Archive for June, 2008

Microfiber Cloths and Mops Provide a Cleaner Home

If you’re still using ordinary cleaning rags to clean your home, you’re not getting it as clean as it can be! Ordinary rags like cotton and terry cloth pick up some of the dirt, but they just move most of it around to another area.

The best way to get your home the cleanest is to use microfiber cloths for all of your cleaning. Microfiber cloth is specially made with tiny wedges all through the fabric. These wedges collect dust and dirt and hold it there!

Microfiber literally grabs the dirt and pulls it inside the wedges until you wash it out of the cloth! It’s like a tiny vacuum that sucks up all of the dust and dirt!

If you or anyone in your household has allergies, this cloth can help reduce the effects by giving you a cleaner dust free home! It can make your home a healthier place to be!

Studies have proven that microfiber will even disinfect surfaces! It can remove just as much bacteria with plain water as an ordinary cleaning rag can when used with a chemical disinfectant! Another good plus for any allergy sufferers!

You’ll also be able to stop using other cleaners such as furniture polish. You can either use the microfiber dry or slightly damp and dust all of your furniture. Since the fiber picks up all of the dust, your furniture will shine just like you’d used a polish!

The powerful scrubbing ability of microfiber can even remove the soap scum from your tub and shower. Yet, the fabric is so soft that it won’t damage any of your wood furniture or plastic items.

For streak free, sparking windows and mirrors, simply wipe them with a damp microfiber cloth. You don’t even have to use window cleaner and you don’t have to dry the windows or mirrors unless you want to.

It’s a great way to wash your dishes, clean that greasy stove and make stainless steel kitchen appliances and cookware shine. You can even use it on your counters and sink to kill germs and bacteria.

If you have a pet, then you have pet hair and dander. You can greatly reduce those allergens by rubbing your pet with a damp microfiber cloth in between baths. The fiber will collect the loose hair and dander and prevent it from going into your carpets and furniture.

Microfiber is also a excellent way to keep your television and computer screens clean and clear. These are hard surfaces to get really clean, rags just wipe the dust around the screen and you have to wipe them over and over. But, with microfiber cloths, you can get all of the dirt in a few swipes!

You can also purchase microfiber mops that will get your floors cleaner than any regular mop. Some hospitals have even started using this type of mop to keep their facility cleaner and to keep from using harsh chemicals.

While microfiber cloths and mops may cost more than the conventional type, the savings is enormous! You can save hundreds of dollars per year on the cost of chemical cleaners alone. But, you will also need to use a lot less water to do the same cleaning chores.

Microfiber mops and cloths will last around ten times longer than a regular rags or a cotton mop that starts falling apart after several uses. And, your home will be a whole lot cleaner!

Using this type of cloths and mops will help you do your part in reducing air pollution caused by harsh chemicals and aerosol cleaners. The air in your home will be much healthier to breathe and your allergy symptoms won’t be as bad.

McCulloch 1800 PSI Electric Pressure Washer Review

If you seem to always be doing a lot of cleaning around the exterior of your home, it may be wise to invest in an electric pressure washer. There are many jobs that an ordinary sprayer on a water hose just doesn’t provide enough power to clean and loosen the dirt.

An electric pressure washer can be used for so many jobs and it will save you lots of time. You can purchase many types of cleaners for specific jobs such as removing mildew from your siding, cleaning your driveway or your deck.

You can also use them to wash your car and easily apply liquid wax. Although, you can purchase the special cleaners for each project, with the power a pressure washer provides you will often be able to perform the job with just plain water!

The McCulloch 1800 PSI Electric Pressure Washer is a great size for any job that you’d have around your home weighing at around 32 pounds. But,with the built in handle and easy rolling wheels even a child will be able to easily move the machine where ever it needs to be used.

The 14amp electric motor will spray about 1 1/2 gallons of water per minute. This model has two tanks to hold the detergent or other cleaning supplies for various types of jobs. The double tanks means that you have to refill the solution less often and can save time doing the job.

