Guest Post: 5 Ways to Go Green in the Bathroom

Guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey writes for Area Rugs, a retail site that sells brand name area rugs.

There are many ways to be environmentally friendly in your house, and the bathroom is a great room to start in. Going green in your bathroom doesn't have to cost a fortune. There are many ways to be environmentally friendly without spending a lot of money. In fact, you may even be able to save money by making a few simple changes.

Make Your Own Cleaners

There are many ways to make great cleaners for your bathroom. Not only will they clean well but they will be safe for the environment. You can make a bathroom surface cleaner by mixing 3 to 5 drops of natural dish soap with 15 to 30 drops of tea tree oil and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. The finished product can be used on surfaces such as toilets, bathtubs, counters and walls. It also works well for destroying mold and mildew. However, it should not be used to clean glass or mirrors as the oil can cause striking. If you need an abrasive cleaner for toilets and bathtubs, try sprinkling a little baking soda on the surface you want to clean. Then, wipe it away with a natural cloth or sponge.

Save Water

The bathroom is a good place to start conserving water. Simply taking a shower instead of a bath will save a lot of water. Installing a low flow showerhead will also have a big impact on water consumption. You could save up to six gallons of water a minute. You can also install a low flow faucet to save you even more. If you have an older toilet upgrade to a new, more efficient one. A few other small changes to consider: do not use your toilet as a wastebasket--extra flushes are wasted money and water; turn the water off while brushing your teeth and washing your face; and avoid letting the water run while you clean.

Buy Environmentally Safe Organic Linens

Did you know that plastic shower curtains can be dangerous to your health? This is especially true if it is a common shower curtain made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Shower curtains that are made from PVC can release volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, and pollute the air you breathe. You can replace a toxic curtain with one that is made from organic cotton, bamboo, or hemp. It is also good to replace your existing towels and rugs with organic cotton or bamboo ones. Although the initial investment may seem high, organic linens do last longer than their unnatural counterparts.

Use Natural Products

Most of us have an abundance of personal care items in our bathroom. You can help save the environment by making your own products or by buying all natural, organic, or recycled products. You can make everything from your own soap and shaving cream to your own toothpaste. Not only is this beneficial for the environment but also for your health.

Go Green with Bathroom Lighting

You have different choices when looking for an environmentally friendly light bulb. You can choose between compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) or light emitting diode (LED). Both of these will last longer and use less energy than the traditional incandescent light bulb. They may cost more, but over the lifetime of the bulb, they will more than pay for themselves. Although a little pricier, skylights are also a great addition to bathrooms. They help to provide you with natural light and require no electricity at all.

Guest Post : 6 Home Improvements That Will Lower Your Insurance Rates

Owning a home is something most people hope to do. It gives them a sense of security. Having a structured environment to come to after a hard day at work is psychologically fulfilling. Being a responsible homeowner means making sure you're protected from possible loss due to accidents or natural disasters by carrying adequate insurance. Spending money for insurance is necessary, but there are ways to lower your premiums without endangering your family or your property. Following are a few home improvement tips that will lower your insurance rates.

Home Security System

A security system with some sort of alarm can often lead to lower insurance premiums. The best systems cost money, but they are more than likely worth the cost. A system that connects directly to a home security business that is monitored 24/7 by live human beings will save a bundle in insurance premiums. An alarm that is directly linked to local law enforcement will also lower your premiums. A simple audible alarm will undoubtedly save a few bucks in premiums, but not nearly as much as a system that alerts security personnel directly.

Locks

Something as simple as deadbolt locks installed on all exterior doors, including outbuildings, which serve as a deterrent to potential thieves, will lower your insurance premiums. A deadbolt lock is stronger than conventional locks. A typical thief will usually seek an easier property to steal from when they realize your home has deadbolt locks. Don't forget the windows when installing deadbolts. The locks won't prevent a thief from breaking the glass, but thieves generally don't like to call attention to their efforts, and will most likely move on when presented with difficult locks. While you're at it, you may want to think about installing break-resistant or shatter proof glass. Improvements such as these should lower your insurance premiums.

Lights

Another method of securing your property is to install a set of motion detecting lights. Having motion sensitive lights will discourage thieves from sneaking up on your home, and may help save on liability insurance costs by providing adequate lighting for late-night visitors. Installing solar-powered lights along walkways will also offer security for visitors and help lower liability insurance rates.

