Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Garage Pollutants
The emissions from you car can easily find their way into your home if the seal around your door that connects your house to the garage isn’t airtight. You might need to invest in some weather stripping. It’s also wise to check the walls and fill or fix any cracks.

Moisture Control
Preventing excess moisture in your home starts with your gutters. If the water from your roof isn’t draining properly away from your basement or foundation walls, it can cause problems. If you live in warmer climates or areas with heavy rainfall, it’s beneficial to invest in a dehumidifier.

Safe Household Products and Décor
Using eco-friendly cleaning products and pesticides can prevent volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building up in your home. Also, purchase untreated wood and rugs that don’t contain formaldehyde.

Fan Out the Problem
Before replacing your current bathroom or kitchen fan, try cleaning it out first. Dust build up can prevent it from working properly. However, if you don’t already have a fan, invest in an energy-efficient one that can provide more ventilation without eating up your electricity.

Combustion Products
Did you know that your gas-fired appliances emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and water vapor? If your flues are damaged or your gas appliance isn’t vented properly, you can have a backdraft of some of these harmful gases.

Volatile Organic Compounds
What causes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in your home? Well, the formaldehyde in your carpets as well as pesticides and even your body odors can cause VOCs. The VOCs from formaldehyde, pesticides and gasoline in your garage is what you need to watch.

Tobacco Smoke
Tobacco smoke can cause health consequences for smokers and non-smokers because of all of the gases and particles that are produced so this can be an indoor pollutant too.

During fall and winter, you’re more likely to be inside most of the time, so it’s beneficial to assess your home and determine how you can make your indoor environment less harmful to your health.

What types of indoor pollutants are lurking in your home? It might surprise you that excess moisture can qualify as an indoor pollutant. Although it’s important to figure out how to reduce these pollutants, it’s also crucial to identify them in your home first. Which indoor pollutants do you have and which ones don’t you have? Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can take the steps to improve your air quality.

Excess Moisture
When you have excess moisture in your home, it can affect the building’s structure as well as your health. Moisture can create a breeding ground for mold and other bacteria, which can cause illness and weaken your home’s structure. So not only can it cause asthma and allergies, it can destroy your wood and rust metal. This is why it’s crucial to have proper air distribution and exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens where warm air is produced.

Radon
This is a radioactive gas, and it can enter your house up through the soil where it’s naturally generated. Radon can cause lung cancer, so it’s wise to get your home tested to see if you have elevated levels of this gas in your living space.

With the fall and winter season comes rodents, insects and other pests. So how can you prevent these disease-carrying critters from getting comfortable in your home? Although conventional traps and sticky pads are effective, who really enjoys remove dead mice from the garage or basement?

The Victor PestChaser can be used in conjunction with traps to stop rodents from getting into your food, insullation and other areas of your home. There are two ways that this device works. First, it emits non-repetitive sound waves, which repel mice and make your home less appealing to them. Secondly, it mimics sounds from an alpha male rodent. Since mice are territorial, the sound of another dominant male mouse will discourage the rodents.

If you’re going to use this device, it’s important to put it in all of the rooms where you’re finding mice. Also, keep it away from soft surfaces and walls, because these materials can absorb the sound waves.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, it’s essential to have a step stool in your apartment or house, because there is always going to be a time when you can’t reach something. However, some step stools do more than just provide you with an extra boost.

The Stand-’N-Store Step Stool has an internal storage and lift-out tray, so you can fit all of your essentials in it such as screw drivers, screws, tape, etc. It comes in yellow, grey and even pink. The pink is a limited edition version, which supports breast cancer.

The stool holds up to 300 pounds, and you can use the storage for tools, garden essentials or cleaning supplies. The lift-out tray is best for small items such as screws, glue, measuring tape, etc. The stool is dent-proof and rustproof, so you can use it indoors or outdoors.

Is music a big part of your life? Maybe you listen to your favorite bands when you’re at work and even when you’re relaxing at home. If this sounds like you, then maybe it’s time to make your backyard music friendly too.

Speakers are sometimes not the most attractive accessories;  however, SpeakerCraft has the 520Rox. When you put this speaker in your backyard, you might have a difficult time finding it again. The 520Rox is revolutionary in speaker design, because it looks like an ordinary rock you would find in your garden but functions as a speaker.

This model is durable in the outdoor weather and can withstand the elements. It also has two-way, coxial speakers, so you can enjoy your music while your cooking dinner, relaxing on the patio or watching your children practice a sport. If you have a large yard with landscaping that needs regular maintenance, you can listen to your favorite music while weeding and pruning.

Over time the seals around the doors of your refrigerator and freezer will deteriorate. If they no longer work effectively, the cold air is seeping right out of your appliance. Depending on the price to replace the seals, you might have to weigh buying new appliances and purchasing new seals. You can check the seals by seeing if they firmly hold a dollar bill. Or you can turn a flashlight on and place it inside the appliance; if you can see the light coming through when the door is shut, then you know the seal is broke.

Check the temperature of your appliances with thermometer. The average temperature for a refrigerator is between 36 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and for a freezer, it’s between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. If you set the thermostat for 10 degrees Fahrenheit lower, you can save about 25 percent of your energy usage.

Front loading washers and dryers usually use less energy than top-loading ones. Although this is not always the case, you need to determine how much water will need to go into a top-loading washer in comparison to a front-loading washer for your clothes to be submerged. Front-loading washers often don’t require as much water, because the clothes can be circulated through a minimal amount of water.

The spin speed of the washer is also an important feature to assess. Energy-efficient washers will spin clothes at a faster rate, which reduces the amount of time that the clothes will need to be in the dryer.

The water level controls and wash and rinse cycles can also help in energy savings. It costs 5 to 10 times more to wash your clothes in hot water in comparison to cold water. So make sure that the washer you’re looking at has several wash and rinse cycle options.

Are you thinking about replacing your current dryer? There are ways to increase the efficiency of your current dryer, but if it’s on its last leg, then it’s probably time to consider a new one. Below are some features you should look for in an energy efficient dryer.

Depending on what electric and gas costs in your area, one might be less costly than the other. However, at least with gas, the dryer will not be using up electricity just from being plugged into the wall. Remember, appliances draw energy from the outlet even when you they’re not in use. One drawback of gas is that if you don’t have the proper ventilation, it can be dangerous.

One convenient feature on new dryers is an automatic shut-off. Some have sensors that can determine whether or not the clothes are dry. Instead of waiting that full 60 minutes for your clothes, they might be done ten minutes sooner.

Your house is meant to be a relaxing atmosphere, because you should enjoy coming home. However, children, pets and a home office can make your house a hectic and less than quiet living space, which is why you need to add some decorations that reflect peace and calming.

Do you feel more relaxed when you’re around water (at the beach or near a fountain)? Then a soothing indoor waterfall might be exactly what your soul needs to help slow down. This 33” Trellis Outdoor/Indoor Fountain can provide you with a relaxing trickling sound of water. You could put this in your sitting room, entryway or home office, depending on where you want to listen to it.

This particular design is made of slate and stone, and the copper leaves and vines give it a rustic, natural look. Also, river rocks fill up the bottom, so it’s like bringing a little bit of the outdoors inside.