The holidays are almost here and snow is already stacking up in some states. Winter may remind you of the years of happy Christmas celebrations you’ve had with loved ones. However, it also brings on several home maintenance headaches, some of which are most apparent on the exterior part of your property.

The most challenging issues include:

• Frozen Pipes – Even if your outdoor pipes are buried beneath the ground, some of them are still exposed through your sprinklers and outdoor faucets. If they still have water in them, the liquid could freeze and expand inside the pipe, possibly causing it to crack or even burst.

• Damaged Pavement – Hardscapes, despite their durability, are susceptible to moisture damage. Melted ice and snow can seep into the concrete, freezing from the inside at night, causing cracks and even potholes.

• Moldy Lawn and Deck – Mold thrives in cold and moist areas that don’t get much sunlight. You may notice it growing on your deck a few weeks after ice or snow melts on it. After a few months of winter, you may notice fungus feasting on your grass when you finally clear the snow out of it. Fungi may also grow on your tree, causing its trunk and branches to rot.

• Standing Water – If your landscape has improper drainage, you may end up with standing water, which can be teeming with disease-causing bacteria. These puddles can also drown your plants and grass, causing them to die out.

Winter can wreak havoc on your landscape. The best way to deal with them is to prevent them.

Here are different ways to keep your landscape well-maintained throughout the cold season.

• Clean Your Yard – Debris like leaves, trash, and dead plants can smother the grass in your lawn, starving it of oxygen. It also creates an environment where disease-causing bacteria and fungus can thrive. It also generates heat, causing pests like mice and groundhogs to take shelter on your lawn. Clean your yard before snow starts piling up to avoid these problems.

• Prune Your Plants and Trees – Snow can build up on your tree and shrub branches, possibly causing those parts of the plant to break off. Apart from those branches falling on someone or on your home, this problem can leave your plant’s flesh exposed to all sorts of germs and fungi. These can cause the plant to rot and die a slow death. Avoid this issue by pruning and trimming branches. This involves removing dying and damaged branches and stubs. This gives the plant the go-signal to replace the dead branches with healthier ones. If theweeping cherry treesin your yard are already damaged, you may be able to save them through micro-nutrient fertilization.

• Mulch, Mulch, Mulch – When your plants and soil are exposed to the harshly cold winds and snow, they’re at risk of freezing and dying. A great way to protect them from the elements is to mulch. Mulching involves covering your plant’s soil with materials like grass clippings, wood chips, and shredded leaves. These act as insulation and shield against the harsh cold.

• Clear Your Outdoor Pipes – If you want to prevent your outdoor pipes from freezing and bursting, you need to make sure they’re completely drained of water. Shut off the main water valve, connect a hose to your basement faucet leading towards the outside of your home, then open all the faucets in your home to drain them. Flush all the toilets as well. Do the same for all your faucets and sprinklers outside. Once you’ve done this, you can proceed to turn on your main valve. Just make sure you don’t use your sprinklers and outdoor faucets during winter.

• Fix Your Soil Slope – Standing water happens because your landscape’s soil is flat or is sloped towards your home. Hire a professional landscaper to slope your soil away from your house so that it drains water properly.

Even if it’s a signal that the holidays are coming, winter can give you a lot of stress. This is especially true if you like keeping your landscape properly-maintaned all-season-long. Avoid landscaping problems throughout the cold season with these suggestions.

Bed bugs are pesky little critters that are both quite hardy and difficult to catch because of their nocturnal way of life. Sometimes, you’ll find out too late that you already have these unwelcome guests at home because seeing a bed bug out in the open is usually a sign that you already have a serious infestation.

To ensure you don’t have nightmares of bed bugs anytime soon, and to prevent them from invading your home, you need to take some decisive steps. But before talking about those, here are some important reminders about bed bugs followed by the essential steps you need to take in order to avoid a full-blown bed bug infestation.

