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Brandon Mercury

10 steps to plan and carryout a successful garage sale

by Brandon Mercury on May 8

The summer months are the perfect time to clean out the closets in your home and have a garage sale. Selling the things you no longer need not only helps you get organized, but it also provides a little bit of extra cash. That’s money you could use for a family vacation or to help pay off a debt. If you are planning a garage sale in the near future, keep these simple steps in mind.

1. Remember, it’s hard work. A successful yard sale is no easy task. It will take a lot of work, not only the day of but in the days leading up to the sale. You’ll need to choose what you are going to sell, price things and then decide what you’re going to do with things that don’t sale.

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How to Prepare Your Garden for Spring

by Brandon Mercury on April 10

Spring is naturally an exciting time for the gardener. After a long winter feeling restless and dreaming up planting schedules and arrangements, you’re ready to get out there and commence with the growing season. Before you can do anything else, however, there’s invariably some maintenance and clean-up to do in the plots after what may have been months of disuse.

Depending on the nature of your garden, you’ll be assessing those winter-ravaged beds mainly with a trowel or weeder and a set of pruners. As we’ll discuss, leave the shovel behind until the soil’s dry enough to work.
Start With Weeding

First off, do a comprehensive weeding job throughout the garden. (This will remind you of all the gardening muscles you’ve neglected over the winter.) Slacking on this front, at this stage in the game, will give these tenacious opportunists a leg up over whatever you wish to plant this year, so be thorough. If you didn’t mulch the previous autumn—the best time to do so—you’ll want to put down a layer now, but you’ll need the garden as weed-free as possible before doing so. Knocking back whatever you see at this early stage, then spreading a good, muffling layer of mulch, will give you and your vegetable and flower charges an advantage—however tenuous—over the weed legions. Mulching is also wonderful for reducing the amount of watering you do later in the season, as a high-quality kind like partly decomposed leaves will retain moisture far longer than fully exposed soil.

Image Source: Pinterest.com

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Spring Cleaning Basics: How to Organize Your Home

by Brandon Mercury on March 27

Now that winter has come to an end and sunlight is shining through the windows, it inevitably illuminates the clutter you’ve allowed to accumulate over the past few months. With the promise of bright, happy days in the future, chances are you’ll want to do a little spring cleaning. But where should you start? The task may seem a bit overwhelming but there are things you can do to make the process as quick and painless as possible. Read over this list of tips to get your home fresh and clutter-free in no time.

#1-Take Baby Steps

While the thought of de-cluttering your entire house may send you into a panic attack, organizing a single room is much more achievable. Try not to focus on the magnitude of work that lies ahead. Doing so will only result in stress-filled days. Instead, allow yourself to take pride in each and every room you successfully clean out.

Image Source: Pinterest.com

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How To Fix A Simple Leak

by Brandon Mercury on March 13

Let’s face it; if you’re a homeowner then you’ve probably had your fair share of minor leaks. Bathroom or kitchen faucets, water softeners, andtoilets can all spring a leak without notice, occasionally causing damage in the process. It’s never a terrible idea to call a licensed plumber, particularly if you’re up to your ankles in water, or the toilet is acting like Old Faithful. Most of the time, however, leaks are relatively easy to fix, and learning to do so can save you a lot of time, money, and aggravation.

Sink and Faucet Leaks

Most simple leaks around the house come in the form of drips from faucets. The primary cause, and it’s an easy one to fix, is from a rubber gasket attached to the hot or cold water faucet. [click to continue…]

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Going Green with Energy Bills

by Brandon Mercury on January 24

You may think that going green is a buzz phrase people use to feel like they’re doing more for the environment than they really are. But the truth is, going green is now a positive, conscious lifestyle that people adopt to improve not only the environment, but their own lives. Think about that: having a significant impact on the world and on your wallet.

With the current economic landscape, every penny counts and, with the high price imposed upon us for natural resources, those pennies add up fast. So I felt it important to provide some tips that you, the homeowner, can apply right now, without much effort. The following list is a sustainable set of steps you can make into money saving habits.

