Green Verified Homes

How to Achieve a Healthy Green Home

Carpet cleaning is more than just about getting stains out of your carpets or rugs, its about health as well. Many people take it for granted that when they have the carpeting in their homes professionally cleaned their home will be healthier as well. Thankfully more green carpet cleaners are growing in popularity because awareness of how cleaning can make for a healthy home is growing. Unfortunately this is not always the case, in fact its often just the opposite. So what are some things to avoid when you are looking to hire a carpet cleaning service?

What should I avoid?

• Companies that use unnatural chemical solutions in their cleaning process
• Businesses that don’t offer any type of guarantee
• Cleaners that put down excess water during the job

Chemical solutions can be harmful not only to you but especially if you have children or pets that might be especially sensitive to these agents and also might spend more time sitting or lying on your carpets. And whats the point of hiring a professional if there is no guarantee for their work? Any carpet cleaner confident in their abilities and their business will offer some type of guarantee. Excess water put down during the job can be extremely bad for many reasons. For one, it takes days to dry. During this time you should stay off the carpets or rugs because they are easier to track dirt on, not to mention the fact that you probably don’t want to step on a wet floor. In addition, excess water can be a breeding ground for bacteria and germs. A wet carpet is just not conducive to a healthy home.

On the other side of the coin, look for a company that guarantees their work like the Chemdry franchise who uses dryer cleaning methods and puts down only natural cleaners down on your carpets during the entire process. Follow this advice and you will have a healthier home free from carpet stains, just look at the testimonials for proof.

Most of the skepticism behind climate change has tapered off. It is hard to deny the facts that ice is melting and areas are getting warmer. More than that, it is clear that humans and our growth into the industrial era are the primary contributing cause. The amount of time that humans have been on the earth is incomprehensibly small, let alone the time span that we have had modern machines that emit greenhouse gases. The impact we can have on the global environment in that short amount of time should be seriously concerning to an educated person. That being said, it is everyone’s responsibility, especially those of us in the developed world, to reduce their own carbon footprint.

Commit to an energy efficient home. Small things like replacing your incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent light bulbs can be a big energy saver. Look for Energy Star ratings on everything from windows to air conditioning units. If you’re not sure what brands have the best ratings, ask your local HVAC company like One Hour Heating and Air. This seems like a hastle when you’re AC unit brings and you need to get a cooling system back up and running ASAP, but remember that a little extra research will pay off both for wallet in reduced utility bills and for the environment. There’s no excuse for being wasteful with energy anymore.

Be smart about transportation. As always, one of the biggest culprits in carbon emission in America is the culture of individual personal vehicles. Our bus, train, and subway system is terribly underdeveloped. This stems from the immense size of our country and preference for independence in all things, but there are still things we can do. Carpool whenever you know you’re heading the same direction as someone. Secondly, ride a bike. You will get healthier with the routine exercise, and you’d be surprised how many trips in your car you can eliminate with just a bike ride under 15 minutes.

Which is Better for your Home

When its time to have your carpets cleaned, there are a few different things to consider. For one, how much are you willing to spend? Secondly, which company are you going to choose for the work? Finally, it’s a good idea to look into the methods that are going to be used on your carpets. Far too many people, think just because they are hiring a specialist, they don’t have to worry about the process itself.

One of the biggest differences between the types of services is whether the cleaning is going to use wet or dry methods. Most wet methods involves steam cleaning where the carpeting is soaked before the steam now in the form of water is then sucked back out of the carpets and hopefully all of the dirt too. One of the biggest problems with this is that its difficult to get all of the water back up. And when the carpets stay damp, there are some big drawbacks. For one, it’s a breeding ground for bacteria, and secondly it takes hours or even days to dry so you have to avoid walking on them during this time.

This is one of the reasons I found http://chemdryduval.com/, a local ChemDry francise near my area. All of the ChemDry’s do carpet cleaning differently because they use a much more advanced method in my opinion. Instead of putting down water, they use carbonation so they can use much less moisture. When your carpets are dry, they are healthy and you can use them right away. After years of using other services, im glad I found a better solution.

A great way to increase the energy efficiency of your home is by installing new energy efficient windows. Not all energy efficient windows will provide you with the same result and you have to be careful about which products you are purchasing for your home. By having the best replacement windows you will help decrease the amount of energy your home consumes which results in the less pollution that is emitted into the environment. It all starts with choosing the right window for your home and then choosing the most professional window contactor to install your windows.

Important! Make sure that you hire a professional window installation company that specializes in the brand that you are installing. If you are unsure you can always check their website to see if they are a certified installer by the brand you are installing.

