Posts

Drew Barrymore Lists Historic 280-Year-Old Westchester Estate For $5 Million 

/in , /by

Actress Drew Barrymore has put her 280-year-old historical Westchester retreat estate on the market for $5 million after owning it for two years. The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom property has spent the past year being extensively renovated by Barrymore, and now it’s ready to become someone new’s beautiful home.

Read more
garden

Sustainable Fire-Resistant Home Gardens Are On The Rise In The West Coast

/in , /by

Recent wildfires in Los Angeles and the west coast have prompted many homeowners to think differently about the ways in which they organize their outdoor spaces. Specifically, residents are looking for ways to create the most sustainable and fire-resistant gardens to thrive on their property.

Read more
inspection

Real Estate Experts Discuss Signs For Determining When A Home Isn’t Worth The Investment

/in , /by

A group of real estate professionals recently spoke to the media to discuss the signs prospective home-buyers should look for when determining if a home is worth the money or not.

Read more
candle

How Fragrance And Scents In The Home Can Impact Your Overall Air Quality 

/in , /by

We all can relate to the desire of making our space smell good. There’s a multitude of fragrance options currently on the market that can make any home smell good and fresh. However, it’s important to understand the potential dramatic impact on our home’s air quality that these scent options can have.

According to Svetlana Stevanovic’s recent research and reporting for The Conversation, people spend, on average, 85-90% of their time indoors, and inhale around 20,000 liters of air daily. Air pollutants that exist within our homes can arguably become much more harmful than the ones existing outdoors due to how much more time we spend in our houses. 

Embed from Getty Images

These stagnant indoor air pollutants from seemingly harmless fragrance options can have a major impact on our health and wellbeing, and can lead to issues such as eye irritation, respiratory issues, headaches, and more. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency has also reported that levels of indoor air pollutants can get up to three times higher than outdoor pollutants. 

Home scents are made to fill a space with a particular smell that will make our air smell nice, but it also can mean that we’re intentionally releasing a mixture of chemicals in a closed indoor environment, which can lower the overall air quality in a given space. 

According to Stevanovic, air fresheners alon emit more than 100 different chemicals, some of the most harmful being classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

“These VOCs will react with ozone and other indoor oxidants to generate a range of oxidation products, which are potentially toxic molecules. The level of exposure and concentration determines the potential toxicity,” Stevanovic wrote. 

Embed from Getty Images

The type of product and its composition determines the type and amount of pollutants being emitted into the air in your home. All air fresheners produce a high level of VOCs, and legally speaking, air freshener companies don’t have to disclose the chemical composition of their products.

There can be tens or hundreds of chemicals in your air freshener that you wouldn’t even know about because they’re not listed on the product itself. 

“In a study across the United States, Australia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, 32.2% of people were reported to have a sensitivity to fragrance. In those who are sensitive, fragrances are a risk factor for asthma and headaches.”

The best advice when it comes to avoiding an increased level of pollutants in the home is to use fragrances in moderation. When it comes to candles, using soy, beeswax, and any candle that’s labeled as “non-paraffin” and maintaining proper ventilation in the home throughout the day is generally considered to be safe. 

Removing chemical air fragrances, fresheners, and scented candles will have a lasting overall impact on the quality of air in your home. Overall, maintain a level of moderation when it comes to adding fragrance to your home, and consider using air purifiers in combination with ventilation to keep airflow consistent in your home. 

Dog Flowers

Pet Safe Flowers To Brighten Up Your Garden This Summer 

/in , /by

As the summer quickly approaches, many of us are gearing up to beautify our gardens and homes with flowers. For those of us with pets, it’s important to know which flowers are safe to have around the house in case our furry friends decide to do what animals do best and eat something they shouldn’t. 

To ensure all the flowers you buy are non-toxic to your pets, it’s recommended to buy individual bouquets rather than the ones that are pre-assembled. Pre-made bouquets don’t normally have every flower in them listed when you purchase, so it can be hard to tell if everything is safe. 

Like most plants, if ingested, flowers can cause your dog or cat to have an upset stomach, so it’s important to know the least harmful ones you should be reaching for at the garden store. 