Bed bug mobility secrets

There are many ways by which bed bugs can end up living in your home. Some more common ways bed bugs get transported from place to place include:

• They can be picked up unknowingly in infested traveller accommodation, such as hostels, hotels or motels, and then taken by the unsuspecting carrier into their home. Bed bugs can latch onto people’s luggage and clothing until they end up in your home.
• You can also end up bringing bed bugs into your home if you accept contaminated used furniture and furnishings, such as mattresses, bed frames, couches, cabinets or wardrobes. Used toys such as dolls and stuffed animals can also be infested.
• If you move into a new home or apartment, bed bugs could be hiding in crevices or cracks in the floors and walls. So, even if your potential new home looks clean, make sure to look into every nook and cranny. Also, check if any of your neighbours has had a bed bug problem because these little critters can move from one home to another.
• Another mode of transportation bed bugs use is other animals, such as rodents, household pets and birds. Once these pests get in, they’ll be multiplying soon and fast.

Remember that in favourable conditions, particularly at low temperatures, adult bed bugs can live for as long as 400+ days without food, while nymphs can live without food for five months! These characteristics of bed bugs make them particularly difficult to eradicate even when they are already starved for food.

Effects of bed bugs on human health

Unlike mosquitoes, bed bugs are not known to carry certain diseases, although some people can display anaphylactic reactions if they are allergic to bed bug bites.

However, one common and serious effect of bed bug infestations among people is stress, disturbed sleep or insomnia.

A person exposed to bed bugs can also experience light to severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, such as paranoia, depression, obsessive thinking and hypervigilance. These could also lead to more problems with sleep, additional stress and weakened immunity.

Signs of bed bug activity in a home

The moment bed bugs invade a space inhabited by humans, they start to feed and reproduce quickly. Female bed bugs can lay as many as twelve eggs per day. In fact, one pregnant female bed bug can already facilitate an infestation of more than 5,000 bed bugs in a matter of six months!

Bed bugs prefer to hide in narrow, dark, enclosed spaces like inside a mattress and cracks and crevices, underneath carpets, behind baseboards and so on. They can even penetrate and stay inside your router or electrical outlets for some time.

If you suspect a bed bug infestation in your home, be on the lookout for the following signs:

• You see a living bed bug (or more).
• You find tiny white bed bug eggs or molten bed bug skins.
• You observe fecal stains or blood spots on your sheets.
• You get bitten and see raised itchy bed bug bites on your skin.

Once you are certain that you have bed bugs at home, you need to take the necessary steps to prevent a full-blown infestation.

How to get rid of bed bugs

To arrest the beginnings of an infestation, you need to take aggressive steps to rid your home of bed bugs. Consider the following steps in your bed bug eradication project:

• Strip all beddings, including the mattress protectors.
• Put all beddings inside a clean garbage bag and then seal the bag tightly.
• Take the beddings directly to your washing machine and wash them using the highest temperature setting. Another option would be to use the hottest temperature setting in your dryer instead of the washing machine. Note that a temperature setting of 120°F or 49°C is enough to kill bed bugs.
• Follow the same procedure for any loose items, such as stuffed toys, pillows, clothing and curtains, that you keep on or near your bed.
• Put on household gloves and examine your mattress minutely. Start brushing it with a stiff brush. Try to focus on the seams or any tight areas that bed bugs love to hide in. If there are any live bed bugs, make sure to catch these (they move fast!) or have a ready container of rubbing alcohol where you can drop them in conveniently. They’ll die on contact, so don’t worry.
• Vacuum all parts of the mattress, such as the top, side, bottom, seams and box spring.
• Take the bed frame apart, examine it and vacuum it all over.
• Vacuum the box spring thoroughly. If it has some holes, consider getting a new one.
• Use a steamer at a setting higher than 120°F or 49°C and use it to steam your mattress without soaking it (else, mould would grow). Steam just enough to eradicate the remaining bed bugs and wait for your mattress to dry under the sun.
• Once your mattress is dry and ready, encase your mattress in a bed bug-proof cover. This way, any leftover living bed bugs will be trapped and eventually suffocate inside.
• Inspect every corner and side of your house minutely, and vacuum everything.

