How To Be Secure At Home
When doing my routine cleaning or maintenance around the house, I always make sure that home security is my main priority. It is really important to consider safety around the home at all times whether there are children, pets or no one around. We, as adults, may think that we are accident proof only to find out the hard way that we are not. Practicing safety in the home extends to everyone who lives there, everyone who visits and also for those who trespass. Here are some general home security and safety tips and reminders for you to consider practicing around your home at all times. Some are very common and some you may not have even thought of.
Here is an excerpt from http://www.homesecurityblog.com
“Unfortunately, most people don’t think or do anything about home security until they or someone they know has had a break-in. Burglars look at homes they think are easy targets. There’s many things you can do to make your home less likely to be burglarized.”
smoke alarms - for every bedroom and hallway; make sure batteries are always fresh. Install a battery operated alarm in addition to any electric alarms you may have.
fire extinguishers - you should have at least one or two in the house and one in the garage. It is important to make sure that they are full at all times.
carbon monoxide alarms - always important in order to detect high carbon monoxide levels especially in winter months when we are heating our homes.
windows - in addition to latches on windows, there should be locks on each window. These are easily installed and removed to open the window. You can even open the window a few inches and reinstall the lock so that the window cannot be opened further.
doors- all entry doors should have a deadbolt lock. In some cases, you may also want to install a chain lock. Installing a peephole in each door, especially the front entrance door, is another very good idea. It is advisable to have a lock on screen doors. Some even come with dead bolt locks nowadays. Sliding glass doors have locks but an additional safety measure is to put a rod or piece of wood inside the track.
garage doors - this is a common place for burglars to enter a home. Make sure that the garage door locks when closed. If you use an electronic garage door opener, make sure that you have programmed it; never leave it with a factory programming.
motion detector lights - another home safety measure to deter intruders is to install lights that go on when motion is detected outside at night.
security camera - you can now purchase security cameras and security systems in any large department store or home improvement store. They can be easily hooked up to a television set.
fence - yard fences should always be locked especially if you have a pool. It is important to prevent wandering children who can fall into the pool or get hurt on backyard toys.
shrubs - keep all greenery trimmed and away from the house. Do not block windows. This not only will eliminate a hideout for intruders but will also protect the house in case of fire.
first aid kit - always keep one handy in the home, garage and also in the car.
It is up to us to be proactive to create a safe environment in our homes. What other things do you do in regards to home security? Please share your thoughts and ideas below.
How To Make A Decorative Rug
Are you ready for a custom made decorative rug? Several years ago when I was living in a different home, we had wall to wall carpeting put down in each room. At that time Berber carpeting was the big thing. So Berber it was for every room. I personally love Berber carpeting because it keeps much cleaner than regular rugs. For one of the rooms I had picked a remnant since it was cheaper and the size was well within what I needed. After it was put down, I had a very large piece of leftover rug. What do you do with leftover rug pieces? Throw them in the garage, put them in front of a door, throw them out? If you have a large piece of rug, you have to try this. It’s time for a decorative rug created and made by you.
The house had high gloss tile in the entry way, the halls and the kitchen. I was always worried that someone was going to go flying when coming into the house when it had been raining and their shoes were wet. We all know how slippery wet tile can be. Well, when I had that piece of extra rug I decided to try something.
I took the rug and turned it over and with a marker I outlined a design. It was an irregular pattern, free flowing, with no square edges. The only straight line was the part that was up against the door threshold.
I then took a rug knife and very carefully cut along the design I had made. It does take some time to do because any rug can be difficult to cut.
After the cutting is done, trim away any stray pieces of rug weaving or knot any loops that may be unravelling.
Now take cording or seam binding to match your décor and hot glue it to the rug. You will need to hot glue it to both the front and bank of the rug creating an neat edge. Since the rug is free flowing, you will have to overlap or pleat the binding several times. Take your time and make sure it is fully glued.
When this is done, take a hot iron and go over the edge to flatten it out.
Turn over and take a look at your new rug. Believe me, you won’t be able to find this in a store. It is your creation. When I made mine for my former home, it was a stopper when you first entered the home. People would come in, step on it, look at it and ask me where I bought it. They loved it and wanted one. So I would have to get down on the floor and show them how to make it. I know for a fact that this rug is still there in the entry hall and still looking good. I just wish I had taken a picture back then.
If you have a large piece of rug left over, I really encourage you to try making your own decorative rug. Or you may even find a small inexpensive remnant that you can use.
If you ever tried making a decorative rug like this, please share your experience in the comments below.
Blog Carnival Edition No. 7
Welcome to the September 24, 2008 edition of a carnival of everything home Edition No. 7. The next edition will be posted on October 8th.
As always, there are lots of great contributions to this Carnival. Remember to include a link back to this post. Thank you again to everyone who contributed and I look forward to reading each and every post.
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GREEN LIVING
First Lady Of Poker presents Saving Money on Electricity posted at Shopping and Poker Blog, saying, “With rising energy costs, saving money on electricity has never been more important.”
Sagar Satapathy presents The 10 Oldest Neighborhoods in the World: Live in a 2300 Year Old House posted at International Listings Blog.
Holly presents Save Money Go Tankless posted at ABC’s of Fine Design.
Kelly Sonora presents Top 50 Green Fashion and Design Blogs posted at Organicasm.
Home Decor
Meg presents The Collection: The Dining Room posted at The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms.
Home Improvement
Layla Palmer presents Pantry - Painted Back Door & Dining Room - Picture Ledge posted at The Lettered Cottage, saying, “Come see me Renovate my Cottage!”
simon presents Why Burn Corn posted at Corn Stove Guide.
simon presents Benefits of Pellet Stoves posted at Pellet Stove Guide.