Update Infrastructure

By updating the systems that make your home function comfortably, such as the electrical, plumbing and heating systems, you can save money on insurance rates. A bonus factor is that by installing a modern, energy efficient furnace you will undoubtedly save even more money on heating costs. An up-to-date electrical system will significantly improve the safety factor of your home, and a new and improved plumbing system will probably save on your water bill, as well as lower your insurance premium.

Fire Safety

Improving your home by installing a fire alarm system will also help you save a little on your insurance bill. If the alarm rings directly into the local fire department it will greatly increase their response time, thereby providing you with greater protection from loss by fire. The same goes for a carbon monoxide detection system. Another thing you can do to lower your insurance premiums is to install a sprinkler system inside your home. Virtually anything you do that will decrease the threat of potential fire damage will ultimately save you money. Spending a little up front can save you quite a bit over the long haul.

Natural Disaster Protection

If you live in a place that is prone to some sort of natural disaster, there are steps you can take to improve the property that will lead to lower insurance premiums. Homes in geographical areas that are subject to high winds, such as tornados, hurricanes, or severe storms, can be made storm resistant by installing shutters on windows or re-roofing with wind-resistant shingles. Even small improvements that can be proven deterrents to potential damage will usually result in lower insurance rates.

Before Doing Any Home Improvements

Before investing too much money in home improvements, you should call your insurance company to make sure your efforts will pay off. Every insurance company is different. Although most offer discounts for the home improvements shown above, discount levels can vary. Get specific numbers from your current company. Then, seek out a few online insurance quotes along with information on the discounts other companies offer. Comparison shopping will supplement your home improvement efforts and help you get the best available deal.

Guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey enjoys writing about home improvements, insurance, finance, and related topics.

Guest Post: How basement remodeling will affect your resale value

It is indeed a fact that the get up or the make over of our domicile or abode matters a lot to us. Though it does matter as a whole, there are certain specific areas or cornered spheres in the same which make a lot of difference, irrespective of whether we stay over there or try to sell it either. As a matter of fact, people opt for remodeling their home by capitalizing the space therein. Being a matter of value addition, it goes without saying that it incurs some investment. But the remodeling project ensures a potent impact on the qualitative or quantitative percentage of returns you expect from the same.

Speaking of remodeling certain areas of the house, the first and foremost place which should be taken care of is the basement. The basement forms an integral part of a house but most of the people use it as a place of storage piling up useless things therein where everything just catches dust or mold. The basement if taken care of can uplift the look of the house as a whole. In this context, the bathroom too takes a place in striking the specific requirements.Remodeling takes a lot of planning and expertise, which when executed aptly adds a lot of value to the way the house actually looks.

The basement of a house can be used for anything a normal area of a house can be capitalized for. This is just to be kept in mind when expressing what you want to the contractor that the basement should be used for some unique place in the house in itself which can make it perfect to be a distinct or separate sphere of the entire house.

The basement can be used for a basement home gym. It is an awesome way to keep fit without over lapping the activities going around the house. Moreover, it is easy to to maintain a specific schedule for the work out without fighting for arranging and rearranging the equipments. The basement can even work as an convenient and utility bathroom because water pipes can have an easy access to that area. Moreover, for a non-nuclear family an additional bathroom can tend to be a life saver. If we think of working at our home in a calm and pleasant environment, the basement can well work as a remedy space. Since the basement gives a different feel in comparison to the rest of the house, it is indeed a very good idea of settling a somewhat peaceful and composed ‘office away from office’. The basement can as well work as an entertaining spot for the guests. A pool table, couch accompanied by a hanging plasma tv does set it all perfect when you set with your friends and colleagues in the basement bar. Apart from all these, the basement can also be entitled to the children for their playroom. With a proper planning, if all the exciting toys are arranged in the space and asking the contractor to make the basement flooring relatively warm, nothing can get better accompanied by the fact that the surfaces will be durable and and the bright flooring will tend to be beautiful for a long run of time.

To cap it all, it can be said that though renovation takes a lot of toil and investment, it leaves the house better off for the owner and the down the liner purchaser. It goes without saying that the value addition which takes place by means of the remodeling does enrich the resale value of the property. The owners of the house who remodel their property do provide a service to the future buyers which at the same time make it easy for the middlemen to market the same. Visit Sky Line Builders to know more about bathroom and basement remodeling rochester ny

Why You Should Think About Getting a Window Replacement

Advantages of Window Replacement

Many homeowners barely think of the day when they need to replace their windows. After all the time spent in selecting a home or constructing the blueprints for one, there is very little thought that goes into wondering, Should I go ahead and purchase a window replacement?