Another way of dealing with a mattress that has been inhabited by bed bugs is by getting rid of it, especially if it’s already an old one. Just make sure you put a sign that says your mattress has bed bugs so others don’t pick it up and reuse it.

If you have a major infestation at home and you know your DIY efforts won’t work, make sure to call pest control services to get the problem sorted out once and for all.

Make your home inhospitable to bed bugs

To ensure your home is unattractive to bed bugs, make sure to:

• Seal all cracks, gaps or fissures in your home.
• Declutter and get rid of anything you no longer use.
• Avoid storing anything underneath your bed and other furniture.
• Change and check your beddings regularly.
• Practise vigilance in all that you do, particularly when you are travelling.

Bed bugs can be a real nightmare once they establish themselves in your home. 

To avoid such a scenario, make sure you remember these tips to keep bed bugs out of your home.

Whether you’re looking to save a bit of money or want to do your part to protect the environment, it is worth your time to keep an eye on your monthly electric bill. There are always ways to better control your energy consumption, even as you use your HVAC unit to heat and cool your home. The more effort you put into improving your thermal efficiency, the more likely it is that you’ll save money and better control the environment inside of your home.

How Is Your Home Losing Energy?

While you know better than to leave your windows open, for example, while the air conditioning is on, there are more subtle ways for energy to slip out of your home. The most common ways for your home to lose energy include:

• Lack of Insulation – if you haven’t insulated your crawl space or basement, then moisture may be making its way into your home and making those spaces more difficult to temperature control.
• Gaps and Drafts – it is also possible that your home may have suffered damage due to long-term exposure to hydrostatic pressure. In turn, the gaps left behind by that damage may be allowing energy to escape from your home.
• Lack of Energy-Efficient Materials – the insulation, ducts, and piping you’re using may also be energy inefficient, as may the appliances in use throughout your home. You can work with a contractor to determine what materials may both better suit your needs and reduce your monthly energy consumption.

The Economic Value of Improving Your Home’s Energy Efficiency

When it comes to setting your monthly budget, you’ll want to know what kind of costs – and savings – to expect based on the home improvements you’ve made. On average, savings after improving your home’s energy efficiency break down as follows:

• Crawl space encapsulation can help you save up to twenty percent of the cost on your electric bill.
• Sealing air leaks using DIY home methods, including caulk and weather stripping, can save you between five and thirty percent on your energy costs.
• Installing storm windows can cut costs by between twelve and thirty-three percent.
• Investing in a programmable thermostat that lowers the heat while you sleep can save you ten percent on your monthly electric bill.
• An EnergyStar gas furnace can cut your energy costs by up to fifteen percent.

Checking Your Home’s Thermal Performance

If you’re looking to gauge the energy use of your home without basing your estimate solely on your bills, then you can work with a professional to assess the space’s thermal performance.

The air in your home grows warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter, with cold and moist air sinking into your basement or crawl space as a result of its density. As you invest in more appropriate insulation for your home, you can not only allow air to circulate more effectively through your home, but you can also cut your home energy costs by up to twenty percent.

Why Should You Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency?

It can be costly, at first, to go about improving your home’s energy efficiency. As you take those first steps, however, you’ll start to see just how quickly those investments can pay off.

Consider this: as you make a point of fixing cracks and gaps throughout your home, it’ll become easier for you to control the flow of air throughout your home. As such, your utility bills will start to drop, and you can put some of that allocated money towards other projects. Similarly, platforms like TurboTax often allow you to take on a tax credit for home insulation efforts you’ve made over the course of a year.

