Home and Garden

Selecting A Carpet To Suit Your Lifestyle

Whenever you select carpet, you have to consider many aesthetic as well as technical areas. With well over a hundred thousands styles and colors being released every year, selecting the right carpet to match your needs can be a very challenging task indeed.

Carpet is available in several different textures, constructions, colors, and designs – which will open the doors to virtually any interior design that you can imagine. The combination of texture and color will complement the look of both formal and casual environments, while helping to bring continuity to the overall room designs.

The most important thing to consider when you shop for carpet is the amount of traffic that will be on the carpet that is going to be installed as well as the area you hope to use it in. The construction and the texture are both key aspects when you select a carpet for a specified area and use.

Nylon, polyester, and olefin are the mosty widely used fibers with carpet manufacturing, with each one displaying qualities that make themselves great with specific applications and uses. Even though nylon is the most expensive type of fiber, it is also the softest and most resilient, which makes t great for any room in your home, including those areas that have a high level of traffic.

Polyester fabric is less resilient than nylon, although it more cost efficient and offers a high level of resistance to stains, which makes it a great choice for areas such as bedrooms or dining rooms that are not subjet to a lot of traffic.

The fiber olefin is solution dyed, which results in a highly resistant stain carpet that can be cleaned easily using a water and beach solution – without any loss to the color.

Unlike the other types of fibers, olefin is fade, mildew, and mold resistant, which results in a carpet that performs well indoors and outdoors. Keep in mind however, that olefin isn’t very resilient and as a result, it should only be considered with berber construction.

You can get carpets in either plush or berber construction. The berber type of carpets are well constructed with a continuous level loop, while plush carpets are constructed of loops that have been sheared, which results in the strands standing upright.

Berber construction carpets don’t crush or matt, due to their high level loops. They are however harder underfoot, uncomfortable to sit on or lay down on, and they can easily become damaged by pets with long nails. Berber carpets are well suited for high traffic areas, which include walk ways, living rooms, and entrance areas. They aren’t popular with bedrooms, as their hard texture makes them a less than attractive option.

The plush type carpets are much softer to walk or lay on and they offer better sound and thermal insulation. They tend to crush and matt though when they are subjected to high levels of foot traffic.

The use of nylon fiber paired with a tight low pile construction will help to limit the amount of pile and matt crushing, due to the high resilient nature of the nylon fiber and the added support that is gained from tight construction.

The warranties for carpet ranges from 5 – 30 years, with the general rule being that you don’t cover the stairs. Most carpet warranties will require the installation of new carpet padding as well at the time of installation in order for the warranty to become valid.

Home and Garden

The Benefits of Owning an Air Purifier For Seniors

Are you considered a senior citizen? If not, do you know someone who is? Whether you are increasing in age or you are close to someone who is, you may be a little bit worried about health. It is no secret that most people’s health begins to deteriorate as they age. Despite being a normal occurrence, there are many individuals who take a number of steps to try and remain as healthy as they can.

When it comes to staying healthy, there are a number of different steps that are taken. Of course, the elderly, like all other individuals, can benefit from healthy foods, as well as a regular amount of exercise. In addition to a healthy diet and regular exercise, elderly individuals could also benefit from the use of an air purifier.

Air purifiers are electronic machines that are used to eliminate, and sometimes even destroy, harmful air particles and bacteria. Essentially, air purifiers make indoor air cleaner and healthier to breathe. This is good for just about anyone, but it is especially good for those who are considered senior citizens. As previously mentioned, senior citizens are more likely to develop health complications, such as the common cold. An air purifier can help to reduce the chances of that happening.

If you are a senior citizen and you are looking to purchase an air purifier for yourself, you may want to think about speaking to your healthcare provider. While most healthcare providers are not experts on air purifiers, they should be able to let you know what you want or need to get out of an air purifier. For instance, they may recommend that you purchase an air purifier that not only traps, but also destroys harmful bacteria. This information, as well as any other information that your healthcare provider may give you, will come in handy when choosing the right air purifier, especially one that best fits your needs.

If you are not a senior citizen, but you are interested in purchasing an air purifier for a senior citizen that you know or are related to, you may want to do a little bit of research, before making that purchase. When doing a little bit of research, it is important to keep a couple of important points in mind. These points should include the size of the room in which the air purifier would be used, the overall cost of the air purifier, including filters, and the overall quality of the air purifier that you are interested in purchasing. As mentioned above, it may be a good idea for you to seek help or tips from a professional healthcare provider.