In fact, window replacements give homes numerous practical benefits that only begin with saving costs insulating themselves as well as providing light and protection against rain and storms. Windows are made of glass, which means they are one of the most vulnerable components of your home’s exterior and certainly liable to breaking and damage.

There are more advantages in window replacement:

· Upgrade the value of your home. The same way you probably wouldn’t have purchased a home with broken/old windows is exactly why upgrading your windows equates to upgrading your entire home. Many older homes in particular have single-pane windows, which are thinner and consequently, much weaker than modern double-pane window replacements. When every part of your home is as strong as it can be, the better it will appreciate and sell later when you move on in life

· Save heating costs. The main reason why homeowners turn to window replacements is to save energy and costs. Most window replacement options come with double panes that double the effort in keeping outside temperatures at bay while shielding the desired indoor temperature. With oil prices skyrocketing to no limits, the time to cut energy costs needs to begin now.

· Save energy with Energy Star certification. Energy-saving windows have left some skeptical about the veracity of benefits homeowners actually receive. With that in the mind, the U.S. Department of Energy has set up Energy Star, a label that is placed on all home improvement products to certify that it meets the standards of the federal agency and makes a significant impact on cutting energy usage. To quote the agency, Energy Star windows have been “independently certified to perform at levels that meet or exceed energy efficiency guidelines.” This means Energy Star-certified windows are of the highest quality and most effective in ensuring lower energy costs, higher resistance to sun damage, and increased comfort in the home.

· Opportunity for new designs. Replacing a window may seem like a huge hassle, but this is a great opportunity to seize the moment and embrace change. Given the conditions, windows naturally withstand years, but it also means the design never changes. Getting a window replacement is the perfect chance to get the window design you may have always wanted, but could never find a good enough excuse to purchase them. Now is your chance to not only get new window panes, but design a new framing and create a new appearance for your home.

What Product is Right for Your Painting Project?

Many homeowners desire to make their home more attractive, appealing and up-to-date. Oftentimes, this may mean a paint makeover for their residence. Before getting started, it is important to consider the paint or spray that will work best for the surface you are considering. There are hundreds of different options available for those looking for the right product for their needs. With the proper investigation, any homeowner can achieve the results they are seeking.

Painting Products

There is a wide host of painting products available depending on your needs. An airless spray may be the best choice for indoor or outdoor painting, allowing you the ability to apply lacquers, stains and other coatings. Gas models work better for outdoors, while electric are better for indoors. A high volume low pressure system will turn a liquid paint into a spray, providing the best option for woodwork and ceilings. Numerous paints, stains and primers are available through different companies to assist with coverage needs. A commercial painting contract company will be able to assist with any questions you may have. Specialty commercial paints are intended for heavy-duty industrial and commercial use. These include options such as covercrete, which is used for concrete coating, and armorpoxy, a durable paint used to cover floors.

Commercial Painting

For a business paint project, it is important to consult the right Commercial Painting Contractors in San Diego. Owners should approach the paint contractor with ideas in mind of how to best strengthen their brand image. Painting can be utilized in a creative fashion to draw attention to specific goods and services, though it should not be so overwhelming as to distract. The owner may also want to consider choosing to go with a green paint job, as this can reduce costs for a business, along with providing environmental benefits. A commercial painting contractor will be equipped to deal with any safety hazards that may take place during a large project. This includes having materials on hand such as commercial equipment, ladders and scaffolding. Experts will also be aware of the quality of paints available for a specific job and up to date on the latest professional painting techniques.

Painting Contractor Tips

Consumers should be aware of the San Diego Painting Contractors that will best help them get the job they need done in a professional and timely manner. When hiring licensed contractors, check for references to ensure the quality of their work. They should also make sure they have adequate input regarding choice of paints and colors used on the job. First call around to make sure you are receiving the best professional estimates available, depending on the size of the project. If one professional contractor seems particularly promising, have them inspect the building to give a more accurate cost. Customers should not hesitate to be as hands on as possible in the process, since they will be living with the results and hopefully be satisfied with it for years to come.

Interior Painting

Interior projects will focus on a particular area of the home, so you will want to look for the San Diego Interior Painting Contractors that are best suited for the job. Before work begins, be sure to clear any rooms and cover any furniture. Contractors can provide information on the proper paint and finish for your project as well as the best cleaning options for future maintenance. Make sure the expert contractor provides in writing what is to be painted and how materials will be applied. Also determine that the team will take the proper precautions to protect parts of your home not to be painted, such as windows. The homeowner will want to secure any leftover paint or touch up or repair purposes later on

Green Home Improvements: Appealing to Buyers and Sellers

Everyone wants to go green these days, and home owners are no exception. Whether you're buying or selling your home, if you have property that's considered "green," you have a home whose value is at a premium. When you're selling or renting your property, mentioning the many green features of your condo or townhouse is a definite selling point that appeals to eco-friendly prospective buyers.

