Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

During the winter time, your home is more susceptible to house fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Along with using the fireplace and stove more, you also have the windows and doors shut tight. It’s important to put preventative measures in place if you haven’t already done so.

The Universal Security Instruments 3 Piece Basic Home Security Protection Kit includes two smoke detectors and one carbon monoxide detector. This kit comes with the mounting hardware and even the batteries to power the alarms.

This is a convenient way to upgrade your home, and you will have some peace of mind when you use the fireplace, furnace and stove any time of the year. House fires are more of a common occurrence than you may think.

At least once or twice a year, you should double check that (a) you have a flashlight in your home and (b) your flashlight(s) has working batteries. By making sure that you have a few working flashlights in your home, you will be better prepared to handle power outages, storms and emergencies.

The Eveready Economy Lantern with Battery is a great investment, and a flashlight like this should be included with all of your first-aid kits. This floating lantern has a shatterproof lens, which makes it durable enough to handle emergencies as well as your child’s nighttime hide and seek games. The casing is also able to handle wear and tear, and it comes in assorted colors, which are shipped randomly.

Along with the flashlight comes the 6 volt battery. If you have a hectic lifestyle, it’s convenient when you can find a product that has the batteries already included.

Along with tidying up your yard from the falling leaves, you also have to keep a close watch on your gutters. When leaves, twigs and other debris get trapped in your gutters, it prevents the rainwater from flowing through the downspouts. As a result, standing water sits and harbors bacteria and other viruses including West Nile, which poses a health risk. Also, a build up of debris in your gutters can welcome unwanted guests.

This Mesh Gutter Leaf Guard from Improvements allows rain and melted snow to flow through your gutters, but it keeps out large debris. It’s designed to fit most gutters, and it’s constructed from a durable material that won’t sag.

Installing leaf guards in your gutters will prevent you from hiring a pricey professional to do the cleaning every year.

Maintaining your yard during the changing seasons can be an extra chore you don’t have much time for. However, it’s important to clean up those sticks and leaves so your lawn can breathe and come back stronger next year.

One way to make that hard work easier is to have a convenient wheelbarrow by your side. With a Folding Wheelbarrow you can rake yard debris right into the wheelbarrow. This design has a non-slip rubber handle, and it’s less bulky for storage too. It measures 61” L x 34” W x 9” D. The sturdy black powder coated frame is durable and tough.

In addition, to using this wheelbarrow for collecting yard waste and clippings, you can also transport the gear and tools you need for gardening.

What is the one thing you keep readily available in your junk drawer? Probably a pair of good scissors, right? Scissors definitely come in handy. You might need them to open a package you received in the mail, and there are many reasons for having a pair in the kitchen for cooking and crafts.

But do you have “the world’s smartest scissors?” Smart Sizzors are multi-functional. They have hardened, razor-sharp blades, and they can easily cut touch materials as well as open beer bottles, strip wire and crush food. Of course, you can use them for traditional purposes like cutting paper and making crafts.

Because these scissors are so powerful, it’s important to store them in a place where children can’t reach or use them. These steel scissors have a serrated edge and can even cut through a chicken bone!

Believe it or not but that loose change in the couch adds up fast. You probably come across quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies while you’re cleaning and doing laundry. Instead of throwing the money in a drawer, it’s best to put it in a money machine.

The Money Machine 2 is an automatic counting bank that organizes the change into neat stacks. Then when you’re ready to deposit the money into the bank, you can easily transfer it into those paper money rolls. The extra cash also comes in handy if you have to pay the meters to park for work or school.

In order to retrieve your money from the machine, simply unlock the tray. The digital display keeps a running tab of your total. This device requires two AA batteries.

There are so many ways to make labels. You can use a label maker, write directly on the item with a permanent marker, or you can get a little more creative in your organizing efforts.

Sometimes the most beautiful labels are the ones that use simple, natural materials. Plus, creativity lends to a more personalized and down to earth look.

This Slate Labels & Twine Gift Set available at From Farm to Market is a crafty way to spruce up your kitchen or patio herb garden. The set includes two different label and tag sizes, and you get a slate scribe to write on the labels. The twine adds a cute touch, and it will be strong enough to attach the labels to shrubs, stakes or pots.

So if you’re looking for a finishing touch, plant labels like this might just do the job.

When you have a larger yard, raking the leaves is punishing, and it often results in a tired back and blisters on your hands.

Instead of letting the yard work beat you up, opt for more eco-friendly garden equipment that can help whip your property into shape.

The LEHR Eco Blower is a great alternative to traditional leaf blowers. It has a four-stroke engine, and it uses propane for fuel. All you have to do is twist the fuel bottle in and start blowing away debris — run time is a whole two hours. The nice part about this model is that unlike traditional yard equipment, there is no choke or priming just an easy start.

There is a shoulder strap on the vacuum bag, and the blower weighs 11.9 pounds.

Are you prepared with tools to rake leaves? Do you have enough pots to bring those vulnerable plants indoors? As we enter the colder months of the year, it’s time to start doing the work that lies ahead, because you’re going to have limited time to do it in. Fortunately, the basic garden tools you need can be found at dirt-cheap prices.

Bamboo Rake

A bamboo rake from Country Max is a mere $4.49. This is an eco-friendly way to rake your leaves, and the bamboo will have as much durability as wood. This rake has a 10” wide head.

Terra Cotta Planters

Having extra planters on hand is essential, especially if you delicate plants outdoors like herbs. So repot them and bring them indoors. Terra Cotta pots from Coastal Planters are $1.79.

Hand Weeder

A chrome-plated hand weeder at Hardware World is $2.07. These help make large flower beds less overwhelming.

Tired of looking at pollen, pine needles, leaves, and other yard debris wedged between the cracks in your deck, patio, or driveway? Water pressure can make short work of that gunk, but just using the hose is slow, and renting a pressure washer can become a whole day affair. Here’s a tool you may want to keep on hand as an alternative: the Jet Blast Water Broom.

Designed to attach to a regular hose, the water broom is available is 32″ (with eight high-pressure nozzles) and 48″ (twelve nozzles) versions. It’s made from heavy-duty, lightweight aluminum so should last for many seasons.

Starts at $150 at Amazon:

Jet Blast Water Broom