When it comes to purchasing an air purifier, if you are a senior citizen, you may want to think about shopping at a retail store that offers discounts for senor citizens. These discounts are not available at all retail locations, but a wide number of stores still offer them. These stores may include home improvement stores or pharmacies. Even if you must pay full price for an air purifier, you will still want to think about purchasing one. Despite having to pay full price, you will likely find that the purchase is worth it, in more ways than one.

As previously mentioned, if you are concerned with the health of yourself or someone that you know, especially someone who is considered a senior citizen, you may want to get an air purifier. Whether you make that purchase yourself, ask for it as a gift, or give it as a gift, you and anyone else that enters the residence will likely be pleased with the purchase.

Health and Fitness

Weight Loss Using Laxatives

One popular weight loss supplements available in the market today take the form of tea. Stores all over sell slimming tea, dieter’s tea and others but all of them are actually the same. They may appear to be effective, but what is not seen may actually harm you.

One of the effects of drinking dieter’s tea is frequent bowel movement. This gives people the feeling of body cleansing. These people may get toxins out of their body but it isn’t exactly the only thing that slimming tea actually does to the body. Slimming tea contains herbs which are natural laxatives. These include aloe, senna, rhubarb root, cascara, buckthorn and castor oil. These are products which are derived from plants and are used since the ancient times because of their potency in treating constipation and to inducing bowel movement.

Cascara, castor oil and senna are substances which are recognized as laxatives available over the counter and are also regulated as drugs. Scientific studies show that diarrhea induced by laxatives does not absorb significant amounts of calories taken in the body.

The reason for this is that laxatives do not act on the small intestines where most of the calories are absorbed. Instead, they work on the large intestines. If taken in large amounts for prolonged periods, it can affect fat absorption of the body. This may lead to greasy diarrhea and loss of weight. Abuse of laxatives is common practice among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia nervosa.

While weight loss can be guaranteed by overdosing on laxatives, it may also cause permanent damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the weakening and softening of the bones, a condition known as osteomalacia. Drinkers of slimming teas may actually patronize the product because they are less expensive and taste better than other laxatives sold in the market. Other people, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa drink dieter’s tea because they work fast and produce watery stool and having loose consistency.

Women may even be more susceptible to the effects of slimming teas. Although they may are not known to interfere directly with the woman’s menstrual cycle and fertility, they should watch out if drinking them causes them to rapidly shed off weight. It is also not safe for pregnant women to be taking in laxatives of any kind. Wise and responsible herbalists also discourage the use of senna and other herbal products with laxative properties for pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive.

One should be wary about these findings because the labeling of slimming teas in the market today can be absolutely misleading. For instance, they commonly refer to the laxative qualities as “natural bowel cleansing properties” and not specifically use the word “laxative”.Some even use the term “low-calorie” on their labelling. These products in fact, contain essentially no calories nor nutrients whatsoever; unless of course, if they are sweetened.

Adverse effects of misusing laxatives in the form of slimming tea generally occur when taken in more than or longer than recommended. These include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding, electrolyte disorder and dehydration as well as injury and worse, death. It was also reported that excess use of stimulant laxatives cause severe constipation and pain for long periods (as much as for decades) due to the colon losing its function. It eventually led to surgery removing the colon altogether.

Home and Garden

Removing Carpet Stains

There are many different products available on the market that will help you to remove almost all types of stains. The ideal solution in minimizing or totally
removing stains is by simply cleaning the spills and dirt the moment they crop up. Cleaning them up won’t even require you to leave your home just to
rush out and buy the expensive types of cleaning products.

There are several ways to clean up stains simply by using products already available in your home which you use on a regular basis, such as detergents, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, lemon juice, etc. Its
simply a matter of knowing how to use these common household products and the procedures involved to clean up stains. Below, you’ll find some tips on how to clean up pet stains and some other types of common carpet stains.

Pet stain
For your first option you can use one teaspoon of clear, household type ammonia to a half cup of cold water. You can use this solution in a spray
bottle or apply it to the carpet directly. It is very important not to wet the carpets backing when you apply the solution. After you have applied
the solution, use paper towels to blot then allow it to dry completely.

