Feature: New project aims to bring oysters back to Chesapeake Bay
By Ian Simpson
OXFORD, Maryland Fri Jul 12, 2013 12:59pm EDT
The Oyster Recovery partnership works on Harris Creek, Maryland in this handout picture courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources taken by Mike Naylor, Shellfish Program Assistant Director at the Department of Natural Resources on May 16, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Mike Naylor/Maryland Department of Natural Resources/Handout via Reuters
OXFORD, Maryland (Reuters) - The Chesapeake was once so full of oysters that Native Americans called it "great shellfish bay." No more.
A combination of overfishing, disease, pollution, silting and runoff has devastated oyster numbers in North America's biggest estuary. Harvests are at about 1 percent of the records set in the 1880s, when 20 million bushels were pulled from the bay.
Now federal and state agencies are trying to reverse the trend with a $30-million dollar oyster restoration experiment aimed at improving water quality, restoring habitat and stabilizing shorelines in the 3,200-square-mile (8,300-square km) estuary.
Two billion pinpoint-sized baby oysters are at the heart of the effort to restore the bay's oysters, one inlet at a time. The first testing ground: a narrow tributary of the Choptank River called Harris Creek, targeted as part of a 2009 executive order by President Barack Obama to protect the Chesapeake and its watershed.
Experts say it could take years before they know whether the creek's oysters can sustain themselves there.
"You want to get the snowball rolling downhill so that it can keep going by itself," said Mike Naylor, assistant director of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' shellfish division. "It's going to be a really long time before we can say it worked, it's done."
If successful, the project could inspire similar efforts elsewhere. According to a 2011 Nature Conservancy Report, 85 percent of oyster reefs--which provide habitat for sea life and feeding grounds for migratory birds--have been lost around the world.
Oysters also help maintain water quality by filtering water. An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, and when numbers were at their peak oysters could strain the entire Chesapeake Bay in three days. Now, it takes a year.
The new project calls for the dumping of hundreds of thousands of tons of granite and old oyster shells on about 370 acres of the estuary bottom. The substrate then acts as a resting place for shells seeded with the speck-sized infant oysters called spat.
Hundreds of bushels of seeded shells at a time have been loaded onto the Robert Lee, a converted oyster boat, since the spring. The shells and their spat of native Eastern oysters are sprayed overboard into Harris Creek using a high-pressure hose attached to a boom.
SHELL GAME So far, the shortage of oyster shells has proved the biggest impediment. Demand has skyrocketed with the expansion of aquaculture and the price of shells has gone from 50 cents to $2 a bushel, Naylor said.
Seeding the tributary is about half completed, according to a spokeswoman for the Oyster Recovery Partnership.
Harris Creek and other tributaries were declared off-limits to oyster fishing in 2010. The move angered commercial fishermen, who say their objections to the Harris Creek project were ignored.
Russell Dize, vice president of the Maryland Watermen's Association, said granite dumped on the bottom had hurt crabbing since it damaged fishermen's gear. The seeded oysters could have easily been deposited on existing beds in the inlet, he said.
"We've lost the creek for oysters. They took that away. Now they've screwed it up for crabbing. It just makes it harder to make a living," said Dize, who lives on Tilghman Island bordering Harris Creek.
The Harris Creek restoration is being overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Maryland's Department of Natural Resources.
Steven Allen, senior manager for aquatic restoration at the Oyster Recovery Partnership, a non-profit group helping on the project, said previous oyster efforts in the bay had been scattershot, with mixed results.
"This is the first actual project focused on tributary-wide restoration," he said.
The project is expected to be completed by early next year. After that, the wait to measure its success will begin.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Arlene Getz and Andrew Hay)
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Chic Halloween Decorations for Your Mantel (and a Fireplace Makeover)
We love the new trend of glam Halloween decorations. We’d never want traditional orange-and-black Halloween to go away. (Don’t worry. It will always be the go-to theme for Halloween.) But shiny, sparkly white and gold Halloween can be so cool. Take for instance the chic Halloween decor Monica Benavidez created for her mantel and fireplace.
She’s the author of the blog Monica Wants It. Monica is one of the design and decor bloggers we invited to take part in our Halloween Style Challenge. We sent several bloggers mystery boxes of Home Depot Halloween and harvest decorations. The bloggers then used those items to create fresh new takes on fall and Halloween decorating for us to share with you.
Monica’s Halloween Style Challenge resulted in a glam Halloween mantel that’s very chic, but still fun. She shows us how she came up with some of her Halloween decorating ideas. But first, she needed to do something about her fireplace…
When I got word that I’d been challenged to decorate my mantel in a Halloween/Harvest theme, I panicked. I love decorating my mantel, but for the past four years I’ve truly despised our fireplace area. I didn’t want to let you all down by having a boring fireplace, so I knew something had to be done stat!
Fireplace Makeover
My husband and I decided to take this challenge to the next level by not only decorating our mantel, but also by completely revamping the fireplace surround. We put the “all” in challenge, y’all! Here’s what the mantel and fireplace looked like before—the fireplace screen was gold, had several dents, and the firebox was super grimy. Add some beige brick and it was very much stuck in the 1990s.
After making a game plan, we headed to The Home Depot and picked up a gallon of Kilz primer (best stuff ever), a gallon of Behr paint, some rollers and brushes, painter’s tape, drop cloths, and some Rust-Oleum high heat paint for the firebox. For the mantel itself, we decided to reuse the beam that was up there, but we added moldings, a new shelf, and a fresh coat of paint to modernize it.
The process of painting the fireplace was super simple—a coat of primer and two coats of paint sealed the deal. The firebox took two coats of paint, and the mantel itself took lots of 45-degree cuts on a miter saw, caulk and paint.
For the new mantelshelf (which is a pine 1 x 10 board that we cut down to size), we finally had an excuse to invest in a table saw. We chose a Ryobi table saw, and we are smitten with how easy it is to use. Safety is our top concern when using power tools, and there are lots of safety features on this saw.
Head over to my blog to read a detailed tutorial about the mantel and fireplace revamp. Now, let’s get back to the décor!
Here’s what the space looks now that it’s been gussied up in time for Harvest/Halloween décor. I think right now is a great time to tackle those projects that will help showcase your holiday décor better (for us, it was a fireplace makeover).
The mantel is now super beveled and gorgeous thanks to mouldings that we paired together to create a custom look. The flat paint color really adds a chic touch.
Glam Halloween Decorations
And here it is in all her glory! For this year’s décor, I really wanted to challenge myself to not stick with the usual orange and brown color scheme. I wanted glam, gold, black & white, and pops of pink and red.
There’s a lot of stuff from The Home Depot in my set-up. I’ll walk you through it.
Shiny Painted Pumpkins
The Home Depot has the most awesome pumpkins to craft with. They’re lightweight, easy to carve and very easy to spray paint. Some gold Rust-Oleum spray paint helped me create a shiny gilded pumpkin. I got an amazing finish in just two coats.
The gold pumpkin really looks great when paired with black and white accents.
The skull in the apothecary jar is actually part of a 6-pack of skull candles that also work well as vase filler, which you’ll see in a moment.
I also bought a second pumpkin and coated it with flat black paint. Now that I think about it, I should have used chalkboard paint and used it as a Halloween countdown. A spider and fresh flowers complete this vignette.
Gold Painted Branches
For my next project, I only had to go as far as my backyard. Some branches spray painted gold and adorned with flowers, plus a vase that I upcycled using some mirror-finish spray paint help create an arrangement that adds height and glamour.
A tip when using mirror-finish spray paint in narrow vases is to spray paint and let it dry upside down. Thin coats (I did four) give you great coverage and a professional finish. With this spray paint, you can turn almost any piece of glass into a mirrored, mercury glass-esque finish.
Pee Wee has claimed this spot as his own on this super comfy recliner from Home Decorators Collection. Yes, I totally coordinated his outfit for this shoot and he obliged.
Candles, DIY Art and More Pumpkins
Inside the firebox, candles really pop against the dark black finish.
Up above, it’s a mix of new items and décor from previous years. I have a thing for pumpkins, so I have tons and tons in various finishes, but each year I do like to create new ones to add to the family.
The black and white geometric art piece is made from some thin plywood I cut down to fit a thrifted gold frame. A fabric remnant is attached using spray adhesive and staples. Once fall is over, I’ll repurpose it for my office gallery wall.
This gold pumpkin is part of The Home Depot’s Harvest Décor Collection, and anyone who knows me knows I love mercury glass. This pumpkin is a stunner!
The garland on my mantel is from the dining room Christmas decor I did for a previous Holiday Style Challenge. It’s great to re-purpose décor for multiple holiday seasons.
When I originally saw these skull candles, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with them. I went through a few options before deciding on this display method. To me, it’s a little mad scientist and a tad creepy. I love it.
Halloween Lights
While this all looks great, I have a few more tricks (and treats!) up my sleeve. Hidden behind the décor are sets of Halloween strobe lights. These are AWESOME—they come with the batteries, plus they can be set to on, off or sensor (they’ll turn on when someone is nearby). And to make these even better, they have sound effects! These really amp up any décor and are so affordable. For my mantelscape, I used six sets.
Here’s how it looks with the strobe lights on:
I strategically placed one of the strobe lights near the skull in the photo above.
And on the mantel itself, the addition of a set of blood drip LED lights helps add in even more punches of red. Words cannot express how cool these lights are and one set is probably the perfect length for most mantels in the 5- to 6-foot range. Plus, your kids will think it’s cool.
I hope my Harvest/Halloween décor and fireplace revamp get your creativity going! I’m so thrilled I was able to take my fireplace and mantel from boring to chic, and I couldn’t have done it without the great selection of DIY and décor supplies from The Home Depot.
And here’s a before and after…this all happened in the span of just two weekends!
Here’s a final shot, plus you can see more of the comfortable and well made Kingston Recliner. The nailhead, the tufts, the leather…swoon.
After all those DIY projects, it’s time to relax with my little devil. Happy Halloween!
Monica Benavidez lives in Beeville, Texas and is the creative mind behind Monica Wants It. She says she started her blog as a way to share with the world the random things she wanted to buy, but it’s evolved into a terrific lifestyle blog where she chronicles her adventures in DIY, recipes, and life.
The mystery shipment of Halloween decorations The Home Depot sent to Monica included these items:
For more great ideas for Halloween decorations, see other articles in our Halloween Style Challenge series here on The Home Depot Blog, and follow our Halloween Style Challenge pinboard on Pinterest.
Visit The Home Depot’s online Holiday Decorations Department for everything you need to decorate for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/chic-halloween-decorations-for-your-mantel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chic-halloween-decorations-for-your-mantel
Chic Halloween Decorations for Your Mantel (and a Fireplace Makeover)
We love the new trend of glam Halloween decorations. We’d never want traditional orange-and-black Halloween to go away. (Don’t worry. It will always be the go-to theme for Halloween.) But shiny, sparkly white and gold Halloween can be so cool. Take for instance the chic Halloween decor Monica Benavidez created for her mantel and fireplace.
She’s the author of the blog Monica Wants It. Monica is one of the design and decor bloggers we invited to take part in our Halloween Style Challenge. We sent several bloggers mystery boxes of Home Depot Halloween and harvest decorations. The bloggers then used those items to create fresh new takes on fall and Halloween decorating for us to share with you.
Monica’s Halloween Style Challenge resulted in a glam Halloween mantel that’s very chic, but still fun. She shows us how she came up with some of her Halloween decorating ideas. But first, she needed to do something about her fireplace…
When I got word that I’d been challenged to decorate my mantel in a Halloween/Harvest theme, I panicked. I love decorating my mantel, but for the past four years I’ve truly despised our fireplace area. I didn’t want to let you all down by having a boring fireplace, so I knew something had to be done stat!
Fireplace Makeover
My husband and I decided to take this challenge to the next level by not only decorating our mantel, but also by completely revamping the fireplace surround. We put the “all” in challenge, y’all! Here’s what the mantel and fireplace looked like before—the fireplace screen was gold, had several dents, and the firebox was super grimy. Add some beige brick and it was very much stuck in the 1990s.
After making a game plan, we headed to The Home Depot and picked up a gallon of Kilz primer (best stuff ever), a gallon of Behr paint, some rollers and brushes, painter’s tape, drop cloths, and some Rust-Oleum high heat paint for the firebox. For the mantel itself, we decided to reuse the beam that was up there, but we added moldings, a new shelf, and a fresh coat of paint to modernize it.
