Tips for a Clean, Fresh Garbage Disposal

We know the kitchen is one of the busiest areas in any home.  The sink being the center of this area, it gets lots of use.  Keeping it clean and smelling fresh can be a challenge but is important.  Here are a few quick tips to help you manage this:

1.  Clean - Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, follow with 1 cup of white vinegar.  Let this sit for about 5 minutes, do work it's magic.  Boil a pot of water while waiting, then pour it down the drain.  This will help to remove and kill any mold or bacterial building up in the pipe.

2.  Fresh Smell - Pour 1 cup of ice down the drain (this also helps to clean off the blades).  Include some lemon, orange, grapefruit or lime rinds to the ice; for the clean smell.  Then turn on the blades as they chop up the ice and rinds they will help to clean and leave a fresh scent in your kitchen area.

This is a process that can be repeated as often as you feel necessary. 

Garage Floor Cleaning Tip

Did you know that prolonged exposure to road salts can cause spalling of your garage floor? (Spalling is a result of water entering brick, concrete or natural stone and forcing the surface to peel, pop out or flake off. This is because there is salt in water. Salt pushes outward from the inside. Eventually, spalling can cause crumbling and destruction of a structure.)

Here is a fun and easy trick to help prevent damage to your garage floor:

1.    Sweep your garage floor with a large brush broom.

2.    Shovel a few of small piles of snow into your garage.

3.    Sweep it around, let it sit for a little while (30 – 60min)

4.    Sweep the snow out.

Along with that snow goes the salt build-up on your floor, the dirt and grime that has collected after having your garage closed up and your vehicles dragging in the weather from roads. 

Try this once a month during the winter months to prolong the life of your garage flooring.

Traveling Safely During the Holidays

Here are some important links for travel information:

Transportation Security Administration - http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm

Travel Forecast - http://www.travelforecast.com/

Directions – http://maps.google.com

Many people are traveling this time of year, so planning ahead is smart.  Keep track of weather, whether you are traveling on the roads or by air.  Be sure to know your route and have it printed out.  If you have layovers, if there is construction going on- all of these things can delay and cause stress while traveling. 

At this point most of your travel plans should be arranged so what can you do to make sure things play out smoothly:

1.    Have your information easily accessible, whether on a mobile device or printed out on paper (recommended since technology is never 100% reliable).  Keep directions, flight information, itineraries where you can easily reference them.

2.    Keep your energy up, make sure to get plenty of sleep the night before travel and have a bottle of water and snack with you.  If there are long lines or things are closed while on the road, having your own supply will help. 

3.    Have some cash in your wallet.  Just in case an emergency does come up, cash is always smart to have readily available.

4.    Keep an extra set of clothes in your carry on or travel bag.  Just in case the climates change from your starting point to ending point.  Also, if you need to layer up or have a spill, this is always a smart move.  If you have children traveling with you this is a VERY smart move.

5.    If traveling by vehicle, an inspection before you leave to check fluids, tire pressure and so on.  Also, plan out restroom and gas stops along your journey.  Remember:  Children, pets and adults need to stop, eat, rest and take a break to ensure a safe and comfortable journey.

6.    Entertainment:  portable DVD players, road games, books, think of things to do with your family that will keep everyone interested and entertained during your journey.

Be safe and enjoy your holidays!

Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween and Trick-Or-Treating is a fun party of the fall season.  We hope you go out and enjoy yourselves and have fun with your family.  Here are some quick tips on how to make your Halloween safe!

P - Plan a route.  Make sure you and your parents know where you are going before you head out to trick-or-treat.
U - Use caution while walking around.  Stay in groups, hold hands while crossing the street.
M - Make yourself visable.  Make sure to wear something that can be seen in the dark.  Glow jewelry or flashlights.
P - Pass up unlight houses.  If the lights are off then move to the next house.
K - Kindness counts.  Make sure to say 'Please' and 'Thank you' when trick-or-treating.
I - Inspect all candy.  Make sure your parents go through and check all your candy before you start eating it.
N - Nutritious Meal.  Eat a healthy meal before you head out so you are not tempted to eat before inspection.
S - See what's around you.  If you are wearing a mask, make sure you can clearly see in front and to the sides.

These are great things to consider and go over as a family and with friends before you begin your Halloween celebration!  Enjoy and Be Safe.

Toughen up your turf for spring... NOW!

Fall is the time to restore and strengthen your lawn for the winter and a fast start next spring. Like trees and shrubs, grass plants take in nutrients to store for the winter and convert for the energy needed to grow in the spring.

Aeration is a popular service that improves drainage, promotes deep root growth and turns the soil to help cycle nutrients and loosen the soil. Aeration now provides better absorption of late fall fertilizer applications.

Effective aeration requires at least two passes of the aerator at angles to leave a pattern of evenly- spaced cores. The depth of the cores should be around 2” or more for best results. Soft soils make this possible without great effort; sprinklers or rain before an aeration is important.

The mess left behind is the plugs of soil and grass which need to break down into the lawn. Sprinklers and rain will help speed the breakdown process. Raking and time are also helpful. Heavy clay concentration takes longer.

Aeration is also effective in the Spring if a fall aeration isn’t possible but must be done before an application of a pre-emergent weed preventer or the barrier will be broken and weeds will proliferate.

Like any plant, grass grows best when the roots are unrestrained by dense, packed soil. Aeration is the best way to soften things up for a denser, lush lawn next year

Tips for Fall Lawn Care Maintanence

Some important things to remember in lawn care include, watering, fertilization and setting lawnmower height.  Here are a few tips that will help your lawn to shine next spring!

1. Most rainfall will cover the watering necessary for your lawn during the Fall months, you should water about 1 inch of water/week.
2. Now is the best time of year to repare or renevate your lawn to get it ready for next Spring.
3. The most critical fertilization occurs in October.
4. Mother nature will take care of lingering weed problems until Spring, when pre-emergents should be applied.
5. Mower height should be reduced at the end of the season to protect your grass during the winter months.

If you have any further suggestions please share them in a comment below.