General Article

Can Pet Dander Cause You to Become Sick?

More than 70% of households in the U.S. have at least one cat or dog. It is also true that 10% of American have some form of animal allergy.

Pets are such an important aspect of our lives. They offer us great companionship and they can help to reduce stress. People who are allergic to pet dander need to know that there are risks associated with various pets and how to reduce being exposed to pet dander.

What is Pet Dander?

It is among the most significant forms of environmental allergens. Being exposed to this allergen causes the sinuses to become inflamed, which can result in sinus headaches, pressure, and pain.

Bathing your pet every week can help to reduce the shedding and dander that contain the irritants in your pet’s fur. When you bathe the animal it also washes away pollen and grass that is contained in their fur that may irritate your sinus.

Pet dander is related to the health condition called sinusitis due to the allergens that are contained on your pet, mainly in their urine, saliva, and fur. Their skin flakes and danger may cause allergic reactions and that in turn can cause runny nose and eyes, wheezing, and sneezing. Therefore, pet dander removal is critical.

There are several misconceptions regarding pet dander. First of all, it is very important to know that animal fur is not the most significant irritant, but instead, it is the mold, dust, pollen, and dead skin cells that are buried deep within the fur. Also, there is no such thing as a non-allergenic breed of dog or cat that eliminates allergens completely.

Tips To Help You Control Pet Dander

  • Keep your pet out of your bedroom. During the spring, summer and fall try keeping your pet outside when possible. Restricting your pet to only certain rooms in the house can also help to control places where there is dander present.
  • Remind family members and guests who have serious dander allergies to avoid coming in contact with your pet’s fur or their saliva.
  • If your house has upholstered furniture, don’t allow your pet on it, to help reduce the transfer of dander.
  • Thoroughly clean and wash your hands and face after you play with your pet.
  • Buy an anti-allergen dust spray to use when cleaning to help minimize the allergens in your house.
  • Use a HEPA vacuum cleaner when cleaning. They suck up more allergens, dander, and dust than a regular vacuum cleaner.
  • Consider having hardwood floors installed instead of carpeting to help reduce the amount of allergens that can tend to build up in carpets if you are allergic to pet dander.

If there are no animals present but you are still suffering from symptoms you usually experience when there is an animal in the room, then there might still be pet dander contained in the area which is causing you issues. Common public areas such as restaurants, schools, and office spaces might have pet dander that is been brought …

General Article

How to Find the Best Small Home Plan Design

In order to find the best small home plan design, you need to consider a few things. In addition to picking a plan that meets your needs, you also need to consider the building lot, the natural landscape, and if the plan will be marketable to any potential buyers if you want to sell our house in the future. It’s best if you keep a spreadsheet of your needs, in order to make sure you have a clearer picture.

Living Style and Family Needs: Your lifestyle and family needs will depend on stages of life and any future plans you have for the home. Features that newly married couples look for in a home will be different than some characteristics a retired couple may want. Before you choose a  house design, ask yourself some questions about whether or not you want to have a family and if there will be enough room as your family grows. You also want a plan for entertainment, so you should decide if you want a formal dining room or an open concept layout for big family gatherings.

Privacy: You want to consider how much privacy you want for neighbors and other occupants. If privacy is more important, then consider an L or U shaped design, since these homes provide more privacy when building on a suburban lot. Some homeowners want more privacy for bedrooms, while others may want more privacy for an office space. The plan should be checked for placement of windows to make sure there is still enough privacy. Also consider the outdoor space when looking for privacy. The location, lot type, and landscaping will also be important when it comes to the privacy of your outdoor space.

Home Work Space Considerations: Consider what work spaces you need, such as a workout room or laundry room. If you like to garden, you may want to have a utility room or mudroom with a half bath for easy cleanup. Think of some of your hobbies when choosing a home plan to make sure your space accommodates.

Surrounding Homes: You don’t want to live in a home that is the exact same as another, but the house design will need to fit in the neighborhood. Subdivisions may even have established home styles for the area, so you need to check regulations before you purchase a house plan. A home that is out of scale with the neighbors, whether it’s too small or large, will look out of place.