Embed from Getty Images

Roses are a classic and safe option for both dogs and cats. Fallen petals that can be accidentally ingested by your pet won’t make them extremely sick, and they come in a wide variety of colors to brighten up any space. If your roses have thorns, try placing them in the least accessible place possible.

Gerber Daisies are some of the most popular flowers among pet-owners as they are both beautiful and safe to have around. Make sure that when you buy these flowers you’re purchasing Gerber Daisies specifically, as other flowers within the daisy family, like chrysanthemums or mums, can be toxic to pets. 

Sunflowers are a classic and safe option for summertime. If the petals or seeds are ingested by a dog or cat, it’s likely that they will experience mild stomach discomfort, but they won’t have any serious health issues. 

It’s vitally important to note that if you notice your pet has a habit of eating plants and/or flowers that you stop them immediately and try to reconfigure your space to give them little to no access to the flowers themselves. 

Embed from Getty Images

Orchids are another beautiful option that pet owners can feel confident about having in their home. Like most flowers on this list, if your pet ingests a petal or leaf they’ll likely experience an upset stomach, but they’re non-toxic overall. 

Freesias are a tall and funnel-shaped flower, which makes it even harder for pets to reach if they’re in a vase. They are, however, lemon scented, which could be tempting for any furry friend. These flowers are non-toxic to dogs and cats though, so an upset stomach will be the biggest concern if they do ingest any part of the flower. 

Beyond the safe flowers, it’s important to know of the ones that you should absolutely never have around a dog or cat, as they’re toxic if ingested. 

These toxic flowers include lilies, mums, tulips, azaleas, daffodils, foxgloves, hydrangea, baby’s breath, peonias, iris’, lavender, and eucalyptus. To be absolutely safe, always do your research before bringing any sort of plant or flower into the home.

Cleaning Solutions That Are Good For The Environment

/in , /by

Climate change is one of the biggest issues in our world currently. While it’s going to take true systemic change from our world leaders to make a genuine impact, there are things we can do in our own homes everyday to help make us feel better about our contribution to creating a greener Earth. 

One of the easiest things one can do to help save money and reduce waste is buying simple cooking ingredients that can be used among a multitude of recipes and meals in bulk. Nancy Birtwhistle recently spoke with the media about how she completely changed her lifestyle when she retired to better help the environment, and buying ingredients in bulk was one of the first steps she took. 

“I buy a lot of bicarbonate of soda, because that’s used a lot, a big bag of citric acid, a bottle of surgical spirit, sodium carbonate (known as washing soda, which can be a skin and eye irritant) and a bag of sodium percarbonate, known as oxygen or green bleach; it’s not as toxic as chlorine bleach, though you still have to be careful with it. And I bought myself a variety pack of essential oils, because I still like a little bit of perfume in fabric conditioner, or my ironing water.”

Embed from Getty Images

She also discussed how she collects rain water to be used in things like her iron or for future watering needs in her garden. Birtwhistle will boil the rain water, fill up her iron and add in a drop or two of essential oil to add some nice scents to her clothing as well. 

Using water, white vinegar, and surgical spirit with essential oils for fragrance, one can easily make their own all-purpose cleaner. “I use it pretty much for anything. It’s non-streaky and quick-drying. It started off as a kitchen cleaner for worktops, the hob, cupboards, cutting through greasy marks on shelves and things like that. Then I moved it into the bathroom and everywhere else. It’s good for mirrors, glass, inside the car. It’s brilliant for tiles.”

For brightening whites and removing yellowing stains from things like pillows or blankets, Birtwhistle reccoments making a lemon juice or citric acid solution, as citrus in general is an amazing natural stain remover. 

“Place yellowing fabrics in a lemon juice or citric acid solution of 3tbsp added to 600ml hot water, with salt, and leave to soak. You need a sunny day. Peg them outside – don’t rinse or wring them – and the sun will bleach them.”

Embed from Getty Images

Your vinegar, water, and spirit solution is also perfectly safe to use for cleaning your electronic devices screens. It can help remove fingerprints and harmful bacteria that clings to those surfaces. Birtwhistle recommends diluting the cleaner with more warm water for electronic devices. 