The process of painting the fireplace was super simple—a coat of primer and two coats of paint sealed the deal. The firebox took two coats of paint, and the mantel itself took lots of 45-degree cuts on a miter saw, caulk and paint.
For the new mantelshelf (which is a pine 1 x 10 board that we cut down to size), we finally had an excuse to invest in a table saw. We chose a Ryobi table saw, and we are smitten with how easy it is to use. Safety is our top concern when using power tools, and there are lots of safety features on this saw.
Head over to my blog to read a detailed tutorial about the mantel and fireplace revamp. Now, let’s get back to the décor!
Here’s what the space looks now that it’s been gussied up in time for Harvest/Halloween décor. I think right now is a great time to tackle those projects that will help showcase your holiday décor better (for us, it was a fireplace makeover).
The mantel is now super beveled and gorgeous thanks to mouldings that we paired together to create a custom look. The flat paint color really adds a chic touch.
Glam Halloween Decorations
And here it is in all her glory! For this year’s décor, I really wanted to challenge myself to not stick with the usual orange and brown color scheme. I wanted glam, gold, black & white, and pops of pink and red.
There’s a lot of stuff from The Home Depot in my set-up. I’ll walk you through it.
Shiny Painted Pumpkins
The Home Depot has the most awesome pumpkins to craft with. They’re lightweight, easy to carve and very easy to spray paint. Some gold Rust-Oleum spray paint helped me create a shiny gilded pumpkin. I got an amazing finish in just two coats.
The gold pumpkin really looks great when paired with black and white accents.
The skull in the apothecary jar is actually part of a 6-pack of skull candles that also work well as vase filler, which you’ll see in a moment.
I also bought a second pumpkin and coated it with flat black paint. Now that I think about it, I should have used chalkboard paint and used it as a Halloween countdown. A spider and fresh flowers complete this vignette.
Gold Painted Branches
For my next project, I only had to go as far as my backyard. Some branches spray painted gold and adorned with flowers, plus a vase that I upcycled using some mirror-finish spray paint help create an arrangement that adds height and glamour.
A tip when using mirror-finish spray paint in narrow vases is to spray paint and let it dry upside down. Thin coats (I did four) give you great coverage and a professional finish. With this spray paint, you can turn almost any piece of glass into a mirrored, mercury glass-esque finish.
Pee Wee has claimed this spot as his own on this super comfy recliner from Home Decorators Collection. Yes, I totally coordinated his outfit for this shoot and he obliged.
Candles, DIY Art and More Pumpkins
Inside the firebox, candles really pop against the dark black finish.
Up above, it’s a mix of new items and décor from previous years. I have a thing for pumpkins, so I have tons and tons in various finishes, but each year I do like to create new ones to add to the family.
The black and white geometric art piece is made from some thin plywood I cut down to fit a thrifted gold frame. A fabric remnant is attached using spray adhesive and staples. Once fall is over, I’ll repurpose it for my office gallery wall.
This gold pumpkin is part of The Home Depot’s Harvest Décor Collection, and anyone who knows me knows I love mercury glass. This pumpkin is a stunner!
The garland on my mantel is from the dining room Christmas decor I did for a previous Holiday Style Challenge. It’s great to re-purpose décor for multiple holiday seasons.
When I originally saw these skull candles, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with them. I went through a few options before deciding on this display method. To me, it’s a little mad scientist and a tad creepy. I love it.
Halloween Lights
While this all looks great, I have a few more tricks (and treats!) up my sleeve. Hidden behind the décor are sets of Halloween strobe lights. These are AWESOME—they come with the batteries, plus they can be set to on, off or sensor (they’ll turn on when someone is nearby). And to make these even better, they have sound effects! These really amp up any décor and are so affordable. For my mantelscape, I used six sets.
Here’s how it looks with the strobe lights on:
I strategically placed one of the strobe lights near the skull in the photo above.
And on the mantel itself, the addition of a set of blood drip LED lights helps add in even more punches of red. Words cannot express how cool these lights are and one set is probably the perfect length for most mantels in the 5- to 6-foot range. Plus, your kids will think it’s cool.
I hope my Harvest/Halloween décor and fireplace revamp get your creativity going! I’m so thrilled I was able to take my fireplace and mantel from boring to chic, and I couldn’t have done it without the great selection of DIY and décor supplies from The Home Depot.
And here’s a before and after…this all happened in the span of just two weekends!
Here’s a final shot, plus you can see more of the comfortable and well made Kingston Recliner. The nailhead, the tufts, the leather…swoon.
After all those DIY projects, it’s time to relax with my little devil. Happy Halloween!
Monica Benavidez lives in Beeville, Texas and is the creative mind behind Monica Wants It. She says she started her blog as a way to share with the world the random things she wanted to buy, but it’s evolved into a terrific lifestyle blog where she chronicles her adventures in DIY, recipes, and life.
The mystery shipment of Halloween decorations The Home Depot sent to Monica included these items:
For more great ideas for Halloween decorations, see other articles in our Halloween Style Challenge series here on The Home Depot Blog, and follow our Halloween Style Challenge pinboard on Pinterest.
Visit The Home Depot’s online Holiday Decorations Department for everything you need to decorate for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/chic-halloween-decorations-for-your-mantel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chic-halloween-decorations-for-your-mantel
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Weather Break Allows Storm Cleanup to Begin; Allstate Provides Tips to Assist with Recovery
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2005--With the break in storm conditions, now is the time California residents can begin assessing damage and making repairs. Allstate Insurance Company provides the following steps to assist with the recovery:
-- Assess the damage. Make sure your home is structurally safe.
-- Make temporary repairs to prevent further damage, keeping receipts for materials.
-- Call your insurance company and get advice about what to do next. If your home is unlivable, find out what living expenses the company will pay for.
-- Take an inventory of your possessions and property. Record any damage and document it with photographs or videotape.
-- Prepare to file an insurance claim by gathering all relevant policy numbers. Customers can report claims to Allstate by calling 800-54-STORM, contacting their agent, or going online at www.allstate.com.
-- Be extremely cautious when hiring contractors.
Flood damage
"Many customers are unaware that flood damage is excluded under their homeowners policies," says Allstate California Region Field Corporate Relations Manager Bob Daniels. Most homeowners policies cover wind and rain damage as well as a burst pipe. However, flood damage, which may occur when a river overflows and enters a house or a heavy rain causes water to rise above ground level, is covered through flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program.
Countrywide, more than 18,000 communities are eligible for flood coverage through the NFIP. If you own a home in a high-risk flood zone, flood insurance was probably a requisite to receiving a federally backed mortgage loan, but homeowners in low-to-moderate risk areas should consider flood insurance also. In 2003, Allstate identified more than 197,000 homeowners in California living near Special Flood Hazard Areas that did not have flood insurance.
"Some homeowners often decline to purchase flood insurance assuming Federal assistance will bail them out during flood situations, but less than half of all flooding incidents are declared federal disasters," says Daniels. On average, NFIP estimates 25-30 percent of their claims come from outside high-risk flood areas.
Flood insurance is also available to condominium and apartment dwellers, as well as owners of non-residential properties. For more information about flood or water damage, contact your local Allstate agent or look on Allstate's Website at www.allstate.com.
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate(R)" slogan, Allstate helps individuals in more than 16 million households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow through more than 12,900 exclusive agencies and financial specialists in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can access Allstate products and services through Allstate agencies, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate(R). Encompass(SM) and Deerbrook(R) Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively through independent agents. Allstate Financial Group provides life insurance, annuity, retirement, banking and investment products through distribution channels that include Allstate agencies, independent agencies, worksite, financial institutions and broker-dealers.
Water Damage Restoration Carlsbad | (760) 892-0346 |
Water Damage Restoration Carlsbad | (760) 892-0346 |
Water Damage Carlsbad at http://waterdamagecarlsbad.org/ is a water damage company that specializes is water removal and water damage restoration.
All of us enjoy living inside of a home that is tidy and clean, and most of us try our hardest to make sure that it is kept that way, but sometimes accidents happen and some homes will not be able to avoid enduring water damage Carlsbad. Some of us will have to go through the chaos of having water damage cleanup done to our home and during this water damage restoration process our personal belongings, furniture, and valuables can be destroyed, though sometimes this cannot be avoided, there are certain steps you can take to try and minimize the damage done by water damage Carlsbad.
You should schedule a monthly check of all pipes and a bi-weekly check of all pipe joints, where one pipe connects to another. Along with this you should be checking your appliances that use water lines such as your fridge, dishwasher, clothes washer, sump pump, and water heater. These are main areas of water damage Carlsbad. Along with these you should always be making sure you turn off your sinks and bathtub/shower faucets after using them, sometimes they can be left on while the drain is clogged and though only an hour of overflowing water would not cause irreversible damage, it could cause you to have to call a water damage Carlsbad expert and spend money that you would not have to spend if you had just double checked. These are just a few precautions that can be taken inside of your home. Outside of your home you can prevent flood damage from rain and water damage Carlsbad from happening to your roof by having it routinely checked by a professional roofing company to make sure that nothing has caused your roof to have any areas of leakage in it.
All of these are precautionary measures that must be taken if you want to minimize the risk of ever experiencing the need for water damage restoration Carlsbad.
The tasks of having to do water damage repair are not very easy, and they are also not very quick. In fact, water damage cleanup during the water damage restoration process takes numerous steps just to do water extraction and along with that it can take any where from days to weeks to be able to repair your home after it has experienced this tragic episode of water damage.
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Citrus & Lemon Vinegar Mixtures Take Away The Stink From Homemade Cleaners
A SR101 reader shared how she makes lemon vinegar, which is just one kind of citrus scented vinegar you can make for use in homemade cleaners, that can alleviate the problem some people find of stinky homemade cleaners.
SR101 Reader says:
You can also make some lemonade and save the lemons peels.
Throw them in a bowl, fill the bowl with vinegar and leave for a week or two and then take the lemon peels out and pour your scented vinegar in a spray bottle half way, with half water and clean clean clean with a better smell! :)
Taylor says:
That's a wonderful tip, and reminded me of one of the main problems lots of people have with homemade cleaning products recipes containing vinegar -- the STINK!
There are lots of people who don't like the smell of this natural cleaning supply, and therefore shy away from making their own cleaners.
I completely understand the issue, although the smell dissipates quickly if you don't like smelling it even for a while many of the recipes people use won't work for you.
Well, adding citrus scents to your vinegar can alleviate this problem, plus add some more cleaning power to the recipe at the same time.
Essentially, it is a lot like adding some citrus essential oils to your recipes. As explained in more detail in my essential oil cleaning use chart these citrus oils have a degreasing effect that can make lots of recipes even stronger anyway.
Additional Tips From Taylor For Making Scented Vinegars
While the reader above used lemons, you can really use whatever citrus fruit you'd like for the process, including oranges, limes, or even grapefruit.
The picture to the right is from a reader, Traci, and she soaked orange peels.
I would suggest adding several citrus peels to about 3 cups of distilled white vinegar, and capping the mixture in a bottle so you don't have evaporation while it is sitting and slowly releasing its citrus oils and scents into the vinegar.
Over the course of the weeks you let it sit periodically swirl the bottle around.
Once you've let it sit for a couple of weeks you may want to strain the mixture to get rid of any pulp or small pieces of rind from the vinegar before using it in recipes.
You can just dilute this product as the SR101 reader suggested above and clean with it, but you can also add this scented vinegar full strength in place of the distilled white vinegar in most recipes and use it that way as well.
Traci, who provided the picture of how she did it, explained: "Orange peels soaking in white vinegar. I let it go for a few weeks, strain, dilute 1:1 with water, and add a few drops of lemongrass oil. It works great! And I feel safe using it around my kids."
There are lots of cleaning recipes and uses for vinegar around your home. Click the link to see even more, or share your own.
In addition, lemons are also powerful cleaners themselves. You can also check out tips for cleaning with lemons here or share your own.
Related Pages You May Enjoy
Lots Of Homemade Cleaners Recipes From Readers
House Cleaning Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms
Go From How To Make Citrus & Lemon Vinegar For Cleaning To Home Page
Thanks For Visiting My Website
Hi, I'm Taylor, a busy mom with 3 kids, so I have lots of hands on experience with house cleaning, laundry and my fair share of spots, spills and other messy catastrophes. Thanks for visiting my site.
I update the website all the time with tips, tutorials, cleaning recipes, reviews of products from readers like you, and tests I've done on various cleaners, removers and laundry supplies.
I'd love for you to keep in touch with me, and I've created a couple of free resources for you when you do!
