Professional Tips On How To Clean And Maintain Wool Carpets And Rugs

One of the carpet cleaning questions professional carpet cleaners gets asked the most concerns wool carpets and rugs. Given that we are told that woollen items such as clothes should be washed in a certain way, it is likewise the case that wool rugs and carpets must be cleaned differently from most other rugs and carpets made from alternative materials.

The reasons people buy wool carpets and rugs are that they tend to be durable, they help to keep a room warm, they feel great underfoot, and they also look fantastic, but only if they are cared for properly, including proper cleaning. However, if you clean them using the wrong carpet cleaner solutions, then disaster can strike in the form of damage and, in the worst cases, ruined carpets or rugs meaning a replacement is required.

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5 Tips For Sustaining Your Landscaped Garden During Drought Periods

One issue that homeowners with landscaped gardens have to deal with is periods of drought where there is little rain, and as such, they must take several steps to ensure that their landscape design is maintained appropriately. Several years ago this advice might only have applied to specific areas, however, across the world there are locations whose climate and thus their weather seems a whole lot different than 20 or so years ago.

Primarily, there are places where the word drought was barely mentioned, but where now it is fast becoming a common scenario, and many campaigners claim this is due to global warming and the climate change that it is creating. Whatever your views on climate change and the many claims and counterclaims that are made, you will know yourself what the reality is for your landscaped garden as to whether the amount of rainfall is sufficient or if droughts are more common.

The point is, to the plants, grass, and other faunas in your landscaped garden, opinions on climate change are irrelevant because they will thrive or perish depending on the reality of the amount of rainfall and hydration they receive. As such, you are the one that needs to take action should drought be an issue where you live. To assist you with that, here are five tips that can make those actions effective and beneficial for your landscaping and what grows within it.

Drought Tip #1 – Get Rid Of Clutter And Debris

To anyone that clears their garden of debris and clutter daily, ignore this tip other than continue to follow it. For everyone else, you must know clutter and debris in a garden are not conducive to healthy plants, nor to a thriving lawn. Pet’s and children’s toys, fallen leaves, litter, and other debris stop grass from breathing and it can also prevent precious nutrients and moisture from reaching roots during a drought.

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Pros and Cons Of Composite Decking

Ok, so you have decided you want decking for your garden, and one of the contenders is composite decking, but have you weighed up every pro and con?  We say that because there may have been someone who has told you that composite decking is the only option you should consider. On the other hand, you may have had a friend say that timber decking has to be your choice.

We can understand if your head might be spinning by all the votes for and votes against composite decking  so to help you move your decision along we are going to outline some of the pros and cons of composite decking and do so in as neutral a manner as we can. You might wonder why would want to list the ‘cons’ of composite decking, and that deserves an explanation.

In truth, EVERY product that exists has at least one or two downsides, and anyone who tells you otherwise is doing you a huge disservice. Even though we love composite decking, it is not perfect for everyone, and whilst it has many advantages, there are some disadvantages too, which we have a duty as Sydney deck builders to tell you.

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The Grass is Greener on Your Side – Here’s How

When lawn care hasn’t been your top priority over the years, it’s easy for your lawns to no longer look at their best. You may even be looking at neighbouring properties with envy, wondering if your grass will ever look as vibrant as theirs. It can. In fact, if you focus more on what your lawns are lacking, you may see them end up looking even better than the properties around you.

What to Do First

One of the first things on your to-do list is a soil test. This can help you establish whether your soil is too alkaline, too acidic, or just right. It can also help you understand what your lawn has high levels of, dictating whether or not what you add to it next will do its job.

For example, if your grass has too much copper, it can lack nitrogen and iron. Too much nitrogen and it can lack copper. If your lawns are high in calcium, you may find it lacks magnesium, boron, iron, and potassium. However, if you have too much potassium in your grass, it’s likely to lack magnesium and calcium.

While lawn care can seem like a complicated science, it doesn’t have to. Lawn care experts and even your local garden store worker may be able to shed some light on the nutrients your lawn needs for brightness and vitality.

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Carpet Cleaning for Businesses – Everything You Need to Know

Regular carpet cleaning is a crucial part of running a successful business. However, it’s something that many business owners neglect, largely because of its cost and inconvenience.

Because of this, we decided to put together this complete guide to carpet cleaning for businesses. In it, we’ve outlined everything you need to know before, during, and after the cleaning process.

Before You Get Your Carpets Cleaned

Preparing correctly for the carpet cleaning process is important, especially if you’ve never been through it before. There are a few things that you need to be aware of to ensure the entire process goes smoothly.

For starters, it’s important to do some research to help you choose the right cleaning company. Some carpet cleaners are much more efficient and flexible than others. In a perfect world, you should go for a company who is willing to work on the weekend or at another time when your business isn’t running.

Similarly, you should spend some time preparing your office for cleaning. If possible, move as much furniture and other items out of the room as you can. Identify areas that need special attention, and spend some time dusting baseboards and vacuuming the floors.