It comes equipped with a 20′ high pressure hose that will give you lots of room to work without even moving the machine. The power cord is 35′ long, but you can add an extension cord to give you even more length. Together they provide around 50′ of space from an electrical outlet!

There are quick connect hook-ups for both the inlet and outlet water supply that make it ready to use in just minutes. The spray gun is adjustable so that you can customize the angle to cover a widespread area or tackle smaller jobs.

This McCulloch 1800 is also equipped with an automatic shut off for safety. There’s even a stand that holds the hose and spray gun when it’s not in use.

To make the pressure washer more convenient and versatile, you can purchase different accessory kits. You can buy kits that include brush attachments to clean really tough grease and grime.

Some kits will include various sizes and shapes of wand tips to allow you to completely control the flow of the water. And, wand extensions are also available for those hard to reach areas.

You can also purchase a gutter cleaning kit that has attachments to make the job easy. The angled wand tips can direct the water down into the gutter to keep them free of leaves and debris.

Another really great option with a pressure washer is that you can purchase a drain cleaning accessory. Made much like a drain snake, you just simply guide it into the drain and flush it out with the high powered pressure.

Owning a pressure washer can extend the life of many of the things that you own and return the cost within the first year. For instance, instead of spending thousands of dollars on new siding you can simply clean your existing siding and make it look like new.

You can even save money on costly automobile repairs by keeping the under carriage of your vehicles free of mud that will cause parts to rust.

The McCulloch 1800 PSI Electric Pressure Washer is priced under $175. Buying a pressure washer can turn out to be one of the best investments you’ve made for your home.

Basic Types of Walk Behind Lawn Mowers and Engines

If your old lawn mower gave out last season and your in the market for a new one, the choices can be overwhelming. There are so many different styles and sizes it’s hard to know which one is the best for your needs.

Having the right lawn mower can make a lot of difference in the ease that you can keep your lawn looking nice. Mowing the lawn isn’t a favorite chore with most people, but it can be quick and easy with the right equipment!

There are basically four different types of lawn mowers that you walk behind and push. There are gas mowers, cordless mowers, electric mowers and push reel mowers. Each one has it’s own advantages and disadvantages.

If you have a large yard or area that needs mowed, a gas powered mower will give you more cutting power. They work much better on dense, tall grassy areas. But, you have to have gas and oil handy in order to use them.

You’ll also have to know how to mix oil and gas for some mowers and it has to be mixed as closely to exact amounts as possible. Mixing it too rich or not adding enough oil can quickly ruin the motor and cause lot’s of smoking as it’s running.

Gas powered mowers have filters that will need to be changed or cleaned regularly. The spark plug will probably need changed or cleaned at least once per year. If it doesn’t have an electric start button, the pull cord can break or come loose and need replaced or fixed.

Having a gas mower is sort of like owning a car, there’s regular maintenance that needs to be done in order to keep it running it’s best. But,  if you need the extra power a gas engine provides it’s well worth the upkeep!

An electric lawn mower can be much easier to use, you don’t have to worry about having gas and oil or mixing it in the correct amounts. The main obstacle with electric mowers is the nuisance of having a cord in the way.

Cordless mowers do away with the use of electrical cords. But, the amount of grass that you can cut depends on how long the battery holds out between charges!

If your yard is a good size or your grass has gotten tall, you will probably only be able to do part of your yard at a time. Then you’ll have to wait hours for the battery to recharge to finish the job!

The only power needed for push reel mowers is you! You just push the mower along and cut the grass. There’s no recharging needed, no cords to get caught and best of all there’s no air pollution!

But, this type of mower can give you quite a workout and you may end up too tired to finish the job! It’s a good way to get exercise and do your part in fighting air pollution though!

When buying a gas powered mower there will be three measurements that apply to the power they provide. Horsepower is the amount of power that can be produced by the motor. The amount of horsepower that goes to the blade is called torque. Another measure of the engines power is in cubic centimeters.

Just because a motor has a lot of horsepower it doesn’t mean that you will have more cutting power. You should check the torque when purchasing any lawn mower, a lot of horsepower won’t do you any good if it doesn’t provide a lot of torque to the blades.

