It's a brand new year. So why not pep up the office (or the home office) for a brand new start. May be you could get some new office furniture, office supplies, a brand new Apple Macintosh or a nice comfortable ergonomic office chair for yourself! Ah, I know what you are thinking about. Don't you worry. You don't need to burn a hole in your pocket.
Just visit OfficeDeals.info to grab thousands of discount coupons, coupon codes and promotional offers from OfficeDepot.com, Staples.com, Office Max, Vistaprint, Apple Store, HP Store, Dell Computer, Best Buy, Stamps.com and hundreds of other stores selling office supplies, discount office furniture and computers.
OfficeDeals.info scours the Internet for new discount coupons, coupon codes and promotional offers and the website is updated on a daily basis.
I would only wish they added an RSS feed, so that I could get the latest discount coupons, coupon codes and promotional offers right in my feed reader, the moment they are published.
OfficeDeals.info might also be useful if your are looking for some useful tips on getting a small business credit card, setting up a home business, benefits of a home business and tips on working from home.
» Continue reading
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Don't say yech!
Before you click away from the page, let me tell you that the cockroach is not that a scary or dirty as you think, says a Taiwanese study. To start with, its eye is an arrangement of around 3,000 lenses and it can smell food over 20 metres away.It breathes through body holes called spiracles that can be closed with a kind of hairy lid. So, if you flush a roach down the toilet, it doesn't drown; it just shuts off the holes and swims to safety! The best thing it does is eat up your garbage. You don't scream when you see the garbage man just because he works amongst rubbish, right? » Continue reading
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Awash in Wash
The average person generates hundreds of kilos of dirty clothes a year, but few of us wash them correctly. Simple steps for cleaner loads:
- If you use a top-loading washing machine, fill a few inches of water, add detergent and then the clothes. Few of us do it in this order, but it can make a difference to the cleaning.
- Wait five minutes to add chlorine bleach. Detergent and bleach fight each other when added together. You may get a poorer performance than if you'd just used detergent.
- Don't mix powder and liquid detergents. Powders and liquids are different chemically, and they may inhibit each other if used together.
- Use the heater sparingly. Heating consumes 25 times more power than a cold wash, which is quite efficient if you use a good detergent.
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The Dirty Kitchen
In Europe they're called sculleries; in North America, dirty kitchens. Whatever the name, these rooms allow you to segregate the messy aspects of food prep from your eat-in kitchen -- a big selling point for people who entertain a lot.
Often connected to the main kitchen, a dirty kitchen is generally smaller. Inside you put the gear you don't want guests to see: a second oven for sauces that spatter and bubble, a counter for slicing, a king-size sink, garbage cans and a door so you can take garbage out easily. You can make all the mess you want -- and just close the door when the guests arrive.
» Continue reading
Often connected to the main kitchen, a dirty kitchen is generally smaller. Inside you put the gear you don't want guests to see: a second oven for sauces that spatter and bubble, a counter for slicing, a king-size sink, garbage cans and a door so you can take garbage out easily. You can make all the mess you want -- and just close the door when the guests arrive.
» Continue reading
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Want to improve the quality of your life?
Go scrub the loo! Japanese fortune-tellers are now advising happiness-junkies to start by scrubbing the smallest room. A book titled Cleaning the Toilet to Attract Luck has been published to outline the correct method on how to attract good fortune using a brush and an array of cleaning fluids.
"Don't just wipe the floor, polish it," the book instructs. "It's important to maintain a positive mood while cleaning." So it is bye-bye Dale Carnegie and welcome Harpic! » Continue reading
"Don't just wipe the floor, polish it," the book instructs. "It's important to maintain a positive mood while cleaning." So it is bye-bye Dale Carnegie and welcome Harpic! » Continue reading
Read more on Home, Personality Development
Create a classy and vintage habitat
The Western cowboy theme is a great way to make your home fun, comfortable, and functional. One of the reasons people prefer the Western home decor over contemporary home decor is that it reminds them of a favorite trip to a place where nature abounds. It also brings to mind movies of old Westerns with tumbleweeds blowing around and rugged singing cowboys. A home filled with Western home furnishings is warm and inviting, with lots of visual interest. Its a wonderful way to welcome family and friends, and provides a relaxing retreat from the distractions of a challenging day.
Suitable advise from a professional home decorator is highly recommended before selecting the products and accessories. WesternCowboyHomeDecor.com has got online resources to help you design and decorate your Western home. Although very simple, the site offers loads of advice on transforming your home into a Western cowboy theme. They have detailed advice on Western lamps and lighting, cowboy bedding, cowboy baby bedding, dinnerware, cowboy fabric, cowboy curtains and cowboy figurines.