I wanted to highlight a product that has a very high energy rating and has great aesthetic value for your home. A company called Metropolitan Contractors in Northern Virginia supplies a wonderful product called the Windjammer 40 series. By installing this product in your home you will decrease the costs of energy consumption in your home and ultimately lower the pollution emissions into the atmosphere. This product has many great benefits and features that include:

• Multicavity construction with additional thermal performance
• Added strength
• Coil balance system for easy panel movement
• Dual night latches for optimum ventilation
• Dual weather stripping

All of these features and benefits will give your home added ventilation, lower air infiltration, and easy operation. By preventing unwanted air from entering and leaving your residence your HVAC system will not have to work as hard to constantly cool your home. On top of these great features and benefits they are also customizable in the size and color. These windows come with the industry energy star rating and also with a transferable, limited lifetime warranty. So if you are looking energy efficiency and durability your Windjammer 40 series is the product to run with.

Window tinting is an excellent option if you are looking to keep your tenants or clients comfortable while reducing energy bills for your commercial space in Indianapolis IN. By investing in industrial strength window tinting you can reduce the impact of the sun’s heat by up to 79%. Low-E window film is the best solution if you are looking to reduce cold temperatures in your drafty office space.  However, there are many other reasons to purchase window tint in Indianapolis area commercial spaces.

Severe Weather

If you live or work in the Indianapolis area I’m sure you have experienced extreme winter weather conditions. By investing in 3M window tint you are preparing yourself for the worst. Broken glass is one of the most common damages that commercial spaces experience. If window shards are sent flying they can damage property, or even worse people. Choosing Solar Concepts security window tint is the best option to protect your investment from rain and wind.

Vandalism

Living in a metropolitan area such as Indianapolis mean you are potentially at a higher risk for graffiti and vandalism. Solar Concepts offers a special window film tint that can be applied to the outside of windows, protecting your commercial glass from graffiti. If an individual attempts to scratch or paint the glass the damage will be only on the outer window film as opposed to the window itself. Replacing a window film is a fraction of the cost compared to replacing an entire window.

Environmentally Friendly

Investing in 3M window film is an environmentally conscious choice. You can decrease the amount of air conditioning being used in your commercial space. 3M window tints are also endorsed by the U.S. Green Building Council as part of the Green Initiative. By purchasing window tint from Solar Concepts, you are not only lowering your energy bills but you are also investing in a better future for the entire Indianapolis community.

Plumbers in Boise can do just about anything that involves plumbing. They can unclog drains, install water heaters, and work on septic lines. You’ll never be left in the dark when you go with one of the plumbers in Boise. But how do you go about finding one if you’re new to town? Here are some quick tips.

Do an internet search. I know that seems like common sense, but it’s a really great place to start. You will likely stumble across results like Mr. Rooter Plumbers right away, as every contractor wants to be visible on the web. Here, you can see their phone number, hours of operation and a description of their unique service offerings. Companies love to put their best foot forward on the Internet so expect to see only good things on a contractor’s website.

Ask your friends and neighbors. Social networks are invaluable resources that you should tap into. People will have their own favorite plumbers and you should be able to trust their judgment, since you know them on a personal basis. They will hopefully never steer you in the wrong direction and people are always eager to chat when asked for their opinion on something. Just think; if you trust your friend’s opinion on a good Italian restaurant, then you can trust their word on good plumbers.

Also visit Angie’s List. This is a great site for reviews of local plumbing contractors and most are genuine opinions from homeowners like you. With hundreds of reviews from people in your hometown, you’ll be able to get a good idea on who the most trustworthy plumbers near you are.

With just these few practical tips, you should have no problem finding a good plumbing contractor. Boise and Nampa are full of qualified plumbers ready and to serve their neighborhood at any time of day. Once you find a company you like, keep their number stored somewhere you won’t forget so it is easily accessible should an emergency ever arise.

When you review a few Richmond house painters, you will quickly find out that there are several types out there. Depending on how long they’ve been in business, they will have built strong or weak reputations that haunt them wherever they go. It is your responsibility to check what kind of reputation a house painting contractor has before engaging their services. Here are some of the ways in which you can verify and validate their claims.

Online Reviews

A serious house painter will have an online presence because today’s business owners and professional service providers understand the power of the internet and what it can do for them. It doesn’t have to be a fancy website with complicated functionality and superb graphics. Even a simple Facebook page or other social media profile pages are enough to see what other people are saying about them online. Reviews, feedback and everything else will be available for you to go over and narrow down your choice to the two or three that catch your attention.