“Marks on glass screens come from a combination of soap scum and limescale. Make a spray of citric acid and water and it comes off in a jiffy. Make sure you rinse it off, because it dries sticky.”

Salt and vinegar solutions are also perfect for removing and preventing mold growth in the home. “Salt and vinegar will kill mold. I keep white vinegar in a spray bottle, so you can get it into awkward places like that. I squirt it, then dip an old toothbrush into ordinary table salt and rub away at it. Once you’ve done that, you could then use a spray of sodium percarbonate if there are any stained bits.”

There’s clearly a multitude of ways one can implement clean and natural solutions into the way they maintain their clean space, and beyond that the environment also benefits from the use of these ingredients.

How To Stay Warm This Winter Without Increasing Your Heating Bill 

/in , /by

With so many of us working from home in the middle of one of the coldest winters in years, many are worried for the rise in their heating bills that’s guaranteed to follow. According to Laura McGadie, the group head of energy at Energy Saving Trust, many individuals don’t realize the multitude of ways they can save on heating every year, without sacrificing being comfortable in your own home. 

“If you are taking advantage of not having to commute by getting up later, set your heating to come on later in the morning. If possible, get a smart meter installed, which is estimated to help reduce a household’s electricity use by 2.8% and gas use by 2%.”

Embed from Getty Images

McGadie claims that getting to know your heating system is the best first step to understanding the best ways to save energy and cost. She also recommends draught-proofing all your windows and doors, as many homeowners don’t realize that they could be saving every year based on how much cold air comes into their space through cracks and crevices in the home. 

“You can seal the gaps between floors and skirting boards to reduce draughts with a tube of sealant bought from any DIY store. Other simple fixes include getting a cover for your letterbox and keyholes, fitting self-adhesive foam strips to draughty windows or using a chimney balloon in unused open fireplaces.”

John Eric Smith is an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology at Mississippi State University, who also claims that individuals aren’t wearing enough clothes in their homes, which also prompts them to increase the heat more than necessary. “If you can keep the core – the chest and all – warm, you will keep the peripheries warm. When your body gets colder, blood is diverted from the extremities, which then feel colder.”

Embed from Getty Images

“I like fleeces because they create this really thick area without much weight, but several layers of any kind of top can create the same effect. Some people swear by thermal undergarments, and a hat will also help, but not if you’re sitting topless at your desk. Any time you’re looking at reducing the skin’s contact with the environment, it is going to be beneficial. The idea that most of your heat is lost through your head is an old wives’ tale,” Smith explained. 

Getting curtains can also help contain heat within your home and stop it from escaping through the windows. McGadie recommends heavy lined curtains in darker colors, and putting an old blanket over your door at night can also have the same heating effect. Smith also recommends making sure you’re moving your body everyday. This is not only great for keeping your blood circulating, but for your overall physical health as well. 

“You need to find that happy balance between being physically active enough that you’re generating heat to stay warm, but not to the point that you’re going to sweat to try to cool down.”

Smith warned that with exercise you have to be “careful when you start sweating because you’re going to be losing body heat faster which will actually make you colder.” Even cleaning up your house and performing chores can be seen as adamant exercise around your space as long as you’re constantly moving.

Candles in the Home

How Keeping Your Home Smelling Fresh Can Enhance Your Overall Wellbeing

/in , /by

When it comes to our homes personal scent, more times than not we can become so accustomed to how our homes smell that we don’t even notice when more foul smells start to appear. When bad smells are caused by things like trash, a lack of cleaning/dusting, laundry, etc. they tend to linger and attach themselves to parts of your home, unknown to you though. 

Joseph Allen is a professor at Harvard who recently discussed how for some individuals the “olfactory ambiance of their home can lead to what is known as ‘sick home’ syndrome. Thought to be caused by poor ventilation, mold and the accumulation of bad smells, the symptoms include headaches; eye, nose or throat irritation; dry or itchy skin; or mental fatigue.”