The benefits of improving your home’s energy efficiency aren’t just economic, however. Insulating and otherwise protecting your home makes it more comfortable to live in and allows you to make positive contributions to the environment.

Why wait, then, to schedule a home inspection? If you want help improving the efficiency of the energy use in your home, you can reach out to the professional contractors in your area and look over your property for signs of damage. With a little bit of work, you can repair any cracks, replace any damaged insulation, and watch your energy bills start to plummet.

Winter in Utah is starting to creep in, as the snow is already covering roads in Davis and Salt Lake counties. It’s a sign that the holiday season is just weeks away. Although this is exciting, the cold season also brings a variety of problems. One of them is the probability of a winter storm.

Snowmaggedon

Heavy snow combined with strong winds can wreak havoc on your property. It can lead to toppled trees, collapsed roofs, and uncomfortably low temperatures. The effects of winter storms are expected to intensify, too, as climate change continues to happen across the globe.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the frequency of extreme snowstorms in the Eastern part of the United States has increased throughout the past 100 years. There are twice as many intense winter storms now more than in the first half of the century. This is because the warmer than usual ocean temperatures leading to high amounts of moisture in the atmosphere, intensifying winter storms.

NOAA stated that the “snowmaggedon” that hit Washington DC in 2010 is a prime example of this. There were over 17.8 inches of snow at the Reagan International Airport at that time. Scientists attributed this to the unusually high surface temperatures of the Atlantic ocean at the time.

The probability of a snowstorm hitting your area is not something you should take lightly. Here are effective ways to prepare your property for one.

Get Some Landscaping Done

If you want your lawn, shrubs, and trees to survive the cold weather, you need to do some landscaping in preparation for it.

• Remove Dead or Dying Plants – Your dead or dying plants will just serve as shelter for diseases and insects during the cold weather. They’ll just end up spreading to your other plants. Pull out and burn your dying plants just to be sure.

• Provide Nutrition for the Snowy Season – Fertilize your plants while you still have the chance. This helps lock nutrients into your soil and plants and make them more resilient during winter. Use slow-release fertilizers, as they deliver nutrients gradually throughout the season.

• Get Your Plants Pruned – Pruning is vital to keeping your plants healthy. It removes dying branches, allowing plants to grow new and healthy ones. Hire a tree pruning service. Tree pruning is essential before winter, as weak and dying branches may break off when snow builds up on them, threatening the safety of your family and people passing by your home.

Keep Your Gutters in Good Shape

Your gutters have the crucial job of draining off melted snow and ice this season. As such, it’s important that they’re sturdy and free of any clogging. Clogged drains can cause ice dams. These are ridges of ice that form on your roof that prevent melted snow from draining. Instead, the water leaks into the roof, causing damage to your joists, insulation, and walls. Remove debris like sticks and leaves from your gutters with a broom. Get gutter guards made of galvanized sheet metal installed as well, so future debris doesn’t get in the way of water draining down your roof.

Prepare Your Plumbing

Winter storms are sure to bring immensely cold winds that could freeze your pipes. Water expands when it freezes into ice, possibly causing your pipes to rupture or even explode. Drain the water from your outdoor pipes before the cold season starts to avoid this issue. Keep your indoor pipes toasty by installing insulation, too. You can get the simple foam ones that wrap around your pipes or insulation with heating cables and thermostats. It depends on how cold it gets in your area.

Flood-proof Your Home

Massive amounts of snow can cause flooding to your home if it has drainage issues or doesn’t have enough waterproofing. Make sure holes on your interior and exterior walls are properly sealed. Replace your door and window’s weatherstripping if it’s worn out. You could also have a sump pump installed, if you expect your basement to get flooded. It’s a machine that efficiently sucks floodwater out of your property.

Repair Structural Issues

Structural issues, especially on your roof can be dangerous during a snowstorm, as snow build-up and strong winds can cause it to collapse. Have a contractor look at your home’s roof and structural components for any damage. Get them repaired immediately before the cold season rolls in.

