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Save Money; Maintain Your Home

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Many of us have learned the hard way, that if we don’t keep our cars, tools, and other things we rely on in good working order, then we end up spending money unnecessarily on repairs. The same is true in regard to our houses, both inside and out. The cost of NOT doing home maintenance can be steep indeed. Besides that, it’s always much easier to be proactive than it is to wait until something breaks down.

One typical time to get busy is autumn. If you haven’t had to be responsible for a house before, you can find plenty of early winter home maintenance tips online, at the library, at a local extension office, home maintenance chain stores, or in bookstores. Check with your neighbors as well. Some of the areas you should be concerned with are:

• Roofs and gutters
• Fireplaces and chimneys
• Decks and patios
• Shutters and siding
• Drafty doors and windows

If you let any of these deteriorate, you’ll soon learn about the cost of NOT doing home maintenance.

Early winter or fall is not the only time to inspect these aspects of your house. It’s a good idea to take a good look at everything at least twice a year. Additionally, if you notice problems at times in between; fix them right away. It will save you money later. By the way, you’ll find free home maintenance tips in the same places listed above.

As you travel through various neighborhoods, it’s easy to spot the houses whose owners haven’t listed any early winter home maintenance tips. They often have peeling paint, stained concrete, rotting wood decks and stairs, and overgrown yards. All too often it’s probably because they just got behind and have found out the hard way the cost of NOT doing home maintenance. If you possibly can avoid it, don’t let yourself get caught in this trap. Make it your habit to take care of problems before they happen.

Some Specific Areas

Fireplaces and chimneys are especially important to keep functioning well. The cost of NOT doing home maintenance on your fireplaces can be more than just money; it can be lives. Any of your early winter home maintenance tips will remind you to get those chimneys cleaned before you start building cold weather fires. You should also thoroughly clean the layers of soot that collect just inside the fireplace itself.

With fuel costs on the rise, it’s a real plus to have a fireplace to help heat your home. They’re also very cozy and conjure up pictures of a good book and a cup of hot cocoa.
You may not see these benefits listed on your list of free home maintenance tips, but you know how much you’d miss them if you couldn’t build a fire. Make sure your fireplace and chimney is always clean, and you’ll be ready for any sudden storm. Taking care of your fireplace is a great way to avoid the cost of NOT doing home maintenance.

It’s more than likely that you have some areas in and around your home that are made from concrete. These may include basements, garages, patios, driveways, and sidewalks. In addition to sustaining cracks that will grow if not fixed, concrete can absorb dirt and stains. Again, consult your free home maintenance tips for advice on how to fix any damage. You should also clean these areas to avoid major build-up through the years.

If you spend a few dollars and some elbow grease now on property upkeep, you’ll avoid the cost of NOT doing home maintenance. Everyone is busy these days and time seems to fly by. It’s easy to put off your chores, but before you know it, six months or a year has gone by. You can avoid this happening to you by making a checklist and posting it where you’ll have to look at it. As you do each task, mark the date that you completed it and it will be easy to see when it’s time to repeat it.

One more specific area to maintain is any surface made from wood. The most common instance is a deck, but you may also have stairs, railings, or porches that fall into this category. In your early winter home maintenance tips, you’re sure to learn that it’s important to routinely clean any outdoor wood that you have.

Wood can rot and fade, so performing maintenance, such as cleaning, painting, and repairs in a timely manner will keep you ahead of the curve. This information is something else that should be on your list of free home maintenance tips.

All of this may sound like just too much work. This is when it’s time to think of old sayings like, “It’s better to be safe than sorry”, and avoid the cost of NOT doing home maintenance.

Tags: Home, Maintain, Money, Save

Travel Health | 6 Ways to Maintain Your Travel Health

Travel Health | 6 Ways to Maintain Your Travel Health

When your family stays well you can truly relax and enjoy your vacation. Here, protect your travel health with these 6 smart pointers.

BY SID KIRCHHEIMER

Want a vacation from travel-related health troubles? Try these tips:

Travel Health Tip #1: Take regular breaks

Stroll the airplane aisle or highway rest stop periodically to prevent the blood in your legs from pooling. Another good reason to get moving: “Sitting in a car or plane all day can make you constipated,” says Rick Kellerman, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and chairman of family medicine at the University of Kansas at Wichita, “but you can prevent that with exercise. Even moving around for just a few minutes helps.”