If you subscribe by email to get my weekly newsletter you will get a free laundry stain removal chart!
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I hope you enjoy these gifts, and stop by again soon!
CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.
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Australia flood clean-up starts; risk of more floods
By Ed Davies
BRISBANE, Australia Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:49pm EST
1 of 23. Residential areas west of Brisbane are inundated by flood waters January 13, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Tim Wimborne
BRISBANE, Australia (Reuters) - Australia's third-largest city began cleaning up stinking mud and debris in flood-hit areas on Friday, but whole suburbs remained submerged, smaller towns braced for more inundations and forecasters pointed to a threat of cyclones.
Military aircraft and trucks fanned out across Queensland state, ferrying food and clothing over an area the size of South Africa. The state's capital, Brisbane, a city of two million people, was virtually shut down except for the clean-up.
"The effort that we are concentrating on today is emergency response," Queensland state premier Anna Bligh told Australian television, having described Brisbane as like a war zone.
The floods, which began last month, have crippled infrastructure and crucial coal exports in the mining state, killed at least 19 people, with more than 60 missing.
The national weather bureau warned on Friday that above-average cyclone activity was expected to last until March, with a storm in the Coral Sea being closely watched and threatening to bring more rain.
"There is every chance we will still see above average conditions," a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said, saying that the cyclone season had made a slow start.
Power has been restored to 170,000 homes in Brisbane, but power company Energex said 66,000 homes across southeast Queensland remained without electricity.
As the country's wild summer weather continued, police evacuated communities in neighboring New South Wales state overnight as flooding threatened the border towns of Boggabilla and Toomelah.
Torrential rain in Victoria state also led to evacuations in Halls Gap and Glenorchy, with a flood peak expected on Friday morning. The town of Beaufort was also under threat with a nearby lake threatening to burst banks, police said.
Similar extreme weather has brought devastation to other parts of the world in recent days with nearly 450 people killed in floods and landslides in Brazil and 23 dead in Sri Lanka.
CITY A STINKING MESS
In the center of Brisbane, a drop in the swollen Brisbane River left foul-smelling mud covering areas beside the city's cultural center and Wheel of Brisbane tourist site.
Bligh called for insurers to show compassion and flexibility, amid reports some residents faced difficulty with payouts against a damage bill expected to top A$5 billion, with $1 billion of that to be underwritten by insurers.
"It's not in the interests of anyone in our community, including those companies, to stall or delay recovery," said Bligh, whose disaster handling has won wide praise, reviving ruling Labor's flagging hopes of re-election in the state.
Bligh said many Queenslanders had taken out insurance believing they were covered for floods and were now discovering they were not protected.
The flooding, which started before Christmas, continued in other areas of Queensland, with the 6,000 residents of Goondiwindi southwest of Brisbane facing a record flood.
Aerial views of Brisbane showed a sea of brown with rooftops poking out, but the water was receding.
Boats have had to be used in many areas to reach houses, with sofas and fridges floating in filthy water, and residents with no idea when they can return.
"Nobody told me this would become this serious, this terrible," said Su Liu, a Chinese student studying marketing at the University of Queensland.
She had fled her house near the riverside university on Tuesday as water poured into the second floor of her apartment building and was sheltering in an evacuation center. (Additional reporting by Rob Taylor in CANBERRA and Amy Pyett in SYDNEY)
(Editing by Rob Taylor and Mark Bendeich)
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What To Keep After A Flood
After the flood water has receded, the damage continues wreaking havoc on your home's exterior structural integrity, the overall physical condition of the interior, and your material belongings. Flood bodies of water contain numerous waste products, other potentially toxic chemicals, and a lot of sludge. Water damage restoration offers common techniques for sanitizing and cleaning your flood-damaged possessions.
First, you need to notify your insurance company before you do anything else. Providing that your insurance covers loss due to flood damage, your insurance representative will schedule an adjuster to contact you to assess your property.
You need to create a record of the destruction done to your home, make a videotape while you are cleaning up, or take photographs. For your insurance claim, you will need complete records, applications for disaster assistance, and deductible information for income tax purposes.
Next, you will want to shut off all of the electrical systems until they can be repaired and inspected by a licensed electrician.
Now, you can determine what to keep after flood water has damaged your home. The following tips in water damage restoration helps determine what to keep after a flood.
Water, Beverages, and Food
Depending on the condition of the packaging or containers, you can keep clean air-tight packed food containers and plastic containers filled with water or other beverages. In the event that your water supply becomes contaminated, prior to use just add a tablespoon of bleach to each gallon of water. You will require water for drinking and hand washing.
To guard your well-being, you must typically throw out anything in permeable or cardboard paper-like material, glass bottles with twist-off lids, or soft packaging exposed to storm water. If you have foods in hard plastic air-tight containers, cannery packaged foods, and beverages with no signs of rust, pitting, dents, or swelling, then you may be able to save them contingent on the their condition.
Equipment
Of what you can keep after a flood, equipment made from nonabsorbent materials, like stainless steel, such as current model freezers and refrigerators commonly contain nonabsorbent insulated material in them, so they may need specialized cleaning. For more information, you can check with their manufacturers. The older model units that have rechargeable freon compressors, fiberglass insulation, rust, signs of deterioration, or other damage that are not repairable must be discarded.
Furnishings
Anything produced from laminated parts, such as bars, cabinets, or countertops; you need to throw them away if there is evidence of water damage. Flood damage extending to furnishings including wood or particle board, upholstered materials, countertops, pool tables, bars, or cabinets must be discarded.
Whenever you are in doubt, you need to toss it out!
About the Author:
Right Way Contracting.com - a leading nationwide water damage restoration company specializing in 24/7 emergency service water damage restoration, water damage repair, mold remediation, flood damage repair document drying, freeze drying documents, fire and smoke damage restoration and crime scene clean up.
Snyder promotes loan program to repair flood damage
Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News 4:33 p.m. EDT October 20, 2014
City of Southgate Mayor Joseph Kuspa addresses the crowd at the Downriver Community Conference Center in Southgate. Seated to the right of Kuspa in order are: Huntington Bank Regional President Mike Fezzey; Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, and Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly. (Photo: Jose Juarez , Jose Juarez/Special to The Detroit News )
Southgate -- Gov. Rick Snyder and Downriver community leaders joined Huntington Bank officials Monday to launch a loan program for home and business owners affected by August's flooding.
The officials made the announcement during a media conference held at the Downriver Community Conference Center in Southgate. Loans are available for homeowners from $3,000 to $25,000 with an interest rate of 7.99 percent for up to 60 months.
"Huntington Bank has already made significant donations to the Red Cross to help (with the flood relief effort)," the governor said. "And it's is stepping up today to help with loans."
Synder was joined by Huntington Bank East Michigan President Mike Fezzey, several municipal officials, including Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly and Southgate Mayor Joseph Kuspa, as well as representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Michigan State Police.
Fezzey said the loans are intended to complement federal disaster relief and are available to home and business owners in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
"We felt there still might be a gap if people fell through the cracks or didn't qualify (for help from FEMA)," he said. "So we're announcing a significant loan program that's aimed at people who are still suffering from the devastation."
Southgate's Kuspa said he thinks the program will be a big help to people who don't qualify for aid from federal programs.
"It's one more option that can help people return to normalcy," he said. "We're pleased banks are stepping up."
FEMA has approved nearly $80 million in aid since President Barack Obama declared an emergency for areas in southeast Michigan affected by August's flooding. The U.S. Small Business Administration also has approved more than $14 million in disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses in the area.
For information about Huntington Bank's flood disaster relief loans, call (866) 375-6501.
FEMA's deadline for registering to apply for disaster relief is Nov. 24. To register, call (800) 621-3362 or visit www.fema.gov.
"We don't want to miss anyone," Snyder said. "If you haven't registered (with FEMA) for assistance already, please do.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2058
Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/1tFJnLN
Maintenance :: Cleaning and Restoring Hazy Automobile Headlight Lenses
Are your vehicle's headlights yellowed, cloudy or scratched? You're not the only one. Unless you provide your car's clear light lenses regular attention, in 24 months or less they can deteriorate to the point of being totally opaque, making it very unsafe to operate your car in the dark and in reduced visibility conditions. The fix is faster than you might believe. The best thing is that you can restore this hazardous and ugly issue in just a few minutes. It's easy once you know the secret.
Why Do Headlamps Turn Yellow and Dull?
The issue is not caused by abuse or neglect, as you might think. It is an environmental problem. Without regular attention, UV light from the sun, acid rain, salt and road debris damage and dull all clear plastics, including headlight covers. If your vehicle has halogen or another type of high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, the problem can be worse. These sealed beam units operate at high temperatures, further contributing to degradation and yellowing.
What Is The Solution?
The solution is a quick restoration job. Headlight restoration is a plastic repair process that takes away visible damage and returns clarity to the lenses. Even severe cases of yellowing, hazing, and scratches can be fixed in less than thirty minutes.
You might be wondering why fix instead of buying new? Your headlights are a sealed unit, so you can't simply replace the outer cover. If you have an expensive car with performance lighting, replacement is very expensive. Restoration versus replacement can save you hundreds of dollars per lens, so it's well worth the energy. Plus, it's fast!
What level results can you achieve? It may look hopeless, but chances are the damage is superficial. Even if your headlights are completely opaque, they can be fixed. As long as the plastic has not yellowed completely, you have a very good chance of total restoration.
Experiment With A Gentle Plastic Polish First
If the damage is not severe, you may be able to resolve it with a simple plastic polish from the auto parts store. I suggest trying this step before any other. It won't be wasted time or expense, either, because you need to use the product regularly to maintain your headlights.
NOTE: Never use a household glass cleaning product like Windex on clear plastic. Household glass cleaners contain ammonia, which causes clear plastic to turn yellow.
If the plastic polish alone does not do the job, then you need to repair the damage with a ultra fine sand paper (2000 grit is very safe) and re-glaze to restore a clear finish. While it may seem difficult or complicated, it's not. Wet sanding is fast and easy.
TIP: You can test to see if your headlights will respond to hand polishing with a small dab of tartar control toothpaste. Toothpaste is mildly abrasive. If the small test area seems to get better, then you know polish alone may be all you need.
Wet Sanding & Re-polishing Procedure
To remove the damage with wet sanding and re-polishing, you need the following supplies:
Polishing towels
Bucket of soapy water
Latex gloves (if you have sensitive skin)
Painter's masking tape (1" to 1.5" width is best)
Plastic polish
Wet/dry sand paper (600, 1200, 2000 grit)
Sanding block (1" x 2" erasure works great)
2.5" Velcro backing plate for use with 3/8" drill or cordless drill
3" foam or wool polishing pad with Velcro backing
If you require a pictorial guide, then have a look at my Guide to Detailing blog. Here's the procedure:
STEP 1: Clean the headlamp lenses. A bucket of soapy water works best. Clean the surrounding area, too. Dry thoroughly.
STEP 2: Use painter's masking tape to mask around the headlight. This will help protect your automobile's paint finish. This only takes a few minutes, so don't skip this critical step.
STEP 3: Wet sand each headlight. First determine the amount of damage to each lens. If your headlight lenses are scratched or if they are completely opaque, you will need to start with 600 grit sandpaper. Sand thoroughly, and then progress to1200, then 2000 grit.
If your lenses are not scratched and are only slightly yellowed, you can probably get away with using 2000 grit paper only. The first sanding step is where you will actually remove the scratched and cloudy layer of plastic. The finer grades of sandpaper are to remove the scratches left from the previous grit sandpaper.
As you sand, your sanding water will turn milky. This is the damaged layer being cleaned away. Use plenty of water for lubrication and to keep the sandpaper clean. Keep sanding until the surface feels perfectly smooth. The drippings will become clearer as the damage is taken away. Dry thoroughly between sanding steps to check progress.
STEP 4: Re-glaze headlight lenses using plastic polish on a 3" polishing pad (foam or wool). First connect the Velcro backing plate adapter to your drill.
Apply a small amount of polish to the pad and start polishing the plastic. As the polish begins to dissipate, add a bit more and continue polishing. Stop polishing once the lens is completely clear again. Finish with a final hand polish using a tiny bit of polish on a soft towel or applicator.
STEP 5: Seal to protect. Use a good car sealant to reseal the plastic and protect from the elements.
STEP 6: Maintain monthly with a quality plastic cleaner/polish. The products I recommend most are Plexus and Meguiar's PlastX. If maintained regularly, your car's clear plastic lenses will never need restoring again!