The property damage and safety issues that winter storms bring should never be taken lightly. These effects are expected to intensify as time goes on. Get your home prepared for the worst, so all there’s left to worry about is giving yourself and your guests the best time during the holiday season.

Part of garden maintenance is to pick up the fallen and dead leaves across the space. If you allow it to decompose, it can ruin the fertility of the soil. Also, it supports the growth of bacteria and it will leave brown marks all over your yard.

You can pile the leaves and other dead debris using a rake or blower. But we need to dispose of the leftover mess, right?

Good news! Fallen leaves, hedge trimmings, and dead plants can be turned into a mulch in seconds!

Thanks to electrical leaf mulchers!

This article will give you the basic knowledge of operating an electric leaf mulcher.

Steps on how to use a Leaf Mulcher

If it’s your first time using a Leaf Mulcher, or you’re unfamiliar with the process of using it… here are the simple steps you can follow:

1. Find an electrical outlet

Because it’s an electric Leaf Mulcher, it’s important that we are near an outlet. This is to power up the machine.

If you will be mulching away from home, prepare a long and durable extension cord. You can also use a portable generator to bring electricity to your leaf mulcher.

2. Choose the right mode

It depends on the brand or the make of your leaf mulcher. There are several modes to choose from. The modes determine the fineness of the mulch.

Other units come with extra modes for grinding up grass and leaves. You can select the mode you want and hit the power button. Make sure to have a plastic bag under the exit chute to catch the shredded leaves.

3. Insert the leaves into the mulcher

After turning on the machine, put as many dead leaves as possible into the hopper. Most models feature a hopper-and-blade combination. They can shred more than 20 gallons of leaves per minute.

Turn the machine off when your trash bag is full. Replace the bag and repeat operations until there are no more dead leaves to shred.

4. Wear personal protective equipment, if possible

Using a leaf mulcher is quite messy. Because their cutting lines rotate quickly to effectively pulverize leaves to a pulp. It results in producing a lot of airborne dust. This can damage the machine’s motor and create health risks to the user.

So, wear protective gloves when using an electric Leaf Mulcher. Because they have spinning blades. It would be worse if your hand gets nicked while working. Better safe than sorry.

5. Post work clean-up

Keep you electric Leaf Mulches as clean as possible if you want it to last many years. The electric type runs off of electricity. So, there are no maintenance issues involved like refueling or oil changes.

But make sure that the outside and inner components are wiped clean. Or blasted with compressed air to get rid of minuscule leaf and grass particles. Store the machine somewhere after cleaning it.

Benefits of Leaf Mulch

As a gardener, we spend quality time amending our soil and getting ready for the growing season. Some of us make our own compost. And buy manures or even buy soil additives.

But there is a cheaper way! It is to use what nature gives for free. Using a leaf mulcher to mulch the leaves enriches the soil. And preserves the cycle of life by renewing plants.

How good is leaf mulch for plants? Here are the benefits:

• Using leaf mulch buffers soil temperatures. To keep soil warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Thereby protecting plants.
• It improves soil fertility as it decomposes. So, it reduces the need for fertilizing.
• Leaf mulch retains soil moisture. It lessens irrigation needs.
• Also, it suppresses weeds. It reduces the amount of weeding for the gardener.
• Leaf mulches reduce soil erosion in certain instances.

Tips on mulching with leaves

You can use the shredded leaves using your electric leaf mulcher! Before mulching them, it is best to let them dry first. Because it is easy and quick to break down dried leaves.

Using a leaf mulcher is the easiest way to recycle the debris in your yard.

To use the dried leaves as mulch, spread them around trees and shrubs and over perennial beds.

Your guide in purchasing a leaf mulcher

There are primary considerations you will have to think about. One of which is where you are going to use the leaf mulcher. Also, how often you will use it.

