Remedies for a Wet Basement

A wet basement can be just a nuisance or even real nightmare. Each year, thousands of homeowners are faced with the unpleasant side effects of seasonal rainfall. Problems they can face range from just dampness to even flooding. Chronic basement leakage is a serious problem that can destroy personal property, furnishings, appliances, and sometimes even cause permanent structural damage to a homes foundation. Excessive moisture is a huge attraction to wood-eating insects, wood rot and decay.
Despite the pervasiveness of the problem, few homeowners are aware of the causes of water leakage.

Common Causes

One common cause of basement leakage is improper surface drainage, such as a yard sloped toward the home. In many cases, the problem can be greatly alleviated by re-grading the yard to slope away from the homes foundation or diverting surface water around the house.

Other common culprits include poorly positioned rain gutter downspouts, missing, leaking or clogged rain gutters. A downspout that is improperly positioned to drain against the side of the house, allows water to build up along the foundation wall, until the backed-up “reservoir” finds a weak spot in the foundation wall.

The most difficult cause of basement leakage is a high water table. A high water table problem occurs when the home is built too deeply in the ground, into the level where water remains constant throughout the year. A high water table problem can also be caused by under ground springs or sustained periods of rainfall that cause the water table to rise during the wet seasons.


Is it Leakage or Condensation?

You should try to determine if your problem is actually water “leaking” in or if it’s just condensation forming on the cool surfaces. Condensation occurs when warm, humid air comes into contact with cooler basement walls, floors, water pipes etc.

As an example, just take a cold bottle of soda out of your refrigerator and set it on the counter. After several minutes, you’ll notice steam forming on the outside of the bottle. After many minutes pass, you will see a small puddle of water forming at the base of the bottle, as the beads of moisture start dripping down. This is a classic example of condensation, not “leakage”. If your basement is actually leaking, the water should not just “appear”. You should be able to see where it’s coming in as it leaks, in the form of a puddle or stream or water.

Helpful Tips

Your rain gutters should be cleaned of leaves and debris at least once per year.
Downspouts should direct water runoff from the roof to a discharge point at least several feet away from the homes foundation. Use a splash block at the end of your downspout to avoid soil erosion. Never bury your downspout lines unless you can empty them out to daylight.

Buy a good dehumidifier to lower the natural humidity level in your basement. Make sure your dehumidifier is the proper size for your basement. Ask for a drain hose attachment so you don’t have to empty the water collected every day. Get a unit with a built-in de-icer. Dehumidifiers are actually refrigeration coils and can freeze up and stop working.
Keep the doors and windows to your basement closed, year round. Opened doors and windows allow extra humidity to enter your basement, causing condensation. Your dehumidifier will also run less.

Waterproofing Paints and Sealers There are several good waterproofing paints and sealers on the market today. Waterproof paints and sealers can work well for minor dampness on walls and floors. Pay special attention to the preparation instructions from the products manufacturer. Be aware though, interior waterproof paints and sealers don’t do anything to alleviate the “source” of the problem.

Time For a Professional?

A professional basement waterproofing contractor can offer you a variety of solutions, depending on the source of your problem. Methods can include outside excavation, installation of drain tile, parging your walls, interior drainage systems or epoxy cove systems

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Ladder Safety Tips

One of the many tools that home owners use regularly is a ladder. Whether you need to change the porch light bulb, clean the gutters or put something in the top of the closet. You may need a ladder to get the job done!

While ladders seem harmless enough and they are useful tools, accidents can still happen if you don’t follow some simple safety tips. You may be shocked to hear that each year; more than 400,000 people are injured from a ladder accident and end up in the emergency room or doctor’s office. Some injuries are as minor as cuts and scrapes while other injuries have resulted in broken bones or worse.

Below we are going to share some safety tips with you to ensure that you are properly using your ladder to get your chores done!

1. Before using the ladder, inspect it and make sure all the screws and side rails are in place. Stepping on to a ladder that isn’t secure, can result in you taking a fall which is exactly what we want to avoid!

2. Check the bottom of the ladder to make sure there isn’t any dirt, paint or liquid that has accumulated and will result in the ladder not being sturdy. For your safety, try to use ladders with non skid spurs – this helps the ladder to stay in place and prevent you from sliding.

3. Make sure to properly set up your ladder before climbing on. The ladder should be on a firm, level surface – never place a ladder on a surface that is uneven. Once you are certain the ladder is secure and level then make sure to lock the side rails to better secure the ladder.


4. Always position your ladder as close to the work area as you can. Do not overreach or stretch to the side, this could result in a fall if you lose your balance. It might take a little longer to finish your task if you keep getting off the ladder to reposition it but its best for your safety.