Sometimes, we may not realize it, but the furnishings and accessories we choose for our home are often a reflection of our interests and personalities. Taking the time to carefully find the right pieces will create the ideal home environment that we can enjoy and feel extremely proud of for many years to come. » Continue reading
Suitable advise from a professional home decorator is highly recommended before selecting the products and accessories. WesternCowboyHomeDecor.com has got online resources to help you design and decorate your Western home. Although very simple, the site offers loads of advice on transforming your home into a Western cowboy theme. They have detailed advice on Western lamps and lighting, cowboy bedding, cowboy baby bedding, dinnerware, cowboy fabric, cowboy curtains and cowboy figurines.
Sometimes, we may not realize it, but the furnishings and accessories we choose for our home are often a reflection of our interests and personalities. Taking the time to carefully find the right pieces will create the ideal home environment that we can enjoy and feel extremely proud of for many years to come. » Continue reading
Living in style with a well furnished home
Who wouldn't want to live in a posh, well furnished mansion? If you live in the US and are looking forward to furnish your home, you would want to consider checking out FurnitureFromHome.com, an exclusively online furniture store who claim that their prices are generally better than the brick and mortar stores. They have been into business since September, 2003.
They have a neat website with stylish design and great pictures of bedroom sets, living room sets, dining room sets, home office furniture and leather furniture. Items worth a look on their website are the pop up tv cart, bar stools, storage beds and the dining room furniture. All of their products come with at least 1 year guarantee.
Once you get your brand new furniture, you might want to know the kind of finish that has been used on your furniture. To find out you will have to do a solvent test. Dip cotton in some nail polish remover or acetone and rub over an area that is not easily visible. If the finish softens then the finish is nitrocellulose lacquer, which is the most popular finish in the furniture industry. If the finish softens with alcohol then the finish is shellac. If it does not soften with either acetone or alcohol then the finish is varnish, polyurethane, catalyzed lacquer etc. that cannot be dissolved by its original solvent. » Continue reading
They have a neat website with stylish design and great pictures of bedroom sets, living room sets, dining room sets, home office furniture and leather furniture. Items worth a look on their website are the pop up tv cart, bar stools, storage beds and the dining room furniture. All of their products come with at least 1 year guarantee.
Once you get your brand new furniture, you might want to know the kind of finish that has been used on your furniture. To find out you will have to do a solvent test. Dip cotton in some nail polish remover or acetone and rub over an area that is not easily visible. If the finish softens then the finish is nitrocellulose lacquer, which is the most popular finish in the furniture industry. If the finish softens with alcohol then the finish is shellac. If it does not soften with either acetone or alcohol then the finish is varnish, polyurethane, catalyzed lacquer etc. that cannot be dissolved by its original solvent. » Continue reading
The evolution of the garage
The garage has evolved from just being a space to park and fix cars to your personal abode to craft home improvement projects, make wine, flex your muscles or even start up a business. In such a scenario, your garage deserves to look its finest.Cracks in the concrete floor and paint/oil stains are the most common problems with all garage floors. Such floors are sometimes easier just covered with tile. New concrete floors are best treated with a garage floor coating like epoxy which is not only easy to clean but also gives your garage a complete face lift. » Continue reading
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Battling the termite menace
Have you ever faced a termite attack at home? Hope not. But if you have, you know the kind of damage it causes. It's really very heartbreaking to see your expensive furniture reduced to dust.
We faced a termite attack in our apartment building a couple of years ago. The wood work from the ground floor up until the floor below our's was completely eaten away. The termites had just reached our front door when they were caught red handed. Or it could be rather this way that they were not able to penetrate into the high quality of Burma teak wood used in the furniture and paneling in our apartment. Whatever it may be, we could only thank God for saving us from a huge damage.
The problem with termites is, you realize it too late. When the piece of furniture has already been damaged. You should keep a constant check on them. You can find some useful information to prevent termite attacks, detect and kill them early and also some photos of termites at KillTheTermites.com.
And remember: the war against them is never finished. The moment you feel you can relax can be the one they are organizing themselves for a new battle. » Continue reading
We faced a termite attack in our apartment building a couple of years ago. The wood work from the ground floor up until the floor below our's was completely eaten away. The termites had just reached our front door when they were caught red handed. Or it could be rather this way that they were not able to penetrate into the high quality of Burma teak wood used in the furniture and paneling in our apartment. Whatever it may be, we could only thank God for saving us from a huge damage.