There are two types of gasoline mower engines, two cycle or two stroke and four cycle or four stroke. For the most power choose a two stroke engine, but it will also produce more air pollution!

Lawn Mower Features and What They Do!

Today’s lawn mowers come with lots of different features that can provide a wide variety of benefits and uses. Knowing a little about all of these features can make shopping for a new mower a lot easier.

After you’ve decided what size motor and what type of engine you want, the next main consideration might just be the cutting deck. The cutting deck is the housing that covers the blade.

If you have a really large yard, a large cutting deck can mean that you won’t have to make as many trips back and forth to get the job done. That means that you will be able to decrease your mowing time!

But, if you have a lot of landscaping or lawn decorations a large cutting deck won’t give you much maneuverability around them. Large cutting decks aren’t made for tight places in your yard.

If you have an uneven yard, or a bank or hill that you’ll need to mow, try to get a mower with large wheels. The larger the wheels the easier the mower will be to push, especially if the large wheels are at the back of the mower.

There are now some types of lawn mowers available that have the front wheels attached on casters. That simply means that if you lift the front off of the ground, you’d be able to spin the wheels around.

This feature will give you a very good turning radius in a tight place, you’ll be able to turn the front of the mower easily.  It’s a big help if you have lots of landscaping in your yard.

You’ll also need to decide if you want to mulch your lawn as you mow or if you’d like to collect all the cuttings so that you don’t have to rake!

You can find mowers with either rear collection bags or side bags. But, a mulching mower will help fertilize your lawn every time you mow! There are also 3 in 1 mowers available, these can be adjusted to either mulch, bag the cuttings or can be set to discharge the cuttings out the side like regular mowers.

Almost all lawn mowers offer height adjustment for the blade. This allows you to customize how short you want to cut your grass. Cutting it shorter will of course mean that it will be longer before you have to mow again.

As an added safety feature, some new lawn mowers are equipped with levers that must be depressed for the mower to keep running. There are also some mowers that have rubber flaps attached to the back to prevent any objects thrown by the blade from flying out and hitting you.

If you’ve decided to go with a cordless lawn mower, you’ll need to consider the amount of time it will take to mow your lawn. Batteries usually take several hours to reach a full charge and if you have to do parts of your lawn at a time, it can be really inconvenient.

The power with cordless mowers is measured in voltage, the higher the voltage the longer the battery will hold a charge. Typically a 24 volt mower will run for around an hour and a half and cut approximately one third of an acre.

Paying a little extra and getting a 36 volt mower will give you around three hours of cutting time and cover around an half an acre. Choosing the right voltage cordless mower can mean the difference in doing your lawn in one day or doing it in two days!

If you’re planning on purchasing an electric mower, make sure that it has a cord holder. This is essential in keeping the cord out of the way and keeping you from running over it with the mower.

Gas lawn mowers are available with two kinds of starters, an electric starter or the traditional pull cords. If you can afford the difference, opt for an electric starter. You’ll really appreciate it if you have to make a lot of stops and starts with your mower.

However, you can purchase electric starters that can be attached to some basic pull cord mowers. Depending on the type and model that you have you might be able to add your own electric starter.

When it comes to mowing your lawn, you will need to decide if you want a self propelled mower or a push type. A self propelled lawn mower will literally mow the lawn all by itself, all you’ll need to do is steer it in the right direction!

If your lawn is pretty much flat, you might not want to spend the extra money on a self propelled model. But, if your yard is uneven and hilly, a self propelled mower can make all the difference in the world!

If you’ve decided that a self propelled lawn mower is the best choice for you, you’ll want one that has variable speed. This will allow you to set the speed at which the mower moves.

This is very handy if you have trouble walking and need the mower to move at a slower pace. Or, if you need it to move faster. It’s a feature that should be on all self propelled lawn mowers!

Review: Weed Eater 12-Inch 3.7-AMP Electric Trimmer

If you’ve ever tried to weed eat with a heavy gas powered weed eater, then you’ll love the lightweight Weed Eater 12-Inch 3.7-AMP Electric Trimmer! It’s easy to carry and very easy to use!

