Home & Garden

If you love to be a host for parties or guests but you find that you’re always feelings stressed about the state of your home as guest are about to arrive, you’ll be happy to know that there are things you can do about the design and layout of your home that will make it more attuned to being ready for guests at a moment’s notice.

To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways to make your home perfect for hosting.

Make Things Easy To Clean

Having to clean your home before entertaining can be a pain. But if you’ve designed your home so that it’s easy to clean, both before you host and afterward, this negative part of being a host won’t be as much of a headache for you.

To do this, try to choose materials and accessories for your home that are easy for you to clean. Things that you can just wipe down rather than having to go through an intense cleaning process will help a lot. And, if you commit to keeping your home clean daily and doing small tasks that help things stay clean and organized, preparing to host will never feel like too much of a burden.

Give Yourself Extra Space

When extra people are coming over to your house, you’re going to need extra space for them and all of their stuff. Otherwise, your home could feel overrun very easily.

To help you be able to accommodate everyone, try to keep extra space in places like your coat closet, your pantry, your refrigerator, and with seating areas. This will help to ensure that people will have a place to put their coats, shoes, and any food that they’re bringing along with them. And if you have a guest room that you have people stay in when you’re hosting them, make sure you don’t have too many of your own items in this space so that they have somewhere to put the belongings they’ve brought with them.

Take Advantage Of Your Outdoor Space

For people who don’t have a lot of space inside of their home but love to host and entertain, one of the best options is to take advantage of any and all outdoor space that you have.

Even if you only have a small patio or front porch, you can make use of this space when hosting. If you don’t want to have people gather there, you can still use it to prepare food and drinks or as a staging area for the rest of your home.

If you want to host more in your home but don’t feel like your home is good for hosting as it is, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you make some useful changes.

 

If you’ve been keeping track of the number of fires that have been devastating to places all over the world in the last few years, you’ll know just how dangerous it can be to have a fire start in or around your home or place of business. Because of this, it’s vital that everyone knows how to best protect themselves and prepare their home or business for the event that a fire starts near them.

To help you with this, here are three tips for preparing your home or business for a fire.

Learn About What Can Cause A Fire

One of the best things that you can do to prepare your home or business for a fire is to know what kinds of things are most likely to cause a fire. While open flames is definitely one of them, there are so many other things that you should be aware of and keep an eye out for to help keep fires from happening in the first place.

Some of the most common culprits for starting fires in homes and businesses include things like overloaded electrical outlets, portable heaters, and damaged cords. And because most homes and businesses have one or more of these things at any given time, it’s important that you regularly check on them to ensure that they aren’t getting too hot and becoming a spark for a fire to start.

Practice Your Escape Routes

In the event that a fire does break out in your home or business, you’re likely not going to have time to think about what you should do. Rather, you’re going to have to rely on times that you’ve practiced escape routines in the past, as the shock and stress of a fire situation can cause many people to freeze.

Knowing this, you should regularly practice escape routes from your home with your family and from your place of business with your coworkers. Know the best way to get out of any given place and have tools in place to help you escape when needed.

Put Fire Prevention Systems In Place

In some instances, having a fire prevention system in place can help to keep a small fire from growing out of control.

In homes and places of business, having smoke detectors can help alert you if a fire is present. And in many commercial spaces, sprinkler systems can also help to put out fires before they spread. In both of these environments, having fire extinguishers in convenient and easy-to-reach places can also help put out fires quickly and keep them from becoming catastrophes.

If you want to be ready for a fire breaking out at your home or place of business, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you get things in order here.

 

Life can get very busy – and very quickly too! You can often find that the organization and calm in your life and home are quickly replaced by chaos and disorganization. Taking time out of your busy life to regroup and reorganize your home and life is important. If you do not take time to take control back, you may find that the problem gets out of hand. Making small but regular changes can also be beneficial to your efforts, so do not focus on trying to tackle everything at once.

Take Inventory

On this journey, you will have a lot of stuff in your life to take inventory of. From personal belongings and possessions to clutter and unwanted items. When you take inventory of everything you have in your home, you know what it is used for, and you know when it will be used. Without an inventory, you may find that you have underused items. You may also find that you harbor possessions that you no longer even want, let alone use! An inventory ensures that nothing is forgotten about.