These will help tailor the specifications of your final choice:

1. The amount of leaves

If your garden is small, get a smaller mulcher. Most people are better off with a blower. But if you have a larger garden and more leaves, you’ll need a stronger machine to get the job done.

2. Do you want to remove the litter too?

If your answer is yes, a simple straight garden vac without shredder might be the best. Take note that they are not as great when picking up and storing wet leaves. But they are a versatile time-saver.

3. Power Source

Consider: electric, battery-powered, or gas?

Gas is an energy source suitable for people in the gardening cleaning business all day.

4. The size of your yard

It is the major factor to consider when choosing a mulcher. Vacuums are suited for small yards. And big garden owners prefer mulch mowers. But standalone mulchers work well for lawns of all sizes.

5. Type of bush to clear

If you are living in a wet climate, we recommend that you find a model made for shredding wet material. Know the type of bush you are going to destroy. Mulchers can handle leaves and small twigs.

6. Ease and comfort while using

What are your needs in the garden? We prefer that you use lightweight and easy to assemble. It will save you energy in the long run.

7. Brand

It is not good to focus on brand names only when purchasing a leaf mulcher. But there are established and reputable brands that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Summary

This is just a general guideline on how to use an electric leaf mulcher. There may be more steps on the brand you are using. It depends on the design and construction. If you haven’t purchased one yet, we also added a guideline. This is to help you decide on choosing the best leaf mulcher.

Having a useful website for your business puts you one step closer to succeeding in today’s internet-driven world. You increase the chances of your business coming up on search engine results with an active website, and more exposure and visibility leads to better brand recognition and sales numbers.

Despite the advantages that maintaining a website can bring to a business, a lot of companies choose to stick with the most fundamental frameworks just to say they have an online presence. This is usually because creating a new website can be quite costly, and smaller businesses might not have enough budget to pay for a premium website.

When building a new website, the bulk of what you pay for compensates for the time it takes the web developers to create an original design for your business, write creative content for your website, and make sure it runs optimally. If you can save the developer time and effort in creating certain aspects of your website, it will also save you money because they will charge you a lower rate for doing less work.

If you plan to build a new website for your business or redesign what you already have, try the following tips to lessen overall costs:

1. Create an Overall Management Plan

Before going to a website developer, it is best that you already have a complete idea of what you want your website to look like. It would be best if you had a clear understanding of who your target audience is and a detailed plan on how to design your content to sell them your products and services successfully.

Your plan should include as much information as possible regarding how your business should be seen on the internet. The vision, mission, and objectives of your company are good starting points to build a website’s image on. Additionally, make sure you provide your developer with a list of features (video, audio, and other media material) and pages that you prefer to have on the website.

2. Consider Pre-made Templates

There are thousands of pre-made templates and themes available on the internet for your business to choose from. Picking one of them instead of having your developer create a new one from scratch will significantly lessen the costs of the project as well as the time needed to finish it.

If you have trouble finding a theme that best suits your business, try looking into popular online marketplaces like Theme Forest, Elegant Themes, and Solo Stream. These pages have a vast collection of readily available templates for all kinds of businesses.

3. Reduce and Reuse

Some businesses end up paying more than they planned to when developing a website because they add more pages than they should. Regardless of how simple a page may be, it will contain web content that you will also pay for. Avoid adding pages that your website does not need, and if in the future you still feel like you should have those pages, then you can add them using web maintenance.

If you already have a company website, do not hesitate to reuse old content. Most businesses believe that you need to start over in redesigning a site, but that is not always the case. If your previous website content is still relevant to your currentbusiness identity, you can do a little repurposing and use it again on your new website. This can save a considerable amount of money since you would not need to pay for writing new content.

4. Do What You Can for the Website

There are features in website development that you can try doing yourself. For instance, instead of paying for new photographs to be used on your web page, you can try to take the pictures yourself. If you do not think your photography skills are good enough, you can also search the internet for stock photos that are free of charge and send them to your developer.