5. Never move the ladder with anything on top such as a hammer, paint can or the like. It won’t feel too good to have a can of paint end up hitting you in the head – any objects for that matter!

6. Don’t be lazy and pull out the step ladder if you will need the bigger ladder! Stretching and overreaching is one of the most common ways that people get hurt when using a ladder. With a bigger ladder you also have more bracing and you can lean up against it while working.

7. Most importantly always climb and descend the ladder facing it and holding on with both hands whenever possible. Also be sure to take one step at a time, if you miss a step that can end up with you falling from the ladder.

By following these few safety tips you will be able to avoid any unnecessary accidents or trips the emergency room. I know these tips sound like common sense but I see people make these simple mistakes daily for lack of thinking while working on something and trying to hurriedly finish.

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6 Factors that affect a bedroom design project.

If you are planning to design and decorate your own bedroom,
then you must know that there are many factors that can affect
the outcome of your creative exercise.

Let's have a look at some of the possible factors.

1)Furniture: Furniture occupies maximum space in a room.
The size and style of the furniture you choose will directly
affect the way the space is perceived after the decoration
is complete.

Furniture pieces, which are abutting the walls such as
dressing tables, wardrobes, cabinets, form the face of the
walls which were previously blank in an empty room. Because
of this the face of the furniture is a major factor is
creating the mood of an space.

2)Interior Color Scheme: Color has a direct effect on human
mind. Color can make the room smaller or bigger than it
is. For example dark rooms are perceived smaller in volume
than those with bright and cheerful colors.

It's not the room which changes, it's the effect of the
color which our mind picks up.

3)Wallpapers: Wallpaper is a good alternative to using paints
on walls. The greatest advantage of using wallpapers is that
they can be applied quickly.


Using wallpapers with design patterns can quickly alter a
space and give a "rich" look to a space. Wallpapers are
available in washable types as well.

The only problem with wallpapers is that they can get torn
because of sharp edges of furniture items. If you have
children in your family then maintaining a them can be a
little nuisance.

4)Upholstery and Linen: This includes bed sheets, cushion covers,
curtains, carpets, etc.. All these are dependent on something
else. What does this mean?

Curtains are always in association with doors, windows or
other openings in walls. So the texture/color/finish of curtains
define a frame to the openings thus affecting the interior space.

Other upholstery items are dependant on shape and size of the
furniture on which they are used. That's why a clever use
of color/texture/finishes can greatly enhance the furniture
piece thus altering the overall grade of the space.

5)Lighting: A well planned electrical and lighting plan
can greatly enhance the interior space. Depending upon the
internal arrangement of the furniture lighting can be used
to enhance certain areas of the space.

Spotlights and filler lights can be used as and where
required. Filler lights are used to achieve a uniform lighting,
which is normally available during daytime from sunlight.

Spotlights used in the form of lampshades can be used to cater
a specific area such as study tables, bedsides. Apart
from these two types decorative lamps used as hangings can
add extra mood to the space.

6)Project Budget: Budget is a very important factor in any
project. Professional designers are very skilled in maintaining
a balance between creative designs and economical design.

A design which is economical yet projects a highly creative
mood is very hard to achieve. However a good market research
can easily make you a good and sensitive designer. Keeping
in mind the various materials available in market and proposing
them in designs is a good practice.

I would like to make one important point here. A design with
expensive an expensive budget is not necessarily a good design.
A simple and aesthetically pleasing design solution can easily
be achieved with creative thinking of what you already have
with you.

From the above discussion you can fairly assume that a slight
change in any one of the above factors can alter the appearance
your bedroom. If you are planning to refurnish your bedroom,
you can use this as a dummy checklist to organize the entire
process.

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Carpet Cleaning Tips And Secrets

You can use all the carpet cleaning tips in the world, and guess what? You still probably can't get your carpet as clean on your own as a professional carpet cleaner can. On the other hand, who needs perfection? The tips here will help you get that carpet clean enough.

Heat helps! Above 118 degrees fahrenheit, every 18 degrees higher changes chemical reactivity by 100%. Hot water extraction cleaning is done between 150 and 200 degrees. Is that too technical? The point is not only that hot water extraction, or "steam cleaning" is far superior to "dry cleaning," but that if you do it yourself, use heat!

Actually, there are three inter-related factors at work when you clean carpet. Heat, Dwell Time, and Agitation. To some extent, if you can't maximise one of them, you can make up for it with the others. In other words, if you can't get the cleaning solution hot enough, let it "dwell" a bit longer in the carpet, and scrub harder.

Secret Carpet Cleaning Tips

Detergent attracts dirt. This is why it's important to rinse out any cleaning solution thoroughly. This is another reason why hot water extraction gets carpet cleaner than the "dry" methods. The bottom line is that you need to rinse well when you clean carpet.