If you're ready to buy a townhouse or condo, keep in mind the many benefits of purchasing a home that includes green home improvements. They are not only good for the environment; they can lower your bills on everything from heating and cooling to water.

How Do You Find Homes With Green Improvements?

There are a wide range of green home improvements that you can find in today's contemporary condos and townhouses, but not all are created equal. One great way to determine if a house is truly green is to look for certification from the National Association of Home Builders. Their National Green Building Silver Standard Certification indicates that single family or multi-family housing have passed significant and rigorous standards for green living. This is the only green building certification system that has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

The Green Building Silver Standard Certification is an impressive selling point if your home is going to be listed in the market, and potential buyers should be made aware of the many benefits of owning a home that meets the NAHM's green standards. A silver certification indicates that the home has met certain green standards in each of the following categories:

• Lot and site development
• Energy efficiency
• Water efficiency
• Resource efficiency
• Indoor environmental quality
• Home owner education

Green Improvements: Saving You Money as a Homeowner, Making You Money as a Home Seller

If your house is on the market, the Green Building Silver Standard Certification is one way to make sure potential buyers know what your house is really worth. They'll be willing to pay a premium when they learn just how much money these improvements can save them as homeowners.

Nearly everyone has heard of the government's Energy Star Rating System these days. It's one of the most common green home designations that potential home buyers look for in a variety of major appliances as well as other home features.

Some of the best Energy Star Rating System features that are popular in today's green homes include:

• Energy Star appliances, including refrigerators, freezers, hot water heaters and more.
• Blown-in insulation, which not only reduces heating and cooling costs, but provides a barrier against allergens and protection against mold.
• Furnaces with a high energy efficiency rating (homes in Parks Edge feature 90% efficiency furnaces, a major money saver during harsh winters).
• Low E windows that let in natural light without cold spots or draft
• Low flow plumbing fixtures, which conserve both water and heat
• Tankless hot water heaters
• Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints for cleaner, healthier indoor air without fumes.

Shared Walls = Savings and Community

Multi-family units that feature condo or townhouse arrangements such as shared interior walls are increasingly popular because they provide so many advantages at a reduced construction cost. Eco-friendly home buyers will understand the way multi-family units improve outdoor spaces for everyone by maximizing the outdoor green areas for landscaping and relaxation with a reduced environmental impact.

Home owners will discover that their fuels costs are significantly lower because of the shared walls, but the real prize may be in the sense of friendship and community that is fostered in premium, green homes. With a shared goal of living greenly and preserving the environment, green condo and townhouse owners will appreciate every aspect of Park's Edge's green home improvements.

Jason Carter is a freelance writer for Parks Edge Park City. A townhouse or condo at Park’s Edge makes a perfect Park City home. The Park City real estate value makes it a great investing opportunity, the views are fantastic and these Park City homes offer a great value. The weather is great in the summer and the skiing is amazing in the winter.

Guest Post:Quick Home Improvement Tips for the Weekend Warrior

For most people, the weekend is the perfect time to catch up on the projects around the house you have put off all week. However, getting into a huge project can eat up your weekend and may not even get finished, this is why it is important to solve quick problems around the house as it will still give you time to relax while feeling accomplished. Here are some of the easiest fixes for the weekend warrior.

1. Fix the leaky faucet

We all know the sound of a leaky bathroom faucet can be extremely annoying. But did you know that the drip can also mean a lot of lost water over the course of a year? Bathroom Faucets can be a cheap purchase and an easy install process. With only limited time on the weekend you could have a beautiful new, leak free faucet in your bathroom.

2. Change out energy wasting light bulbs

One of the quick and most energy efficient updates you can make to your home is investing in new energy saving light bulbs. Without sacrificing light, an energy efficient light bulb can save you lots of money over the life of the bulb. Multiply this across the whole house and you will save a lot of money and energy by investing in them.

3. Organize the garage

I know for many people the garage is a place where you hide all of the stuff you do not know what to do with;however, the garage can easily be turned into a great room for hanging out, or even parking the car if you get it cleaned out. Organizational products (link organization products to http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Cat/Organization/813) are the big thing right now that you can invest in them for cheap and really make a difference to your garage by getting clutter put away.