How to Decorate for Halloween: A Dark, Spooky Forest in the Living Room
Decorating your living room and fireplace mantel for Halloween can be tricky. You don’t want it to be too spooky, and you probably want to have a little fun with it, but it has to be a look you can live with for a several weeks. We think Jennifer Griffin nailed it. She says she has no formal design training, but she certainly knows how to decorate for Halloween.
The fact is, Jennifer clearly knows how to decorate for any occasion. Take a look at her blog Dimples and Tangles, and you’ll see what we mean.
She is one of the terrific DIY and design bloggers we invited to take part in our Halloween Style Challenge. We sent each blogger a mystery shipment of Home Depot Halloween decorations, and then we stood back while they came up with fresh and inspiring Halloween decorating ideas.
Jennifer came up with a Halloween mantel that’s warm and colorful with interesting textures and tons of wonderful detail. Read on as she takes us, section by section, through her creative process, including how she modified some of the items we sent her to give them her special look.
I was so excited when my friends at The Home Depot invited me to be a part of this Style Challenge. I mean, doing a project for one of my favorite companies, in my favorite season, with some fun new products… what could be better?
After receiving the assignment of decorating my mantel, I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go until I received my boxes of mystery items from The Home Depot. One item in particular inspired the entire design. Keep reading to find out what it was, but because of it the idea was born to do a dark, spooky forest theme.
THE BASE
Once I had a plan in my head, I started building my area section by section. First, I knew that I wanted lots of branches to mimic trees. These urns were the perfect containers to keep them stable and steady. Just as my plan was coming together, my neighbors were having their trees trimmed. Perfect timing! They were happy to throw a pile of cast off branches over my fence.
THE FOCAL POINT
Secondly, I focused on the actual mantle. I wanted something rustic and some kind of signage. After discovering spools of festive rope lighting in a mystery box, I thought it would be fun to use it to write out a phrase. The lighting added an extra bonus and helped to set a mood, too. Since our society is all about #hashtags these days, my sister suggested adding one and I jumped on her brilliant idea.
To assemble the sign I re-used a section of an old fence panel. With its mesh coating, the rope light was really easy to work with and form. After sketching out my word–#beware– with a piece of chalk, I used a staple gun to barely grab the edge of the mesh and attach it to the wood.
When you do this, just make sure that the electrical light wire inside is moved to the other side of the rope, and that your staple only goes through the mesh, not the wire. Also, work with the lights unplugged, just to be safe!
After putting the two main components of the sign and the tree branches in place, it was time to fill in the details. Now, here’s my inspiration for the entire design…. these guys!
THE CLASSY VULTURES
When I found light up vultures among my mystery items, I knew right away they needed some trees to hang out in, and the idea of a spooky forest went from there.
I couldn’t resist giving them a little class, though, and added top hats and a bow ties with ribbon from the craft store. Because vultures can be stylish too, right?
To place them in the branches, I rested their feet where I could, and then used strips of floral wire to secure their bodies to the branches in various places. The cord for their lights blends in with the branches and can be plugged in with an extension cord at the base of the urn.
These cute bats needed a home in the forest, too, so I used some wire to secure them as well.
THE LAYERS
With the major pieces in place, it was time to add in accessories. Even with the height of the branches, I wanted to fill in some of the area close to the ceiling. One more mystery item from The Home Depot came to the rescue, but it’s serving a totally different purpose than how it started!
These Halloween wreaths are festive, but as-is didn’t have a place in my plan. So, they got a makeover, turning them into some statement lighting. Every spooky forest needs some glowing chandeliers, after all.
After disassembling the wreath, I wrapped it in jute rope, securing with hot glue once in a while. Since I needed to be able to get to the bottom of the battery operated candles to turn them on and off and couldn’t hot glue them to the wreath, I used some pieces of a Scotch adhesive fastener strip to secure the candle to the wreath. Then I used some Christmas beading from the craft store and some prisms I had on hand to add some sparkle, and embellished with some of the leaves from the original wreath.
To finish it off, I tied three more long pieces of rope in even sections around the rim of the wreath, knotted them together at the top, and hung with an eye hook in the ceiling.
With the high areas filled in, I moved on to filling in the area around the hearth, building on a hide rug to add some texture and interest. These lanterns from Home Decorators Collection are a very generous size and made a nice statement, allowing me to add some light at the ground level. I also appreciate how the rustic finish ties in with the branches. The tops are hinged, so it’s really easy to fill them and get access to light the candles.
A few curly leafed crotons from the Home Depot Garden Center filled in some spaces with fall colors, and some rustic pumpkins that I had on hand gave a nod to fall as well.
With a cozy chair added in, it’s the perfect spooky story spot!
My friend enjoyed the I Spy book as well…
And, it’s even better at night when the lights are glowing and casting creepy shadows on the wall.
I hope you’re inspired to add a bit of whimsy, a bit of nature, a bit of class, and a bit of spooky to your home this season. Thank you so much Home Depot for inviting me to this challenge, it truly stretched my imagination and creativity!
Jennifer Griffin says her home is her hobby. She enjoys blogging all about it at Dimples and Tangles, where her posts focus on decorating and design, DIY, food, crafts, travel, and a good thrift store makeover here and there. She lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with her husband and two sweet children.
The mystery shipment of Halloween decorations The Home Depot sent to Jennifer included these items:
For more great ideas on how to decorate for Halloween, see other articles in our Halloween Style Challenge series here on The Home Depot Blog, and follow our Halloween Style Challenge pinboard on Pinterest.
Visit The Home Depot’s online Holiday Decorations Department for everything you need to decorate your home for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/how-to-decorate-for-halloween-dark-spooky-forest/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-decorate-for-halloween-dark-spooky-forest
Claim The Entire Looses Due To Floods.
Sever damage of life and property of individuals is caused due to the sudden occurrences of floods. A precedence of an expert flood damage company is needed in such incidents of sever flood. This is the need to keep the property and life more safe and secured. The flood damage measures taken are of two types. The first one is the damage caused due to the malfunctioning of the wash rooms or due to the leakage of water pipes. This is generally referred to as damage caused by internal floods. The flood damage caused due to external reasons is referred to as external flood damage. These reasons are mainly responsible for external damage is the floods, hurricanes and floods. In such situations many people many seek help from Sacramento flood damage restoration companies.
When to take up flood damage restoration.
The help of a flood damage restoration company is to be taken when the property of the individual gets damage. These flood damage restoration companies hold requisite expertise to restore the furniture damage due to the floods. These services will ensure that the individual saves on lot of items at home. Twenty four hour support would be provided by many of the flood damage restoration companies. These companies are bale to handle any type of emergency situation as they are competent enough. The flood damage restoration at times will prove to be an expensive option but it is still a cheaper option when compared to replacing the damaged property which involves the purchase expenses. The time in situation of floods play an important role. Hence time management is to be given prompt attention at time of floods.
Flood damage recovery process.
The only person who could help those in facing the flood damage restoration issues are the insurance agents. These insurance agents will get the ball rolling. One can make use of the pre approved cleanup crew. A licensed flood damage restoration expert is too called for further complete assistance. These Sacramento flood damage restoration companies should respond back to their client so as to begin with the clean up process as early as possible. If these service provider who are responsible for flood damage restoration the clients will have to further deal with mold removal issues too. The insurance adjustor who will be able to verify the loss of the property to help in claiming for insurance of the losses is to be called for. No items are to be discarded until they are thoroughly inspected by these insurance agents. The damage incurred is to properly document for further references.
In emergency situations when floods occur the flood damage restoration services are to be called upon for. These services will help one claim for the property damaged due to floods.
Universal Detection Technology Mold Detection Device to Protect Homeowners from Toxic Black Mold in Flood-Damaged Homes
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Universal Detection Technology (www.udetection.com) (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, announced today that it is expanding its product catalogue to include a consumer-ready kit for the detection of black mold. The lethal toxin can make homes in areas of high humidity or flood-damaged homes uninhabitable and cause serious health complications.
"The aftermath of Katrina exposed the widespread prevalence of black mold in flood-damaged homes," said Mr. Jacques Tizabi, CEO of Universal Detection Technology. "This easy-to-use product will equip homeowners in proactively testing their homes and remediate any mold damage prior to the onset of health complications," continued Tizabi.
The most serious type of mold in the home is of the "black" variety, a slimy greenish-black substance commonly found in damp, moist areas of walls, ceilings and floors. Houses that have been flooded are at serious risk for molds, especially in areas where humidity and temperatures provide the mold with the ideal setting to reproduce and spread before cleanup begins. The houses flooded by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are perfect examples of homes that have suffered extreme damage from mold.
According to a 1999 Mayo Clinic Study, nearly all chronic sinus infections (afflicting 37 million Americans) are a result of molds. Moreover, some medical studies show that the 300 percent increase in the asthma rate over the past 20 years is linked to molds. Black mold can cause cancer, memory loss and severe respiratory problems. Toxic mold is especially harmful to infants or individuals with diminished immune systems.
For more information please visit www.udetection.com or email info@udetection.com.
About Universal Detection Technology
Universal Detection Technology (UNDT) is a developer of monitoring technologies, including bioterrorism detection devices. The company on its own and with development partners is positioned to capitalize on opportunities related to Homeland Security. For example, UNDT in cooperation with NASA, has developed a bacterial spore detector that detects certain biohazard substances. The Company is also a reseller of handheld assays used for detection of five bioterrorism agents, radiation detection systems, and antimicrobial products. For more information, please visit www.udetection.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual results, performance and achievement in the future to differ materially from forecasted results, performance, and achievement. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in the Company's plans or expectations.
Featured local business - Anchor Water Damage and Restoration - Salt Lake City Business
The Featured Local Business article comes out every Friday and highlights a small business in Salt Lake or Davis County. This gives you a chance to know about the new and exciting businesses which you may have never heard of. We encourage you to contact the busines, find out more, and experience the enrichment which small businesses provide in Utah.
Kris and Frank Rudarmel in front of their company van
Kris and Frank Rudarmel
The last time your home was affected by a flood, what was your experience with the restoration company like? If you are like many others, the experience was not pleasant and you dread working with that company again if another flood happens.
Fortunately, owners Kris and Frank Rudarmel and their licensed, insured, industry certified team from Anchor Water Damage and Restoration are here to help.
Kris and Frank started Anchor Water Damage and Restoration in 2000 because they had a terrible experience when they had a flood. They knew that they could create an incredible company with outstanding customer service. Since they already owned the truck mount and a van from a previous company they owned, they became certified in Water Damage Clean-up and started on their way.
From their humble beginnings, they have now become recognized with a growing list of awards and recognitions from Chamber West, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Utah Business, and others:
2009 Small Business of the Year (Chamber West)
2011 Women Business Owner of the Year (NAWBO)
2013 Utah Business 30 Women to Watch list (in the May 2013 publication)
Gephardt Approved
With a focus on outstanding customer service, Anchor Water Damage and Restoration excels in its mission of making "our clients feel like they are the most important people in the world, because to us, they are. We accomplish this by delivering exceptional service, going the extra mile, and doing whatever to takes to go above and beyond our client's expectations!"
When Anchor earns new business from a client, they want to keep them for life. They want to be the company that clients can call for questions, concerns, or advice. Anchor is able to achieve this by offering:
After 5 jobs are complete for a client they receive a piece of Kris's art work on canvas
'Thank you' candy bar was created and is given to clients when Anchor arrives on job
Repeat clients always receive a discount
1 free room of carpet cleaning is offered to new clients so they can try Anchor's excellent service before they buy (Wasatch front only please)
They arrive on time (No 3-6 hour window - they know your time is valuable)
A gift bag for each client when the job is complete
Dog bones provided for pet owners
Anchor provides free reports on "How to select a professional carpet cleaning firm" and "Indoor Allergens: Do you know who you are sleeping with?"
10% discount to Educators and those in the Military (they love to show their appreciation to the men and women who serve our country and teach our children)
If you experience a flood, contact Anchor Water Damage and Restoration and let them make your restoration experience a pleasant one.
Kris Rudarmel
801-269-0343
SLC Utah
www.anchorrestoration.com
kris@anchorrestoration.com
24/7/365 Emergency Flood Service / Mold Remediation (removal)
Professional Carpet Cleaning, Dryer Vent Cleaning and Air Duct Cleaning 8 am - 5 pm
If you would like your business to be shown on Featured Local Business, please leave a comment below or contact me directly here. Don't forget to subscribe, like me on Facebook and Twitter, and +1 me on Google+!