Embed from Getty Images

Allen claims, however, that it’s unknown whether or not this syndrome is a physical response to the smells in one’s home, or if it’s more psychological, and has more to do with the mental health aspect that comes with maintaining a clean or messy space. He explained that often our brains tag unpleasant odors as dangerous due to an evolutionary response of associating negative smells with disease and death. 

Regardless of if this response is physiological or physical, you should always make sure your house is clean in terms of dusting and taking out the trash. Even further, making sure your house is always smelling pleasant and fresh is one of the most effective ways to enhance your overall mood and wellbeing. 

Think about when you find yourself in times of deep sadness or stress, entering into a messy space only adds more physical and psychological clutter to your life because it’s just one more thing to worry about. Smelling things like lavender, vanilla, or peppermint in times of overwhelming stress can help relax and center the body. 

Embed from Getty Images

Pleasant and powerful scents such as rose, citrus, or cinnamon will take you out of whatever overwhelming line of thinking you’re in and return you to the present moment. By focusing on the scent of your home and that present moment you’re more easily able to figure out what you need to do for yourself in order to make your own life easier, and less stressful. 

According to research the scent of the South American heliotropin flower is thought to have an extremely calming effect on the body. Allen explained that this flower in particular is used as one of the main ingredients in baby powder, so the scent automatically transports your subconscious to the reassuring and simplistic memories of childhood.

While candles and essential oils are also an amazing way to liven up the scent of any space, they’re not 100% necessary for when you find yourself in times of passing stress or anxiety. Introducing strong smells to your body can immediately jolt you into the present moment, energize your sense and clear your mind. Something as simple as smelling fresh coffee grounds in your cabinet, or garlic frying in a pan can help accomplish this. 

Allen explained that smells always retain their ability to evoke a specific memory and/or emotion in us. Compared to every other scent, smelling is the most powerful in terms of sensory cues taking us back to a very specific memory or time in our life. So go out and invest in some fresh flowers, a few cinnamon cloves, and maybe even a candle or two, oh, and also remember to take out your trash periodically.

Feng Shui

Easy Feng Shui Tips To Enhance Positive Energy In Your Home

/in , /by

With so many of us now stuck inside indefinitely, many have begun redecorating, renovating, and reorganizing their homes. Now that we’re stuck in these places, it only makes sense that we’d want them to look and feel the most comfortable and personal to us as possible. Many have been looking to the Chinese practice of Feng shui for inspiration, as well as the best ways to create balance between the natural world within our interior spaces. Feng shui also uses energy forces as a means of creating harmony between the individual and their home, so it makes sense that so many would want to bring that idea into their own spaces, especially during times of such global unrest. 

The most general rule to Feng Shui is maintaining a clutter-free space. Open spaces are not only more appealing to look at, but they’re also proven to promote mental clarity. Think about it, in the past when you would come home from a long day at work to a messy house, that work stress would then follow you into your off time. Coming home to a clean house, however, allows us to feel completely separated and calm, because there’s nothing out of place that needs cleaning. 

Embed from Getty Images

Clutter also brings down our energy and holds us back from seeing good opportunities, according to Feng shui practices, so before you do anything else, make sure your home is clean. 

Feng shui also views the front door as one of the most important areas in the home when it comes to promoting good energy flow. It’s important to keep the space around your front door open and clear, this way positive energy has the ability to freely come into your home, and negative energy can easily be pushed out. 

Bringing the five elements into your home is also a very important aspect of Feng shui. The five elements include earth, wood, fire, metal, and water, and by incorporating these elements into decorative pieces in your home, you’re balancing the energy of the space while also creating an open path between the natural world and your home. 

Embed from Getty Images

Bringing in these elements is also much easier than it may sound. Earth can be represented by a real house plant in your window while wood and metal can easily be accomplished through furniture choices. Water can be utilized either through a vase of flowers, or a small fish tank, which would also bring life into the space, literally. Fire may sound dangerous, but this can easily be implemented into your space through candles or a fireplace if you have one. 

Maximize natural lighting as much as possible in your home. Even if you only have one small window in your room, accentuate that space on the wall. Feng shui tells us that windows are like our front door, in the sense that it helps promote energy flow and brings in positivity and happiness. 

