Decrease Your Power Bill

We’ve previously suggested several ways to cut your power bill, but let’s focus on the ways you can better-manage your technology’s needs. Basically, your goal is to turn off your gadgets when they’re drawing power they do not need. If you’re using a power strip, consider switching to something like the Belkin Conserve Smart AV. It’ll run you about $29—which is about what you’d pay for a high-quality power strip in the first place—and will automatically reduce power when your electronics are in standby mode. It also has one special outlet that you can use with the TV in your home theater system. When you turn your TV on, the power strip will provide power to every outlet. When you turn your TV off, it will turn off everything else as well. This way you don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving anything else on and can cut noticeably down your power usage. Alternatively, you can pick up a remote-controlled conserving power strip for easy control and power savings without the special home theater features. Belkin actually has a variety of really good options to choose from.

Read more at LifeHacker

Keep Your Loved Ones Independent and Safe

A Medical Alarm System from Sievers Security lets you or a loved one live life to the fullest, without worry. This affordable system connects the wearer to emergency assistance at the touch of a button from anywhere in his or her home — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our Medical Alert Bracelet, Medical Alert Necklace and Medical Alert System provide a complete Medical Alarm Solution.

Contact Sievers Security for more information.

Don’t Let This House Be Yours!

Ever wonder how many missed mortgage payments it takes for the bank to go down the foreclosure path? If you’re an experienced home owner, than you should have a good idea of what to do (keyword being should). But if you’re a new homeowner, you should read this article to prepare yourself for what to expect in the event your home is going to be foreclosed:

If you’re struggling to keep up with your mortgage payments, you’re probably wondering whether you’re at risk for foreclosure. During the past several years, millions of American families have been forced to give up their homes as a result of the ongoing foreclosure crisis. Despite years of economic improvement and a massive government-led mortgage-stabilization effort, several million families continue to be in imminent danger of foreclosure. In other words, your situation isn’t unique. If you can’t afford to pay your mortgage, you’ll need to know how many mortgage payments that you can miss before becoming eligible for foreclosure.

Unfortunately, the exact answer to this question depends upon a host of complicated factors. First, your mortgage lender‘s policies will have a significant impact on the length of the lag between your last mortgage payment and the initiation of foreclosure proceedings. Some lenders are far more lenient than others. For instance, mortgage initiators that primarily deal with low-risk homeowners tend to forgive the occasional missed payment. These lenders might permit you to miss four or more mortgage payments before referring you to your local housing authorities.

Read more The Law Dictionary 

Pork Chop Recipe.  Salmon Cakes Recipe.  Italian Bread Salmon Recipe.

Photo courtesy of Cooks Illustrated

Barbecue Safety

In the Spring and Summer, you’re probably going to be using your barbecue a lot. As fun as it may seem, be aware for some of these safety hazards. Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone survived that hail storm:

1. Check equipment before using. One of the easiest ways to prevent an accident from happening is by inspecting your grill prior to use. Make sure there are no cracks in the unit or tears in the tubing (if using a gas grill) that may cause leaks. You may even want to take your grill for a test drive by turning it on and off just to ensure it functions properly.

2. Be mindful of the surrounding area. The majority of grills should be used outdoors. Therefore, it is important to keep a good distance between your home and grill for safety. Grills left too close to a patio create an opportunity for an unwanted accident. Place grills on a clean surface and away from any potentially flammable debris (e.g. mulch, leaves and recyclables). As always, parents should be extremely mindful of nearby play areas for children.

3. Use charcoal grills properly. Charcoal grills require the burning of charcoal to ignite flames necessary for cooking and thus produce carbon monoxide. For this reason, it is important to use all grills outdoors as fumes can become toxic in closed areas. You should never spray lighter fluid directly onto a fire. Instead, start with just a small amount prior to ignition and monitor the grill at all times to avoid overheating.

Read more at CBS

Make Your Foyer Someplace Welcoming and Clean

If your allergies are off the charts like mine, you know Spring has officially moved in. After months of being cooped up inside, your house is in need of some cleaning. Instead of making an overwhelming list to do throughout the whole house, do one room at a time. The first step is the foyer…the first room you and your guests will enter. Here are some tips for getting your room clean and ready for the warm weather. Need some help or don’t have time to get it done? Call your Cleveland Contractors and Home Mechanics for all of your home maintenance needs.

1) Dust lighting fixtures

2) Wash ceiling,walls, baseboards and trim

3) Wash doors, knobs and switch plates

4) Clean, wash bench cushions, photos, furniture, tables etc.

4) Empty coat closets, store winter coats in attic, mop and clean out

5) Replace entry mat…….it’s time for a new one

6) Sweep, scrub floors

7) If necessary, reseal grout lines…call your Home Mechanics to do this one.