How to Decorate for Halloween: A Dark, Spooky Forest in the Living Room
Decorating your living room and fireplace mantel for Halloween can be tricky. You don’t want it to be too spooky, and you probably want to have a little fun with it, but it has to be a look you can live with for a several weeks. We think Jennifer Griffin nailed it. She says she has no formal design training, but she certainly knows how to decorate for Halloween.
The fact is, Jennifer clearly knows how to decorate for any occasion. Take a look at her blog Dimples and Tangles, and you’ll see what we mean.
She is one of the terrific DIY and design bloggers we invited to take part in our Halloween Style Challenge. We sent each blogger a mystery shipment of Home Depot Halloween decorations, and then we stood back while they came up with fresh and inspiring Halloween decorating ideas.
Jennifer came up with a Halloween mantel that’s warm and colorful with interesting textures and tons of wonderful detail. Read on as she takes us, section by section, through her creative process, including how she modified some of the items we sent her to give them her special look.
I was so excited when my friends at The Home Depot invited me to be a part of this Style Challenge. I mean, doing a project for one of my favorite companies, in my favorite season, with some fun new products… what could be better?
After receiving the assignment of decorating my mantel, I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go until I received my boxes of mystery items from The Home Depot. One item in particular inspired the entire design. Keep reading to find out what it was, but because of it the idea was born to do a dark, spooky forest theme.
THE BASE
Once I had a plan in my head, I started building my area section by section. First, I knew that I wanted lots of branches to mimic trees. These urns were the perfect containers to keep them stable and steady. Just as my plan was coming together, my neighbors were having their trees trimmed. Perfect timing! They were happy to throw a pile of cast off branches over my fence.
THE FOCAL POINT
Secondly, I focused on the actual mantle. I wanted something rustic and some kind of signage. After discovering spools of festive rope lighting in a mystery box, I thought it would be fun to use it to write out a phrase. The lighting added an extra bonus and helped to set a mood, too. Since our society is all about #hashtags these days, my sister suggested adding one and I jumped on her brilliant idea.
To assemble the sign I re-used a section of an old fence panel. With its mesh coating, the rope light was really easy to work with and form. After sketching out my word–#beware– with a piece of chalk, I used a staple gun to barely grab the edge of the mesh and attach it to the wood.
When you do this, just make sure that the electrical light wire inside is moved to the other side of the rope, and that your staple only goes through the mesh, not the wire. Also, work with the lights unplugged, just to be safe!
After putting the two main components of the sign and the tree branches in place, it was time to fill in the details. Now, here’s my inspiration for the entire design…. these guys!
THE CLASSY VULTURES
When I found light up vultures among my mystery items, I knew right away they needed some trees to hang out in, and the idea of a spooky forest went from there.
I couldn’t resist giving them a little class, though, and added top hats and a bow ties with ribbon from the craft store. Because vultures can be stylish too, right?
To place them in the branches, I rested their feet where I could, and then used strips of floral wire to secure their bodies to the branches in various places. The cord for their lights blends in with the branches and can be plugged in with an extension cord at the base of the urn.
These cute bats needed a home in the forest, too, so I used some wire to secure them as well.
THE LAYERS
With the major pieces in place, it was time to add in accessories. Even with the height of the branches, I wanted to fill in some of the area close to the ceiling. One more mystery item from The Home Depot came to the rescue, but it’s serving a totally different purpose than how it started!
These Halloween wreaths are festive, but as-is didn’t have a place in my plan. So, they got a makeover, turning them into some statement lighting. Every spooky forest needs some glowing chandeliers, after all.
After disassembling the wreath, I wrapped it in jute rope, securing with hot glue once in a while. Since I needed to be able to get to the bottom of the battery operated candles to turn them on and off and couldn’t hot glue them to the wreath, I used some pieces of a Scotch adhesive fastener strip to secure the candle to the wreath. Then I used some Christmas beading from the craft store and some prisms I had on hand to add some sparkle, and embellished with some of the leaves from the original wreath.
To finish it off, I tied three more long pieces of rope in even sections around the rim of the wreath, knotted them together at the top, and hung with an eye hook in the ceiling.
With the high areas filled in, I moved on to filling in the area around the hearth, building on a hide rug to add some texture and interest. These lanterns from Home Decorators Collection are a very generous size and made a nice statement, allowing me to add some light at the ground level. I also appreciate how the rustic finish ties in with the branches. The tops are hinged, so it’s really easy to fill them and get access to light the candles.
A few curly leafed crotons from the Home Depot Garden Center filled in some spaces with fall colors, and some rustic pumpkins that I had on hand gave a nod to fall as well.
With a cozy chair added in, it’s the perfect spooky story spot!
My friend enjoyed the I Spy book as well…
And, it’s even better at night when the lights are glowing and casting creepy shadows on the wall.
I hope you’re inspired to add a bit of whimsy, a bit of nature, a bit of class, and a bit of spooky to your home this season. Thank you so much Home Depot for inviting me to this challenge, it truly stretched my imagination and creativity!
Jennifer Griffin says her home is her hobby. She enjoys blogging all about it at Dimples and Tangles, where her posts focus on decorating and design, DIY, food, crafts, travel, and a good thrift store makeover here and there. She lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with her husband and two sweet children.
The mystery shipment of Halloween decorations The Home Depot sent to Jennifer included these items:
For more great ideas on how to decorate for Halloween, see other articles in our Halloween Style Challenge series here on The Home Depot Blog, and follow our Halloween Style Challenge pinboard on Pinterest.
Visit The Home Depot’s online Holiday Decorations Department for everything you need to decorate your home for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/how-to-decorate-for-halloween-dark-spooky-forest/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-decorate-for-halloween-dark-spooky-forest
Restoration company for home repairs, water damage?
A restoration company's job is to restore property if possible.
When I had a house fire in 1995, the major damages were from smoke and the insides of my house was cut out to the basics.
They took all of our furniture, appliances, clothing etc and took it to a special warehouse, where they used some kind of machine or chemical that could "draw" out the smoke. By doing this, they saved about 25% of our stuff and we got back. Now some things were not done, since they knew nothing would ever get out the smoke.
What most likely will happen is that they would come in there and use these huge fans that are really power-full and try to dry up the water/moisture. They may have to remove the paneling also.
I suggest you call up one up and see if they can give you an estimate of the costs and also get one from your handyman. But you will need to do asap, since the longer you go and get mold, at some point, you will never ever get the mold out.
good luck
How to Remove Cooking Oil from Carpets
Cooking oil-based stains undoubtedly fall in the "heavyweight" category of stains and it is really hard to get rid of them once they've reached your carpet. Not to mention that if the oil is too hot it can melt down the fibers of your carpet, thus ruining it permanently. Anyway, if you were lucky enough to spill cooking (or olive) oil under different circumstances you have a fair chance of getting the stain out. Just follow these simple tips.
Start the procedure by blotting as much of the cooking oil as you can. Use some paper towels or some old (but clean) expendable cotton cloth. When you're blotting, it is essential not to scrub the surface because this will only work the oil deeper into your carpet's fibers and there is also a chance to enlarge the spot. You definitely don't want that. After that, you'll have to sprinkle the affected area with some sort of absorbent such as baking soda, cornstarch or salt (whatever you have at hand). Let the absorbent of choice stay on the spot for at least 15 minutes and hopefully it will absorb most of the excess cooking oil. To continue the carpet cleaning process you must vacuum the spot in order to remove the absorbent. If the spill is solid you may have to repeat this process a few more times until most of the cooking oil is gone.
Unfortunately, we are not done yet. In order to clean the spot completely you'll need to use some sort of carpet cleaning solution. I do not recommend the use of commercial cleaning products, though. Not only that they are very expensive but they are extremely harmful to the environment. And the really shocking thing is that scientists consider that there might be a direct correlation between these products and cancer. Green cleaning is absolutely the better choice. Almost any stain can be removed from a carpet by a simple mixture of dish-washing soap and water. Use a bowl to mix the ingredients in it, then soak a clean cloth in the soapy water and start scrubbing the oil stain with it. When you've removed the stain completely, just rinse the carpet with clean water. Make sure that there is no trace of the carpet cleaning solution as well. When you're done, don't cover your floor immediately with the carpet. Hang it somewhere to dry properly (on the balcony for instance). This will prevent the manifestation of mold.
As you can see, dealing with cooking oil stains is not so hard after all. All that you need is a little knowledge and enthusiasm. Of course, you can always use the services of the professional carpet cleaning companies as well if you don't have the free time. And finally, I'd recommend for you to do a little research on these commercial cleaning products and see for yourself how bad they really are.
5 Steps to Tackle The Problem Effectively
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Heavy storms often lead to floodwater damage on property including homes. What's more, broken and leaking pipes, damaged water hoses, malfunctioning equipment, and blocked drains may also cause water damage. Indeed, stagnant water is a worrisome issue for most homeowners. Contaminated water, such as sewage, is unsanitary and a health hazard by nature. Still, even clean water can encourage the growth of mold and mildew if left standing for a number of days. In light of this, flood damage restoration is necessary to remove stagnated water, dry existing moisture patches, and prevent future occurrences of water damage. Here are five steps to deal with floodwater damage at home:
Safety Measures: Switch off the main power source in a house to ensure that no electricity is running through the house. Do not enter the flooded house or room unless you are absolutely sure that it is safe to do so. Also, be careful when repositioning materials and contents inside the room to avoid accidents.
Salvage Useful Items: Reclaim all useful materials in a flooded room that do not absorb water. You can also recover easy-to-clean absorbent materials such as household fabrics, linen, and clothes. Upon doing that, soak linen items in hot water mixed with detergent to remove stains and contaminants. It is a good idea to leave behind items that are difficult to clean and dry such as carpets, pillows, box springs, and other porous materials
Move to Higher Ground: Vacate the flooded house temporarily as you prepare to fix the problem. If only a section of the house is flooded, for example, the basement, and you decide to stay put, you should be aware of the numerous waterborne risks present therein.
Speak To Your Home Insurance Company: Contact your home insurance company and submit a claim for the damages caused by the floodwater. Your insurer might suggest suitable flood damage restoration providers to deal with the problem.
Leave the Job to the Professionals: Once the home insurance company settles the claim, leave the job of flood restoration to the professionals. A suitable company will clean the entire house, extract the floodwater, dry any moist areas, dehumidify the house, and exterminate any contaminants present. Talk to the supervising technician if you have any special instructions before the restoration work begins.
The risk of floodwater damage is prevalent among many homeowners living in low-lying areas. However, water transportation pipes and accessories can also cause water damage due to either poor maintenance or damage. Stagnant water is a health risk for homeowners due to the imminent dangers it poses to occupants..
Top Ten Strongest Earthquakes in the World
The ranking of the top ten earthquakes by the U.S. Geological Survey is based on magnitude according to the Richter scale. Earthquakes with lower magnitudes sometimes cause more severe damage to property and higher death tolls than higher magnitude earthquakes.Why do Some Earthquakes Cause More Damage Than Others?
The worst risk during an earthquake is the shaking. Structures that are not earthquake proof can crumble. If the building is not flexible, it is more apt to fall. A recent example is the devastating earthquake in Haiti where many buildings were constructed of cement block.
Earthquakes send waves through below the earth's surface and travel at higher speeds through soil or sand but slow down through bedrock. In San Francisco, many buildings collapsed in the Loma Prieta earthquake because some were built on landfill resulting from the disposal of debris from the 1906 earthquake.
The Ten Strongest Earthquakes in the World
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the top ten deadliest earthquakes since 1900 are as follows:
Southern Chile: May 22, 1960 Magnitude 9.5
The most severe damage occurred in the Valdivia and Puerto Montt areas. Approximately 1,655 killed, 3,000 injured, 2,000,000 homeless, and $550 million damage. *
A massive tsunami spread across the Pacific Ocean. It caused 61 deaths, $75 million damage in Hawaii; 138 deaths and $50 million damage in Japan; 32 dead and missing in the Philippines; and $500,000 damage to the west coast of the United States. *
Prince William Sound Alaska: March 28, 1964 Magnitude 9.1
Anchorage suffered the most damage as well as other cities including Kodiak, Seward and Valdez. The tsunami generated by the earthquake affected the west coast of Canada and the U.S. and Hawaii.
The earthquake and tsunami resulted in 113 deaths from the tsunami and 15 from the earthquake. It caused approximately $311 million in property loss. *
West Coast Northern Sumatra: December 26, 2004 Magnitude 9.1
This earthquake is best known for the giant tsunami that raced across the Indian Ocean. This tsunami holds the record for causing the highest number of deaths and the most destruction.