Choose Based on Layout: Make a decision based on the layout. You want it to feel functional with your daily activities. Don’t let features that you see sway your decision. You should like the living room because it’s welcoming and a great place to gather, and not because it has nice carpet.

Furnishings: Does the plan work with your existing furniture or will you need to buy more? Purchasing furniture can be stressful, so you may want to have something that works with what …

General Article

Why Is the Heat Not Working Right In My Business?

The mayhem caused by a failure in your commercial heating system can bring your entire day to a halt. No one wants to try and work in an environment that feels as cold inside as outside during the winter. A preventative maintenance program can be the guarantee you need that you’ll never have to worry about heating failures again.

Vents and Filters

The inability to feel the heat your HVAC unit is sending out can signal a problem with your vents, ductwork, or having a clogged air filter. It could be a combination of problems. The unit needs to bring in enough fresh air to send out a supply of heated air. Blockages or holes in the ducts can allow heat to escape in areas that are useless to the intended locations.

Fans and Heat Delivery Systems

Boilers and radiated heat, or fans that force heat through vents depend on the equipment operating quickly to efficiently heat the space. Have the delivery system checked completely if the unit seems to be operating right, yet you feel no heat.

Internal HVAC Repair Needs

Your heat unit could have a problem requiring replacement or repair. An expert in commercial heating equipment can assess the exact needs and have the unit working perfectly in no time. It might be suggested that it’s time to replace the unit if it has a problem that is not fixable.

Begin a Preventative Maintenance Program

Bring your costs down and dependability up with any commercial heating system by placing it on a preventative maintenance program. You will always have an experienced technician handling your unit and doing all of the maintenance it needs to stay in good working order.

Avoiding the problems of a heating system failure during the cold seasons is as easy as entering a HVAC maintenance contract Chicago IL area businesses rely on for regular maintenance and quick repairs. You’ll never have to wait in line for a professional technician again.…

Remodeling Contractors

Great Guide On How To Remodel Your House

When thinking about home improvements, some homeowners get scared. Perhaps they believe the difficulty, mess, hassle and expense of home improvement are just too overwhelming. However, improving a home doesn’t have to be hard. For the homeowner that takes the time to plan these improvements carefully and learns all they can before beginning, then they can accomplish great things with minimal fuss.

Add weather stripping to doors and windows to give your home’s energy efficiency a big boost. It is a cheap fix that will seal the air leaks around the windows and doors and reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home. You can also reduce the drafts you feel inside your home on windy, cold nights.

Plain lampshades can make your whole room look boring. With stencils, you can brighten them up. Use paint or an ink pad to add designs that be taken from a template, then add them to your boring lampshades. This will give your rooms some personality, taking away from the reality of how boring an ordinary lamp shade can be.

Add some protection to all of your floors before painting. Doing so can prevent paint from staining floors or carpets. One inexpensive and effective way to protect flooring is using layers of old newspapers. Plastic sheeting or inexpensive paint cloths will work, too.

Over time, ceramic tile can stop looking shiny and start to look grimy. A safe, but effective method is by mixing vinegar and water together. Fill a bucket with the solution and easily mop your floor. The solution will wash away dirt and grime, leaving your floors clean again.

If your home improvement project means working near a gas line from a stove, furnace, fireplace or other fixture, ensure that you know exactly where the gas shutoff is before you start working. Exercising extreme caution will keep you and your family safe. Starting a fire or causing an injury during your project is undesirable.

A great way to improve your home is to actually improve your yard through different landscaping tweaks. Your front lawn is the first thing people see when they look at your home, and a beautiful front lawn can impress your neighbors and any visitors. Keep your grass cut and neat, and you may even want to plant some shrubs to make your lawn look even better.

Save money by purchasing a drain snake. You will avoid the cost of buying expensive drain cleaners. Snaking your drain is something you should have someone with experience there for when you do it for the first time. Snakes come in a variety of sizes so make sure you get the one right for your pipe.

Building supplies are valuable and are prone to theft most of the time. That’s why these supplies should be located in a secure spot whenever you are not using them. If your home has lockable doors and windows, keeping them inside is fine. If you house is not complete, and impossible to lock, …