Deanna Caswell presents Soft, Carpet-free Floors posted at Little House in the Suburbs, saying, “Thank You!”
Raymond presents How To Kill Roaches And Get Rid Of A Home Cockroach Infestation posted at Money Blue Book.
Decorology presents Look at these luxury linens, and how you can get them cheaper! posted at decorology.
Other
Alex Smith presents How to Choose a Cell Phone Stun Gun Model posted at TBO-TECH.
Alex Smith presents Buying a Surveillance Camera posted at TBO-TECH.
Fiona Lohrenz presents Daycare menus posted at Child Care Only.
Alex Smith presents Understanding the Different Types of Pepper Sprays posted at TBO-TECH.
GP presents Nothing Succeeds Like Success posted at Manely Montana Memories, saying, “Nothing succeeds like success… they had it right”
Jason Rusch presents What You Should Know About AKC Boxer Puppies posted atboxerdogessentials.com.
Alex Smith presents Shopping Tips for Child Guard Monitors posted at TBO-TECH.
WordPress Hacker presents Auto Create Navigation Tabs for New WordPress Pages posted at WordPress Hacker, saying, “In this article I explain how you can setup your blog to automatically create main navigation links/tabs when new pages are published by using custom fields to mark those pages you want to appear in the navigation menu.”
Alex Smith presents A Nice Reminder on How to Take Care in Using Bear Sprays posted at TBO-TECH.
Real Estate
Joe Manausa presents The Sign Is Up - Is Your Home Sold? posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “During the booming real estate market of 2004-2006, it seemed all a homeowner had to do to sell a home was put a sign in the yard and then start evaluating offers. This is not so much the case anymore, we are back to a “normal” real estate market, where buyers are drawn to value.”
Joshua Dorkin presents Gambling at the Foreclosure Auction: High Stakes posted at Real Estate Investing For Real.
Jessica presents You’ve Decided to Buy a Home posted at Real Estate License Information; Real Estate License Training.
Joshua Dorkin presents Help Foreclosure Pets The Silent Victims of Foreclosure posted at Real Estate Investing For Real, saying, “NOTE: Post Author is Jim Watkins”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a carnival of everything home using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: a carnival of everything home, blog carnival.
How To Use Rope Lighting
Several years ago, rope lights were sold by the foot and were only available through electrical supply stores. Today, they can be purchased in just about any store from home improvement stores to your local department store throughout the year. Rope lighting can be used in so many ways that it is almost impossible to list them all. It is inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors, lengths, widths and shapes (round or rectangular). It’s time to get creative with rope lights.Rope lighting is actually accent lighting that consists of small lights in a tube. It can be stationery, blinking or chasing lights. Some will even blink to the sounds of music. Since it is extremely flexible, it can be wrapped around almost anything or be made into shapes. It is also good for use indoors or outdoors and is weather resistant. A ten foot strip of rope lighting uses about the same amount of energy as a sixty watt bulb producing a very soft glow of light. Today, LED rope lighting is also now available.
Indoors Uses
Under kitchen cabinets - against the wall reflecting on to the counter top
On the tops of kitchen cabinets - against the wall reflecting towards the ceiling
Under the kitchen counter reflecting towards the floor
Along baseboards of the living room behind plants and furniture for upward light that creates shadows
Along the shelf of a vaulted ceiling
On a staircase or banister
Along a hallway floor
In a child’s bedroom for use as a night light
Inside of glass cabinets
Along a bathroom ceiling
Outdoor Uses
Use to line the walkway
Along the driveway
Use around a flower bed
Wrap around trees and shrubs
Along the outside of a pool
Place round the outside of a pond
Under a deck handrail
Along deck steps (added safety)
Around the deck of a boat
Under a home bar top rail (indoor or outdoor)
Along the edge of the floor of a patio
Along the roof of the house
Under a fence
Around a trellis or gazebo
Along landscape timbers
As with all types of lighting, remember to use rope lighting safely. Do not enclose or overheat these lights. Keep them away from fireplaces and other heat sources. Do not use any rope lighting that is cracked, split or damaged in any way.
I have been a fan of rope lighting since it first hit the stores. I use it along the vaulted ceiling of the family room and along the far edge of the pool. It is also along the floor of our outdoor entertainment room which creates a very relaxing atmosphere. The uses for this type of lighting is so limitless. Take a look around your home, both interior and exterior, and let your imagination take over, have some fun and try getting creative with rope lights.
There were just some ideas for using rope lights. If you have other ideas or use rope lights in different ways, please share them with us.
How Do Corn Stoves Work?
I’ve been researching different types of stoves to heat my home for some time now. I would love to get away from regular electric heat which is what I currently have. While looking around the web, I came across a corn stove. I have to admit that I didn’t know that there was such a thing. I actually love the idea of burning corn since it seems quite natural. Here is an excerpt taken from “Basics of Corn Stoves”
“Corn stoves are designed to burn a granular fuel and in some wyas quite similar to Pellet Stoves, in both pellet fuel and corn fuel are quite dense and wont burn easily in an open pile in a fire chamber.
To get these fueks to burn some corn stoves use a small combustion chamber in which the corn is fed and combustion air is added. Two methods of adding the corn is either by dropping the corn in or by pushing up the corn by means of an auger. The feed rate can be adjusted and hence the heat produced will be changed.”
http://cornstoveguide.com/basics-of-corn-stoves
Any information you are looking in regards to corn stoves can be found at that site. If you are thinking of purchasing a corn stove, go ahead and check out http://cornstoveguide.com/basics-of-corn-stoves