The problem with termites is, you realize it too late. When the piece of furniture has already been damaged. You should keep a constant check on them. You can find some useful information to prevent termite attacks, detect and kill them early and also some photos of termites at KillTheTermites.com.
And remember: the war against them is never finished. The moment you feel you can relax can be the one they are organizing themselves for a new battle. » Continue reading
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Quick fix your home
These quick fix-ups favoured by contractors will leave any visitors -- from prospective buyers to holiday guests -- with a strong impression of your home:
Knock, knock. Give the front door a polished look by applying two coats of stain finish paint. Flat paint is too dull and gloss too shiny.
Enrich the sole. Insert extra rubber padding under well-travelled carpeted areas, so you get that luxurious squish sensation when you walk there.
Beautify the bath-room. Polish or replace sink fixtures and install an inexpensive shower head that has many different adjustments. TO clean grout, a tooth-brush with bleach(40%) and water (60%) often does the trick.
Kitchen aids. Replace cabinet knobs and pulls (which you can buy without spending too much), says a re-modeller. Buff dull laminate counter-tops, using a nonabrasive scrubbing pad and nonabrasive, non-acidic cleaner. If counter-top damage is significant, have the bad section removed and replaced. Or cover it with a copper board.
Touch up. Instead of repainting the entire house, touch up grimy wall areas with paint of the same shade.
» Continue reading
Knock, knock. Give the front door a polished look by applying two coats of stain finish paint. Flat paint is too dull and gloss too shiny.
Enrich the sole. Insert extra rubber padding under well-travelled carpeted areas, so you get that luxurious squish sensation when you walk there.
Beautify the bath-room. Polish or replace sink fixtures and install an inexpensive shower head that has many different adjustments. TO clean grout, a tooth-brush with bleach(40%) and water (60%) often does the trick.
Kitchen aids. Replace cabinet knobs and pulls (which you can buy without spending too much), says a re-modeller. Buff dull laminate counter-tops, using a nonabrasive scrubbing pad and nonabrasive, non-acidic cleaner. If counter-top damage is significant, have the bad section removed and replaced. Or cover it with a copper board.
Touch up. Instead of repainting the entire house, touch up grimy wall areas with paint of the same shade.
» Continue reading
Read more on Home
Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite
In hotels, dormitories and even private homes, bed bugs are literally crawling out of the woodwork. Experts think the resurgence is due both to a lack of routine spraying for the pests and an uptick in international travel in recent years. The varmints, who feed at night and look for hiding places during the day, sometimes end up in travellers' suitcases and clothing.
Follow your nose. The bugs emit a sickly sweet odour. If a hotel room has one, leave and tell management why. Itchy pink bumps like mosquito bites could mean trouble: Look for reddish brown bugs about 5mm long, and rust-coloured stains on sheets.
Keep them at bay. The bugs travel from the floor to the bed to feast. Smear petroleum jelly around the feet of the bed to stop them.
To learn more about bed bug treatment, visit BedBugsGuide.com » Continue reading
Follow your nose. The bugs emit a sickly sweet odour. If a hotel room has one, leave and tell management why. Itchy pink bumps like mosquito bites could mean trouble: Look for reddish brown bugs about 5mm long, and rust-coloured stains on sheets.
Keep them at bay. The bugs travel from the floor to the bed to feast. Smear petroleum jelly around the feet of the bed to stop them.
To learn more about bed bug treatment, visit BedBugsGuide.com » Continue reading
Read more on Home, Travel and Holiday
Where to find help creating an ideal home in the UK?
Anglian Home Improvements has been helping customers make their ideal home in the UK since 1969 and have pioneered the concept of customised home solutions. Anglian promises to help you renovate your home without spending a fortune. From the design to the installation, they will provide you with friendly and professional service through the entire process.
They offer a variety of products and services for homes, including beautiful customizable driveways in many different designs suitable for modern homes. Adding a well designed driveway to your home not only gives a face lift to your home but also increases your home's value.
Anglian products come with a whopping 10-Year guarantee on parts and labour on all of their windows, doors and conservatories and a 15-year guarantee on sealed-gas units.
You can apply for a free quote online on their website. Also check out their website to find special offers on energy efficient windows and doors, kitchens, garage doors, conservatories, rooftrim and much more. » Continue reading
They offer a variety of products and services for homes, including beautiful customizable driveways in many different designs suitable for modern homes. Adding a well designed driveway to your home not only gives a face lift to your home but also increases your home's value.
