DIY/Home Archives - Page 3 of 30

Benefits To Using A Zero Turn Riding Lawn Mower

April 21, 2020 by Mandy

We all need to mow our lawn. This is especially true in the spring and the summertime when the lawn tends to grow a lot faster then it does in the winter. During the warmer months, we are mowing our lawns at least once a week. You may have a big yard or a smaller yard. If you have a smaller yard it is easy to get the lawn mowed using a push mower. If you have a larger yard or even a couple of acres that need to be mowed, a riding lawn mower is your best bet. A push mower would not work as it takes too long and would be very strenuous to mow that big of a piece of property with a push mower.

If you do have a big piece of property then a riding lawn mower is what you would want to use. A riding lawn mower would make mowing a couple of acres easier and less stressful. Usually, on any piece of property, you have trees and bushes to get around. A simple riding mower would have a difficult time getting around those trees and bushes. A zero-turn riding mower is what you would need. There are many benefits to having a zero-turn riding lawn mower.

Maneuverability

Maneuverability is very important if you have trees and bushes that you need to get around. If you use a zero-turn mower they can get quite close to the tree and bush and cut the grass around it. If you don’t have a zero-turn you would probably need to go in with a weed eater and cut the grass close to the trees and bushes that way. A zero-turn is very maneuverable and can get close to the tree.

Mowing is done a lot faster

When you have a zero-turn mower you can get your mowing done a lot faster. These types of mowers can be operated at higher speeds than a normal riding lawn mower. They also have wider decks which mean that you can cut more grass with one pass. You can shift directions and turn around a lot faster on a zero-turn mower.

More comfort

You have a lot more comfort with zero turn mowers than you do with a regular riding lawn mower. This does not cause stress on muscles and your body as you are mowing.

Wider range of models

A zero-turn riding lawn mower comes in all kinds of different models. Whether you have a half an acre of a five-plus acre, you can find a zero-turn mower to fit your needs. These types of mowers also come with a lot of attachments which can make your mowing easier for you. You can buy the attachments in addition to the lawnmower to fit your needs. Whatever you need to make your mowing of the lawn easier you will be able to find.

A better looking lawn

When you mow your lawn with a zero-turn riding mower your lawn will look much better than with a traditional mower. The zero-turn mower will be able to give you perfect stripes on your lawn. They even have attachments available that can give you a more defined stripe in your lawn. Most of us who mow our own lawn know that we all try to achieve to have perfect stripes on our lawn. We like straight and defined stripes and a zero-turn mower will be able to give you that stripe.

We all have to mow our lawn. It would be better if we had a piece of machinery that would help us do it faster, better and do a complete job in the easiest way possible.

3 Ways to Transform Your Basement

April 13, 2020 by Mandy

Basements are pure, untapped potential measured in square feet. There is so much more that homeowners can do with all that space than letting cardboard boxes and old exercise equipment gather dust. A finished basement adds value to a home, and a basement revamped for a purpose adds even more. Depending on what is done, a basement can also become a source of income. No matter the choice, a finished basement makes a home more fun to live in and easier to sell in the Denver real estate market.

Apartment

One of the more common uses for basements is converting part of it into another bedroom. Why not go a step further and transform it into a separate living space? Owning a full apartment is an excellent way to generate passive income, and living above it means less hassle maintaining it and keeping an eye on tenants. In an era of boomerang kids, a basement apartment can be a practical way to help children get established in their adult lives while still giving them the privacy and independence they need.

Good lighting and bright colors are essential for basement apartments since there aren’t as many natural light sources. It should also be built with the needs of prospective tenants in mind. A college student won’t be looking for the same thing a young family just starting out would.

Business Enterprise

We live in an era of side-hustles where people either ply their hobby or a second job as a way to generate extra income. The great thing about side-hustles is that they can become someone’s main job and keep growing from there. They often just need a place where they can grow. Converting a basement into a business can provide that place. After all, Bill Gates started Microsoft in his basement.

Turning a basement into a business means renovating to suit the business’s needs. A bakery has different requirements than a hobby electronics shop or boutique hair salon. The same goes for any needed amenities like bathrooms for employees and customers.

A Multimedia Experience

Building a home theater, game room, or man cave is a good option; all those can even be one and the same, but why limit oneself? Telecommunications has morphed beyond electronics being made with a dedicated use in mind. How we utilize them in the home has also changed, as the various smart devices have shown.

Make a virtual family room where you can stay connected to distant loved ones via video calls. People living several states away can virtually visit and even share meals. The basement can also be made into a mini studio for those who create content for YouTube, stream games, or enjoy producing podcasts.