On the Cleaning Day

Getting things right on the day of your carpet cleaning is also important. Fortunately, the cleaning contractor that you’ve employed should be able to guide you through the entire process, but we’ve still included a few tips below.

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What Is Nano Glass Protection And Should I Use It?

With the rise in popularity of things like glass balconies and pool fencing, different materials and products have been invented to help maintain the appearance and strength of glass panels. One of the most widespread addition to glass fence or balustrade panels today is nano glass protection, which is offered by many major glass fence retailers in throughout Australia.

Nano glass protection is a protective coating that is added to the surface of pool fencing and balustrade glass panels. If helps to protect them from the elements, as well as making them easier to maintain and keep clean.

What Is Nano Glass Protection?

Basically, nano glass protection is a relatively new technique that involves coating the surface of your glass panels with a protective coating. This coating is tough, transparent and resistant to wear, which means that it will help your pool panels stand up to the test of time – lasting years, or even decades longer than untreated panels!

Variations of nano glass protection are becoming widespread throughout Australia and the world. Different coatings are used by different companies according to their location and the prevailing environmental condition in that location.

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5 Best Hedges to Use for Landscaping

If you aren’t a landscaping expert, it can be a challenge to figure out what plants to establish in your yard and where. It gets even more complicated when you’re trying to create hedges for a sense of charm in your space.

The best thing you can do before landscaping is to hire an expert. They know what to plant and how it will look in your yard before they even begin. However, if you want to do everything yourself, then you need to know which plants will be perfect for hedges. Here’s a list of the most common and preferred below.

Buxus

Buxus must be one of the most common and preferred plants for creating hedges. Buxus, or boxwood as people call it, is an evergreen shrub that people use all the time for sculpting and landscaping. You can shape it, use it as a border plant, and enjoy how little maintenance it requires. It’s also a plant that will thrive in full or partial sun and well-drained soil.

Weeping Bottlebrush

Weeping Bottlebrush, called Callistemon Viminalis, is a common hedge plant in windy and coastal regions. It grows in most soil types, in full sun or partial shade, and requires minimal pruning as they grow. What’s more, the Weeping Bottlebrush is an excellent option for hedging if you live somewhere prone to droughts or frost. It’s hardy and will tackle most weather head-on.

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Everything You Need to Know About Mulching

When you begin putting plans in place to start landscaping, you will hear many people throw around the term ‘mulching’. If you don’t know much about gardening, at least not yet, then you may put it in the “too hard basket” and neglect to do it.

Mulching is an integral part of landscaping, as many experts will tell you, but not everyone knows enough about it. Do you want to be at the top of your game before you get your landscaping plans underway? Here’s everything you need to know about mulch.

What is Mulching?

Mulching is the process of using materials to cover your soil and the space around your plants. Its role is to keep your soil at an even temperature, stop it from blowing away in the wind, keep weeds at bay and to prevent nutrients from being washed away in rainfall.

What Type of Mulch Do I Need to Buy?

Now that you know what mulching is and how important it can be, you will then need to go out and buy some. However, did you know there are all different types on the market? Before you start landscaping, it’s helpful if you have the correct type lined up.

There are two options – organic and inorganic. Organic features grass clippings, bark, straw, and leaves, and almost anything that will break down and benefit your plants. Inorganic, on the other hand, are things like black plastic, landscaping fabric, gravel, rocks, and newspaper.

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Why Taking Your Time with Landscaping is Important

When some people get an idea in their head, they want to run with it and complete it as soon as possible. It could relate to something as straightforward as choosing a new baking recipe, or something challenging like landscape design. While hurrying to complete a project is not something that will always have negative results, in the case of landscaping, it just might.

Taking your time with your landscaping design is crucial, so don’t let your excitement get in the way. Talk through your ideas with an expert team, such as Pool Renovations Perth, or sit on them for a few weeks while you do your research. Here is why you need to sit back and take your time with landscaping.

Keeps it Within Budget

When you want something a certain way, and you want it now, it can come at a price. Let’s say, for example; you wanted a particular type of plant included in your landscape design. At that time of year, it might be hard to get, and what you can get, costs a premium. You end up spending more on something and potentially going over budget, all because you didn’t want to wait.

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Lead in Drinking Water

Warning! Lead to Be Shown Leaching from Brass Taps

The presence of lead in tap water is often due to old plumbing used to bring water to your house and even more often due to the plumbing in your house. When water sits in the pipes for 6 hours or more Lead can seep from the pipes into the water. How can you know if there is lead in your tap water? And what can you do about it if you find it?

A Bit about Lead

Experienced plumbers advise that lead is soft, gray metal that is used in a variety of ways. It was used extensively in plumbing both for making lead pipes and for soldering before it was phased out then banned. Before 1960, paint used inside houses commonly contained lead until it was discovered that paint chips in water or paint dust inhaled were both very toxic.

How Does Lead Get into Our Drinking Water?

Houses built in the 50’s and 60’s often used lead pipes in home plumbing. The service lines bringing water to individual homes were often made of lead. This resulted in high levels of lead in drinking water. Lead solder was used to seal the joints of copper pipes and leas leaked into drinking water from this solder. (more…)