Anglian products come with a whopping 10-Year guarantee on parts and labour on all of their windows, doors and conservatories and a 15-year guarantee on sealed-gas units.
You can apply for a free quote online on their website. Also check out their website to find special offers on energy efficient windows and doors, kitchens, garage doors, conservatories, rooftrim and much more. » Continue reading
Microwave Myths Zapped!
Myth 1: Microwave ovens are dangerous.
Microwaves are comparatively safe, but take care when using any heating device. If your oven is very old you may wish to have the seals checked by a qualified microwave engineer. Be cautious when removing food covers to avoid scalds from escaping steam.
Myth 2: Microwaved food gets hotter when you take it out.
Microwaves aren't bouncing around in the food after the oven has been switched off. In fact food will begin to cool immediately.
Let it stand for a few minutes so the outer and inner temperatures even up. The food may continue cooking as this happens.
Myth 3: Microwaves cook from the inside out.
Microwaves penetrate at most only about 2.5 to 5cms into food. But this creates enough heat for the rest of the food to be cooked by conduction, as in a conventional oven."
Myth 4: Microwaves heat only water.
Water molecules do absorb microwave energy. But once the water has vaporized, fats and proteins absorb the energy and heat beyond water's boiling point, 100 degrees C.
Also read: Max the Micro! » Continue reading
Microwaves are comparatively safe, but take care when using any heating device. If your oven is very old you may wish to have the seals checked by a qualified microwave engineer. Be cautious when removing food covers to avoid scalds from escaping steam.
Myth 2: Microwaved food gets hotter when you take it out.
Microwaves aren't bouncing around in the food after the oven has been switched off. In fact food will begin to cool immediately.
Let it stand for a few minutes so the outer and inner temperatures even up. The food may continue cooking as this happens.
Myth 3: Microwaves cook from the inside out.
Microwaves penetrate at most only about 2.5 to 5cms into food. But this creates enough heat for the rest of the food to be cooked by conduction, as in a conventional oven."
Myth 4: Microwaves heat only water.
Water molecules do absorb microwave energy. But once the water has vaporized, fats and proteins absorb the energy and heat beyond water's boiling point, 100 degrees C.
Also read: Max the Micro! » Continue reading
Home and energy savings
How much do you pay for wasted energy each year? Start saving now with each of these home appliances:
Fridge: Reduce door openings. Running it on 'low' or 'mid' cool, especially in colder weather, saves power. If it's an old fridge, have the door checked for costly air-leaks.
AC: "An AC is best installed under an outside shade or parapet," says Mili Majumdar of Delhi's Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI). It works much like its cousin, the fridge, so have all open gaps around windows, lofts and around the AC itself sealed off. Control sunlight with curtains or blinds. Keep the AC's exhaust shut. Setting its thermostat 'high' can be wasteful.
Washing machine: Reduce your weekly wash cycles by loading the machine to capacity. Front-loaders use less power and water than top-loaders. "A heater can consume five times more power," points out Dr V.B.Bhatia, professor of physics at Delhi University. Use the heater only for very soiled clothes and don't set it above 50ºC. A good detergent often eliminates the need for a hot-wash.
Lights: Tubes give much more light than bulbs of the same wattage. Hate their stark-white light? The new yellowish tubes mimic bulbs.
Fans: Switch to electronic regulators. They waste much less energy.
Iron: Dampen bone-dry clothes or use a steam-iron -- to finish faster," says Prof Bhatia.
Oven: Three cakes baked together doesn't use up much more power than baking just one.
Pressure cooker: After it starts to whistle, turn the flame down to "low," says TERI's Majumdar. This original PC is a home's best energy saver -- cook with it as far as possible. » Continue reading
Fridge: Reduce door openings. Running it on 'low' or 'mid' cool, especially in colder weather, saves power. If it's an old fridge, have the door checked for costly air-leaks.
AC: "An AC is best installed under an outside shade or parapet," says Mili Majumdar of Delhi's Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI). It works much like its cousin, the fridge, so have all open gaps around windows, lofts and around the AC itself sealed off. Control sunlight with curtains or blinds. Keep the AC's exhaust shut. Setting its thermostat 'high' can be wasteful.
Washing machine: Reduce your weekly wash cycles by loading the machine to capacity. Front-loaders use less power and water than top-loaders. "A heater can consume five times more power," points out Dr V.B.Bhatia, professor of physics at Delhi University. Use the heater only for very soiled clothes and don't set it above 50ºC. A good detergent often eliminates the need for a hot-wash.