Any radical basement renovation project, or even milder ones like hanging drywall and installing a ceiling, will need things like permits and inspections. Depending on the nature of the project, there will likely be zoning issues to research before starting, and some neighborhood groups may require a vote for additions like an apartment or business. Get everything approved, and enjoy a home addition that adds value, enjoyment, and maybe even some profit.

How to choose the best vacuum cleaner

April 9, 2020 by Mandy

Having a clean home is the dream of many. But there are times when even though you clean your floor hard and long, and there are still patches of dirt on it. This may be the fault of your vacuum cleaner.

Many use a good old fashioned broom to get rid of the dirt from the floor. But the vacuum cleaner is the new and modern way to clean the floor. May it be granite or hardwood floors, there are different types of vacuum cleaners to manage the cleaning.

If you want to find the best vacuum for tiles, then you can visit vacuumcleanerpicks. This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and it is an affiliate advertising program that’s designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

So, this website offers many options for all those who are looking for a suitable vacuum cleaner for their floors. Here are some things to keep in mind before choosing a vacuum cleaner.

Brush rolls in the cleaner

If the vacuum cleaner has a highly spinning Brush roll, then it is not suitable for some surfaces. It is okay to use spinning brush rolls on floors with some dirt, but it is unwise to use them on the floor with pebbles or small stones. Because it can cause damage to the machine. In that case, make sure you turn off the brush roll or reduce its speed before using the cleaner.

The suction power of vacuums

Make sure you buy vacuums with the needed suction power. Don’t purchase vacuums with high power. Even when you buy them, make sure to reduce the suction power when you start using it. Most of the vacuum cleaners are in a power range of 100-300 AW, and the power is in the 600 – 1400 Watts range and the currents are in the 5 – 12 Amps.

Proper air filtration

The better the air filtration, the better the vacuum cleaner. Most of the vacuum cleaners claim that they are HEPA vacuum cleaners. But HEPA cleaners can clean 99.97% of 0.3 microns or larger particles. The more the filtration power, the more dirt the filter can suck in. Make sure you get a vacuum cleaner with good air filtration.

Don’t use steam mops often

Steam mops are a great way to sanitize and clean the floor surface. It is effective on the hardwood floor as well as marble floors. However, using steam mops with cleaning liquids for long periods can cause damage to the floor. So one must be careful while using steam mops. It must be used occasionally.

Here are some of the best vacuum cleaners you can buy

Shark APEX AZ1002 DuoClean

This vacuum cleaner has two brush rolls. It is suitable for hardwood floors as well as carpeted floors. Moreover, it is convertible and can be used as a main upright vacuum cleaner as well as a carpet cleaner. It is suitable for bare floors as well as carpeted and elevated areas. Shark Apex has floor type controls, including a Hard Floor setting, Low-Pile Carpets, High-Pile Carpets.

Miele Complete C2 Hard Floor

This is another vacuum cleaner on the list, but it is not suitable for heavily carpeted floors. It is suitable for low pile carpeting and bare floors. One can also use it on curtains and upholstery. It makes minimum noise. But it isn’t ideal for heavily soiled carpets. It also offers an automatic dirtbag feature, which notifies you when you need to change the bag in the vacuum cleaner.

Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean

Dyson’s vacuum cleaner is best for large houses and apartments with pets and people with breathing problems. It is an upright vacuum cleaner, which is huge and can be converted. You can clean the floor as well as the ceiling with it. It has a multiple filtration system, which makes it the best vacuum cleaner in the market. Moreover, it has a bag capacity of 1.8 liters, which is enormous.

Bissell 2254 CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet Vacuum Cleaner

Bissell’s vacuum cleaner is an affordable option to choose from. One can use it even if they don’t have any pets. It is an upright vacuum cleaner that can be used on the hardwood floors as well as carpet. But the bristles of the brushes are long, and one can’t turn off the brushes while cleaning. So it is better to hold the cleaner a bit high, which cleaning the bare floor to prevent the damage.

Vacuum cleaners are an essential part of the household. While choosing one, you must keep in mind, is it going to fulfill your purpose, and is it going to fit your budget. It is better to get a good vacuum cleaner with variable speed brush roll, and multiple air filtration.

4 Common Problems with Home Offices

March 25, 2020 by Mandy

If you’re like most people on the planet, you’re probably spending a lot more time than usual in your home these days. What’s more, many employees already work remotely from their own homes fairly frequently. On the surface, there are many advantages to working from home. After all, remote workers can skip the commute, set their own itinerary, and work at their own pace. Yet, many home offices aren’t effective work spaces, and professionals may suffer a dip in productivity as a result. With that in mind, today we’ll examine four common problems with home offices so that you can identify and address them accordingly.