For a second option, you can use detergent solution made of hand soap or dish soap. The combination is one quarter of a teaspoon detergent to one quart of water. You should always make sure the soap doesn’t contain bleach or lanolin.

The third and best option, is to use water, it can re-hydrate the stain to help with removal. Most types of pet stains can be cleaned up by using a steam cleaner. Once you have finished, be sure to dry the area as thoroughly as possible.

Ink stains
1. You can purchase isopropyl rubbing alcohol at your local department or grocery store.
2. You can apply it by pouring some onto a clean white towel or cloth. You can use paper towels as well, as long as they are white.
3. Blot the stain as much as possible until it is removed.
4. Make sure you be careful, because if the stain is small, you need to blot in one direction only so you don’t spread the stain.

Beer and wine stains
1. Mix a solution with one part white vinegar and one part water.
2. Apply the mixture to the stain using a spray bottle to saturate.
3. You should allow the stain to sit around ten to fifteen minutes.
4. Use a sponge and clean in a rubbing motion.
5. Rinse the area with warm water.
6. Brush the carpet pile back into the natural direction it has.
7. By using layers of white paper towels, place paper towels on top of the area, then something with weight on the paper towels. Allow everything time to sit like this until the area has dried.

Home and Garden

Cleaning Kitchen Carpet Spills

A spill on the kitchen carpet can be anything from a child’s cup falling off the table to muddy footprints around the room. Properly dealing with the kitchen spill is what seperates the professionals from everyone lse.

With a little bit of common knowledge, many of the spills that occur can be cleaned up and corrected fast and easily. Knowing how to react to spills in the kitchen are what makes things easier than ever.

The first thing to do, is use a bit of common sense. Its important for you to take very quick action and be smart about the first steps you take in cleaning up your kitchen carpet spill. To put it in other terms – don’t let the spill sit.

The longer the spill or product sits on your carpet, the deeper in it will go. A larger spill that has time to seep into the carpet and into the padding and reaches the floor boards is one type of spill that will need extensive cleaning. Therefore, you’ll need to move quickly and effectively.

You can take different steps to remove spills from your kitchen carpet. One thing that remains the same throughout every spill you encounter is that you shouldn’t rub them. Most often, rubbing the spill will rub them into the fibers of the carpet. This will make them less likely to come off. Instead of rubbing, you should consider blotting. Blotting puts small amounts of pressure on the stain to allow the cloth or paper towels to soak it up. This doesn’t work the stain deeper into the carpet.

As far as getting the spill out of the carpet, you can use several methods. First, you should try and remove as much debris from the floor as possible, wiping as much as you can up. Then, there are several routes that you can take.

If you own a carpet cleaner, this will be your best option. Last, there are several products on the market that you can use. This will help when it comes to difficult spills. Unless you have them on hand, waiting isn’t an option. Spills in the kitchen needs to be handled in a quick and timely manner.

Since the kitchen spill happens in one of the most used rooms of the home, you’ll need to make sure that you do a great job in cleaning it up. Because spills can happen frequently, it is important that you do a complete cleaning of the carpet on a regular basis.

Even though kitchen carpet spills are nearly mpossible to prevent, you can protect yourself and your carpet by knowing what to do. If you keep your carpet clean, you’ll have no problems cleaning up spills as they occur.

Home and Garden

The Benefits of Reading Consumer Reports or Customer Feedback For Air Purifiers

Are you looking to purchase a new air purifier for your home? If so, have you purchased one before? If you have never purchased an air purifier before, you may not know exactly what you should be looking for or which type of air purifier is considered the best. If this is the case, you are advised to do a little bit of research, before making your final purchase. This research should involve consumer reports or customer feedback.

We have all heard of consumer reports before. In fact, these reports are regularly featured on the news, on the radio, and on television. Consumer reports are often generated by a group of trained individuals or traditional consumers, either one or the other. These individuals will test and review a particular product. Many times these products include cars computer equipment, and televisions. But, did you know there are also consumer reports done on air purifiers. If you are able to find these reports, which you should easily be able to do online, you should be able to obtain valuable information on some of the most popular and well-known air purifiers on the market.