Lights: Tubes give much more light than bulbs of the same wattage. Hate their stark-white light? The new yellowish tubes mimic bulbs.
Fans: Switch to electronic regulators. They waste much less energy.
Iron: Dampen bone-dry clothes or use a steam-iron -- to finish faster," says Prof Bhatia.
Oven: Three cakes baked together doesn't use up much more power than baking just one.
Pressure cooker: After it starts to whistle, turn the flame down to "low," says TERI's Majumdar. This original PC is a home's best energy saver -- cook with it as far as possible. » Continue reading
Read more on Home
Do your kids have dinner with you?
If so, they probably eat better than those who don't dine with their parents. In a recent Harvard study of 16,000 children ages nine to 14, 24% of those who dined daily with their family got the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables, compared with 13% of those who rarely or never shared meals at home. They also ate less fried food, drank less aerated drinks, and consumed more calcium, fibre, iron and vitamins C and E. Says Dr Matthew W. Gillman, lead investigator of the study at Harvard, "There are two possible explanations. When kids eat with their parents, there may be more nutritious food on the table. Or maybe there's a discussion of healthful eating."
» Continue reading
Keeping out the creatures
Want to keep your home from being invaded by roaches, ants and termites? Here's how:
- Trim back tree branches that overhang your roof. Many insects gain access to homes from tree limbs, and work their way in through small opening and vents.
- Keep leaves and other dead plant material 15 to 30 cms away from your home's outer walls. They retain moisture and attract pests.
- Look for tiny gaps around windows, at joints and corners, and between door-frames. Insects can easily squeeze through. If you see activity, spray insecticide into the cracks, let dry, and then close with a household seal. Even otherwie, just seal off cracks and gaps.
- Watch for insulation or sawdust-like debris around the house, in attics and in crawl spaces -- a possible sign that ants or termites are tunnelling through. Remove moisture sources and replace rotted wood or boards immediately.
- Call a pest-control company if you need to.
Read more on Home
Max the Micro!
To use your microwave oven even more effectively:- Cook in round vessels. Rectangular one are less effective because they come closer to the power source (on the oven's side) as the dish rotates, and may heat food unevenly, even burn some portions.
- Microwaves are more evenly distributed on a flat plate, and therefore cooking time is reduced.
- Use several smaller containers, instead of one large one, to speed up the cooking process. This way, you can also simultaneously hand out a number of small servings to family or guests.
Read more on Food, Gadgets, Home, Tips and Tricks
Make light work to decorate your home
When decorating your home, consider these illuminating tips on creative lighting, from lamp-magnate Christopher Wray:- Use lighting to define an area -- table and floor lamps can mark zones in a large room where, for instance, one end is for eating and the other for dining.
- Place several floor lamps that beam light upwards to guid the eye along a particular route, or set them behind a plant or sofa to create a soft glow.
- With floor-standing (pedestal) lamps, fitting sockets in the floor will reduce the length of flex wire.
- If you fancy a chandelier, remember it was origially meant to hold candles, so use very low-watt light bulbs.
- Fit dimmer switches to everything -- varying light levels will help set the mood for each part of the day.
Read more on Home, Lifestyle, Tips and Tricks
How much TV do you need?
As new sets become home theaters, you have questions
What is stereo in/out?
It's a must if you plan to hook up the set to your stereo or home-theatre speakers.
What's an S-Video input?
It delivers a better picture than the older "video input." It's key if you plan to plug a DVD player or game console into the set.
What are component-video inputs?
They produce a clearer picture than S-Video -- worth it only if you're going to use a DVD that has a component-video output. Component video splits colour and brightness signals, a process that makes the picture more vivid.
What's a comb filter?
It keeps a picture crisp by separating brightness and colour portions of a video signal. Older sets use glass comb filters. New, pricier models come with 3-D digital comb filters. » Continue reading
What is stereo in/out?
It's a must if you plan to hook up the set to your stereo or home-theatre speakers.
What's an S-Video input?
It delivers a better picture than the older "video input." It's key if you plan to plug a DVD player or game console into the set.
What are component-video inputs?
They produce a clearer picture than S-Video -- worth it only if you're going to use a DVD that has a component-video output. Component video splits colour and brightness signals, a process that makes the picture more vivid.
What's a comb filter?
It keeps a picture crisp by separating brightness and colour portions of a video signal. Older sets use glass comb filters. New, pricier models come with 3-D digital comb filters. » Continue reading
Read more on Home
