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Georgia Mountain Home Tips Category
Winter Blues? Warm Up At Home
For many of us, winter means more time spent inside and less time spent in the great outdoors, which can often lead to a classic case of Cabin Fever and winter blahs. According to Debra Duneier, author and creator of EchoChi, with a few simple steps, you can transform your home into a place that makes you feel happier and healthier this winter:
Use color creatively. Add warmth and excitement to your life by accessorizing your home with red, yellow and orange, says Duneier. These colors have a stimulating Chi (energy vibration) and have the energy of summer. This invigorates our environment, making us feel more optimistic and energized.
Bake something. Turn on the oven to fight off the wintery chill. After all, who doesn’t feel better by the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking? Try a variety of ingredients like vanilla or cinnamon and experiment with baking an old family recipe, advises Duneier. Winter provides the perfect opportunity to slow down and reconnect to your home and family through baking. ( I can literally smell Chocolate Chip Muffins as I write this post!)
Use fragrance to bring the outdoors in. Scented candles can be especially helpful in the winter when we spend so much time indoors. Home fragrance can reconnect us to the natural world through our sense of smell. The scents of flowers, fresh rain, the forest, or ocean air are all essential to our well-being. Choose candles made of soy or bees wax with 100 percent cotton wick to ensure a toxic-free experience.
Although it has been a very mild Winter here in the North Georgia Mountains compared to last year, I am always ready for Spring. I don’t know about you, but smelling those muffins didn’t really make me think of Springtime!
When Should I Change My Home’s Air Filters?
How long has it been since you last changed your home’s air filters?
Home air filters trap and remove dust and particles from the air you breathe; leaving “clean air” to circulate your home.
Clean air in your home is important because it promotes better health.
One way to keep to keep your home’s air as clean as possible is to replace its used air filters at least once per quarter; or once monthly in homes with shedding pets or that otherwise “get dusty”.
Changing air filters is among the easier do-it-yourself chores for a North Georgia Mountain homeowner; a task that takes less than one minute. The secondary benefit of doing it is that new filters help keep your HVAC unit in tip-top shape.
Here’s how to change your home’s air filter : Read the rest of this entry »
How To Install A Dimmer Switch
Like most, a North Georgia Mountain home’s lighting accounts for 15 percent of its total energy consumption, a fact that’s both costly to homeowners, and “un-green” to the environment. It’s simple to reduce those effects, however — all you need are dimmer switches.
A modern dimmer switch works by rapidly opening and closing a light circuit, providing less energy to the bulb, and consuming less energy from the source.
In this 2-minute video, you’ll learn how to reduce your home’s standard on/off lighting switches using dimmer switches. The dimmer-switch project is a do-it-yourself project and requires only basic handyman experience. Read the rest of this entry »
How To Keep Your Dishwasher Mold- and Mildew-Free
Your dishwasher is a breeding ground for mold and mildew. It’s warm, it’s dark, and there is a bevy of decaying, organic material in the form of both food particles and soap.
Therefore, you’ll want to periodically scrub and disinfect your dishwasher so that it remains it clean and healthy, and so that your dishes stay that way, too.
Here’s how to clean your dishwasher :
- Remove all racks from the dishwasher. Wash with dish-washing detergent and set aside to dry.
- Mix 1 part vinegar with 4 parts very hot water into a spray bottle.
- Spray the mixture on the dishwasher seal and anywhere else you see discoloration, mold or mildew.
- Scrub the affected areas with a non-abrasive scrub brush.
- Replace racks in the dishwasher.
- Fill a small, dishwasher-safe bowl with white vinegar and place on the top rack.
- Without soap, run the dishwasher at the highest temperature setting available. Read the rest of this entry »
Tips For Preventing Frozen Pipes
On average, an approximate one-quarter-million homes and offices have at least one room damaged by a frozen pipe per year. This statistic has to be higher for second home owners much like my clients here in the North Georgia Mountains. In order to ensure your home stays safe and your pipes don’t freeze, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)® suggests three easy-to-remember steps: Foam, dome and drip.
Foam: Insulate pipes exposed to the elements or cold drafts. For as little as $1 per 6’ of insulation, you can stop pipes from freezing and save energy. By keeping your water warmer, you reduce the amount of energy needed to heat water in the cold, winter months.
Dome: Place an insulating dome or other coverings on outdoor faucets and spigots to reduce the likelihood of water pipes freezing, expanding and causing a costly leak.
Drip: Allow a slow drip from your faucets to reduce the buildup of pressure in the pipes. Even if the pipes freeze, the released pressure in the water system will reduce the likelihood of a rupture. If you are going out of town and suspect the temperature will drop, turn off the water and open all of the taps to drain the water system. This way pipes won’t freeze and you won’t return home to a mess.
Again, for all of you who own a Cabin on Lake Blue Ridge, or a Lake House on Nottely, and especially for those Mountain Top Log Cabins in Cherry Log where it can get really cold, make yourself a note and place it on the refrigerator or on the the door to remind yourself to turn your water off! I have had so many past clients forget to do this. Some got lucky…but unfortunately some did not.
Your local home improvement store will have all of the tools and expertise you will need to complete these steps. Foam, dome and drip your way to a safe winter season free of costly home repairs.
How To Clean An Interior Brick Wall
Exposed interior brick can add a nice, decorative touch to your Hiawassee or Blairsville, GA. home, but because brick is a porous material and prone to staining, it can be cumbersome to clean.
Standard household detergents alone are rarely enough to clean brick properly, so if your home features exposed interior brick, plan to use alternative cleaning methods instead.