Content writing is another thing you can consider doing. As the business owner, you probably know more about the business than anyone else and should be well-equipped to write about it. Writing the content yourself also ensures you get what you want to see written about your company.

Finding new ways to save on expenses is necessary if you want to run a business successfully. Several establishments have resorted to using solar powerto lower their electricity bills. Large companies have tried outsourcing for less operational costs, and some companies have chosen to purchase used office equipment over brand-new ones to save on funds. The same remains true in creating a website for your business; you need to know how to spend wisely on each aspect of the project to ensure that your time and money is well-spent.

 

Stop Bugging Me: Safe And Natural Pest Control

From spiders to ants to Japanese beetles, household pests can be a huge bother. Nobody wants bugs creeping around the house, but at the same time, getting rid of an infestation is not an easy task. One of the most common ways to fight back is with harsh pesticides.

The problem? Many pesticides are filled with chemicals that not only attack pests but also can harm humans and hurt the environment. In some cases, commercial pesticides can even contribute to serious illnesses such as cancer. If you use them as a solution to your pest problems, you risk causing harm to yourself, the people in your household, and the planet. Finding safe and natural options for pest control is a much better alternative.

Recipes for Homemade Bug Repellent

How can you repel pests with natural products? What are the best ways to fight off insects without relying on harsh chemicals? The good news is, lots of everyday household products work effectively against bugs and pests but are not dangerous to humans. You probably have many of these ingredients in the pantry already. If you’re looking for a few ideas to try in your own home, check out the recipes in the below infographic.

Graphic created by ImproveNet.

Pests can be a huge problem, which requires immediate action. Since you can’t deal with this problem alone, you will need a helping hand from a professional. But, finding one isn’t easy. You will need a trusted and reliable company that will solve your problem. You can go to the first company that you find on the internet, but they might not offer the service that you expect. You will need to do research. Create a list of companies that work in your area. After all, you want to get a good service for the money.

Read reviews

Every research will be followed by analyzing reviews. Once you know the companies that work in your area, you should get to know more about them. The best way to do this is to read what others have to say about them.

The reviews replace the traditional word of mouth, so it is worth to do it. And you would want to focus on the longer reviews that reveal lots of useful information. Comments like “good service” or “bad service” won’t be of any value for you. Look for the detailed reviews, where the customer has described their experience from a neutral point of view. Look for information such as communication with the company, the time that they will take to do the service, and any additional services that are included in the price.

According to Terminix reviews, the company has excellent customer service. When you read this, you will know that the company will do its best to solve your problem.

Contact them

When you contact the company, they should be ready to respond to any of your questions. Ask them about how they will solve your issue. A true professional will explain the methods, pesticides, and their potential side effects. Also, they will prepare you for protection measures that you should undertake such as going away for a few days or removing your pet.

Also, you can ask for the licenses and certificates. A reliable company will have trained and skilled professionals, but also formal licenses for work. If you are in doubt about something, you can ask to see the certificates. A professional company that doesn’t have anything to hide will show them to you.

Signs that a company isn’t reliable

When you know what kind of company to look for, you should also know the most common frauds. Not every company that claims that they have experience can really solve your issue. If they claim that they have a secret formula for pest control, avoid them. No company should use products that aren’t approved by the authorities. Scam companies might come to your door to offer their services. If they say that they have been issued by the government agencies, this means that they are lying. Agencies are not liable for this issue. Also, any company that isn’t willing to give you complete instructions on how to protect yourself should not be considered.

 

 

As you age, your body will become less able-bodied for outdoor activities, including gardening. Sitting on your knees to trim the branches, pulling heavy water hoses around and fertilizing the plants seem to become more difficult than you ever think.
However, as gardening is a healthy activity for old age, you shouldn’t give it up. You can reduce the intensity of the workload and follow our tips below to stay safe and happy with gardening.