Noise Pollution

Home offices need to be private spaces. Period. It’s very easy for remote workers to get distracted by others in their house. As such, noise pollution from kids, significant others, roommates, and even neighbors can act to break concentration and ruin a day’s work. Do your best to ensure that your home office is sufficiently isolated and that you have items like noise-canceling headphones on hand to help you stay on the task at hand.

Tech Troubles

Ideally, home offices should afford professionals the chance to do basically everything they would normally do while at their place of work. This means that home offices need to be able to accommodate your tech needs. First and foremost, solid WiFi is a must. Beyond that, home offices may also require quality microphones and cameras for video conferencing. Additionally, some pros may even need a printer and/or a fax machine to handle their workload properly.

Cramped Conditions

Unless you are very well off, odds are you don’t have tons of free space to create the home office of your dreams. Still, way too many home offices turn out to be cramped, cluttered spaces that certainly aren’t conducive to good work. To combat this problem, make it a point to clean your desk area on a regular basis, and remove any furniture or fixtures that you don’t need. Don’t wait until spring to do cleaning –– especially if you notice a stale smell in the air!

Poor Lighting

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a blog about a new type of ultrasonic mixer, or you’re troubleshooting software issues, sunlight can help boost your energy levels throughout the day. Of course, not every home office has access to lots of sunlight. If you can’t open windows and let in sunlight that way, consider investing in modern light bulbs that are both energy-efficient and sufficiently bright. This is a small purchase that can pay big dividends in the long run.

How to Design a Playroom in a Rental Apartment

March 11, 2020 by Mandy

Life with kids is unpredictable. And, because there’s a great need for flexibility, many people choose the freedom that comes with renting instead of traditional homeownership. Although renting an apartment may mean you’ll need to make several adjustments that require a landlord’s approval, there are also smart ways to make the most of your living situation.

Even if you’re renting in Washington, D.C., New York City, or Seattle—cities that are notorious for small apartments—there are a variety of tricks you can use to design the perfect spots for your kids, including a beautiful, creative playroom. Here are a few to consider.

Outline

The location you choose for the playroom can make all the difference. If possible, choose a corner of a room next to a window. This will maximize the space that can be used. Plus, natural light is extremely important, so try to pick a spot with a large window. Next, divide the corner into two worktops—which can also double as storage space—along each wall; these will serve as places where you and your kids can read, doodle, color, or play whenever a flat surface is required.

The center of the space will then be available for activities such as playing with toys, dancing, reading, pretend play, and more. This will simply be a space marked by a nice, comfy carpet. If you’d like, you can even add some comfortable chairs or bean bags, just nothing that will block the way.

Furniture

The items you choose for the playroom need to be as efficient as possible to save room. For example, for the worktops, consider using storage cubes and instead of stacking them on top of each other, line them up against the wall to keep the top at a low level so your kids can reach it. Just make sure to anchor heavier pieces of furniture to avoid any risk of injury.

You can also add foldable, fabric cubes to hide away toys and other objects. Display some books and a number of toys or puzzles so the kids can make their own choices from a limited selection without becoming overwhelmed. You can also use one of the cubes as a tiny desk; just add a small chair and a lamp. You can keep crayons and pencils there, as well.

For the middle of the action, invest in a high-quality carpet. You and your kids will be there quite often, so it’s essential that the carpet is easy to clean, safe, and comfortable. Also, don’t overdo it on colors for this area as that can become tiring. Instead, go for a neutral-colored rug.

It’s also a good idea to include some items for when your kids are tired; think about bean bags or comfortable armchairs, which can double as resting spots. Also, keep some throw pillows and blankets nearby to cozy up the space in no time.

Décor

As mentioned above, too many bright colors can be overstimulating. The playroom should be a soothing place, so select more balanced color combinations. Don’t be afraid to use darker colors, as well; in fact, you can actually paint part of a wall with charcoal paint to give your kids a designated area for wall doodling.

As for the décor itself, invest in a high-quality lighting system to provide natural-like light on cloudy days. Hang some artworks on the walls—such as your kids’ own drawings and doodles. You can also have a small sound system to play some relaxing music every now and then. Whatever you think might stimulate the kids’ imagination and foster their creativity is good; just don’t overdo it.

One extra tip is not to cover the window entirely. If there’s rain outside, let the kids see and hear the drops; it will make the space all the more tranquil. Conversely, if there’s sunshine, allow it to diffuse into the room and fill it with warm light.

In the end, the most important thing is how you feel when you spend time together in the playroom. The environment influences these feelings, so make sure to think about the design and fit it to your specific needs.

About the author: Mihaela Buzec is a passionate reader and writer with an affinity for language and linguistics, as well as the latest technological developments. She discovered her passion for real estate at RENTCafé, and you can read more of her articles on their blog.