29 Aug 09 Start Your Own Garden

Starting your own garden is not only good for the environment, but can also be very therapeutic to your own daily stresses. Sure it’s hard work, but hard work is always good for you, and it’s good to have a project to do from day to day. Why not garden? The only problem is, if you’ve never set up your own garden before, where do you start?

Well, first you’ll want to find a good spot for your garden to grow. Do this by inspecting your yard, you want a good sunny spot, so that the plants will receive plenty of healthy sunlight. But also an area that you feel accentuates your yard, giving it an uplifting touch. Just make sure your desired location, and the amount of sunlight available meet a comfortable middle ground.

Also consider that the more flat the surface you’re planning on making into a garden, the easier it’s going to be for you to convert the area. Hillside surfaces can be much harder on you when actually forming the garden itself, and can be a pain to uphold, as almost every task will be made more difficult. So look for a good flat piece of ground.

Don’t go too large with your first garden. Start out small so that you don’t overwork yourself on your first attempt, otherwise you may be less likely to try in the future.

Next you’ll need to remove all sod, grass and weeds from the area. Go deep so as to get most of the roots. The more grass and weeds that you can eliminate at the root, the easier your life will be later. Try relocating any of the sod and weeds that you want to remove into your own compost pile. This way you can reuse the earth you’ve moved as food for the plants you’re going to introduce, later.

Now you’ll want to till up the dirt a little bit, before you start planting your flowers, or anything else you’re interested in planting. This way you spread the nutrients around, and also till up any leftover roots from grass or weeds, eliminating them from your garden.

Finally, it’s time to start planting. Follow the directions of the particular plant you’re trying to grow, and make sure to pay careful attention as you tend your garden. You’ll find it may take a lot of work, but you’ll have a nicer healthier yard for your efforts. You’ll probably find yourself feeling less stressed as well.

Tags: Attempt, Compost Pile, Dirt, Earth, Hillside, Little Bit, Nutrients, Pl, Planting Flowers, Plants, Roots, Sod Grass, Stresses, Sunlight, Sunny Spot, Surfaces, Weeds

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13 Jun 09 Caring For Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors give any home a much more elegant look, especially when they are well maintained. The problem with them however, is that hardwood floors can be a pain to maintain. But they are well worth the trouble, as hardwood floors add value to your home, and just look infinitely better than some shaggy, dusty carpet. Although for anybody with hardwood floors there are a few things that you need to know about caring for, and maintaining there appearance.

Such as the easy stuff, you’ll want to sweep more often, as dirt on a hardwood floor is harder to escape than dirt on carpet. Which means you need to regularly use a broom to keep dust and such from building up, probably once every other day or so, and you want to use a soft bristle broom so that there is no risk of scratching those nice floors. Beyond sweeping you’ll also want to vacuum at least twice a month to pick up any of the stragglers left behind after you’ve swept.

But then here’s where cleaning gets tricky with hardwood floors. Water is a big no no, as this will eat away at the wood in the long term, possibly even causing your floor to rot. Which means any spill needs to be cleaned up immediately, and you don’t want to use a regular mop on your wood floors, ever. You’ll want to use a dry mop, which uses a limited amount of liquid solution, which is then dried up in the cleaning process almost immediately. This way you’re cleaning your floors without the risk of ruining the wood.

Beyond that, to make your job a bit easier, there are a few changes you can make to your house to prolong the life and look of your hardwood floors. Such as using rugs in high traffic areas so that your floor doesn’t suffer any wear and tear from daily use.

Tags: Appearance, Bristle Broom, Carpet, Dirt, Dry Mop, Hardwood Floor, Hardwood Floors, Job, Left Behind, Liquid Solution, Risk, Rugs, Spill, Stragglers, Traffic Areas, Wear And Tear, Wood Floors, Worth The Trouble

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14 Apr 09 Carpet Cleaning : Sure-Fire Tips

There’s no question that your daily or weekly vacuuming makes your carpet look fresh and newer but it’s not enough to protect your carpet from dirt, debris, and oily film deposits that go with this debris. You can’t avoid the oily debris. It comes from cooking vapor, the air, the bottoms of your feet, your pets, and a host of other places. So you’ll need to clean your carpets regularly. Follow these carpet cleaning tips to get the best job done.

Clean Frequently

Carpets should be cleaned every 12 months. This ensures that the oil film doesn’t get so thick it discolors your carpets. If you live by yourself or there’s just two of you then every 18 months will probably be suffice. If there is more than 5 of you then you’ll probably need to do your carpets every 6 months.

Hiring A Professional

You should consider hiring a professional to clean your carpets. A professional cleaner is trained, that’s why he or she is a professional and they will know which type of cleaning is best for your carpet. The professional will come with a heavy duty hot water extraction system which will be used to spray your carpets with water and detergent and then to suck back the water and oil into a tank in their vehicle.

Do It Yourself

If you decide to rent a steam cleaning machine and do your own carpets you need to realize that the rental equipment is not nearly as powerful as the pro’s equipment so you won’t get as deep a clean. You also need to realize that some of these machines can damage your carpet so be sure you know what you are renting.

Powerless Retail Rentals

Choose your retail rental carpet cleaner carefully because many of these lack power meaning you might land up with a carpet that’s too wet and not enough power to suck the water up. This could end up damaging your carpet. Make sure you do your research and that you know what you are renting

Easy On The Water

Pretend like there’s a water shortage and use water sparingly. If you use too much water and your carpets are wet for more than 24 hours you can develop mold and mildew growth which is bad for your health. Never mind those interesting odors that seep out of the carpet.

Leave No Trace

Choose a solution that leaves no or little residue behind. The PH of the cleaning solution should be around 9 and it should always be less than 10. If you are left with that sticky residue your carpets will pick up more residue and pick it up quicker.

Wool Carpets

Wool carpets are different than the synthetic blends. They require a special solution that is designed for wool and the natural fibers. Make sure the solutions PH is no higher than 8 and no lower than 5.

Stop The Stains

If your carpets are already treated with a stain resistant treatment you need you use a cleaner that’s designed to work with this treatment. Any other cleaner will destroy the stainguard treatment already on the carpets which could cause discoloration and void the warranty.

Less Dry Time

After you’ve cleaned your carpet places fans around the room to push air across the carpet. This will reduce the time it takes to dry the carpets and the risk of mold and mildew. If you have a dehumidifier use it to pull the moisture out. An air conditioner will also pull moisture out. Your carpet should be dry in 12 hours or less.

Following these carpet cleaning tips will have your carpets looking fresh and clean and it will extend their life. Carpets are expensive so the longer you can make them last the better!

John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To learn more and receive your free mini-course visit the carpet rugs website.

Tags: 12 Months, Bottoms, Carpet Cleaner, Carpet Cleaning Tips, Carpets, Clean Carpets, Debris, Detergent, Dirt, Extraction System, Feet, Fire Tips, Hot Water Extraction, Oil Film, Oily Film, Pets, Rent, Steam Cleaning Machine, Steam Machine, Tank, Water And Oil, Water Shortage

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29 Aug 09 Start Your Own Garden

13 Jun 09 Caring For Hardwood Floors

14 Apr 09 Carpet Cleaning : Sure-Fire Tips

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