Travel Health Tip #2: Pack produce…

and other high-fiber foods, says Dr. Kellerman. “You’re more likely to prevent stomachaches and other gastrointestinal problems by having family members eat the way they do at home. When you get hungry and pull off the road, head to the local grocery instead of a fast food joint.”

Travel Health Tip #3: Get your ZZZs.

To head off jet lag, schedule your flight as follows: When heading east, fly early; when heading west, fly late. This long-practiced flying strategy ensures the least disruption to the body’s normal sleep-wake cycle, preserving your travel health.

Travel Health Tip #4: Wet your whistle.

On a flight, you family is in a very arid environment that dehydrates the body and dries out the tender skin and mucous membranes in the nose and throat. “A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 16 ounces of water before leaving and 8 ounces of water every hour while flying,” suggests G. Richard Olds, M.D., a travel disease specialist and chairman of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Fruit juice is also a good choice; cola, tea and coffee aren’t (the caffeine they contain may have a diuretic effect). Are you visiting a hot climate? A sports beverage can replenish sodium and potassium that are lost in sweat.

Travel Health Tip #5: Go the distance with germ warfare.

You don’t need to vacation in Mexico to experience Montezuma’s revenge. “The farther you travel from home, even within the U.S., the more likely you are to be introduced to unfamiliar germs,” says Dr. Olds. “That increases your chances of respiratory illness, loose stools and other germ-caused infections.” So take precautions: “If you’re traveling across several states, pack some over-the-counter cough syrup, sore throat lozenges and an antidiarrhea medication,” Dr. Olds says.

Travel Health Tip #6: Shun the Sun

Spending time outdoors at the beach, mountains or woods? Protect your family’s skin with a sunscreen that has a high SPF (30 and up). Apply it to exposed skin areas about half an hour before heading outside to allow the sunscreen to swing into action. And use at least two tablespoons per application. Reapply sunscreen every two hours throughout the day and immediately after you’ve gotten wet or have been sweating.

Follow these tips to protect your travel health, and your vacation will be made in the shade.—Sid Kirchheimer©MediZine’s Healthy Living™

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Travel Health

Tags: Health, Maintain, Travel, Ways

Two Way Radios: How to Maintain Business Communication During an Emergency

Doesn’t it seem like hurricane season lasts longer and does more damage every year? Summertime heat waves and winter ice storms appear more severe than ever?

Natural and man-made catastrophes, can result in emergencies and power outages that last a few hours, a few days or, in the most severe cases, a week or longer. This can cost your business thousands of dollars.

Emergency and public safety organizations like police and fire departments, medical teams and college campus security depend on commercial two way radios. Your business can also turn to commercial two way radios in natural disasters and other emergencies. Two way radios are an economical resource in emergency situations that can possible save your business money!

Why Two Way Radios Are an Excellent Way to Maintain Communication & Keep Your Business Operating During an Emergency.

1. Two way radios do not rely on cell towers like cell phones do. They operate radio to radio independently from any other system. If the power to a cell tower goes out, or the tower is knocked down, you lose cell phone service. Be prepared and use 2 way radios to avoid overloaded cell phone systems in an emergency.

2. Two way radios do not rely on telephone lines. Phone systems can be knocked out just like cell phone towers. If the power goes out to a phone system, or there is a line in the system that is damaged, you lose phone service. Being prepared with 2 way radios will overcome this potential communications issue.

3. If you apply the tips below and use commercial 2 way radios your team can maintain radio communication around a fixed location or campus of buildings without electricity for hours, even days, in an emergency.

So the question becomes: How can you charge your commercial two-way radio batteries when there’s no power to draw from?

How to Keep Your Two Way Radio Battery Up and Running During a Power Outage, Crises or Emergency:

1. Be Prepared. Even if you do not use two way radios as part of your regular day to day operation you should keep the batteries for your emergency radios charged and conduct a radio check once a week. The weekly radio check will reinforce how to use the radios and instill good radio habits. A weekly radio check will reveal if there are any equipment or personnel issues. During an emergency having to train personnel will consume rather than conserve battery power.

2. Have Spare Two Way Radio Battery Equipment Available & Handy. Many commercial two way radio chargers have a slot for an additional battery. By keeping two batteries charged you effectively double the useful life of radios in an emergency. Additionally some commercial two way radios can be equipped with standard sized alkaline batteries. These alkaline batteries have a long shelf life and can come in handy if the power outage is lengthy. PLEASE NOTE: Not all commercial two-way radios can take alkaline batteries. In fact, most can’t and only a few have a special “AA” battery holder that fits the radio. Nearly all FRS radios or “Family Radio Service” radios do take alkaline batteries but they do not provide a signal of significant strength and are not recommended for industrial or business users.