Besides living in a clutter-free space, one of the other most important aspects of Feng shui is balance, and making your home feel as though everything is in its proper place. When you bring in larger elements like a television, floor-length mirror or anything mounted on the walls, make sure you’re placing them in a way that seems intentional and fitted. 

Balancing the space will allow you to remove any aspects of the home that you deem to be negative, or bring in negative energy, because it’s easier to see what elements of a room don’t seem to fit with the way that you’ve organized the rest of it. 

No matter how strictly you adhere to the Feng shui guidelines, make sure you’re organizing your space for yourself and in a way that makes you happy. Our homes are meant to be safe spaces, which is something we all need in a time like this.

Young Woman Using AI Device

How AI Will Shape Life in the Home

/in , /by

Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology and a healthy global economy in which companies compete to develop the most impressive and compelling consumer products, the future of life in the home is shaping up to be characterized by artificial intelligence. Google, for instance, has shifted its business to focus on so-called “ambient computing” technology, which aims to integrate itself seamlessly into the home, assisting customers without intruding into their lives. The Google Home line of products, for instance, works by listening for the phrase “OK Google” or “Hey Google,” which prompts it to respond to verbal commands using natural language processing. Other companies, like Amazon and Apple, have developed products that work along the same lines, with the goal of becoming an essential part of people’s lives without making their presence obvious or intrusive. As the trend of integrating AI into the home continues, other manufacturers are likely to develop appliances that use technology to optimize the efficiency of life in the home.

Embed from Getty Images

Take, for example, LG, which is working on technology to improve the oftentimes-difficult experience of installing new appliances like washing machines and dryers, as well as technology that improves the customer service experience when consumers run into issues with the company’s products. So-called “smart appliances” work by integrating artificial intelligence deeply into all aspects of the appliances, helping users install appliances, detecting and communicating hardware errors, and even providing customer service using chatbots which are programmed to understand and respond to common consumer queries. LG’s latest iteration of washing machines and dryers connect wirelessly to customers’ smartphones using their proprietary ThinQ mobile app, which notifies users when the installation of appliances is completed and also provides users with information about the functioning of their devices as time goes on.

LG’s newest washing machine and dryer, called the LG TwinWash and ThinQ Dryer, include a number of sensors and artificial intelligence programs to streamline and improve the laundry experience. The TwinWash washing machine, for instance, includes voice recognition technology to allow users to operate the machine in a natural way without using buttons, and the washing machine can even give users verbal laundry advice depending on the types of stains on clothing. The machines also intelligently discern the softness of laundry in order to minimize fabric damage and improve washing quality. Additionally, when these appliances are released to the general public, users will be able to receive updates via their smartphones notifying them of problems with the devices that need to be addressed as well as reminders for scheduled maintenance in order to extend the life of the products and, in theory, reduce overall costs.

Embed from Getty Images

The appliances that work with LG’s ThinQ app are not limited to washers and dryers, but include everything from refrigerators, robotic vacuum cleaners, smart TVs, and more. LG’s InstaView smart refrigerator introduces a number of features that set it apart from today’s standard refrigerators, with the aim of saving energy and improving food freshness, among other features. The InstaView refrigerator is packed with a number of features that were once considered squarely in the realm of science fiction; for instance, the fridge includes a camera that films the inside of the refrigerator when the door is closed, which users can view on the device’s LCD touchscreen or remotely using the ThinQ app on their smartphones. Users of the InstaView refrigerator can also program the appliance to remind them when their food expires, and the device even includes Amazon Alexa, a popular voice assistant that can play music, check the weather, and even help users shop for groceries. The fridge also alerts users when the door is left open, produces large amounts of ice for parties or other occasions, and can enter a low-power mode that keeps food fresh when the user goes on vacation.

Clearly, such advanced home appliance technology is not for everyone, and consumers may reasonably question the usefulness of many of these products’ features. When LG’s line of smart appliances releases in the United States, they are likely to be very expensive, limiting their appeal to a small audience of consumers. However, if history is any indication, the technology that powers these appliances is likely to grow more sophisticated and cheaper with time, and it may just be a matter of time before smart appliances become a commonplace and even mundane sight in the home.