Category Archives: Yard & Outdoors

Backyard Fun In The Sun. Learn How To Reduce The Chance For Play Set Injuries This Summer

July 02, 2021   Matt

Backyard Fun In The Sun. Learn How To Reduce The Chance For Play Set Injuries This Summer

Now that the weather is warmer and kids are heading outdoors to play, it is important for parents to take some essential precautions to create a safer backyard play environment. According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), there were nearly 47,000 injuries to children under age 15 on home playgrounds in the last year studied. The chance of these injuries occurring-ranging from bumps and bruises to head trauma-can be reduced by following some simple guidelines.

“Nothing is more important than active adult supervision to enforce the rules that will help prevent a serious injury on backyard playgrounds,” says Meri-K Appy, president of the nonprofit Home Safety Council. “In addition, parents and caregivers should make sure their children’s play set is age-appropriate and in good condition-and that the surface underneath and around the equipment provides a soft landing if and when their kids do take a tumble.”

Backyard Play Set Safety Tips:

1. Ensure your play set has proper surfacing. Proper surfacing is an important component in reducing injuries due to a play set fall; however, it is often an overlooked backyard playground safety feature. Dirt and grass do not provide the appropriate level of cushioning. Instead, loose fill materials such as wood mulch, wood chips, fine sand or fine gravel is recommended. The material should extend at least six feet in all directions and depth should vary from nine to 12 inches, depending on the surfacing type.

2. Make sure that your backyard play set is sturdy. Lumber sturdiness is also an important element to play set safety. Using four-by-four corner posts will minimize the side-to-side sway motion that less substantial lumber may sometimes cause. Also, make sure that you use A-frame legs to provide a firm footing for the swing beam.

3. Select a backyard play set that meets maximum safety guidelines. Parents also want to choose play sets that meet ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards. Although these standards are voluntary, they can help assure parents that the play sets were designed with safety in mind. One manufacturer that complies with these guidelines is Swing-N-Slide. It has introduced an innovative new bracket technology for play set assembly called the Rapid-LOC system. This system features four special brackets combined with self-drilling fasteners, which provide secure anchoring for deck supports, four-by-four uprights and accessory beams. The interlocking nature of the Rapid-LOC brackets keep the play system’s supports tightly locked-even if a screw comes loose-producing a stronger backyard play set.

Read More

What is Landscaping

June 27, 2021   Matt

What is Landscaping?

While a lot of people have already come across the word
landscaping, not a lot of them actually know what the term
stands for. This article is tailored for those who want to
learn about landscaping but don’t know where to begin.

For starters, landscaping is the modification of a
landscape such as a lawn to make it more aesthetically
pleasing or to make it more functional.

A lot of homeowners landscape their homes primarily because
they want to make their surroundings more attractive. But
more than that, a landscaped house usually has a higher
real estate value than one that isn’t.

People who want to have their properties landscaped usually
acquire the services of professionals. Landscaping is a
time and labor-intensive task, so in order to do that in no
time at all, homeowners invest in landscaping services to
turn their vision into reality.

But there are also those who want to take a hands-on
approach to landscaping. Again, this is a task that
requires a lot of time and energy on the part of the
homeowner so the results may not be visible immediately.

A well-landscaped property is one that is well-planned and
the plans should also be well-executed. However, the great
thing about going through all this trouble is that it
brings a great feeling of self-fulfillment to the homeowner
after performing such a difficult task.

Depending on what the homeowner wants, the landscape design
could be simple or complex. Simple ones make for easy
maintenance while complex ones make for a lot of room for
trees and flowers.

Read More

Landscaping as a Recreational Activity for Kids

June 22, 2021   Matt

Landscaping as a Recreational Activity for Kids

The patio, the garden and the front yard are usually landscaped to make the house look better and inviting to visitors. Landscaping, aside from being a decoration, can also be an alternative recreational activity for kids.

