Window Safety

Did you ever stop to think that windows are far more than sources of light and air? They can be killers or lifesavers. The National Safety Council says that, “Fires and falls of all kinds are among the leading causes of injury and death in young children. While some falls occur from windows, it is important to realize that in the event of a fire, a window can also save a child's life. This is why windows play a critical role in home safety.”

Easy Home Improvement Ideas

Fixing up your home can be fun and often times very profitable even when you're only doing a few easy home improvement projects. There are several touches that you could add to a bathroom or kitchen for added value in your home. These easy home improvement projects are very quick too. In this article you will learn some modest ways to fix up your home, and add significant value in less than a day.

Adding Trim to Your Ceiling

One of the neat tricks you can do when creating some easy home improvement projects is to add some trim around the top of your ceiling. Simply take a border of colorful wall paper about 5 to 6 inches wide and apply it around the top of the ceiling. This will give your room a rich look and is very cost effective.

Paint Your Bathroom Light Switches

If you would like to save some money fixing up your bathroom you can paint the light switches. Don't forget to do the plug-in covers as well. There are several easy home improvement projects that you can do to the bathroom. Maybe you could add a toilet seat cover and matching towels to add a nice look. The cost is very minimal, but can add a nice touch to the room. If you have a spare bedroom you may want to consider painting those switches as well.

The kitchen is another place where you can apply some easy home improvement projects. Try changing the handles on your cabinets. If the timing is right, you may find some great deals on closeout cabinet accessories at your local stores. Often times at the end of the year your local stores will have huge clearance sales and unload very nice packages of hardware to add to your kitchen cabinets. This is great when searching for some easy home improvement projects to do.

Change the Lights for Appearance and Savings

There are so many choices in lighting these days. You could add a couple simple energy saving lights to your kitchen or bathroom for your next easy home improvement projects. Many lights can add value and energy savings, helping the budget as well. Once you have finished inside you may want to think about some easy home improvement projects for the outside of your home next.

You can add some lighting to the outside of your home to make some nice touches. This is another one of those easy home improvement projects that only takes a couple hours, but if done right, can add value and convenience if you have nighttime gatherings at your home. As you can see there are many simple little projects you can implement to add some easy decorative touches to your home.

Is Your Indoor Air More Polluted Than Your Outdoor Air?

For most of us summer means closed windows and doors and conditioned air, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, "Indoor air pollutants are unwanted, sometimes harmful materials in the air. Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks. Usually the best way to address this risk is to control or eliminate the sources of pollutants, and to ventilate a home with clean outdoor air. The ventilation method may, however, be limited by weather conditions or undesirable levels of contaminants contained in outdoor air. If these measures are insufficient, an air cleaning device may be useful.

The Power Just Went Out!

Power outages that occur in severe weather, or that last for extended periods of time, place a heavy burden on the system at the moment power is restored. You can help prevent an overload on the system and possibly another outage by taking these steps:

• Turn off every inside light except one.

• Turn down your thermostat.

• In cold weather, close windows and drapes to save heat. Pick one room on the warm side of the house (preferably one with a fireplace). Close the door to the rest of the house and use blankets to insulate your windows.

• If the outage lasts over 60 minutes, turn off your electric water heater.

• Make sure your kitchen range is off, both the surface and the oven. Never use it for heat.

• Turn off all unnecessary appliances.

• Avoid opening the freezer door. A full, freestanding freezer will keep food at freezing temperatures for about two days; a half-full freezer about a day. For more information about food safety during and after a power outage, call the USDA Food Safety Hotline at 1-800-535-4555.

• If you see a downed power line, STAY AWAY! And call your cooperative at once!

• Leave your porch light on so workers will know when your power has been restored.

• When power comes back on, slowly switch your appliances and lights back on and gradually return your thermostat to its normal setting.

Severe Weather Preparation

Severe weather can sometimes put us in the dark. You'll be safer and less inconvenienced if you have the following emergency supplies on hand:
• Flashlight with fresh batteries
• Radio with fresh batteries
• Candles and holders
• Blankets
• Matches
• Wind-up clock
• Firewood and kindling
• Manual can opener
• Charcoal grill with charcoal
• Paper plates and plastic utensils
• Lighter
• Bottled water
• Nonperishable food
• Extra batteries

Holiday Safety

The Consumer Products Safety Commission suggests following these tips to make your holiday a safe one.

Trees:

-When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant." Although this label does not mean the tree won't catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
-When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. -The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
-When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Because heated rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. -Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

Lights:

-Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards. Use only lights that have fused plugs.
-Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets. Always replace burned-out bulbs promptly with the same wattage bulbs.
-Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord. Make sure the extension cord is rated for the intended use.
-Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
-Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.
-Fasten outdoor lights securely to trees, house walls, or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples to hold strings in place, not nails or tacks. Or, run strings of lights through hooks (available at hardware stores).
-Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
-For added electric shock protection, plug outdoor electric lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold. GFCIs can be installed permanently to household circuits by a qualified electrician.
Decorations:

-Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
-Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
-In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them.
-Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass "angel hair." Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.

Fireplaces:

-Use care with "fire salts," which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.
-Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

Dishwasher Maintenance

With the winter and the holidays coming, your dishwasher is likely to get a little more and harder use. You may want to treat for scale build-up and perform a maintenance inspection. Over time, build-ups from various causes can become deposited on the inside walls and heating element of the dishwasher. Remove all dishwasher contents (leave the racks) and run with no detergent and the following, as applicable: for mold, place one tablespoon of bleach in your dishwasher and run it for a full cycle; for rust, use a rust remover (ask for the right one at a hardware store) and run a cycle; for stains, place a cupful of white vinegar in your dishwasher and run it for a full cycle. An alternative to vinegar is baking soda.