6 Tips to Stop Mold Growing in Your Home

It is normal to find mold spores in a homes indoor air and surfaces such as clothes, walls, and furniture. Most of the time mold spores found indoors are from outside sources. Regular housekeeping cleaning helps keep mold levels low. Cleaning small areas of visible mold, like the mold around your shower, is obligatory to maintain sanitary conditions.

When you should be more concerned is when your home has a large-scale of active mold growing. Such problems are most likely to happen when there’s been an on-going water leak, flood, or excessively high levels of humidity in the home. Indoor mold growth may lead to high levels of airborne mold spores, which, in turn, can trigger the spread of mold growth from the original source to additional areas of the home having high moisture levels.

Extensive mold growth will damage your home and furnishings, like carpets, sofas and cabinets. Over a period of time, uncontrolled mold growth can even instigate damage to structural elements of your home. While there is no practical way to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment, keeping your home clean and dry can avert extensive mold growth and the ensuing damage.

Damage to your home and possessions is not the only reason to be concerned with mold.  Although most people are exposed to small amounts of mold or their spores on a daily basis without apparent harm, mold is an unsanitary condition that may present potential health risks to certain individuals.
Possible adverse health effects produced by molds can include allergic, irritating, or toxigenic effects, and even infections, allergic reactions being the most common. Symptoms reported by affected people include: respiratory conditions, such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath, sneezing and/or nasal congestion, eye and/or throat irritation, headaches and fatigue.

Here are a few tips to keep moisture from becoming a breeding ground in your home for molds.

1. Ensure that bathrooms, dryers and other moisture-creating sources are vented to the outside
2. Take care not to block any of your house’s air conditioning vents
3. Install de-humidifiers in basements and crawlspaces.
4. Use your kitchen’s exhaust fans when cooking
5. Install insulation on cold surfaces like piping, air ducts or basement walls to lessen possibilities of condensation
6. Install moisture sensor alarms in potential water back-up and overflow areas to alert you when a leak occurs. Shop for Water Alarms

5 Reasons Why You Should Get A Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

Since the day robotic vacuums were introduced, household cleaning has never been the same. Due to its sleek design and advanced technological concept, people are hitting the market to purchase their own robotic vacuum cleaner. But is the device it worth it? Check out the most common reasons why you yourself should consider getting your own robot vacuum cleaner.

Efficiency. Let’s face it. Cleaning is hard. And nobody wants to do it. Getting a maid doesn’t come cheap nowadays. With the robotic vacuum cleaner, you’ll get your living room, and any room for that matter, spic and span in no time. Its features are that of the regular upright vacuum, only better. It has brushes, filters, cleaning mechanisms, and all within a sturdy casing, ensuring the best operation possible.

Ease of Use. The robotic vacuum is of course, automatic. It will work unattended. Turn it on, leave it cleaning, come back and you’ll find the room sparkling clean. No special switches or configurations needed. Just press the button, and the robotic vacuum will start cleaning without supervision. It paces the room randomly, using its random algorithm programming technology. It may cover the same spot many times. It would also recharge on it own if it goes low on battery power. No need to worry about looking for it after it’s done cleaning. It would just be on its docking station waiting for you for its next scheduled assignment.

Compact Design. The robotic vacuum is a flat, disk-shaped device. It’s flat so it can go under furniture. It would reach all those places the normal vacuum can’t. So there’s no need to move sofas, stools, and low-set tables. It’s made disk-shaped so it can go around furniture’s legs and wall corners effectively, cleaning as it goes. It has bumpers too to absorb possible collision with a solid device along its way.

Intelligent Technology. The concept behind this robotic vacuum is similar to what the army uses in clearing land mines on war fields. This robotic vacuum contains multiple sensors that will detect dirt to suck it in. The sensors also makes possible to go toward the dirtier part of the room, clean it repeatedly till there’s none detected. Plus, it is what makes it intelligent enough not to fall down steps and stairs. And with the virtual wall device that comes with it, it won’t go outside an open doorway.

These are just some of the reasons that may urge you to get your own robotic vacuum cleaner. Just imagine the time you’ll save vacuuming your house’s entire floor area. You can do something else with all that time you should have spent cleaning. And in this ever-changing fast world, time saved is definitely worth the price you paid.

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Tips To Keep Teak Furniture Looking Its Best

To survive rain, wind and sun outdoor furniture has to be tough--and no material is as prized for its rugged beauty and legendary durability as teak.

Made to last for decades with absolutely no maintenance, upkeep is more a matter of personal preference than a requirement. While some people prefer the golden color of new teak, others prefer the distinguished silver-grey that teak becomes as it weathers.

Regardless of your preference, just a few steps will make sure your teak furniture stays in tip-top shape for decades. Here are a few tips from Jeremy Smith, president of Wood Classics, a U.S.-based teak furniture manufacturer:

• Make sure you have a top quality product to begin with. Pay attention to the wood quality and construction techniques used in the furniture, as this can affect furniture's longevity. 
• When looking at teak products, make sure they are really teak, not "teak-like" or "as good as teak."
• Consider the grade of teak being used. First European Quality (FEQ) is the top grade without knots, cracks or pits.
•  If you prefer the natural look of weathered teak, you can look forward to virtually no maintenance. If your furniture is left outside, you will want to clean off mildew, sap and pollen annually with Olympic® Deck Wash.
• If you prefer the original rich honey color of teak, there are several steps you can take to preserve this golden color. After thoroughly washing the teak you can treat it with specialized teak cleaners and restoration products. However, using these products is time-intensive. We usually recommend that our customers either allow the teak to age naturally, clean it with a deck wash or hire a professional teak maintenance service to apply the more specialized products. 
•  If you're using the furniture indoors, consider finishing it to protect it from stains by sealing or varnishing it. Don't use teak oil, varnishes or sealers on furniture if you're using it outside, since this may cause it to turn black with mildew.

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Building or Remodeling a Home? Think Lock Security

During the exciting time of having your house built or remodeled, make sure to consider one of the most important features that will keep you and your family safe for years to come: security.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, about six out of 10 completed burglaries take place without any sign of forced entry, suggesting that either a door or window was left unlocked or that a duplicate key was used to open one.

Residential burglary is one of the most frequently reported crimes. It also is the most preventable. Locking your windows and doors and having proper lock security is the easiest and most cost-efficient way to prevent burglary.

The first step in securing your remodeled or newly built home is to deadbolt exterior doors. Deadbolts are available in several formats. Some are key operated from both inside and out, key operated from the outside and open with a thumbturn on the inside, or solely operated with a thumbturn on the inside. Check with your local crime prevention authority to determine what kind of lock is recommended in your area.

Remember that not all locks are created equally. For maximum protection, choose high-security locks. For example, locks made by Medeco incorporate features that protect against drilling and picking. Keys for these locks can only be made by authorized Medeco dealers after you show proper identification. This ensures that only you can authorize the duplication of your keys.

Sliding glass doors tend to be an easy point of entry. Special locks and bars are available to prevent lifting and prying of the door. You also can put a wooden dowel or broom handle in the door track.

When thinking lock security, don't forget about your windows. Traditional double-hung windows, which have a top and bottom sash that slides up and down, continue to be the most popular window type installed in remodeled or newly built homes. To secure these windows, install a window sash lock, a lock that's attached to the sashes of a double-hung window to keep in a shut position.

View our Door Locks and be sure to check out our line of Biometric Door Locks

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