Allergy Proof Your Home

If you are feeling stuffy, groggy, tired and teary eyed, you may want to consider allergy proofing your home. How might one do this? By reading the article below!

Garden Smartly. Pollen levels peak between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., so save yard work for later in the day. Keep grass cut short, and consider wearing an air-filtering mask, goggles, and gloves while mowing the lawn. Avoid planting high-pollen-producing flowers such as amaranthus, juniper, and peonies, especially near windows or doors.

Clean Your Gear. Don’t hang fresh laundry out to dry, and shake out clothes after they’ve been worn outside. Shower as soon as possible after spending time outdoors. Pets can bring pollen in too, so keep a brush and wet wipes handy to clean off their fur and paws. Place mats on both sides of the front door; they’ll function as a catchall for allergens and a landing pad for footwear, which should be taken off as you come indoors, when possible.

Choose the Right Ventilation. Invest in crawl-space vent fans to keep humidity levels below 50 percent, which will thwart the spread of mold and mildew. When it’s warm, opt for air-conditioning, instead of open windows, to cool the house.

Manage Mold. Drain or dump any areas of stagnant water in your yard, and keep soil on your property moist, but not damp, to reduce airborne mold. And never linger outdoors-or open the windows-after a heavy rain.

Read more at Yahoo Shine

A kitchen remodel adds the “Wow” buyers are looking for

Whether trying to sell your home, rent it out, or just continue to love it, it is always a good time to take on small improvement projects. Simply repainting a room can brighten a room and make it a more enjoyable place for your family to spend their time. Updating your home to a more modern feel makes it feel more interesting to potential buyers and renters. A gallon of interior latex paint (~$30) and an afternoon turns a living room into a lounge and a TV room into a home theater.

Some advice taken from this article from the DIY Network:

“Don’t think you can escape the issue by painting the walls white. “Too often, homeowners think it’s best to paint the house all the same color, but there is no pizzazz with white walls,” says Realtor Lynn Anderson of ZipRealty, East Bay, California. “Soft, muted colors such as pale green or muted beige with white baseboards can still be neutral while greatly improving the look and feel of each room.”

You should think about making a room pop and express itself and your style. When showing a house, it displays the power of the room to express, even if its something that the potential buyer doesn’t like. They can always take it down and put up something they like but a boring room does nothing to inspire and spark the imagination.

And for more tips on upgrading your home, take a look at our blog. And if you’re looking for a house for rent in Cleveland, OH, take a look at our Cleveland rental properties and call Reilly Painting and Contracting for all your Home Mechanic and remodeling needs. If you’re looking to rent out your home at any time of the year, we are also a property management company for anyone looking to rent out a home without the hassle.

Avoid The Burglars

Avoid break-ins and robberies, and stick to some of these home security tips:

While it’s difficult to protect your home from professional thieves, most home burglaries are done by amateurs. These thieves are more easily thwarted if you employ some of these simple security precautions:

• Plan to “burglarize” yourself. You’ll discover any weaknesses in your security system that may have previously escaped your notice.
• Lock up your home, even if you go out only for a short time. Many burglars just walk in through an unlocked door or window.
• Change all the locks and tumblers when you move into a new house.
• For the most effective alarm system, conceal all wiring. A professional burglar looks for places where he or she can disconnect the security system.
• Your house should appear occupied at all times. Use timers to switch lights and radios on and off when you’re not at home.
• If you have a faulty alarm that frequently goes off, get it fixed immediately and tell your neighbors that it’s been repaired. Many people ignore an alarm that goes off periodically.
• A spring-latch lock is easy prey for burglars who are “loiding” experts. Loiding is the method of slipping a plastic credit card against the latch tongue to depress it and unlock the door. A deadbolt defies any such attack. It is only vulnerable when there is enough space between the door and its frame to allow an intruder to use power tools or a hacksaw.

Read more at How Stuff Works

Maintain A Healthy Lawn This Spring and Summer

If you take a look outside, you’ll notice that the weather is fantastic! It’s time to get out in the garden and clear away the dead plants and flowers from winter. In terms of your grass, here are some tips for maintaining a health lawn. Don’t have time or need some assistance with your grass? Call your Cleveland Contractors and Home Mechanics to get it crossed off your list:

Stop fertilizing your lawn repeatedly. Lots of fertilizer encourages rapid grass growth, making the grass plants more vulnerable to disease and insects. Once in the fall is best. Details below.

Start mowing at the highest setting on your mower–probably 3 1/2 to 4 inches. Taller grass is healthier grass. It shades out weed seeds, preventing them from sprouting. It keeps the soil cooler, keeping it moist longer and encouraging the proliferation of soil microbes. (You want lots of soil microbes because they convert nutrients from the soil into a form that plants can use.) All this encourages grass to spread into bare spots. And it promotes deeper root penetration, which is the secret to drought resistance.