In addition to using consumer reports, you can also obtain customer feedback online. Customer feedback is feedback that is left by a customer who recently purchased or used the particular product in question. Many of these reviews or product ratings are done for a number of different popular and well-known air purifier makes and models. If you are able to find these reviews, you could very well stay up-to-date on the latest products to hit the market. A customer feedback will likely not only include the price of an air purifier, but also the quality of its performance.

As previously mentioned, it is easiest to read consumer reports or view customer feedback online. When searching for consumer reports, you will likely want to perform a standard internet search. You may want to search using the words consumer reports, air purifiers. Combining the words air purifiers and consumer reports, will likely provide you with more accurate results. Consumer reports, as stated above, are performed on a wide variety of different products. Tailoring your search specifically to air purifiers is the best way to do the research, without wasting your time.

If you are looking for customer feedback, from previously air purifier buyers, you will also want to use the internet. If you know the name of a particular air purifier, you may want to perform a standard internet search with that name. Your results should include product information, as well as customer feedback or customer ratings. In addition to a standard internet search, you may also want to visit the website of an online retailer, particularly one that sells air purifiers. Many online retail stores allow their customers to review the products in which they purchased from their store.

Although the internet is a great way to learn more about air purifiers, you can also speak to those that you know. Over the past few years, the use of air purifiers in homes has skyrocketed. This means that there is a good chance that you know someone who has used an air purifier in the past or who still does. If you do know someone, you are advised to inquire about the product they have or had. Those that you know are more likely to provide you with honest answers, when compared to strangers over the internet.

As you should be able to see, there are a number of different ways that you can go about searching for customer feedback or consumer reports, for air purifiers. The benefits to doing so are unlimited. Not only can you be altered to well performing air purifiers, but you can also familiarize yourself with air purifiers that you are advised to stay away from. This valuable piece of information may help you have hundred of dollars, if not thousands, overtime.

Health and Fitness, Weight and Diet

Losing Weight – the Healthy Way To Lose Weight

Almost 108 million Americans were overweight or obese in 1999. Until now, obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.

One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight or obese.

Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself in risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:

1. heart disease
2. stroke
3. diabetes
4. cancer
5. arthritis
6. hypertension

Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases.

The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.

It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.

Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:

1. Do not starve your self.

The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.

You may seem happy and feel that you are losing that unwanted flab on your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this will not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.

If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight to your problem area (i.e. highs, buttocks, hips).

2. Start your day right.

Mothers always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism.

Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.

3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.

Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.

4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.

Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.

5. Drink lots of water.

Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.

6. Avoid too much sugar.

Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.

7. Watch your fat intake.

Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level.

There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.

8. Exercise.

Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activities and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.

It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself.

Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.

Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.

Uncategorized

Wireless Burglar Alarm System to Secure Your Home

Today, a crime can happen even in ones own home, so more and more people are purchasing burglar alarm for their homes since this is the safest thing to do in obtaining security not just for their possessions, but for their family as well.

Because of the increasing demand for burglar alarms, these are further developed to provide more efficiency. And one of the most demanded designs nowadays is the wireless burglar alarms.

These systems do not necessitate wires anymore to be connected to one another. Instead these utilize radio waves coming from the different sensors connected to the control panel to observe the activities inside the home.

The system of wireless burglar alarm is the utilization of motion sensors with the contact in the door and window to notify that there is an intruder within or near the house. The system is directed by a keypad situated in a part of the home. This keypad can activate or deactivate the alarm system remotely.

Here are the following elements that composes the wireless burglar alarm:

Control Panel: The wireless system’s “brain.” This is situated in a cabinet, cellar or attic for security purposes. The function of this is to receive signals coming from the sensors which have been set up around the area. The alarm immediately sounds when the sensors transmit a warning that directs to the Control Panel. If the alarm system is monitored aside from the sounding of the alarm, the monitoring unit is given an alert by the Control Panel to call for the appropriate authorities.

Keypad: As the name implies, it is where the code is keyed in to either activate or deactivate the system. Along with the evolution of the alarm system, the keypad today becomes simpler to use. Keypad is assisted by illuminating screens when used during night time. It also includes the function keys’ feature of single-touch, which allows the press of one button to activate or deactivate the alarm system.

Magnetic Contacts: Here, the magnet is situated near the switch place that calculates the augmentation of distance between the magnet and the switch place. This is set up at the doors and windows guarded by the system. The switch directly sounds an alarm when the activated system detected any increase in the distance of the sensors, like when the doors and windows are forcibly opened.