It may not be well suited for heavy duty weed eating, but this small weed eater has the power to cut through some pretty tough weeds. And,
may surprise you with the weeds it can handle.

If you have a small yard that requires minimal trimming this is a very good choice. You can quickly just plug it in and trim the weeds whenever you need to!

At just 6 pounds it’s a great weight for women and even elderly people to use to do their own trimming jobs! The small size let’s you do all of your trimming without the shoulder, back, arm and hand fatigue!

Besides it’s lightweight, the small size makes it easy to maneuver in between yard decorations, trees or fencing. The body measures at just around 12 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches making it a great size for ease of use!

The 3.7 amp motor gives you the power you need to keep your yard neat and trim! It can keep your driveways, walkways and fence lines clear of weeds and is great to use around the perimeter of your home or garage.

The 12 inch cutting diameter gives you a good size coverage, but is small enough to use when weeding flower beds and other tight areas. You’ll be able to keep your shrubs and bushes weed free as well!

The handle is ergonomically designed to minimize pain in your hands from holding the weed eater too long. And, the handle is completely adjustable to set it at the right height for your height!

One of the best advantages of having an electric weed eater is that you won’t have to mess with smelly gasoline or worry about mixing 2 cycle oil to the exact mixture! And, you won’t have to wait until you run out to buy gas or oil to trim your yard.

Right out of the box assembly only takes a few minutes, anyone can have it up and running in no time! Once you’ve attached the handle all you’ll need to do is plug it in and start weed eating!

It takes .065 size weed eater string, but for convenience you can purchase spools that are already loaded with the string. All you’ll need to do is snap off the old one and snap the new one into place.

The springs that hold the string spool in place are a little tight and take some work to remove. But, this is for safety so that the spool won’t fly off and injure someone.

There is an attached debris shield that will help keep the weeds from flying all over the place. But, when using any power tool you should always wear safety goggles as an added precaution.

Another advantage to the Weed Eater 12-Inch 3.7-AMP Electric Trimmer’s small size is that it’s easily stored almost anywhere! It can be stored in a closet or any area and takes up very little space.

It has a bumping feed that makes it easy to let out more string when ever it gets too short and you need more. All you’ll have to do is bump it on the ground and the string will automatically feed out.

It can be used to trim any area of your yard with the addition of a extension cord. It even comes equipped with an extension cord retainer to help keep it under control!

The Weed Eater 12-Inch 3.7-AMP Electric Trimmer is covered by a 2 year limited warranty. This trimmer does a really good job for it’s lightweight and size and is priced very low!

What You Need to Know About Loose Fill Insulation

Loose fill insulation is just one of the many types available that you may choose to use in your home. The main difference in this type and other types is of course, the form that it comes in.

Loose fill insulation is manufactured in two different ways. It can be made of shredded materials or made in solid form and then shredded at the factory. It generally comes in bags and is blown into the openings with a special machine that you usually rent to do the job yourself.

There are three primary types of loose fill available, fiberglass, rock wool and cellulose. They are commonly made of recycled materials and are considered to be environmentally friendly.

Recycled glass is used to manufacture fiberglass insulation. These fine pieces of glass is why fiberglass is so irritating to the skin! Most fiberglass insulations include 20 to 30 percent of recycled glass. The glass is melted in a high temperature furnace and spun into fiberglass.

Rock wool is a substance that forms on the surface of metal that is molten, it’s called furnace slag. It is very similar to fiberglass insulation in the way that it’s manufactured.

Besides furnace slag, it also contains other materials that have a rock like feel. It’s basically made of materials that would otherwise just be thrown away and filling landfills!

Cellulose loose fill insulation is probably the best of the three types available. The small particles found in cellulose are made from recycled paper such as, boxes or newspapers.

Chemicals are added to the shredded paper to make it insect and fire resistant. But, this type is less irritating to the skin and without the need of high temperature furnaces, less energy is used in production.