Never apply pesticides, insecticides or fungicides. Those kill living things (those good microbes plus earthworms that naturally aerate soil) that keep your soil richer. If you observe the other steps in this plan, you won’t need the killer chemicals. Healthy grass (with lots of leaf area, slow growth and cooler, deeper roots) is tougher and less likely to succumb to disease or insect damage.

Read more at Wiki How

Tips for Cleaning Your Bathroom

Bathrooms are one of the most frequent rooms used in your house. Accordingly, it should be cleaned more often then any other room, well maybe except for the kitchen, but that we’ll be a different blog. There’s a lot of stuff going on in the bathroom, and with this comes a lot of cleaning. Here are some helpful tips to get your bathroom looking better than ever. Need some serious work done in the bathroom? Call your Cleveland Contractors and Home Mechanics for all of you home repair needs!

Windows and Mirrors

In a 32 oz. spray bottle, add 1/3 cup white (clear) vinegar and 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol. If you absolutely must have another cleaner, add 1 tablespoon automatic dishwashing detergent.

Tubs and Shower Stalls

Alkaline deposits in the water cause those not so pretty spots on your glass doors and shower walls. Apply a car wax to the walls and doors, but not the floor or it gets real slick. Both fiberglass and glass are porous. The car wax seals those pores, which makes cleaning easier and keeps water spots away. Reapply twice yearly.

Squeegee or wipe down your shower after each use to further prevent buildup. If you’re tired of fighting the soap scum buildup, switch to liquid soap, natural soap or Dove. It’s the talc in most bar soaps that causes the buildup. Changing soap can eliminate the buildup. You still need to clean the shower once a week, but the job is easier.

Try This Great Alternative to Traditional Wallpaper

“The rollers are reusable and interchangeable. The fabrics have the look of traditional handmade block-printed fabric, and are not for heavy use. Like any other hand-printed fabric, they need very delicate hand washing with a mild detergent. The paper and walls roller gives a sponged, gently handmade look, like old, forgotten, sun-bleached wallpaper. It particularly suits old walls“. Find the idea interesting?

 

Find other great decorating ideas from Freshome

Add A Beach To Your Backyard

Thinking of renovating your backyard? Want to add something new and fresh to your landscape? How about a beach? No…seriously. Take a look at this for some inspiration, and remember to call your Cleveland Contractors and Home Mechanics for any home and landscaping needs:

Small backyard beach (click on photo above for instructions)
If you love the beach but can’t find the time for regular visits, why not turn an unused corner of your backyard into a sandy retreat? This miniature beach can be put together over a weekend for less than $200. Decomposed granite, sand, driftwood, and grassy plants complete the seaside look.

Read more at Yahoo Shine

Old Homes Are Beauty in Disguise

Original details. Some houses have ‘em, some don’t.

If yours is among the latter—meaning that it wasn’t born with architectural elements like carved wood balustrades or embossed metal window latches, or if some of those enhancements were lost over the years to misguided remodeling—take heart. With a little sweat equity, you can add your own. Read on for a dozen homeowner-friendly projects, from crafting an ornate pier mirror to swapping out hardware-store-variety metal doorknobs for vintage glass sparklers, that are sure to add classic character, whether you live in a 1970s ranch or a turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival.

And for more tips on upgrading your home, take a look at our blog. And if you’re looking for a house for rent in Cleveland, OH, take a look at our Cleveland rental properties and call Reilly Painting and Contracting for all your Home Mechanic and remodeling needs. If you’re looking to rent out your home at any time of the year, we are also a property management company for anyone looking to rent out a home without the hassle.

Do you have stacks of dryer sheets in the laundry room? Why not use them throughout the house to freshen up other rooms? Here are some other uses for dryer sheets. Got a bigger mess in your house like mold or mildew in the kitchen or in the closet? Call your Cleveland Contractors to clean that mess up for you.

Freshen Luggage

Who doesn’t want to go on a trip and open fresh smelling luggage? I definitely do!

Absorb Stains

For really stubborn stains, add dryer sheets on top and then a secret ingredient: coffee. This clever idea can come in handy when you don’t have any stain remover left!

Freshen Shoes

Add dryer sheets to shoes to freshen up those stinky soles. No need to spray or wash — just stick those handy dryer sheets right in!

Read more at Yahoo Shine

Keep Your Lawn Mower Healthy During the Spring and Summer Months!

Let’s face it…Spring has arrived! You know what that means? It’s landscaping time! Here are some tips to ensure your lawn mower will be reliable all Spring and Summer. Need help with the lawn? Give Reilly Painting, your Cleveland Contractors and Home Mechanics a call today!