One way to clean stains is with the use of a shop-vac. No, you can't just suck out the stain, but you can repeatedly wash and rinse the area, and suck out the solution each time. This is a more effective method than blotting up the water with cloth, mostly because you won't have the patience to wash, rinse and extract enough times using paper towels or cloth.

Another little secret of the carpet cleaners is putting rugs outside and inside the front door. They can catch much of the dirt that people bring in on their feet. This isn't just about less vaccuuming, though. Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. The damaged carpet stains more easily then, and it's harder to remove the stains. An even better practice is to take off your shoes in the house.

Ready to clean? Vaccuum first. Then, if you use one of those portable machines, at least get the water as hot as you can. Dry the carpet quickly, using fans to move the air around. You can at least lengthen the time between expensive professional cleanings, by using these carpet cleaning tips.

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How to generate ideas for your bedroom design?

So, you want to design your bedroom. Hmm... looks like you
are serious about it.

Lets' get started quickly. whenever I hear someone say
he/she wants to design/decorate a bedroom a lot of things
come to my mind.

But, let me clear one thing, design and decorating are two
different aspects. When I say design, I mean a whole lot
bigger perspective. Design includes a lot more maturity in
terms of how you perceive a space from within.

Of course I will cover more about design in some other article.
Decoration is more close to everyday actions that can be
taken in order to change or alter a space. Decoration deals
with accessories used in a space. Very small things, such as
curtain rods, their color, lampshades, small statues, table
cloths, light fittings, are all parts of the detailing.

It is not that design does not deal with these aspects, but
decoration is more do-able easily than the whole design
process.

If you are not aware of the decoration techniques, or
where to start, I will give you a list of some place where
you can observe and get inspiration.

1)Of course, the World Wide Web:
this Internet is a good place to start. But the information
on the internet is not always compiled and sorted out, the
way you want it to be, so you might have to look deep.

2)Local Book stores:
Interior design magazines, books, brochures from furniture
manufacturers is a good source of inspiration. These books
and magazines do their best to find out Works of successful
designers, which can be quite inspiring.



3)Exhibitions:
Exhibitions held by manufacturers of interior design products,
can be a good source as well.

4)Movies and TV shows:
Yes, these have a very high project budgets, so spend
thousands of dollars every year to decorate the sets. Just
keep your eyes open and you will definitely find some good
themes in these too.

5)Look for hobby groups around in your city, look for seminars
of those who are successful artists. Bedroom decoration
includes detailing and paying attention to small things.
Visit art galleries, where you can find some good paintings,
other related artwork, which can enhance the beauty of your
space.

Finally I would like to say that it's your room and you
are the only person who knows better about your likes and
dislikes. So start out immediately because "When There Is
Will, There Is A Way".

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How to design a Child bedroom?

Children at age of 1 1/2 start to walk, talk and express
themselves. Their parents are the role models for them.
They learn to perform action which their parent teach
them.

Based on these teachings children very quickly learn a
taste about everything in life. This includes, the food
they eat, the kind of toys they play with, the kind of
friends they will make etc..

For a growing child it is necessary to explore new things,
apart from what his/her mom/dad teaches. A bedroom is a
great place to do this. When planned properly, a child
bedroom can greatly enhance his/her learning experience.

Children have a curious mind. Even a child which is yet to
speak, this curiosity can be easily traced by looking at
the broken toys, torn books, etc..

That's why as a bedroom designer creating spaces within the
structural walls, using interesting furniture elements, can
greatly help to add some curious thinking. Furniture pieces
specifically designed to create an adventure can be proposed.

Instead of using plain colored walls, theme base paintings,
such as stories, fairy tales, can be painted on walls.
These pictures can include animals, trees, vehicles, human
beings of different age groups. This gives an extra learning
edge, because there is lot to learn about the world as a
whole.


Creative flooring patterns can also be a good starting point.
At the same time use of ceiling space as a storyboard can be
used to give a knowledge of the "sun and moon".

Furniture with level differences can act as a way which
tends to give physical exercise and at the same time create
a space of their own.

As far as linen is concerned, it should be easy to maintain,
because it is more likely to get dirty and messy frequently.
Above all these factors what is most important is a good
natural light and free flowing air can add to the healthy
atmosphere.

From above discussion it is quite clear that bedroom design
is not just arranging a few furniture pieces and arranging
them in the physical space. It is much related to how humans
react to different artificially created materials, which includes
their color, texture, finishes, etc..

If used creatively it can greatly improve the quality of human
life. I hope this article was helpful for moms/dads and also
for the designers.

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