In total, 227,898 people were killed or were missing and presumed dead and about 1.7 million people were displaced by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 14 countries in South Asia, India and East Africa. *
Kamchatka Russia: November 4, 1952 Magnitude 9.0
The tsunami resulting from this earthquake adversely affected Hawaii and only caused minor damage in Alaska.
Property damage from these waves was estimated at $800,000 to $1,000,000, but no lives were lost. *
Coast of Ecuador: January 31, 1906 Magnitude 8.8
This earthquake generated a powerful tsunami that hit the coast of Ecuador and Colombia. The giant wave also struck Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii.
Approximately 500 to 1500 people were killed in Ecuador and Colombia. *
Coast of Chile: February 27, 2010 Magnitude 8.8
The epicenter was off the coast of Chile near Concepcion which is south of Santiago. Other areas affected were Maule and Bio Bio. A tsunami struck the Island of Juan Fernandez but never materialized in the rest of the Pacific.
Approximately 708 people were killed.
Rat Islands Alaska: February 4, 1965 Magnitude 8.7
Because the areas affected by this earthquake were sparsely populated, there was little damage and no deaths. A 30-foot tsunami affected the nearby islands in the Aleutian chain.
Loss caused by flooding on Amchitka Island was estimated at $10,000. *
Northern Sumatra: March 28, 2005 Magnitude 8.6
Surrounding islands in Sumatra suffered damage and a 10-foot tsunami caused flooding in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Maldives.
At least 1000 people killed, 300 injured in Nias; 100 people killed in Simeulue; 200 people killed in Kepulauan, Banyak; 3 people killed, 40 injured. At least 10 people were killed during evacuation of the coast of Sri Lanka. *
Assam & Tibet: August 15, 1950 Magnitude 8.6
Buildings suffered extensive damage and landslides occurred in eastern Tibet. Areas of Assam in India experienced landslides and a natural dam broke, which created a 23-foot high wave.
At least 780 people killed in Tibet and 536 people died in Assam. * It is believed that this was not the final total.
Andreanof Islands Alaska: March 9, 1957 Magnitude 8.6
Docks and bridges were destroyed in neighboring islands in the Aleutians by a 15-foot tsunami. The giant wave continued to Hawaii.
The tsunami caused about $5 million in property damage on Oahu and Kauai Islands. *
Southern Sumatra Indonesia: September 12, 2007 Magnitude 8.5
Many buildings were destroyed or damaged in Bengkulu and Sumatera Barat. This earthquake occurred in the Sunda trench, which was ruptured by the earthquake on December 26th, 2004.
At least 25 people were killed, 161 injured, 52,522 buildings were damaged or destroyed. *
Five of the world's strongest earthquakes generated devastating tsunamis that hit Hawaii. Two earthquakes spawned tsunamis in the Indian Ocean.
Three earthquakes occurred in Indonesia and three earthquakes took place in Alaska. Two earthquakes were located on the west coast of South America.
All earthquakes, except for Assam & Tibet, occurred in the Pacific Ring of Fire, which circles the Pacific Ocean. It continues to be the most active seismic area in the world.
* "Largest Earthquakes in the World Since 1900", U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Information Center, updated May 14, 2009
Flood cleanup keeping team out of Pauley Pavilion - News
UCLA's men's basketball team has yet to practice in Pauley Pavilion, more than 2 1/2 months after the historic arena was flooded by a water main break near campus.
The Bruins have been practicing in the nearby Student Activities Center, which has a smaller-sized court than Pauley. The flood on July 30 ruined the hardwood floor in Pauley, along with the team's locker room, training and weight rooms. The arena underwent a $136 million upgrade two years ago.
Workers are expected to have completed the cleanup work and installation of a new court in time for the Bruins' exhibition game against Azusa Pacific on Oct. 31.
Coach Steve Alford said Tuesday that hopefully by sometime next week the team will be able to practice in Pauley.
He said the arena's media room is also being used as the team's weight room, and other changes have been made as a result of the damage from 20 million gallons of water drenching the section of campus where Pauley is located.
Fall Decorating Ideas: Curb Appeal and a Harvest Bonfire Party
When you’re looking for fall decorating ideas with a rustic, country charm, Liz Fourez’s family farm is an especially good place to start.
We sent several of our favorite design bloggers mystery boxes of Home Depot fall decorations to see what fabulous decorating ideas the bloggers would come up with for our Halloween and Harvest Style Challenge. Liz is the author of the DIY and lifestyle blog Love Grows Wild, and these ideas for decorating her home for fall are her contribution to the Style Challenge.
Liz covers a lot of territory. She shows us how she boosted her home’s curb appeal, she carves a pumpkin, and she styles a fall harvest bonfire party for her family. As a bonus, she also has a short tutorial for her easy DIY mason jar lanterns.
Welcome to our harvest party! There are so many things I love about this time of year… watching the leaves change colors, visiting the pumpkin patch with the kids, baking all kinds of yummy fall treats, and of course, football season. But this time of year is also special to my family for another reason… it’s harvest time! Our family farms corn and soybeans here in Indiana and Illinois, so fall is a very busy time for us. There are plenty of long days and late nights spent in the field, and when we finish harvesting our crop for the year, it’s time to celebrate!
So I’ve been busy getting the house ready for a big harvest bonfire, and the front of our house was the first project I tackled.
We have some pretty shrubs along the front of our house, but the cheap, plastic edging that runs the length of the house has definitely seen better days. Now that the heat of summer is over, we decided it would be the perfect time to replace the edging with stone blocks, which added a ton of curb appeal to our home.
Our home is older and has some really interesting details around the front door, so I couldn’t wait to dress it up for fall. I started with some beautiful white mums and a simple orange wreath that looks gorgeous against my dark blue door.
I flanked the front door with two tall, black planters and added some tree branches for height and some mini pumpkins for color.
The other day, my husband found a random vine of these mini pumpkins in the corner of our field where we had tossed last year’s pumpkins. I had no idea they were hiding there, so it was a fun surprise!
As part of Home Depot’s Halloween and Harvest Style Challenge, I received a couple foam pumpkins and a Dremel pumpkin carving kit. The Dremel tool was perfect for cutting designs into the foam, and I cannot wait to try it out on some real pumpkins soon!
We have two big trees in our front yard that are just about to start changing colors, and I had the idea to create some hanging lanterns out of mason jars to help illuminate the yard for our bonfire.
To make them, I just picked up some small chain from Home Depot and a case of pint size mason jars. I cut the chain into 2-ft. sections, which would hang the lanterns low enough on the branch that a candle couldn’t light the leaves on fire. Safety first! I suggest taking a mason jar outside to see exactly how far you want them to hang down before cutting. Then I wrapped some thick wire around the mason jar, just under the lip, and slid the chain onto the wire before securing. To secure the wire, I used a pair of needle nose pliers to carefully twist the wire ends together.
Then I poured some popcorn kernels into each mason jar and added a white votive candle. The popcorn kernels add some weight so the lanterns don’t blow too much in the wind and also keeps the candle in place. As a bonus, they look very pretty for fall too, don’t you think?
I love the look of old rope swings, so we made a simple one out of some scrap wood and white rope that we also found at The Home Depot. The kids already love swinging on it, and it’s the perfect place to set a pumpkin in the fall or some potted flowers in the spring.
After I spruced up the front yard, it was time to get our party set up in the backyard! My family loves a good bonfire, so this little fire pit is the perfect setting for a party.
Working on a farm, there’s never a shortage of straw bales around, so my husband grabbed a few for easy seating around the fire. I knew I needed some kind of a table for food and drinks, so I stacked a couple bales and used an old door from our recent renovation as a tabletop. It was easy, free, and full of rustic country charm!
Every party needs some tasty treats, so I set up a s’mores station, complete with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, along with a bowl of homemade caramel corn and some candy apples.
Fall evenings get chilly here in the Midwest, so hot chocolate is also a must have.
I set these lanterns from Home Decorators Collection on the table and added candles in one and a pile of acorns in the other. The candles added just the right amount of light once the sun went down so we could keep making those yummy s’mores!
I set out a few blankets to keep our guests warm into the night and added a few pumpkins and flowers as accessories.
This cozy red blanket from Home Decorators Collection happens to be my favorite to cuddle up with. And white pumpkins… they’re my weakness!
As the sun went down, we lit our first fall bonfire, and the boys watched closely as the flames grew.
After the excitement of the fire wore off, they found their way to the snack table and filled their bellies with all the yummy fall treats.
I love this beautiful, inexpensive, festive space we created for our family to enjoy this fall, and I can’t wait to have lots of bonfires together!
“Hey Wyatt, your marshmallow’s on fire!”
A big thank you to The Home Depot and Home Decorators Collection for helping me create this beautiful space!
Liz Fourez is the author of Love Grows Wild, a creative home and lifestyle blog that focuses on stylish home decor and unique DIY projects. Liz grew up near the suburbs of Chicago, but now lives on a fourth-generation farm in Indiana with her husband and two little boys. She says she couldn’t imagine life any other way.
The mystery shipment of fall harvest decorations The Home Depot sent to Liz included these items:
For more DIY Thanksgiving and fall decorating ideas, see other articles in our Halloween and Harvest Style Challenge series, and follow our Fall Harvest pinboard on Pinterest.
Visit The Home Depot’s online Holiday Decorations Department for everything you need to decorate your home for fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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California drought plan would build reservoirs, clean up drinking water
By Sharon Bernstein
SACRAMENTO Calif. Tue Jun 17, 2014 8:44pm EDT
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - After months of bickering, California lawmakers could vote as early as this week on a plan to shore up the drought-parched state's water supply that would include three new reservoirs, underground water storage and environmental cleanup.
The proposal to sell $10.5 billion in bonds to pay for water projects must win support from two-thirds of the Legislature, Governor Jerry Brown and tax-averse California voters. It has been caught in political infighting for months, even as the state entered its third year of a crippling drought, but its backer said on Tuesday a deal was coming together.
"We're closing in on a vote," said state Senator Lois Wolk, a Democrat whose district includes the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which supplies water for 25 million people and crop irrigation in the state's Central Valley breadbasket. "Given the drought, we need storage."
Brown declared the state's drought to be an emergency last January, committing millions to help stricken communities and temporarily easing protections for endangered delta fish.
But the Democratic governor is hesitant to ask voters to approve the sale of bonds to finance new projects so soon after a recent tax increase.
Wolk's proposal, one of several vying to replace a Republican-backed measure already slated for November's ballot, has been caught in partisan wrangling since last summer.
Democrats pushed for underground storage, environmental cleanup and conservation measures, while Republicans fought for the inclusion of three long-planned reservoirs, along with a promise not to hold up the funding.
In the Senate, where Democrats need Republican support to reach a two-thirds' majority, it was not clear on Tuesday whether Wolk had the votes she needed.
"I'm not sure she has been able to satisfy my needs yet," said Republican Senator Jean Fuller, who worked on the earlier bond measure and still supports it. "Although I do have to say she has made a very gallant effort."
At issue is funding for a type of environmental restoration in the delta that would later allow the state to build tunnels or canals to carry water to the Central Valley.
With no way to take the water south, there is no point building the additional storage, said Republican Senator Andy Vidak.
But Wolk said that could cause voters to reject the plan by evoking controversial efforts to funnel water from the northern part of the state to the south.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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Restore Featherweight 221 Finish
Many mechanically sound Singer Featherweight sewing machines need a little cosmetic help.Stop! Surface Damage May Be Desirable
Over the years straight pins and jewelry will damage the paint of even the best-kept Featherweight 221. If the machine is a family heirloom, this damage may have sentimental value. Chips caused by Grandma's wedding rings, for example, should probably be left alone. On the other hand, if the machine is a junk shop treasure, removing scratches and chips maybe desirable.
To Remove Minor Scratches
For minor scratches and chips where bare metal is not showing, David McCallum, author of The self-published book, The Featherweight and I (available from Coltilde for $35) recommends smoothing the surface with automobile rubbing compound available where ever car care products are sold. There are two grades of rubbing compound: a course one that can be used first, and a finer grade for polishing. McCallum notes that the finer grade can be used by itself, but the process will take longer.
Repair Deep Scratches or Chips with Touch-up Paint
To fix deep scratches or chips on black Featherweights, McCallum recommends General Motors' "Lamp Black" automotive touch-up paint. Sold at GM dealerships, the paint comes in small bottles with a built in applicator brush, similar to nail polish. To use the touch up paint, clean the surface to be painted with naphtha. This removes any wax or oils that might keep the paint from adhering. Dab a small amount of paint on the chipped area, and let it dry for at least an hour. Continue to add layers of paint until the chipped area is slightly higher than the original surrounding paint.
