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 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.
Home Security
Home security is important to everyone. It’s a good idea to take a look around your home when you are cleaning to make sure that your home is secure and safe for your family. Doing the best that we can do to assure this will put your mind at rest both when you are home and away from home.
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.”
Here is a list of things to check for when looking around your home:
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.
Planning An Outdoor Autumn Wedding
Autumn is another time for weddings and many people are right now in the midst of planning an outdoor wedding right in their back yard. It makes a lot of sense since it can be much more affordable but it does come with challenges. You never know what Mother Nature has in store for that day. It can be hot or it can be cold. Anyone who is planning a back yard wedding needs to take a look at these ideas so that their special day will run smoothly. Since we had an outdoor wedding at our home for friends of ours, we had to plan it so that it worked out well for them.
- If your back yard is landscaped, it will provide the natural backdrop for your wedding. If you plan to use any type of ribbons or streamers, attach a fishing weight to the bottom to hold them down in case of wind. You can even secure fishing weights to your veil to keep it down. Just paint them white.
- If you are having a DJ or band, ask to use their microphones for the ceremony so the guests can hear you clearly.
- Secure all table linens.
- If you are lighting candles, place glass hurricanes on them to prevent them from going out.
- If you have a pool, use floating candles. You can also throw dry ice in the pool for a misty effect.
- You can rent an arch or trellis or make one out of lattice. Decorate with flowers or vines.
- Use torches for the nighttime. Fill with citronella to keep the bugs away.
- Spray the yard ahead of time to treat for bugs.
- Just about any kind of decoration that is used inside can also be used outdoors as long as you secure it in case of wind.
- Unless you are prepared for guess to be in the house, it is a wise idea to rent a tent with sidewalls in case of rain.
- In case it is hot, have water, lemonade and punch available during the ceremony to keep guests cool. In case it is cool, have hot chocolate and coffee available for guests.
- In case it is cool, have propane heaters available or better yet, have a fire pit going.
- If renting chairs, make sure to get wood chairs since metal gets too hot. Have guests sit facing against the sun.
- Keep the flowers indoors until the last minute so that they don’t wilt. Or opt for silk flowers.
- Any food that has the potential to spoil quickly, such as mayonnaise, should be kept indoors until the last minute.
- Use fondant or marzipan on the wedding cake in place of frosting. Regular frosting has a tendency to melt when it gets warm or left out for too long.
I hope that some of these ideas help those who are planning an outdoor wedding so that it truly is a special day without stress. If you have any other ideas that can help those planning an outdoor wedding, please share them.
Pool Sweep Timers
This happened to be a requested quesiton on eHow and so I decided to go ahead and answer it. I find doing these kind of fun since I will only write what I know from experience. The question is “How to Set a Pool Sweep Timer” and can be found at:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4461445_set-pool-sweep-timer.html
Again, I hope this helps someone who is having trouble with this. Pool sweep timers can be very tricky.