Here are some suggestions to make landscaping a form of recreational activity for children:

1. Landscaping is a family activity. It may be used to spend time with the family and a way to bond together. The time may be used to motivate kids to learn gardening. Kids will be very productive as they help in removing weeds and watering the plants.

2. An area may also be allotted in the garden as the kids’ play place. They can decorate the place and put their toys in the playground. The playground can add design to the landscaped garden and make the place welcoming to the kids.

3. Landscaping a garden may be a way to communicate with kids the importance of taking care of plants. While gardening, a parent can show how to take care of living things like plants and butterflies. This is one way to educate them and prepare them in becoming responsible individuals.

4. The children may make use of the landscaped garden as their play area. This will benefit parents since they can spend time in the garden and watch their children at the same time. This is an effective way to spend quality time with children rather than doing the gardening by yourself.

5. Parents can also motivate their children to start a garden of their own. They should be encouraged to plant in flowerbeds and small pots. This will also help parents in organizing the garden while the children are enjoying their time.

6. Landscaping may also be a way to discover any skills the children have with plants and their passion for nature. Kids may find out that enjoy the spending time in the garden and may make landscaping their hobby. Landscaping as a hobby for children will prepare them for exploring their talents, passion and love of nature.

Landscaping is not limited to older people. It is also for kids and young teens. Parents should be creative in introducing this new alternative way of spending time and having fun at the same time. Kids will enjoy this new activity as they will be able to discover new things.

Read More

Work at Home Schemes

June 17, 2021   Matt

Work At Home Schemes

When you are considering taking advantage of working at home you will want to be aware of the many schemes that exist in the work-at-home industry. Many people begin working at home because they want to have the opportunity to make money on their own terms, without having to deal with a boss to pay them or to set their hours. Well while that is the best decision for some people who have a specific talent, this may be a very scary time for those who have not yet decided which avenue of a work-at-home business is the best for them.

Many work-at-home opportunities offer you the promise of a large gain in money but unfortunately turn out to be nothing more than a scam to get your money. These promises are intentionally made to appeal to you and your ideas, it is important to understand that not all of these opportunities are able to deliver the promises they make. Many of the people who advertise these types of “scams” fail to mention that you will be required to work many long hours without any pay whatsoever. Additionally, they often fail to let you know all of the costs that are associated with undertaking this type of work-at-home opportunity.

Many of these schemes will required that you spend a good deal of the money you have of your own on items like advertisement, photocopies, paper, stamps, envelopes, or any other type of equipment or supplies that may be needed to properly perform the job. Two basic types of schemes that are the most popular are stuffing envelopes and work doing assembly or crafts.

The envelope stuffing industry often advertises that you are to provide a small fee, then they will provide you with information on how stuffing envelopes at home can earn you money. After you have sent in your hard earned money, you are likely going to find out there was never any real employment opportunities to provide to you. Instead, you will possibly get a preformatted letter that gives you the instructions to place an add into local newspapers or a magazines. What this means is that the only real money making opportunity you have, is to send the same offer and hope they others reply to you.

When considering a work-at-home opportunity you should make sure that it is a real and viable opportunity. Know the tasks you will be required to perform, what the salary will be, how the salary is based, who pays you, when you will get your first pay, what it costs, and what you will get in return for your investment.

Read More

How To Deal With Common Plumbing Problems (4)

June 12, 2021   Matt

How To Deal With Common Plumbing Problems

Most people are unaware that plumbing is something that just about anybody can do. It can be a daunting idea at first, but after you learn the basics, it can actually be pretty easy. Use this article as a guide to help you with any plumbing issues that might come up.

Avoid flushing cotton balls, cotton swabs and any feminine sanitary products down the toilet. Even small panty liners can cause big problems because their adhesive backing can stick to pipes and cause stoppages. Keep a small, covered wastebasket next to the toilet to encourage guests to properly dispose of used sanitary articles.

Periodically, make sure that the sump pump in your house is working to full capacity. Pour a few gallons of water into the sump pit, and your pump should drain that water out with minimal issues. Checking that your devices are working throughout the year can pay large dividends in the event of a crisis.