Lightly Sand New Paint
Using very fine 600 grit wet-dry sandpaper dampened with water, smooth the new "bump" of paint down so it is level with the existing paint. Work carefully so as not to damage the surrounding areas. This is a slow process since 600 grit sandpaper is very fine. Periodically wipe the water and sandpaper residue off the surface with a clean rag and inspect to see if the new paint is level with the old and feathered into the existing paint. Sanding will make the paint slightly hazy, but this can be buffed out with rubbing compound.
Wax for a Shiny Finish
After repairing scratches and chips, make the whole machine shine like new by waxing it with a car wax like Turtle Wax with carnauba, or a product by Mirror Glaze called Professional Show Car Glaze that produces a deep glossy surface.
Keep New Scratches From Forming
To protect the paint for future generations, remove rings and bracelets when sewing, and only use pins with plastic or glass ball heads, rather than all metal heads.
EPA Won't Remove Rocket Fuel From Drinking Water
WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there's no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country.
EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.
The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.
The EPA document says that mandating a clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a "meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public-water systems."
The conclusion, which caps years of dispute over the issue, was denounced by Democrats and environmentalists who accused EPA of caving to pressure from the Pentagon.
"This is a widespread contamination problem, and to see the Bush EPA just walk away is shocking," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate's environment committee.
Lenny Siegel, director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight in Mountain View, Calif., added: "This is an unconscionable decision not based upon science or law but on concern that a more stringent standard could cost the government significantly."
The Defense Department used perchlorate for decades in testing missiles and rockets, and most perchlorate contamination is the result of defense and aerospace activities, congressional investigators said last year.
The Pentagon could face liability if EPA set a national drinking water standard that forced water agencies around the country to undertake costly clean-up efforts. Defense officials have spent years questioning EPA's conclusions about the risks posed by perchlorate.
The Pentagon objected strongly Monday to the suggestion that it sought to influence EPA's decision.
"We have not intervened in any way in EPA's determination not to regulate perchlorate. If you read their determination, that's based on criteria in the Safe Drinking Water Act," Paul Yaroschak, Pentagon deputy director for emerging contaminants, said in an interview.
Yaroschak said the Pentagon has been working for years to clean up perchlorate at its facilities. He also contended that the Pentagon wasn't the source of as much perchlorate contamination as once believed, noting that it also comes from fireworks, road flares and fertilizer.
Benjamin Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water, said in a statement that "science, not the politics of fear in an election year, will drive our final decision."
"We know perchlorate in drinking water presents some degree of risk, and we're committed to working with states and scientists to ensure public health is protected and meaningful opportunities for reducing risk are fully considered," Grumbles said.
Grumbles said the EPA expected to seek comment and take final action before the end of the year. The draft document was first reported Monday by the Washington Post.
Perchlorate is particularly widespread in California and the Southwest, where it's been found in groundwater and in the Colorado River, a drinking-water source for 20 million people. It's also been found in lettuce and other foods.
In absence of federal action, states have acted on their own. In 2007, California adopted a drinking water standard of 6 parts per billion. Massachusetts has set a drinking water standard of 2 parts per billion.
Got Water Damage? Live In Maine? Things You Need To Know
Water damage can be devastating and very costly! The good news is that you can prevent property damage by taking some simple steps. Read below to learn how you can prevent potentially severe & costly damage and what to do if you already have water damage.
How Common Is Water Damage In Maine?
If you are the victim of water damage in Maine know that you are not alone. On average there are 300-500 water damage events every month in Maine. With numbers lke this every property owner should take the time to prepare their property and take steps to prevent such disasters.
Steps You Can Take To Prevent Water Damage.
By far the most common type of moisture damage is flooded basements. This can result from a cracked foundation, leaking window, sump pump failure or sewer and drain back up. In Maine there are many good water proofing companies that offer 20 year warranties on water proofing. A high capacity sump pump with a battery back up could have prevented probably 80% of the water damage claims our company handled in basements last year! Needless to say its a worthy investment. Change your water heater every 5-7 years to prevent failure. I am always amazed at how often they fail and cause severe damage. If you are going away, invest in a freeze alarm or winterize you plumbing. Frozen pipes burst causing massive insurance claims every year. The last topic I will cover is ice dams. In short, keep your roof shoveled especially the eaves and adequately insulate your attic to prevent the roof sheathing from heating up causing snow melt and re-freezing.
What If I Already Have Water Damage.
ACT QUICKLY! Under the terms of every insurance policy you have the responsibility to "preserve & protect" your property when damage occurs or you risk denial of coverage. When attempting to handle the initial phases of water removal be very careful of electrical hazards and falling hazards. If possible turn off power to the affected area if you can safely do so. For small isolated areas with no wet walls and flooring materials you MAY be able to handle this yourself without further damage. For larger areas of damage consult a professional. Our company Octagon Cleaning & Restoration serves all of Southern & Central Maine and provides free estimates on the water clean up & drying. We will also provide thorough documentation and a 5 Year Warranty. It is critical to act quickly with moisture damage. Within hours the scope of work gets more severe and costs rise due to the need for replacement of materials and contents. With fast action and when dried properly carpet, wood floors, drywall & contents can usually be salvaged with minimal need for demolition and replacement.
Should I File An Insurance Claim?
Only you can answer that question. Unless you have special riders on your policy, basement moisture damage from groundwater or drain back ups may not be covered at all. These additional coverages are very inexpensive and can save you lots of headaches if damages occur. Talk to your local agent. Plumbing supply lines and "sudden releases of water are usually covered. If the water removal, drying, contents replacement & re construction are not signifigantly higher than your deductible then you probably should not file a claim. Insurance claims are a permanant part of you property record and must be disclosed when selling. Also while one water damage claim may not increase your rates, multiple property claims almost certainly will.
OK I Have Filed A Claim Now What
If you have already decided to file a claim your next step is to document everything. Photos, written reports of damaged contents etc. You should by now already have contractor on site to contain & minimize the damage. If you are in Maine we are glad to help you out. Call our Windham Office 207-893-0002. Remeber you have the right to select your own contractor. Your insurance company may make suggestions (and may be pushy at times) but you have the right to choose who you want to work in your home. Most national insurance companies have national agreements with the big franchises (you know who they are) sometimes they are good, sometimes they are very bad. Your best bet is to do your research. Check the Better Business Bureau, Angies List & check the IICRC website for the best of the best. I hope this write up has been of assistance to you and I hope you are not reading this as a victim of water damage. If you are then I hope you will be a little better prepared to handle it.
Nashville Flooding: At Least 29 Dead From Flash Flooding in the South
At least 29 people are dead from the record-breaking flash floods in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.
In Nashville, the Cumberland River is slowly receding. But the damage is done -- homes are ruined and the city is a mess.
Families are trying to clean up and salvage anything they can. "You just pick up a box, you just pick an item and say, 'Is it savable?'" says Woody Hall.
But so much of it is not. Hall and his family are trying to cope with the damage. Treasured items, including things from his childhood, are now destroyed.
"My son's playhouse, we watched it float away," he says. "My grandfather, myself, him, built it when he was little kid. It's just traumatizing."
Across this city, the reality of the damage is just beginning to sink in.
This morning the Cumberland River crested at a 70-year high -- twelve feet above flood stage.
"You know you see it on TV all the time, but you never expect to live it," says Hall.
At least 19 people in Tennessee have been killed.
In Nashville, city officials are asking residents to cut their water use in half, after flooding shut down one of only two water treatment plants.
Even the heart of country music is still underwater. The Grand Ole Opry, along with the Country Music Hall of Fame, are both flooded. No one has been able to get in to see if the priceless music memorabilia including recordings of stars like Hank Williams, Patsy Klein and Dolly Parton are still intact. It may be months before anyone sings at the Opry again.
Grand Ole Opry House Reopens
"The history of Nashville, it goes so far back," says Paul Overstreet, a country music singer and songwriter. "It's like the roots of country music are right here...The instruments that people played, you know, all the great bluegrass artists and the country artists, historical artists and all their instruments, their clothing are in these halls."
Those roots are strong and people like the Ron Davis say they will draw on that strength.
"We're not looking weeks or months, we're looking at years," says Davis, "But we'll survive this."
Five feet of flooding overwhelmed the Davis home. Twelve years after building their house, they have to start over.
Flooding Disaster in South
"It's just devastating how much damage can actually come through, you wouldn't think that water could carry that much force," he says. "I mean, you lose everything."
The governor has declared over half the counties in Tennessee disaster areas. Damage teams started their assessments today, but we may not know the full extent until sometime next week.
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How to Clean up Pest Bird Droppings
Cleaning up large amounts of bird and pigeon droppings can be a risk to ones' health. Many people are not aware if the diseases the droppings can cause humans such as histoplasmosis. This disease is transmitted by humans breathing airborne fungus spores from the soil that has been contaminated by the droppings. Most people do not develop symptoms and others only develop mild flu-like symptoms. Occasionally, a high fever is experienced as well as pneumonia and even death. There is a certain procedure that should always be followed when cleaning up large amounts of droppings in order to keep safe and decrease the chances of becoming ill.
Things You Will Need
You will need to have a respirator that filters particles as small as 0.3 microns, a pair of shoe covers, protective eye wear, gloves, hat, and cover-alls. You will also need a broom, plastic trash bags and ties, a large scraper, a large dust pan, and a hose with running water.
If you are only cleaning up a small amount of bird droppings you will require the same equipment, however can use a regular face mask if you desire and can use a spray bottle filled with water instead of a hose.
Step 1
After you have suited up in the protective clothing, eye wear and respirator, you will need to use the hose and wet all of the bird droppings. Be careful not use the hose on high force as you do not want the droppings or the particles of the droppings to back fire towards you. The reason for wetting the droppings is so dust and particles are not stirred up when you are bagging them up in the plastic bags.Step 2
Once the droppings are wet, you need to sweep them into small size piles. If the dropping begin to dry out, lightly mist them with the hose again. Once you have the droppings in piles, take a plastic trash bag and lay it on the ground up against a pile of droppings. With the large scraper, push the pile into the bag. Continue doing this with the remaining piles. Be sure to tie each bag with a bag tie.Step 3
Rinse the brooms bristles off with water. If you want to keep the broom for future use, it should only be used for bird droppings. Tie a plastic trash bag around the end of the broom with the bristles and keep it outside. Never use the broom inside your home. It would be best to throw the broom out. Rinse off the dust pan and scraper. Bag these up and keep them outside as well. Only use for future bird dropping clean-up.Step 4
Take all of the tied bags to the outdoor trash receptacles. With the respirator still on, remove all of the protective clothing and dispose of it in plastic trash bags. Launder the clothes you wore by themselves and not with other laundry. Wash the clothing on the hot water setting. Be sure to shower immediately after you are finished.
This procedure should always be followed when cleaning bird and pigeon droppings. The risk is serious as to the diseases and illnesses that can be contracted if not using these precautions.
Tips & Warnings
Never use your vacuum to clean droppings. Only clean bird droppings on a day that it is not windy outside. You need to prevent and avoid the dropping particles from becoming airborne.
Smoke damage restoration for walls and ceilings
Cleaning smoke off walls and ceilings can be a challenging task. Smoke damage restoration can sometimes be expensive, when hiring professionals to do it. If you've recently had a grease fire, kitchen fire, or cigarette smoke fire, the first thing to do is eliminate the smoke odors. Smoke damage repair from soot and charring marks is sometimes very difficult to remove. Even if it was just a small fire, the soot can sink into the walls and ceilings pretty easily. Your normal house cleaning products will likely not get the smoke stains out. Sometimes restoration of the walls will require priming, and painting as the only method to cleaning the smoke stains.
Before you repair the smoke damaged, you must air out the smoke odors first. Smoke odor can damage the lungs and cause air pollution in your home Eliminating smoke odors can be a timely process, especially if the smoke damage was pretty damaging. A strong smoke fire will probably take at least a week for all smoke fumes to be completely gone. However, you'll need to minimize the odors as much as possible. You'll want to open up windows, run the air condition, or a fan. Try to help circulate the smoke air out a bit. First method should be cleaning the smoke odors on the wall.
Cleaning products for eliminating smoke odors
* Large sponge mop
* Clorox bleach
* Vinegar
* Baking soda
* large water bucket
* Big broom
Regardless if you have hardwood floors and ceilings, or paper walls and cement floors. You'll need to clean out the odors. First off, if there's any debris from the fire damage, that will need to be swept up first. All debris should be swept up into a large black garbage bag, then placed outside in your dumpster. Make sure all the debris is swept up first, before you start cleaning the walls, ceiling, and floors as well.