Establish a Balance

Many find that a lack of organization, excessive clutter, and extra stress always go hand in hand. They often creep into your life when you are struggling to establish and maintain a balance. Establishing a balance within your home, and within your lifestyle is going to help you organize and change what needs to be changed. Learning what you want and need in your home, and then being prepared to make changes and declutter regularly is important. Without a balance in your home and life, you may struggle to get away from the chaos and mess that ensue.

Re-organize Your Closet or Wardrobe Space

How often have you reached for your closet or wardrobe space and realized how unorganized it is? A cluttered and out-of-control wardrobe space can make a situation feel worse than it is. Taking control of this important element in your life and home is easy to do. For example, sorting out clothes into piles you wear and no longer wear, then thrifting unwanted items is a good start. Also, purchasing new hangers from mainetti.com to reorganize your space can help you to once again regain control. When everything feels new, orderly and in its place, it is easier to see the clothes and accessories you own – simplifying your morning routine and ensuring everything has its turn out.

Simplify What You Own

When you have lots of stuff in your home, it takes longer to clean, tidy and sort through. Ask yourself, do I need to own so much stuff? Of course, there are possessions you will want to keep. However, do you need the large quantities of items that you have at the moment? You can simplify what you own by committing to decluttering regularly, and you can also set your mindset to one that is focused on not needing so much in your life. When you can simplify what you have and what you own, you can reorganize quickly and ensure that clutter and disorganization never have the opportunity to enter your life again.

Tree stumps can be a real pain. They’re not only an eyesore but a potential safety hazard. If you’re not sure how to remove that annoying ugly stump, then read through. We have a range of solutions here. Some that require less work, but more time to complete, and others need more work, but less time to complete. It’s really up to you how you want to remove your stump. Just remember that for most of these you’ll want to be wearing safety equipment such as protective eyewear, and earmuffs, especially for those requiring tree care equipment and machinery.

1. Dig up the stump

If you want the stump removed cheaply, without any extra special equipment, then dig it up yourself. We’ll recommend a method that doesn’t require too many items. Tree stumps can be notoriously difficult to get out, especially if it was an old, large tree. So, get a helping hand, as it requires a fair bit of work. This may take anywhere from an hour or three, so allow for a decent amount of time to get it done.

All you’ll need is a mattock, a straight crowbar, an axe, a spade, some gloves and a pair of strong hands.

1. Begin by using the mattock to loosen up the soil around the stump.
2. Dig away the loosened soil with your spade. Try to go as deep as you can. If you get to a bit of hard soil or clay, use the straight crowbar to dig away the hard material. If you need to use your hands to get it out, you can do that. Just make sure you have your gloves on, to reduce any risks of scratching yourself.
3. Chop away at the roots with the axe. You’ll want to cut as many as possible. You can also use the crowbar for the deeper roots an axe won’t reach.
4. Keep chopping and digging until you reach the taproot. Sever the taproot, it’ll be the thickest and hardest to get.
5. Now wiggle the tree stump until it comes loose, making sure everyone is helping. Once it feels loose, pull it out.
6. Fill the hole and pack it down to reduce the risk of falling and tripping.

2. Burn the stump

Fire is the oldest tool in humanity’s arsenal, and we’re going to show you how to utilise it. This method, especially in dry areas should be done with the most precaution. The best time to burn anything is in rainy and cold seasons like autumn and winter. Be aware, that even if it is cold, surrounding trees and plants can still be dry, especially if it hasn’t rained in a while. Remove any leaves, branches or potential fire hazards away from the stump. You could even dig away at the grass and surrounding soil, and line it with rocks for a little bonfire. But please remember to act safely and abide with any local fire restrictions or warnings.

3. Let the stump rot

This method, although kinder to the environment, is very slow and may take many weeks or months for the rotting process to complete, so don’t expect any instant results. It may take a few months, but it does mean you don’t have to do too much work. You’ll be using compost to encourage microbes to eat away at the stump.