4. Wrap the water heater.

The water heater, especially for colder areas, is a huge energy waster. Since it is always keeping water warm, it has to fight the elements to maintain that heat. In cold areas it can be heating constantly in order to keep the water warm and wasting a lot of energy and money. If you wrap the heater in a decent blanket and duct tape it together you can add insulation to the heater and help it to keep that water hot with less effort.

5. Plan for the big projects

The weekend needs to be for relaxing, and is not the time to take on huge projects at the spring of the moment. If you are installing a new clawfoot bathtub make sure you plan a good time to do it, and don’t just jump right in. Planning is important to a successful project, so make sure you are ready when you tackle something big.

These are just some quick tips that will help you have a productive weekend. What about you, what things do you try to accomplish on the weekends? Leave them in the comments.

Shed Building With The Right Plans

If you want a shed building or if you want to make it yourself, it is essential that you are equipped with the right knowledge, information and plans to make sure that it will turn out the way you want it. Shed building may sound like an enormous and complicated task, but there are ways that you can follow to make it easier and get the job done perfectly.

Like any other project careful and meticulous planning is needed for it to be successful. If and when you decide to have a shed built, you must think first and foremost about what you really want to use it for. In other words, think of its function. Do you want to use your shed as part garage and part storage area? Do you want it as a garden shed or as a workshop? Or would you need it mostly to store equipment, tools and other odd items that have been lying around your house for some time? Once you have considered the function of your shed building then you can make a plan on how large or small your shed should be. This is very important because some people end up having a shed that is too small, where everything just won't fit right. It is more comfortable when you have a shed that's not cramped and big enough for you to move around and easily get to the things you need.

Another approach to shed building is to have a good shed plan. After you have decided what you want your shed for, it is advisable that you get yourself detailed and accurate plans; for example, storage shed plans, if you want it for storage, or garden shed plans if you want it for your gardening projects.

At this stage consideration should be made of the appearance of your shed. You can make it into something that goes with the look of your house or other various designs that you have set your eyes upon. When you know what you want, you can then plan on the shape of your roof shed, style of your windows as well as your door and the overall look and finish of your shed building.

Planning your shed project thoroughly will not only save on time but on materials and money too. With comprehensive preparation, included with it, a complete material list, you can go out and make purchases of the things you need, knowing that you will get the right amount of materials based on your plan thereby ensuring minimal waste both of time and money.

By treating your shed building project with proper care just like as if you are nurturing a living, breathing being, then you will see it grow and develop into the structure that you have dreamed and thought it would be. If you want to make your own outdoor sheds for your garden, get more free shed plans and shed building tips and ideas at Shed plans And Woodworking

Author: Spencer Cone

Why Do We Need Non-Toxic Mattresses?

Organic and natural mattresses are very popular nowadays in the mattress market. Many people could not wait to get their hands on an organic or a natural bed. However, these mattresses are usually quite expensive. Some of them are even more expensive than memory foam mattresses. As you know, memory foam beds are anything but cheap.

So why should you spend a lot of money on a non-toxic mattress? What are the benefits?

It benefits our health

Because of the natural materials used to create the bed, these mattresses are better for our health. Off-gassing is one of the problems presented by mattresses with chemical composition. This happens when the common chemicals incorporated in the mattress interact with household fungi. A chemical reaction process happens. This leads to the creation and emission of toxic nerve gasses.

According to experts, toxic nerve gasses are harmful to the functions of our brain. Our brain, after being exposed to these gasses, slows down in its production of serotonin. Serotonin helps keep a good balance between our brain and body functions. This condition might even lead to death. For the sake of avoiding off-gassing, non-toxic beds should be used.

It benefits the environment

Most of the materials used in the traditional types of beds cannot be recycled. Most recycling centers all over the world do not recycle mattresses. The polyurethane foams in the bed can harm our ozone layer if these are incinerated. As a result, old mattresses are dumped in the land fill.

In this day and age, most of us are aware of the increasing deterioration of Mother Earth. We should all take part in its preservation. Start by choosing your bedding products carefully. Picking those products with more natural materials is better. These beds are renewable and recyclable.

What You Should Consider

But despite the benefits of using these mattresses, you should be wary of those fake organic or natural beds. Some companies label their products organic. But these mattresses still contain polyurethane and other chemical components. When you are choosing, make sure you know what ingredients and materials have been used to make the bed. The company should justify the organic and natural composition of the mattress.

Investing in these types of mattresses is ideal. Most of them also last long. You can use the mattress for up to 25 years. So choose wisely and experience the benefits of non-toxic mattresses.