Security Tips You Most Likely Didn’t Think About

When it comes to home protecting, you may find that there are some common elements you go through. Locking your doors, and putting in motion sensors can be a good start. However, that’s just the beginning of what you should be thinking about overall. There are a lot of different security elements that you should consider, especially when it comes to modern protection. Much like security systems have evolved, so have the tactics that criminals use to break into homes. The following tips can help you get a leg up on some of the things you can do to protect your home against modern issues.

Don’t Let Anyone Know 

One of the worst things that you can do when leaving for vacation is simple, tell everyone. Many people make announcements on their social media pages, and many tell a lot of people about upcoming vacations. Don’t do that. You never know who can be hearing you talk and who may be following you on social networks. The last thing you want to tell people is that your home is going to be empty and ready for breaking into.

Clean Up Your Tools and Lock Sheds

If you keep gardening tools in your shed, or you leave them out in the open, you’re letting criminals have options for breaking and entering your home. Cleaning up and putting away tools is a good starting point, but also make sure that you lock your shed tight. The last thing you want is to find out that a criminal broke in using tools that you left out.

Purchase A Home Security System

In today’s internet age, you’ll find that home security systems can piggy back off of your wireless internet connection. You can also connect to your smartphone, and even get informed about all the elements that are going on in your house. You can keep a bird’s eye view of everything and ensure that you’re protected against nefarious characters. There are a variety of options that you can explore in this regards, many of which are inexpensive. Oh, and if you go this route, you can save money on renters and home insurance.

Change Your Locks

Perhaps the best tip that you can take with you today is simple, change your locks. When purchasing a house or moving into a new condo, change the locks. You don’t want to have the same key sets that a previous tenant had, and you don’t want to let anyone from the past in. Changing your locks will help you gain peace of mind in regards to locking up your home.

Home Security by http://astrolocks.com/

Getting Rid of Cat Pee Smell

You may love your cat, and you may give them a lot of love. They will return the favor when they use their litter box by cleaning up a little. Keeping this clean will help you avoid any smells, and your kitty will love you even more. But here’s the thing, they may sometimes miss the box. Whether it’s because you missed cleaning up or because they just couldn’t make it all into the box, you may find that a little dribble outside of their area can cause a bad smell. If you want to get rid of this smell, there are a few things that you should keep in mind moving forward.

Is Your Cat Sick? 

Before we get to the cleaning aspect, first determine whether or not your cat is sick. If they are not hitting the litter box, or they seem to be having a problem with peeing, they may have an issue in your home. Whether it’s because there’s another cat around, or they are dealing with a real sickness, you will need to get the opinion of a vet to figure this out. Sometimes, this is a sign that your cat is sick and needs help. If you’ve determined that this is not the issue, then you will no doubt want to get to the cleaning, which can be simple.

Fabric Options

If you have pee smell on any fabrics, including cushions, you should look into cleaning things up with simple detergent. You can clean up with baking soda, or just use a regular laundry detergent that can help you get the smell and stain out with ease. This is not complex in most cases as cats don’t really pee a great deal when they use their litter box, or don’t, rather.

Carpeting Options

If you have an issue in the carpet, you will need to clean things up by first spotting the wetness up with a towel. You can even use paper towels if you need to, and blot the area to get things cleaned up with relative ease. One you do this, you will want to add a little baking soda to your carpet and let it settle. After about 20 minutes, use a vacuum to clean it up. That alone will clean up the smell and will give you clear carpeting.

Hard Wood Surfaces

Moving forward with the next step, you’ll want to look into cleaning up with your normal cleaner. There’s a variety of hard wood cleaners that work here, and the smell is not going to penetrate deep into this.

At the end of the day, you’re going to find that the scent of pee will be easy to clean, if you don’t use any ammonia based cleaners. That’s your one caveat, which will help you get to this fast.

Cleaning Tips by https://www.maidbrigade.com/ca/orange-county/

Cleaning Windows With Professional Tips

As the weather goes from cold to warm again, you’ll no doubt want to get some Spring cleaning done. One of the aspects of this is to get to your windows. Cleaning windows can be a tough job if you don’t do it properly. Many people think that this is all easy, but then they get to the task and run into a variety of problems. The following tips are tried and true, and are some of the same things that professional window cleaners utilize on a regular basis.

The Vinegar Cleaner

The first thing that you should know about cleaning windows is that you have a powerful element in your home. If you have white vinegar at home, then you have the secret ingredient to cleaning windows. Mix this with two parts water and use a spray bottle to get started. Spray this on your windows and wipe it away, that’s it. Well that’s the starting point anyway.

Clear Dry Dirt First

Before you start the cleaning of your windows, make sure that you wipe away dirt and dust first. Use a microfiber cloth to clear off these issues. By doing this, you’re going to avoid having to wipe and clean up over and over again. While cleansers do work, the effort that you will have to put in to get things clear will be double or triple. Just wipe things down first, it will pay off.

Dry Things Well

To avoid streaks, you’ll want to make sure that you dry things very well after you spray and wipe with a squeegee. If there’s any moisture left on your windows, you’ll see streaks. Also, make sure that you clean after the sun has finished hitting the areas that you want to clean. That’s going to cause the liquid to dry too fast, and could cause streaks to show up.

Cleaning Screens

If you’re going to clean windows, you might as well clean screens as well. If you don’t do this, you’ll have dirt and grime come back onto your glass. To clean screens use a large bucket of water with a little dish soap. Then use this mixture to clean the screens efficiently. Before putting them back up, make sure that you let them dry naturally.

For Deeper Cleaning

One last thing to remember about cleaning is that you may need additional support. For instance, if you have to deal with rust, you’ll need to get a cleanser that can help with this. Also, look into picking up products like CLR if you need to remove stains beyond just dirt and grime.

Stanley Window Care specializes in OC window cleaning http://www.stanleywindowcare.com/

A Quick Look At Low-VOC Paint

Paint is one of the best things that you can invest in. Whether you have a home or you are leasing, you can always add a little bit of paint and make things stand out. You can make any space your own by just throwing a little color around. There are a lot of paint options that you can explore in this regards, but there’s an argument brewing in regards to safety. When you have children, their safety becomes paramount and that means that you will want to consider what type of paint, fumes, and other issues can end up being let out when home improvement projects start. With that in mind, you may hear about low-voc paint, and the safety that it has.

What is VOC? 

VOC is found in paint and usually is found with organic elements. These elements can evaporate quickly, but when there’s a high concentration of them in paint, it can actually cause problems. The problems associated with paints of this type include irritable eyes, headaches, nausea, and much more. Long term exposure to this can even cause liver damage and issues with the nervous system, which is definitely not good. As a way to fight back against this, the industry has put out low-VOC options that can help avoid these medical problems.

For Pregnant Women

Perhaps the biggest jump in safety is in regards to pregnant women. Pregnant women will find that low-VOC paint is safe for those that are pregnant and are doing home improvement projects. Of course, ventilation is an important thing, but aside from that, this type of paint is not going to be a problem in terms of medical issues.

How To Identify Low-VOC Options

Most hardware stores today have this type of option in their paint department. When in doubt, ask the people at the counter in regards to this solution. You’ll find that paint companies that are providing this type of option will label their canisters with zero-VOC or low-VOC as well as “green” solutions. This will help you purchase the right solution to ensure that you’re getting a new look and feel in your home with safety in mind.

It should be noted that there are still risks involved with these options. However, they will be greatly reduced versus regular paint options. Your best bet is to look around for safe options, and still have a well aired room when painting just about anything in your home.

House Cleaning Tips by https://www.maidbrigade.com/ca/orange-county/