1. Keep it clean. After each use of the mower, give it a quick brushing off with a gloved hand or rag or whisk broom. It’s a good idea, too, after the mower has stopped running completely, to reach under the deck with a gloved hand and do a quick brushing off of caked grass under the deck and on the blade.
2. A couple times a year, give the mower a good cleaning. With the gas tank empty, turn the mower on its side. Remove any debris that may be wrapped around the blade or caked up on the underside of the mower deck. Spray the underside of the mower deck hard with a garden hose to loosen dirt and dried-on grass. Scrub with a soft brush and soapy water. Then rinse.
3. Clean or replace the air filter once or twice a year. Replace paper filters when they look dirty (keep a few on hand). Plastic foam filters should be removed and washed with warm, soapy water. Air-dry thoroughly. Then work about 2 tablespoons of clean mower oil evenly across the filter to lightly coat it.

Read more at Home Depot

Tips for Cleaning Windows

Now that the sun is shining through our windows, how about we give them a good clean? Here are some clever ways to get those windows ready for Spring and Summer! Don’t have time to get them done yourself? Give your Cleveland Contractors and Home Mechanics a call today!

1. “My blinds are dust magnets!”
Use an antiseptic spray. To keep dust from piling up quickly, use an antistatic spray, such as Static Guard, on the window blinds right after you clean them.

2. “There’s mildew on my window frames”
Wash with a bleach-detergent solution. Black or gray mildew spots on wooden frames can be cleaned for good with a solution of 2 ounces (60 milliliters) of household bleach and 1 ounce (30 milliliters)of laundry detergent in a quart of water. Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, sponge the solution on the spots, let it sit for ten minutes, and then rinse thoroughly with clean water.

3. “My outside windowsills get dirty so quickly”
Apply a coat of floor wax. Because your exterior windows are exposed to the elements, they are subject to collecting a lot of dirt. But there is a simple way to keep your sills clean: Wipe on a coat of clear floor wax to protect them.

Read more at Reader’s Digest 

The Bottle House in Cleveland Heights

Tired of having to drive to the West Side for good quality beer? Sick of packed bars and restaurants with greasy under prepared food and cheap beer? We shouldn’t have to live like that! Enter the Bottle House, an amazing bar/restaurant with it’s own brewery in the kitchen. Located on Lee Road, seconds from the Cedar/Lee movie theater, the Bottle House has become one of the hottest places to go in Cleveland Heights. If you like good beer, perogies, live music and an amazing atmosphere, make this your next Date Night. Not a fan of beer, don’t sweat it, they have wine and other delicious spirits. Can’t find a babysitter, not a problem! The Bottle House has pinball machines, board games and great books for the kids…and for some adults too. So this weekend, or this week if you’re feeling spontaneous, call the babysitter and head to the Bottle House for a relaxing night out. Take a look at how the concept of the Bottle House came about below, and be sure to check out their website and Facebook page as well below:

Having problems seeing this movie? Refresh your web browser, or watch the video at the Bottle House website

“Like” them on Facebook

Check out the menu and website here

Whether you need some minor touch ups on your house, or a major renovation, there are certain steps one should follow when hiring and working with a contractor. There are many contracting companies in Cleveland out there, but it’s hard to find one company that does it all. Reilly Painting is a contracting company that handles all aspects of home repair, from painting and roofing, to plumbing, electrical and technology assistance. Before giving us a call, be sure to follow these steps when considering what kind of home-repair job you need completing. Let Reilly Painting be your Cleveland Contractors and Home Mechanics to serve all of your home repair needs!

Update your kitchen. When planning an improvement, keep an eye on the future. Households with the most up to date furnishings tend to sell faster than those without, all else equal. Dark, old-fashioned kitchens, in particular, make it difficult to sell a home. If you are not sure what area of ​​your house to concentrate, think seriously about your kitchen.

Upgrade your bathroom. Apart from the kitchen, remodeled and updated kitchens of high rank in the list of most profitable ways you can improve your home. Replacing the old basin, sink and old furniture is a great way to inject new life into an old bathroom. If you can afford to replace vinyl tile with ceramic or stone is definitely worth it. If you simply do not have much money, consider replacements different hardware, like a drawer again and dealing with the closet door, new faucets, etc. You need not spend much money to create a significant visual change.

The new additions. Adding a new room in your home is a great way to increase their value. Dens and family rooms, for example, provide additional space in which to read, socialize or watch television. Also, if you have a small house, the extra square feet habitable help when the time comes to sell.

The longevity of the materials. It can be difficult to know what kind of material that makes more sense. If you always seem to be a compromise between price and longevity, is because it is. Here is a rough guide to how long you can expect from certain materials to last.

Read more at Sundance-Grill