Here is how to do it.
First, find a pair of sturdy rubber gloves to protect your hands from the harsh brick surface and from your cleaning agents. Then, with a dry dish cloth, gently wipe the entire surface of the brick wall to remove loose dirt and dust.
Next, pour a grease-cutting dish detergent into a small bucket. Do not add water to the detergent. Add a small amount of table salt instead. Mix well. Next, apply a thin layer of the soap-and-salt mix to the bricks using a cloth and allow the mix to sit on the bricks for 10-15 minutes. Then, with a hard-bristled scrub brush, gently scrub the brick to remove the stubborn dirt. Lastly, dip a clean dishcloth into a warm water-filled bucket and use the dishcloth to remove the detergent mix from the wall. Allow the wall to air dry.
Cleaning exposed interior brick is more complicated than cleaning other household surfaces but a clean brick wall can help reduce in-home health hazards and keep your brick in its best possible condition for the long-haul.
Have You Tested Your Home For Radon Gas?
North Georgia Households can boast some of the highest rates of Radon Gas in the Southeast. That is why the Georgia Office of the Governor has joined with the EPA in declaring January “Radon Action” month.
Radon gas comes from the decay of uranium in rocks and soil. Cracks in a building or home’s foundation can let the odorless gas inside, where it can build to dangerous levels and cause lung cancer.
There is good news however.
It is easy to mitigate and the costs of doing so have dropped considerably. The average cost of mitigating most problems costs $1,200. This is done by rerouting the gas outside of the home. If you are renting a home, it would be a good idea to ask the landlord to perform a radon test on the home.
Georgia residents can order a radon kit at a discounted price of $6.50 through www.UGAradon.com or by calling 1-800-ASK-UGA1. The test kits run cheaper than what’s available at hardware stores, where consumers may have to pay additional lab costs. The discount is made possible with EPA support.
How To Clean Your Microwave Without Harsh Chemicals
Microwaves are often well-worn. Spills and splatters dot their ceilings; splattered food stuffs line their walls.
To clean your microwave, you can use the harsh chemicals on sale at supermarkets and hardware stores, or you can apply an all-natural approach which yields the same results, with only slightly more preparation time.
The extra time may be worth it, too, considering that the chemicals of an over-the-counter cleaner may seep into your foods over time.
To keep your microwave fresh and clean, using organic materials only, here’s what to do :
- Unplug your microwave from the wall for safety.
- Gather a microwave safe bowl; 1 1/4 cups of water; a lemon; baking soda; white vinegar; and cleaning cloths.
- Slice the lemon and place the slices into your bowl. Add the water.
- Heat the bowl in the microwave for 7 minutes. Leave the microwave door closed for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the bowl (CAUTION : Bowl will be hot).
- Remove the microwave’s glass cooking surface and wheel system. Hand wash and set aside to dry.
- Dip a clean cloth in the lemon water mixture.
- Wipe down the microwave’s exterior and interior surfaces, re-moistening the cloth as required.
- Moisten a clean cloth with vinegar. Wipe down the microwave door’s interior surface.
- Replace glass and wheel system, and plug the microwave back in to the wall.
If you find lingering stains in your microwave, mix baking soda with water to form a thick paste. Dip a corner of your cleaning cloth into the paste and apply it to the stain directly, gently rubbing in a circular motion until the stain is gone.
Microwaves should be cleaned at least once weekly for optimal performance. (Someone needs to tell my wife this…..but it isn’t going to be me!)
How To Clean An Oriental Carpet
If you own oriental rugs, you’ll want to clean them at least once annually. But take special care — the process of cleaning an oriental rug is different from cleaning plain carpet.
Extreme caution is required.
To clean an Oriental rug, first vacuum the rug on both sides, then follow these cleaning instructions:
- Prepare a solution of cool water and gentle shampoo (i.e. shampoo without ammonia)
- Test the solution on tiny corner of the rug to make sure that the rug’s colors won’t bleed
- Using a soft brush or dense sponge, brush the rug with the shampoo solution
- Use only light pressure and follow the “grain” of the rug
- Shampoo the rug’s fringe, then comb it gently with a large comb or brush
- Rinse the entire rug and press out as much water as possible
- Lay the rug flat and leave it to dry
After several hours, test the front of the rug for moisture. When it feels dry, flip the rug over to dry its back.
Note : Do not dry an oriental rug in the sun because the sun’s rays may cause it to fade.
Once both sides of the rug are totally dry, feel the top surface. If it feels stiff, crunchy or hard, take a dry brush and make gentle strokes. A light vacuuming will also do the job.
Oriental rugs that receive proper care can become family heirlooms, passed down from one generation to the next. Make sure you clean yours properly.
How To Clean A Cutting Board
Germ studies show that a kitchen cutting board carries up to 200 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
This is because homeowners clean their bathrooms with fervor, while only “rinsing” down parts of their kitchens.
In failing to disinfect cutting boards (among other kitchen mainstays), homeowners in Hiawassee and everywhere else leave untouched a prime bacteria breeding ground, and may be getting sick as a result.
According to the CDC, 48 million Americans get sick from food-borne bacteria each year.
If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned your kitchen cutting board, here are some tips on how to do it properly.
Homeowners with plastic cutting boards will have an easier go that homeowners with wooden cutting boards. If your cutting board is plastic, just place it in the dishwasher with dishwasher detergent. If your dishwasher has a “sanitize” feature, be sure to select it. Read the rest of this entry »