Testimonials

Another great way to find out what kind of reputation a house painter has built in the area is through testimonials from past clients. A professional outfit will always have a bunch of positive testimonials to give you an idea about what their previous customers think of their work. This is something you can actually ask them for if they haven’t already posted the information on the internet.

References

Another thing you can ask them for is live referees that you can speak to personally to hear what they’re saying about them. When you speak one-to-one with a person about a potentially common service provider, they tend to open up and be honest about their experience. This first-hand knowledge could prove invaluable to your ultimate decision to hire from a slew of Richmond house painters vying for your project.

Visit this website for a great example of a local company that paints houses in the Richmond area, that also fits the criteria above.

Having your refrigerator break on you is one of the worst things that can happen. It’s even worse when you live a busy life working a full-time job and raising young children. Don’t let yourself fall in this trap of appliance failure! Hire the best refrigerator repair and service in Boise.

When you get refrigerator repair and service in Boise, you get a dedicated member of the community who loves helping fellow citizens. Refrigerators break down at the worst possible time and repair specialists are there to save the day. You can also have service on your refrigerator to fix any minor problems you may have. It may not be cool enough and so your food seems to be spoiling quickly. Your refrigerator may be making a strange, loud noise and you can’t quite seem to figure out what it is. A repairman can find out what the matter is and fix it promptly. It’s service you can count on at a price you can afford!

A broken refrigerator is costing you money. When it’s working inefficiently, it’s using more energy to do its job. More energy means more money out of your pocket. You don’t have to stand for this! Get your refrigerator working at maximum power. Your local repairman will be able to diagnose the problem and fix it on the spot. You’ll never have to smell spoiled milk ever again! No one should ever have to!

Most repairs you can keep putting off but your fridge is not one of them. You need to refrigerate anything that’s perishable and you can’t live very long without food. With a good repairman, you’ll open your fridge every day and be glad that you went with a professional. Keep your food fresh with a call to your local refrigerator repair specialist.

Going with my trend of green home improvements for my house in Houston, when it was time to have a fence build in my backyard I wanted to find the most environmentally friendly option out there. Not being familiar with the fencing industry at all, I first started looking into the different materials that fences were commonly made from. There were of course many different types of wood including various types of pine, cedar and oak along with different metal options.

Many people might thing wrought iron or other metal fencing materials might be more environmentally friendly than wood, but this isn’t the case. Metals take a great deal of energy to mine, purify and mold into fencing posts and walls. Wood is much more friendly so it is the direction I decided to go. But I didn’t stop there, because I decided to buy a wood fence from a company you can find in Houston made from white pine. You see, pine grows faster than cedar or oak making it more sustainable than these other options even though they may look great.

While having a fence that was environmentally responsible was my main priority, I still wanted it to be functional and attractive. I got this from the local installers I hired and was really grateful they did such a fantastic job with the building process. Now my fence not only keep my dog inside the yard but establishes the property line and also gives me a greater sense of security. New fences are outstanding investments but I would always tell people to think about the environment before they partake in any home improvement build or other project.

On average, the U.S. Fire Departments respond to about 47,000 electrical fires a year.  Most of these fires are due to an electrical malfunction to devices such as air conditioners, space heaters, washers, and fans.  When it comes to your home and safety, it’s important to consider that your home may be at risk of an electrical fire.  Check your property for any of the visible signs or hire an electrician to do a thorough safety inspection.

Pay Close Attention to the Breaker

Your breaker tripping out right after you’ve reset it is a sign that you have an electrical problem.  Though, on occasion, there may be just too big of an electrical load operating on that circuit.  If it keeps tripping, there is an electrical problem.  Do not keep trying to reset the breaker.  This could result in an electrical fire, so call your local electrician.

Warm Outlet Faceplates

If you notice that an outlet’s faceplate is warm to the touch, it’s most likely the result of an electrical overload on the outlet, loose electrical splice, or undersized wiring.  You can investigate this issue yourself by safely cutting off the power.  Check for burned insulation, loose splices or melted connections.  Check the wattage of the device.  If the wattage is too large for the circuit, move it to another one.

Lights Flickering

The lights flickering or even tripping the circuit breaker can be caused by a loose wiring splice.  The light fixture itself or supply wiring could also be worn out.  Cut the power and check the wiring to the device.  You will want to replace the old connections with new professional types.  If you believe the device itself is the issue, do not hesitate to replace it.

When it comes to your home and safety, it’s best to take all precautions necessary to avoid an electrical fire.  If you are unsure of how to handle any of the situations above on your own, do not take any chances.  Call an expert electrician to look into the issue for you or visit www.bountiful.mrelectric.com for more information.