Contact sensors: These utilize a reactive infrared light which perceives motion or body heat in an enclosed spot. These are also termed as PIRs or Passive Infrared Sensors, and these are usually utilized when the house occupants are not around. These are located on the home spots which are uncommonly used and a persons’ presence is not likely to be expected. PIRs sound an alarm when it perceives motion or body heat in the area.

Home security cameras: these are added protection, these can be set up through wireless signals that transmit directly to video monitors any activities in the area it covers. These also identify both the burglars and visitors.

Monitoring: This is an added service offered to the homeowner, this monitor any signals taken by the control panel. By utilizing radio waves, the signals are tracked by the central location produced by the security system. The monitoring service can call for the authorities once the system produces an alarm.

So, why wait to be victimized by these burglars? Buy a wireless burglar alarm now for your home for more security and peace of mind.

Family

Positive Discipline For Your Child

Children always seem to find a way to ‘push our buttons’ at times and really try our patience. It’s easy to feel irritated, sad, angry, annoyed, confused and hurt. It’s at these times when our parenting skills are really tested, and that it’s imperative we maintain a kind but firm stance when it comes to doling out the discipline. And let’s face it – none of us ever want to hurt our child with physical or verbal abuse. We want to teach our child that such things are wrong, and punishing a misdeed or inappropriate action by yelling or hitting is hypocritical at best.

Our goal when disciplining our children is to teach them to be responsible, cooperative, kind and respectful. The best way to teach this is to always remain consistent, follow through with the same punishment for the same misdeed, and to discuss the discipline with your child openly and honestly afterwards.

Always keep in mind that the age, maturity level, and temperament of your child should always be considered when enforcing a set disciplinary action. Disciplinary actions should be discussed and understood in advance so that children know what they have coming when they’ve misbehaved and can give pause and hopefully choose an appropriate route to avoid it. And most importantly, remember that it’s not the child you dislike; it’s his or her chosen behavior, action or misdeed.

If you need to, give yourself a brief ‘time out’ before responding with appropriate discipline. Sometimes we need a short cooling off period before dealing with our children’s misdeeds in order to avoid a misdeed of our own. Yelling and hitting should never be an option.

Keep an open mind as a parent, and be willing to learn with and from your child. We all make mistakes and it’s important to realize that not every form of discipline works with every child. Children are just as unique as adults are, and forms of discipline should be tailored to fit the individual needs of both parent and child. But with a little forethought, patience, firmness, love and understanding, the discipline can have a positive outcome for all involved.

Computers

Online Computer Data Backups

Backing up and protecting data should be something that every business or individual strives to do. Data is very important, especially for businesses or individuals who make a living using their computers. If you have never looked into backing up your files or haven’t backed them up before, you should really look into it before it is too late.

Among the many ways to back up your files are online data backups. Online backups are great for businesses, as they will protect your data. You can think of this method as being a server and a host, as the company stores your information over the Internet. You can log in at anytime, and access your data. If your hard drive crashes, you can easily access the information you need without having to wait until your data is recovered by a specialist.

Although online data backups are great, they do have some concerns with security. Although the server is indeed encrypted, it isn’t completely safe. Hackers can get into the system if they are good enough, although it is very rare. Online back up companies make their living protecting data, which is why they are so very popular. They know what they are doing, and they can keep your data safe.

The best thing about online data backups is the fact that the information isn’t stored at your office. It doesn’t require the amount of space that CD or DVD media back up uses, nor do you have to protect it from employees who aren’t authorized to access it. The company that you select does all of the work for you, and they protect the data from prying eyes. You upload the data to their servers, then you and whomever you give the login data to are the only ones who can access it.

Before you make a final decision on whom to use for your online data backup services, you should choose one that is fully secure, has great lockout policies, and human security around their facility as well. The better companies will offer state of the art security, with no fear of anything coming in contact with your data. Even though they can tend be expensive, the last thing you want is to pay money for a service that doesn’t fully protect your information.

If you do your research and think about what each company has to offer you, you can plan accordingly. You should always look into the track record and past history of the company as well, to find out just how well they protect data. Your data and information is your life, so you’ll obviously want to choose and online back up company who takes a lot of pride in their performance – and will protect your data no matter what.