If you have an area where it’s impossible to install rolled insulation, loose fill is the answer. It will surround pipes or other obstructions and is one of the best choices for insulating existing homes. You can install it without destroying the existing walls or finishes.

Installing blown in insulation is usually done through two holes drilled into each section between the wall studs. One hole should be placed about 16″ from the top of the wall and the other at around 24″ from the floor. Once you’re finished you’ll just need to repair the small holes!

It can be installed from the interior or exterior of the home. It’s even easier if you do it at the same time you do remodeling such as adding new siding or wood to your home, or even replacing or adding drywall.

Like with any material that you would use to fill a space, loose fill must be installed at the proper density. Most manufactures provide clear instructions on how much is needed to properly fill each square foot of space. You will need to follow those guidelines as closely as possible.

If it’s not correctly installed you will end up with empty spaces that have no insulation at all. The most common voids will be at the corner of the ceiling, top of windows, around doors and at the top of the wall.

While commonly used in walls and attics, blown in insulation can also be used in ceilings. If you’re insulating the ceiling there are some safety rules that you’ll need to follow.

Be careful not to cover any attic vents, these vents allow air to flow into the attic to keep moisture down. Any lighting fixtures in the ceiling need at least a 3″ space clear of insulation.

If used around stove or furnace pipes you should only use fiberglass. At high temperatures, cellulose will smolder and your home may end up full of smoke!

Different Types of Insulation and Some of Their Uses

Properly insulating your home is a step that serves several purposes. It will greatly reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home, but it will also go a long ways in making you more comfortable in your home!

There are so many different types of insulation available, it may seem like an impossible task to know which one you should use. Knowing a little about each material can make the job easier!

Fiberglass insulation is probably the most commonly known material. It can be found in rolls with various widths that you just cut to fit the needed areas and staple into place.

Rolls of insulation are typically used inside walls and even in attics. You can purchase either low, medium or high density rolls. The higher the density the better the protection and the more it costs.

Another form of rolled insulation is reflective foil insulation. This can be any insulating material that is combined with a radiant barrier. This is a popular type of insulation for floors and attics.

Like any rolled insulation it’s quickly installed and is used most often in construction of new buildings. But, any rolled insulation can be installed in the walls of existing homes if you’re replacing drywall.

Rolled insulation is also great to add to floor joists if you have a basement that’s not finished. It will greatly reduce the leakage of cool or warm air and save energy.

Rigid insulation comes in sheets or boards usually in four foot by eight foot pieces. It’s mostly used on the exterior of a house, but can be used when finishing basements or any other inside project as well.

It’s generally made of fiberboard which is water resistant and cost efficient. It’s very durable and since it’s coated with asphalt, you won’t need to use building paper. Usually used during new home construction, it can be added if you’re replacing or adding siding to your home.

Loose fill insulation is blown into the wall or attics with a machine. It’s usually made of cellulose or mineral wool and is great when you want to add insulation to an existing home. If you’re doing the job yourself choose cellulose, it won’t irritate your skin as much as wool.

Foam insulation can be pretty expensive if you’re insulating a large area. It is often used around windows and doors to seal cracks, but can be used anywhere in your home.

It’s injected into small holes made in the walls or exterior of your home and expands and hardens. Foam insulates better than most other materials, because it will expand to fill even the smallest of cracks.

Foam insulation is a little tricky to install. You have to know exactly how much will be needed to fill each cavity, or only part of the opening will be insulated leaving lots of cracks that will leak air.

If you live in an area where the winters get cold, then you should consider pipe insulation. It comes in tubes that are made of a foam material and are slit down one side.

You just measure and cut the tubes to the desired length, open the slit and slide it over the pipes. Insulating your pipes can prevent you from having to replace them if they freeze and burst!

Pipe insulation also comes in tape form, you just wrap it around the length of each pipe. If you live where the winters are really harsh, you can purchase heated cables that wrap around your pipes. The cables can be very expensive though and they use electricity to warm the pipes.

With the high concern over conserving energy today, insulation is becoming a needed addition to any building. But, with a little knowledge and work, you can offset the expense of insulation by doing it yourself!

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