You can use bleach, or vinegar when cleaning smoke odors. Clorox bleach is strong and will eliminate odors. Fill the bucket with warm water, about a 1/4 a cup of vinegar, or clorox bleach. Vinegar is great at killing odors as well. Dip the bucket with a big sponge mop. Scrub the floors and ceilings thoroughly. The vinegar bleach should begin eliminating some of the smoke odors. Keep a fan running as well, to help circulate the smoke. Consider wearing a health mask, since the chemicals, combine with the smoke can make one nauseous. Take a break if needed.
Smoke circulates and can cling to furniture and other aspects of the house. You should clean furniture with baking soda and use febreze air freshener. Just take a damp cloth, or sponge and combine with baking soda to clean furniture. If the fire happen in the bedroom, wash all blankets and sheets with baking soda as well. Cleaning the smoke odors will be time consuming, but must be done first.
Cleaning smoke stains
Things you'll need
Rubber gloves
Two buckets
Goggles
Health mask
Sponge mop
Trisodium Phosphate
Trisodium Phosphate known as TSP is very strong, and should be used with caution. You should use rubber gloves, goggles, and a health mask. When exposed, it can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, and be difficult to breathe in. Fill up a bucket of warm water in a bucket. Add about a tablespoon of TSP, then scrub the floors and ceiling. Scrub the floors as well if any soot got onto the floors. Don't apply too much water to the walls, which can cause damage and rot the drywall. You'll need a separate bucket of warm water to rinse off the TSP. Keep scrubbing and rinsing until the soot starts to come off. You might need to do this a few times.
Repairing blistering paint and bubbled paint
When the paint becomes blustered, bubbled, then you must repair the walls and ceiling. This procedure is not very hard, but can be time consuming depending on how bad the fire damage is. Before you repair the walls, or ceiling, make sure you cleaned the walls from smoke odor first.
Things you'll need
Spackle
Paint (color that matches)
Paint brush
Putty scraper
Primer
Sand paper
goggles
Take your putty scraper, and start to scrape the bluster or bubbled paint from the wall off. Use your goggles, to avoid any paint scrapes getting into your eye. Then take some sand paper, and smooth out the wall or ceiling until its flat. Then take your scraper, and apply spackle to the wall to help cover the damage. Let it dry, then sand paper the spackle, until your wall is smoothed to be primed and painted. After primed, apply two coats of paint.
Kurion Delivers Equipment and Ion Specific Media to Support Water Cleanup at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kurion, Inc., an innovator in nuclear waste management, announced that it completed the initial delivery a week and a half ago of several hundred tons of equipment and its Ion Specific Media to support its key role to remove radioactivity from contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Kurion engineers started arriving at the Fukushima site a week ago Wednesday with more arriving over the next two weeks to support system installation, commissioning and startup mid-June. The Kurion system is part of an unprecedented effort by an international team of leading radioactive waste management companies to quickly deliver a large contaminated water processing system. Kurion is the sole American company in this historic water processing effort.
The overall processing system has several stages including debris and oil removal, radioactivity removal (Kurion's role), and desalinization. The goal is to process radioactive contaminated water presently in the turbine buildings, along with new cooling water added daily, and return the purified water to the plant for recycle as reactor cooling water. For defense in depth a second radioactivity removal system is being developed and delivered by Areva of France.
Kurion CEO John Raymont said: "The Kurion system was designed and fabricated on a 24-hour/day 7 day per week basis with many redesigns as the customer's specifications were modified repeatedly as new data was learned from the damaged plant. Despite constantly evolving specifications the principal equipment and Ion Specific Media were delivered in an extraordinarily short five weeks after approval to proceed. This has been an unprecedented project and level of effort to compress into weeks what took 18-months to prepare for the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant accident water cleanup. All parties from TEPCO to Kurion to our system fabricators should be applauded for their personal commitment and sacrifices to getting the job done right under intense pressure."
Kurion Vice President and Project Director Richard Keenan said: "The design goals were for a system that would be reliable, isotope removal flexible by being able to adjust media combinations, based on lessons learned from Three Mile Island, U.S. DOE operations, and nuclear plant operations world-wide, and based on industry standard demineralization processing technology utilizing Kurion's extraordinary Ion Specific Media."
For Kurion this is the first phase of a recommended two stage processing sequence. The stages follow the logic demonstrated during the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant cleanup where radioactivity was removed from water by inorganic sorbent media then volume reduced and permanently immobilized by converting it into a glass matrix using vitrification (the gold standard of waste stabilization). The substrate (base) material that formed the TMI sorbent media is now exclusively distributed by Kurion and used in the fabrication of its Ion Specific Media. Kurion has dramatically enhanced the performance of sorbent media and state of the art for vitrification since TMI from a cost and throughput standpoint. As discussed in "Two Novel Solutions", the feature article in the December issue of Radwaste Solutions magazine, the high performing Kurion Modular Vitrification System is transformative in terms of changing the cost and schedule for vitrification.
The Kurion processing system and Ion Specific Media will remove targeted radioactive isotopes (atoms) from the water that threaten both human health and the environment. By being able to vitrify its Ion Specific Media, Kurion offers the additional benefit of a volume-reduced stable waste form that minimizes handling, storage, shipping, and disposal costs and uniquely isolates isotopes from the environment.
ABOUT KURION
KURION PROVIDES INNOVATIVE, EASILY DEPLOYABLE TECHNOLOGIES TO ACCELERATE PROJECT PERFORMANCE AND COMPLIANCE AND SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE CUSTOMER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT LIFE-CYCLE COSTS. FOUNDED IN 2008, KURION IS BACKED BY LEADING ENERGY INVESTORS LUX CAPITAL MANAGEMENT AND FIRELAKE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT. HEADQUARTERED IN IRVINE, CA, KURION OPERATES A R&D FACILITY IN OAK RIDGE, TN AND A TEST FACILITY IN ROLLA, MO. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.KURION.COM.
Everything Your Plumber Doesn't Want You To Know
Plumbing that is in good working order is a critical component of a clean, safe, and happy household. When something goes wrong, should you fix it yourself or call a plumber? If you want to learn how to work with your plumbing system, read this article.
If one of your water pipes freezes, turn on the tap to the faucet nearest the pipe so that the water has somewhere to exit as the pipe thaws. This will relieve pressure and might prevent the pipe from bursting, preventing further damage.
Pump out your septic tank at least every five years to keep it in proper working condition. This will stop any buildup in your septic tank and prevent any horrible issues. Although it could cost a good deal of money to pump out your septic tank, it will cost a lot more having to clean sewage backup or having to fix or replace a septic tank.
If you know what tools you should use, it can help you deal with your plumbing problems in the right way. Read each and every manual, and utilize the information that can be found in libraries and the Internet about do-it-yourself projects. Make sure you plan before you try any kind of repair, as it can be costly to fix a mistake.
Check floors around toilets for softness, so you can tell if you have any floor damage. Stand above the toilet with a foot positioned on each side up close to the base. Shift your weight back and forth to detect any weakness or sponginess. You can wind up saving your money simply by noticing the problem early on.
Place a strainer on top of every drain so that you collect all debris that has the ability to clog the drain. You should clean your kitchen sink's strainer every time there is a large particle that's trapped in it. Bathtub drains should be cleaned regularly as well.
Try to avoid putting things like fat, oils and grease down the sink drain. These substances will create clogs after cooling in your drain. They'll also muck up your garbage disposal and cause it to be less efficient. Make sure you dispose of oils away from the sink.
A great way to knock out your plumbing issues in one shot is to schedule everything at once. It can be tempting to call a plumber each time you have a minor problem, but saving plumbing work for one time allows you to put money aside for the repairs. It is a lot more cost effective as you will only be paying for one call-out fee instead of multiple trips.
Always use cold water when your garbage disposal is running. Cold water keeps the blades sharpened, giving you optimal performance whenever it is used. When you use hot water, any grease that is in the garbage will melt and be more prone to stopping up your drain.
If water that is not supposed to be there is in the dishwasher, the likely culprit is a kitchen sink hose not properly attached. The hose must lead uphill then back downhill to prevent the combining of water from each device.
When replacing your shower head, pay attention to the quality of the replacement head. Some people think they can get away with the cheapest version at the store. The problem about this is they aren't sturdy and they tend to break a lot easier.
Make sure to clean your dryer's lint trap. This can prevent troubles, including fires. Be sure to inspect the lint screen for any tears or holes. That could result in lint traveling down your http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_damage_restoration pipes, and that may result in clogs and other issues that have to be dealt with.
Clean the aerator to if you are dealing with low water pressure issues due to sediment buildup. Remove the aerator, and then take it apart so it can be cleaned with a brush that has been dipped in vinegar. Rinse off the aerator then reassemble and reattach to the faucet. This should help increase the water pressure, because any obstacles in the aerator will have been removed.
As already revealed, there are many useful tips to help you keep your plumbing working well and to prevent common problems. Practice the tips you read about. Learning how to deal with your plumbing system saves you time and money since you can take care of most maintenance and emergencies without the aid of a plumber.
Find Tips To Successful Plumbing Projects For The Home
You need to take care of any plumbing situation properly. Sometimes, it may take a fair amount of advice for you to find the best answer to the problem, and the following tips are here to give you a great starting point.
Pump your septic tank about once every five years, to make sure it is working well. Doing this prevents any sediment from getting built up within the tank, which causes a backup in your home or causes your entire septic system to fail. While you may find it costly to get your septic tank cleaned out, the cost is much higher to have sewage and backups cleaned up and your septic tank repaired or replaced.
If you have a clogged toilet with the water level very low, and plunging it isn't working, it's possible to resolve this by pouring warm water from a bucket directly into the toilet bowl from about waist level. Once the water is lower, do this again.
If you want your garbage disposal to have the same lifespan as your total home, clean it regularly. By incorporating a regular cleaning routine, your garbage disposal can stay running smoothly. One way to clean your disposal is to run dish detergent and lemon rinds through your garbage disposal. As an added benefit, this technique will also eliminate any scents from your http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To---Clean-Up-and-Repair-Water-Damage&id=1451245 disposal.
You should always put plenty of cold water through your garbage disposal while it is running. The helps sharpen the blades and clears out the drain mechanism. Running hot water down the drain while you are using the garbage disposal can cause the drain to clog from any grease that is in there liquefying.
Don't use your toilet like a trash can, and you minimize potential problems. Don't flush anything that is unlikely to dissolve and wind up clogging pipes, such as diapers, tissues, paper towels and cotton balls. Also, you want to use the least amount of toilet paper to clean yourself.
When changing your shower head, replace it with one of good quality. Many times people try to save money and buy the cheapest one that they see. While it may be cheap, chances are you will have to replace it sooner, as it's more likely to break sooner.
Enzyme based pipe cleaners should be a first choice when you are trying to unclog a pipe that is blocked or draining slowly. These are cleaners that work by using natural bacteria to eat away at your clog, and turn it into a liquid that is then flushed from your pipes. The most highly recommended pipe cleaners are enzyme cleaners.
Make sure to clean your dryer's lint trap. This is preventative maintenance that will prevent many problems, including fires. Regularly check your dryer's lint trap to see if it has any tears or holes that could potentially damage your dryer, and clog up your plumbing.
To reduce your plumbing repair costs, use preventative maintenance measures. One major repair is a drain clog. Drains easily get clogged by hair. Put a drain cover or a screen that is made to protect drains over your drain so that hair cannot get in. Cleaning hair from the screen is a much easier affair than it would be to get the hair out of the pipe.
A sink with poor water pressure can often be corrected by cleaning the built-up sediment out of the aerator. Disassemble the fixture to remove the aerator, and then scrub it with vinegar and a small brush. Rinse the aerator, reassemble it and reattach it to the faucet. Your water pressure should improve because the obstructing particles or buildup have been removed.
Don't bother running water when you use your garbage disposal. A common misconception is that if you flow water into the disposal while you're putting solid items down there, the process will be smoother, but that just isn't true. Running water can help clear debris and keep the disposal's temperature down, but it can also cause sticky materials to clog the disposal.
If you are ready to tackle your plumbing issues, be sure to use these tips to get through the process. You will want to be sure you are hiring the right professionals. You may want to try to fix the situation on your own at first so that you can save some money if possible. Think about using these tips to help yourself.