For this, you’ll need a drill, some compost, a straight crowbar fertiliser and water.

1. Drill some large holes, the more the better.
2. Mix the compost, fertiliser, and water. There’s no real ratio, just eyeball it until it becomes a slurry.
3. Pour it over the stump.
4. You can keep adding your compost to it over the months or chip away at the stump as it softens with your crowbar.

4. Rot the stump with chemicals

Maybe the previous method was a little too slow for you. Well, this one will just be a tad faster. Stump removal chemicals work to accelerate the rotting process of dead wood. This should take a few weeks to work. Keep your children and pets away from the stump, as the chemicals are potentially poisonous.

What you’ll need is a drill, an axe, a spade and a chemical stump removal.

1. Same as before, drill a number of large holes into the stump, the more the better.
2. Pour the stump removal solution all over the stump making sure it soaks into the holes and wood.
3. Wait for a couple of weeks, monitoring the stump.
4. Dig it up or break it down with an axe or spade, or even your boot if it’s soft enough.
5. Now it’s just a matter of cleaning the stump out with your spade, and disposing of it in the green waste bin.

5. Stump grinder

Perhaps the most efficient and easiest way to remove a stump. Stump grinders have a serrated spinning saw that mulches the stump, making it easy to remove. There are options to buy or even hire a stump grinder for a reasonable price. So this is a great solution for those who have a lot of stumps that need excavating.

There are still a few items you need. A chainsaw, and shovel.

1. You’ll want to clear away the majority of the debris so that it doesn’t get caught in the grinder and fly into the air.
2. The stump needs to be almost level with the ground, so use a chainsaw to cut away as much of the stump as you can.
3. Position the grinder above the stump, and start it up.
4. The grinder will want to dig into the wood, and you’ll need to lower it down so it’s able to mulch up the whole stump.

Now you can either dig the debris up with a shovel or just pack it down and lay some topsoil over it, to allow for grass to grow.

Please remember that, like any machinery, stump grinders can pose a risk to personal safety if operated incorrectly. Always refer to and follow the operator instructions for your safety, and those of others.

 

The best part about general home design is how you don’t have to follow the beat of anyone’s drum to make a difference. The idea is to personalize your home the way you want, which means you won’t necessarily have to pay a significant amount to be happy with the results.

That being said, it’s often better to have a roadmap when it comes to home improvement. That way, you won’t get too overwhelmed by all of the potential routes you can take and instead focus on what you can do best for your home. So, if you’re having trouble considering home improvement due to budget issues, here are a few tips that are sure not to break the bank.

1. Going slow and steady

The first and most crucial tip is not to get too carried away regarding home improvement projects. It’s better to look at it as a long-term project that you can tackle bit by bit, instead of trying to do as much as you can in a single day. The idea is to pace yourself and think about the little things you can accomplish initially.

For example, if you think about the slow and steady route to handle things, the first step is to clean. You can start with one area and spread it out over the rest of the week. The more time you spend cleaning, the clearer the idea for potential improvement, as you get an idea of what needs to be done. There are even Copper Recycling services that can help get rid of various types of junk for a profit.

1. Breathing life into your abode with plants

One of the cheaper ways you can make improvements to a home is through the use of house plants. It’s the kind of thing that can be considered a universal benefit, as just about everyone appreciates house plants. Not only does it feel like a breath of fresh air, but it also has a literal meaning to it due to the fresh air plants provide to indoor spaces.

That said, if you’re worried about maintenance, you might want to go with fake plants that offer the same aesthetic. You have plenty of choices when it comes to plants!

1. Simplicity is the best policy

You’d be surprised how much of an impact a simple design can make when it comes to home improvement. It’s similar to how you might design a website. When you put yourself in the shoes of an online visitor, you’d want to get straight to the point and provide an easy means of navigation. When it comes to home improvement, it’s about organizing your house in a way that makes the most sense.

A mind toward simplicity can help quite a bit, as you can do a bit of organizing and potentially get the look you want without having to make any big purchases.

There are so many tips designed to help those with tight budget restraints that you’re practically spoiled for choice. The most important rule when tackling home improvement is to make sure you have fun!