts incurred anytime during the last 12 to 24 months.

Spots No Maid Can Clean
If your credit history is riddled with old, outstanding debts and recent debts, don’t call the maid or a credit repair company. Many credit repair companies promise you miracles. They swear they can clean up your credit record overnight. Always take claims like this with a grain of salt. The only person who can clean up your credit history is you. How do you go about this mission?

* Pay your current bills on time. Continue doing so because this will reflect favorably on your credit history.

* Avoid borrowing anything while you haven’t fully paid off your debts. Not only should you work at getting out of debt, you should also focus on staying out of it.

* If you have many loans to pay off, work out a schedule for eliminating as many of them as you can. Many home mortgage lenders do not grant loans to people who owe too much. As a rule of thumb, mortgage payments should not go over 36 to 38 percent of your monthly obligations, the amount of which is a combination of your credit card payments, child support, alimony, student loans, and the like.

Blemishes are seldom permanent. If anyone with a rag can wipe smudges off a coffee table, you can do the same, too, with your credit history.

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