Tub drains can get clogged by hair and debris easily, but may be hard to access. Make use of an afghan hook to reach in and snag clogging materials. These hooks are available at most craft stores. Use slow, measured movements to avoid breaking the hair as you are pulling it out.

To make sure your sump pump will run in an emergency, routinely test it by adding several buckets of water into the sump pit. The pump should turn on, remove the water and turn off with ease. Do this regularly, especially if your sump pump doesn’t run that often, to ensure it will work when needed most.

Back flow can happen to anyone on municipal water systems, so it’s important to prepare your plumbing for it. For example, put a vacuum-breaker fitting on your outdoor faucets to ensure that the water never ends up flowing backwards and causing you a massive headache due to water damage in your home.

Protect you plumbing pipes! If you live in an area which has cold winters and are leaving your home for an extended amount of time, protect your plumbing while you are gone! Shut off the main water valve! Drain the system of water by opening the faucets at the highest and lowest points of the house. Also, make sure that you have left some heat on in the house! Set the thermostat to at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

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.

In conclusion, you do not want to find yourself stuck paying for a large bill given to you by your local plumber when it was a task that you could have easily taken care of yourself. Use this article in order to establish a firm base knowledge of plumbing and what you can do.

Read More

Easy Plumbing Strategies That Work Efficiently And Anyone Can Try (3)

June 07, 2021   Matt

Easy Plumbing Strategies That Work Efficiently And Anyone Can Try

If plumbing is something that can have you stumped, you probably know how expensive it is to have it done professionally. You also may have to wait for a plumber to arrive when there’s a problem happening now! Don’t let this happen, read on for tips on solving your own plumbing problems!

Insulate your pipes well to avoid winter freezing in your pipes. When your pipes are frozen, you have no water, so you want to do all you can to prevent this from happening. If you have any pipes that aren’t insulated, you can find various household items, such as newspaper and foam to be effective in insulating the pipes to protect from freezing.

If you have chrome or ceramic plumbing fixtures, be very careful when making any types of repairs. These types of finishes are very easily scratched, and they are expensive to get fixed. Be careful and exercise caution when dealing with these finishes. Consider if it may be better to hire a professional.

If you plan on doing any work to your plumbing you must ensure that you know what the codes and laws are where you live. You need to know exactly how far a pipe has to be from electrical, for example, or how large a pipe must be to be to code.

If you’re planning to leave on vacation then it’s key to make sure you turn off the main shut off valve to your plumbing. This will ensure that nothing floods or breaks while you’re gone, leaving you with a horrendous mess to return to and headaches you don’t want to deal with.

Use your garbage disposal with the cold water running so that you can preserve the blades of the disposal. Using hot water makes grease more liquid and can cause problems, including clogs. Make sure to clean blades by putting in a little dish detergent and run cold water at the same time.

Always keep your garbage disposal clean. You can do this in many ways. Pour some dish soap in and let the disposal run for a few minutes with some cold water. Be sure to run it regularly, if not, it can cause rust. To eliminate foul odors, grind lemon or other citrus peels. You can clean the walls of the disposal by grinding small fruit pits or egg shells.

Do not let your faucet leak. Did you know a leaky faucet can waste about 150 gallons of water every day? If you have a leak, never ignore it. It could be coming from the faucet or the pipes. Continually check pipes and faucets for extra moisture or small leaks.

Back flow can happen to anyone on municipal water systems, so it’s important to prepare your plumbing for it. For example, put a vacuum-breaker fitting on your outdoor faucets to ensure that the water never ends up flowing backwards and causing you a massive headache due to water damage in your home.

As you can see, there’s no reason to pay so much just to wait for a plumber to come and fix a problem that you could be working on yourself. Applying the tips in this article can save you time and money next time your plumbing needs to be repaired.

Read More
« Older posts
Newer posts »

  • Subscribe

Support us!

If you like this site please subscribe