Save on Energy

  • Shut off the lights in your house when not in use. Simple, yes, but more times than not you’re expending electricity and in turn spending money–paying for lights that aren’t helping anyone. Use natural daylight whenever possible.
  • Use CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) instead of the regular incandescent light bulbs. Yes, they’ll cost a little more up front, but the 70% savings on electricity makes the difference, and they last substantially longer.
  • Make proper use of your thermostat by setting the temperature a few degrees lower than you do normally. Wrap up in a blanket or jump into a comfortable sweater during the winter to save money. In turn, set the thermostat higher during summer months and change your mode of dress to fit the weather.
  • Clotheslines use the natural wind to dry clothes instead of your dryer. You not only save money this way—there’s no limit to how much you can dry at once.
  • Unplug devices when they’re not in use. You might not realize this, but even when turned off, devices suck up electricity. This one act can save you 5% on your monthly energy bill.
  • Purchase a power strip that turns off when devices are not in use or have been fully charged. Try the Smart Strip LCG5 as an example.
  • Install outdoor motion sensors lights. It’s always nice to be able to see when you need it, especially when you’re coming home late, but there’s no sense in leaving lights on all the time. Motion sensors give you the best of both worlds—light and savings.
  • Install solar-powered outdoor lights. Why not take advantage of Mother Nature altogether? Advancements in technology have produced a greater variety at a lower cost, making solar lights a viable and cost-efficient option. [click to continue…]

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Tips for Keeping a Safe and Well-Maintained Fireplace

by Brandon Mercury on January 10

There’s nothing like curling up in front of a warm, cozy fire on a cold day. But in order to enjoy this luxury, it is important your fireplace be safe and properly maintained. Read this list of tips to help keep your family safe, your fireplace running efficiently, and your gas bill at a minimum.

Safety

  • It’s important to remember a fireplace is not the same thing as a furnace. Fires should only be burned for short periods of time (five hours or less).
  • While using the fireplace, crack a window to avoid smoke accumulating in the room. The air will be sucked up the chimney.
  • While burning a fire, make sure the glass is open to allow air to circulate through the chimney. However keep the screen closed at all times to keep sparks from jumping out.
  • Place a nonflammable rug directly in front of the fireplace to prevent sparks from damaging your floor or carpet.

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Baby on the Way? Child-Proof Your Home

by Brandon Mercury on December 27

Home is the place where you and your family feel safe and sound. However, your own cozy abode can be a very dangerous place for newborns, toddlers and small children. Household items and furniture that seem harmless to you can pose a significant threat to the well-being of your child.

Photo Source: houseplansandmore.com

Be Smart

As a new parent, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of every new safety gimmick. You’re willing to buy anything that promises to protect your precious, new bundle of joy. While browsing the aisles of Babies ‘R Us, you are bombarded with products for every dangerous scenario imaginable. Toilet locks, bath spout thermometers, baby monitors… how do you know which ones you need? The high-tech video baby monitor seems like it must be a necessity, right? Not necessarily. Turns out the monitor cords have strangled children. This is especially dangerous for infants who are starting to move around a lot or pull themselves up in their crib.

There are a lot of traditional products you should be wary of as well, such as the hard plastic covers used to close off electrical outlets.  Research indicates the covers are challenging for adults to remove as well, causing them to leave it off when they planned to use the outlet again soon. Not only does this leave the socket open for young children to stick objects into, but the cover itself presents a choking hazard. A safer, and more convenient, option is to purchase covers with sliding doors that never need to be removed. Do your own research and choose child safety products wisely.

Start Early

Baby proofing should optimally take place before the baby is even born. This allows you to have adequate time and peace of mind to evaluate which items you will need in your home. The best method to spot hazards is to give yourself a baby’s-eye view. Get down on the floor and crawl around. You will be surprised at the difference in perspective. What things are now eye-level that would draw a child’s attention? Do you find small objects on the floor? Are there tall pieces of furniture you could pull on top of yourself? Take note of what you observe and create a plan of action accordingly.

Photo Source: houseplansandmore.com

Some Tips

There is no possible way to shelter your children from every possible danger. You can, however, make their safety and well-being a priority by making simple changes around the home.

  • Use safety gates for doors and cabinet latches to keep children out of dangerous areas
  • Install outlet covers
  • Install smoke/carbon monoxide detectors
  • Install knob covers on doors leading to non-childproof areas
  • Install anti-scald devices on faucets
  • Use corner and edge bumpers for furniture and fireplace hearths
  • Move toxic products high out of children’s reach
  • Use a toilet paper roll to test items for potential choking hazards.  Anything that fits in the tube easily has the potential to choke your little one.

Of course, no product can replace the vigilant monitoring of a child’s activity. A watchful eye goes a long way in preventing accidents. Child-proofing your home will provide a second line of defense in protecting your new bundle of joy. Doing so will not only create a safe haven for your children, but peace of mind for you.

Guest author Brandon Mercury is a writer for Top Alarm System. He regularly writes about home improvement and design topics.

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