The benefits of gardening for seniors

Did you know that your green thumb can be more than just a hobby? Getting your hands dirty in the garden is the most effective way to enhance your physical and emotional health. Why do I say so?

Gardening embraces physical movement

A garden may not look like a gym, but you actually do a lot of exercises in a single gardening session, including lifting, squatting, bending, without even recognising it. 30 minutes of gardening everyday, which is similar to moderate aerobic workouts, is a good way for aging bodies to shed some calories and stay flexible.
Your immune system is improved
Studies have pointed out that the dirt you dig while gardening is actually beneficial to your health, thanks to a kind of bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae. This human-friendly bacteria can enhance your immune system, alleviate asthma, allergies, psoriasis, and depression.
Also the sun is a free source of vitamin D that strengthens your bones and boosts your metabolic functions.

Stress and anxiety walk out of your life

The link between gardening and positive emotions is well-known among us. Planting and growing veggies and flowers in your garden can help reduce the cortisol level, in other word, the stress hormone.
Nothing will make you feel happier than walking in the morning breeze with light sunlight in the garden. Sunlight will boost serotonin levels in your body, making you feel calm and focused.
Your mind will stay sharp
Gardening may reduce the risk of dementia by up to 36%. Seniors who do gardening everyday tend to maintain their good memory and motor skills, while their strength and endurance take a turn for the better.

Tips to build a elderly-friendly garden

Healthy and beneficial as gardening seems to be, there are things that senior gardeners should take into account. The squatting, bending, lifting, pruning can be overwhelming sometimes, and in the worst case, can lead to serious injuries.
The sunlight is wonderful but the heat can burn the skin since aging bodies have more sensitive skin. Not to mention the bugs and insects in the garden that might disturb you.
However, if you equip yourself well with our tips, you will stay safe and happy with your little yard.

Lower your goals:

As the body ages, we don’t have the strength and endurance like in our twenties. So don’t stress yourself to finish all the work in one day. Pace yourself, take a rest when you need to. Place a bench, a chair or a swing in a shadow so that you can sit down and rest between sessions and to admire your masterpiece.

Use proper tools

Opt for lightweight and manual tools to avoid injuries. If you can still mow a lawn, a cordless electric self-propelled lawn mower is a good choice since you don’t have to push it yourself and unlike gas mowers, it is quiet, environmentally-friendly and requires little maintenance.
Also, paint your tools in bright colors so that you can find them easily when dropping them on the ground.
If you find it hard to handle and wield your tools, wrap foam around the handles to reduce the joint pressure and control easily. Padded kneeling benches, tools can be used to avoid kneeling on the hard ground and rolling scooters make it easier to move tools and work well as a chair.

Raise your garden higher

If bending and kneeling are nightmares to you, try raised beds to grow your flowers and veggies. Make sure that the raised beds are narrow enough so that you can reach every inch of it without straining.
If possible, go for a vertical garden by using fences, walls, bamboo stakes or trellises. Caring, watering and harvesting will be much easier for those who suffer from aching back and knees.

Protect yourself from the sun

The recommended time for elderly gardening is early in the morning and shortly before the sunset when sunlight is gentle and it is cool outside. However, if you are not an early bird and you want to enjoy the sun, wear a broad-brimmed hat and put on sunscreen to avoid sunburn.
Keep yourself hydrated during the session and avoid staying outdoors from 10 am to 1pm since it is the hottest time of the day.

Involve others

Ask for the help of a younger member of your family for heavy lifting, grading and lifting. This not only reduces the risk of you being injured but also enhances the relationship with your family.
If you don’t have a garden, join a club or a community in your neighborhood. You can enjoy your hobby, at the same time, making your street greener and cleaner.

Remember that aging is just a number

There is no rule that you should do this and that at an age. If you feel happy with gardening, just go for it. Don’t let your age get in the way of your happiness. But also keep in mind that safety is the top priority. Thank you for reading and happy gardening!