Archive - November 2019

Clean your House Perfectly after Pest Control

Most people don’t realize they need to prepare their house before the exterminators arrive.  This involves getting things away from the wall, noting where the pests are most often observed, and making sure all food items are properly stored.

But, you may also not realize the importance of cleaning your house after the pest control experts have left!

A successful pest control visit means that your pests will be killed. However, this doesn’t mean they will all die during the visit. It can take several days for the pests to all die from the chemicals that the professionals have used.

That’s why you need to clean your house properly after the visit and take as many precautions as possible to prevent it from happening again.

Clean Daily

Any pests that have died will need to be cleared away, if not they can become food for other bugs or simply attract more bacteria. This means vacuuming every day and mopping the floor with a disinfectant solution.

The trick when cleaning is to start at one end of your home and work your way through the house methodically, this will ensure the waste from the pests and any other debris is contained and removed.

It is worth noting that sweeping or even mopping is not enough by itself. Doing sweeping or mopping will agitate the dirt and potentially send dust into the air for you to breathe in. This could be a health issue, especially if you already suffer from asthma or something similar.

To help prevent this you need to use a spray bottle of water and lightly cover all the surfaces, this will prevent the dust from rising into the air. You can then safely sweep or even vacuum the area and be confident that the dust and other debris are going into the bin, where it belongs.

It’s important not just to do the floor but to wash every surface that could have had a pest on it, even if this is a surface that isn’t usually used. Cleaning up properly will make it less attractive to a new pest invasion.

Don’t forget after cleaning your house you need to wash your hands thoroughly with soap, you should also consider washing your clothes on a hot cycle.

Check For Holes

A mouse can get through a hole as small as a pencil and rats can get through a hole the size of a quarter. You may have done this as part of your pre-treatment preparations, but, if you haven’t, you need to walk around your property and look for any gaps where a pest could get into your home. Pay particular attention to the areas around the doors and windows.

Verify Traps

It’s a good idea to put down some fresh traps after the professionals have been. This will provide you with a way to verify that all the pests have gone if you find anything in a trap you’re going to need to call the pest control experts back to check it out properly.

Winter Gardening Trends

The love for gardening can be a difficult hobby to maintain in the winter for most. But if you find yourself still wanting to head outside, or want to make sure all your plants are well cared for in the colder months, here are some ideas for winter gardening. 

 

Keeping Plant Protected

If you have some high maintenance or expensive plants in the garden, then keeping them protected against the harsh weather is essential. Gardening covers are always a trend in the winter and are a simple product that protects your plants from frost. Some think that it’s better to let nature take its course, but in actual fact, a lot of plants you can now by in British summer, aren’t naturally able to survive the winter.

 

Clean & Green

Garden can quickly become messy in the winter, with leaves falling also with twigs and branches. Keep it clean isn’t just good for your OCD, leaves falling can block essential and rare sunlight in the winter which plants need more than ever. Rakes up any mess and use bug spray to keep away any insects that may try and harm your plants in the colder months.

 

Keep it Warm

While most will retreat to the indoors in the winter, some of us enjoy sitting outside (wrapped up) which is why Christmas markets are so popular. Buying an outdoor heater or fire pit can really help encourage you to enjoy your garden more in the winter. Find some durable cane furniture and enjoy warm drinks with a little bit of a chill.

 

Gardening Isn’t All About Plants!

Most people associate gardening with dozens of wildflowers, pretty plants and anything else green. And while these are all great from the summertime, it’s not so pretty in the winter. Gardening includes other areas to consider and the winter is the perfect time to add stone paths, birdbaths and other decorations to keep you constantly improving the space you love. 

 

For the Traditional Gardener

So if you’re looking for some traditional gardening to do in the winter than you should have some hydrangeas. Often these plants are known to be a nuisance, but with a small amount of work in the winter, you’ll see a real reward in the summer. Trimming the hydrangeas smooth in the winter will give you a much bigger bloom in the summer.

4 Ideas For A Memorable Anniversary Celebration

Sometimes anniversaries come and go so quickly that they often get lost and forgotten in amongst your busy day-to-day lives. Whether you’ve been married for 1 or 20 years, it’s important that you take the time out to make your anniversary more meaningful than your last – after all, every anniversary is an exciting new milestone in your lives. 

So many of us forget to invest a little bit of time into our anniversaries and, instead of doing something new or memorable, after a few years, you might find you’ve grown bored of meals out or going to the cinema, so here are some ideas of how you can have a truly memorable anniversary celebration. 

 

Plan An Exciting Trip

In an ideal world, many of us would jet off and go on the most lavish and extravagant vacation we can afford for our yearly anniversary celebrations. However, the problem is that sometimes finances, jobs and busy lives often don’t allow us to take those lavish holidays we all dream of. 

However, as a couple, you should never forget just how valuable it is to just get away from it all for a couple of days. Even just a change in your daily routine is enough to reset your batteries and feel more intuned with one another. Plan a trip to a new destination and enjoy making new memories with your partner.

 

Cook Your Wedding Menu

At the time, choosing your wedding menu is a fun thing to do with your husband or wife to-be and seems to be one of the most important tasks when planning a wedding. However, on the day you’ll probably have been so wrapped up in the rest of your wedding that you didn’t really pay much attention to it. 

If you and your partner are having a relaxed anniversary celebration, then cooking your wedding menu is a great way to surprise your other half and is a great way to create some fun memories – even if it does all go disastrously wrong, at least you’ll both laugh about it! 

 

Enroll In A Fun Class 

Sure, luxury jewellery and flowers still make for nice anniversary gifts, but if you and your partner find yourself often doing the same things all the time, then use your anniversary as an excuse to book something new and exciting which you can both learn and do together. 

Whether it be rock climbing or cooking, you’ll both have fun getting involved in something new together and it may even kick-start a new hobby for you both to enjoy when you have time together. Try to choose something which you wouldn’t usually do and which neither of you has tried before – this will make it even more fun!

 

Go On A Scavenger Hunt

If you want to spend time together as a family celebrating your anniversary, then a fun scavenger hunt is a great way to get out and enjoy the day together. Create a map and take them to some memorable locations which signify something important within your relationship, such as your first date location or where you got married. 

Try to include some clues, riddles or I-Spy games if you have younger children, or plan a nice meal to enjoy at the end of your scavenger hunt if you have older children.