Summer is the most popular time to fire up the grill. Grease, marinades and sauces can ruin gas burners, while charcoal grills are affected by the corrosive properties of charcoal.
Grills of all kinds require maintenance to ensure that they perform well and last. Regular maintenance allows you to catch problems early on.
• Grills with welded joints or connections with pop rivets can rust. Scrub rust off with a stiff wire brush or coarse steel wool.
• Apply a rust-inhibiting primer and paint the grill’s exterior with rust-resistant metal paint.
• Replace damaged grill wheels, handles or other damaged parts of your grill by contacting the manufacturer.
• Clean the burners, while the unit is cold, using a stainless steel wire brush to remove any substances from a traditional gas burner.
• Keep grill grease traps clean and drained. Large pools of grease can ignite.
• Keep your grill covered when not in use. Covers should have a cloth lining to draw moisture away from the metal.
The greenest product is one that has a minimal impact on the environment and on your health. Some flooring may come coated with toxin-emitting stains and adhesives.
• When selecting flooring materials, choose from materials like:
o Bamboo
o Cork
o Concrete
o Linoleum
o Recycled tile and stone
o Reclaimed/salvaged lumber
• If the flooring requires adhesive, stain or polish, buy one that has a very low VOC content. Choose sealants and stains made from natural pigments. For polish upkeep, look for hardwax and natural oil polishes.
• If the flooring requires grout or glues, make sure you purchase non-toxic products with low VOC contents.
Protect the environment and your health with non-toxic, eco-friendly flooring.
Your clients can make small adjustments to their lives in order to improve their health and to look and feel better. Likewise, small changes to the home can improve its living environment.
• The colors used inside the home affect a person’s emotional health. Bright, warm tones energize a room; soft, cool tones add calmness and balance. In bedrooms, clutter, televisions and other distractions can take away from the room’s relaxing mood.
• Clean inside air promotes a healthy living environment. Air purifiers, which help control indoor allergies and other indoor air pollutants, are available to fit any room or area of a home.
• A healthy home takes into consideration the environment. Energy-efficient appliances help conserve natural resources and lower energy bills.
• A safe home provides for a secure living environment. A home inspection can identify safety concerns and other problem areas of the home to provide homeowners with peace of mind.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in recent years an average of about 250 children under 5 years old drowned in pools nationwide annually. Most of these cases involved residential pools.
In order to ensure a safe pool environment and prevent drowning:
• Fences and walls around the pool should be at least 4 feet high
• Don’t leave pool toys in the pool area that may attract young children to the water
• A power safety cover can be used when the pool is not in use
• Keep rescue equipment by the pool and a phone with emergency numbers posted
• For above ground pools, steps and ladders to the pool should be secured and locked
For more information, go to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
New paint is one of the first things to consider when looking to remake or update a room. Painting takes work and time, but it is one of the quickest and most inexpensive ways to change the look and feel of a room.
• If you aren’t sure where to begin with color, test a small room or area first.
• Consider the mood of the room when selecting the color. Soft, cool colors and neutrals usually create a more calm feeling while bold, strong colors add drama.
• Pay attention to the lighting in the room. Natural lighting shows the truest color, incandescent lighting brings out warm tones and yellows, and fluorescent lighting adds a sharp blue tone.
• Decorative finishes add depth to rooms. Visual texture transforms dull walls into eye-catching areas while layered glazes and metal finishes add depth.
• Consider adjacent rooms when choosing the color in order to create an even flow throughout the house.
A little painting can go a long way to add character to your home.
According to the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) recently released Home Structure Fires report, 399,000 home fires were reported in the United States in 2007. On average, eight people die in home fires every day in the United States.
Progress has been made to protect and provide added safety to every home, NFPA provides several tips:
• Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling or broiling food.
• Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home.
• If you are building or remodeling your home, install residential fire sprinklers.
• Replace cords that are cracked, frayed, have broken plugs or loose connections.
For more information, go to The National Fire Protection Agency.
You should watch the video above if your home has manufactured joists so that you don’t improperly notch them and compromise structural integrity of your home
Plastics are classified by their “resin identification code” – a number from one to seven that represents a different type of resin. To find it, flip the container over and the number will be in the middle of a recycling triangle.
There are several things that you should be aware of when shopping for and using different plastic containers:
• Look for No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5. These transmit no known chemicals into your food.
• No. 1 polyethylene terephthalate is good for single use and accepted by municipal recyclers.
• Avoid No. 3 plastics, these interfere with hormonal development releasing dioxin.
• Hand-wash reusable containers gently; dishwashers can make areas for bacteria to grow.