3. Charge Your Two Way Radio Battery with Your Computer. If you have an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) battery backup for your computer, it can keep your two way radio working during an emergency crisis or power outage as well. Just plug it in, and you’ll have enough power to re-charge your radio battery to last at least a full day, and maybe even more. We recently tested this process with a common computer battery back up/surge protector unit with Output Power Capacity of 780 Watts / 1300 VA. We charged three full-powered commercial two way radios with the batteries attached along with three extra batteries in the backup slots of three charger cups. Tip: Make sure to shut down your computer at the first sign of a power outage. It increases the UPS power that you can draw on to charge your 2 way radio battery.

4. Charge Two Way Radio Batteries with your Car or Truck. If it’s safe to go outside, you can recharge your two way radio battery in your car or truck by using a re-charger that plugs into the vehicle’s cigarette lighter. If the power outage lasts a short while, this can provide enough juice to keep things going during the crisis. But if it looks like the power is going to be out for several days then keep in mind that this is also using your vehicle’s fuel and battery. Tip: Keep the car re-charger for your 2 way radio battery in your vehicle’s emergency kit, so it’ll be there when you need it!

5. Use the Two Way Radio Solar Rechargeable Battery Option. You can use your two-way radio during a power outage emergency if you have a solar rechargeable battery pack. Solar power is becoming increasingly popular as a source of alternative energy. It doesn’t even have to be a bright and sunny day for it to work effectively. Solar power battery recharging kits can service your two way radio batteries. Tip: Don’t wait for an emergency to use your solar re-charger. You should conduct a weekly radio and charger check to detect any problems and fix them before they become problems during an emergency.

Bill Richards, President of Fast Radios, is the leading source for information and equipment in the commercial two way radio industry. Now you can get a free trial on new two way radios, an extended Four-year warranty and an immediate shipping guarantee. Plus, you can get all of your two way radio accessories, replacement batteries, and charging systems at our site

Tags: Business, Communication, During, Emergency, Maintain, Radios

How to Maintain Your Area Rugs

If you are finding your room monotonous, an area rug can instantly brighten it up. Area rugs add warmth and beauty to a place. The main problem is their maintenance. They keep accumulating dust, dirt, and grease that result in the harboring of bacteria. This might also make the rug dull.

To sort this problem, we have given here a few tips that would help to keep your area rugs clean and bright.

Vacuum clean the rug

This is the best way you can get away with dust particles and soil that your kids have brought on it from your garden. You should use vacuum cleaners to remove dust and other foreign particles from the area rugs. This method is more effective than shaking as the suction power of the vacuum cleaner removes even the dust particles that have intertwined with the fibers of the rug. If the rug is made of delicate fiber like wool, then you should be extra cautious while vacuum cleaning, as it should not affect the fibers. Moreover, if you have got such rugs at your home, prchasing a cleaner that is specially made for them will be worth to save your carpet from getting spoiled.

Blot the spills

As soon as something spills on the rug, you should gently blot it with some soft cloth. Do not rub too hard, otherwise the fibers would get damaged. Moreover, hard rubbing can also sometimes leave an unsightly patch on the rug.

Carpet cleaners

You will need professional cleaning of the area rugs once a year. If you are DIY type personality, then you should hire or buy carpet cleaner for this purpose. The carpet cleaners use pressure washing along with gentle brushing to remove dirt and grease from the area rugs. Some of them also have steam-cleaning function. Steam cleaning is the most effective way to clean the rugs as they leave them sparkling clean and bacteria free as well. You should always use mild detergents for cleaning the rugs. Harsh detergents can harm the fibers and also the color of the rug.

If you do not want to do all this yourself, you should hire a professional carpet cleaner for this purpose.

Besides, the regular and annual cleaning of the area rugs, you have to take care of several other things for the maintenance of the rug like.

1.Keep rotating the area rugs. This will result in a uniform wear and tear of the rug.

2.Use rug pads. They help to keep the rug in place and also reduce the wear and tear of the rug by providing proper cushioning. This also helps in vacuum cleaning.

3.Do not place heavy furniture directly on the rug. Heavy furniture causes damage to the rug as all the weight is concentrated on a small area. You can use some protection beneath the furniture legs to avoid the wrinkling of the rugs due to weight.

If you follow the tips given above, the life span of your area rugs will increase and they will make your home elegant for years to come.

Tags: Area, Maintain, Rugs