Copyright (c) 2008 Jon Dacken

Is it too dry in your home or office? Too humid? How do you know?

The right humidity level is really important during the heating season.

Relative humidity is an important factor for several reasons. It affects how comfortable we feel. If it’s too dry, we can’t seem to get warm no matter how high we set the thermostat. It can affect the ability of some folks to breathe. Humidity levels also affect the cost of heating because lower humidity levels require higher temperatures in order for us to feel comfortable.

If you’re bothered by frequent colds or allergies, your house may be too dry. And excessive humidity can result in unwanted mold growth along with damage and discoloration of window sills, walls, and other building components.

So for a number of different reasons people pay more attention to the indoor relative humidity levels during the heating season.

A lot of folks don’t really know what relative humidity is. A simple but non-scientific explanation is that it is the amount of water vapor in the air.

A common method of measuring indoor humidity is to buy a little devise at your local hardware store to tell you what it is. They’re probably two or three inches square in size and are designed to sit on a shelf or table. They usually sell for less than $20.

My personal experience with these devices is that they are often inaccurate when compared to a commercial indoor air quality meter. The ones I tested were not off by a couple of percentage points. They were off by a lot!

This same device often includes a “comfort zone” which is supposed to indicate at what temperature and relative humidity you will feel comfortable. There is a quick, free, and accurate method to evaluate your indoor humidity. It won’t give you the relative humidity in percent, but it will indicate if you have too much or too little humidity. Too much humidity and you run the risk of unwanted mold growth. Too little and you’re going to be uncomfortable.

I have tested this method against the commercial indoor air quality meter I use and found it to be quite accurate in indicating when the humidity level is too high or too low.

So what is this method? It simply requires you to look for two things.

First, look at your windows. Moisture on your windows means the humidity is too high. We’re not talking one or two drops. We’re talking about enough moisture so it runs down the glass and forms little puddles on the window sill. When you see this, it means your humidity is too high! If you continue to maintain this high humidity level, you are encouraging mold growth by providing the perfect environment. It will happen.

You may discover water forming on the windows in one area of your house, but not in another. For example, your bathroom window has water frequently forming on the sill while other windows in the house remain dry. Too much humidity in your bathroom may be the result of not running the exhaust fan long enough after a bath or shower. The rest of the house is ok.

So now you know how to determine if there is too much humidity in your house. What about too little?

To determine if it’s too dry, you look for another simple, yet accurate indicator. Static electricity. Do you get static electric shocks when you walk across the carpet and touch something metal? Is it impossible to comb your hair without having several strands stick straight out? Do you need a ton of hair spray? Does the cat’s fur stick out when you pet him?

These are all signs that it’s too dry in your house. You need more humidity.

Now that you know how easy it is to check, you never need to wonder about your indoor humidity level. You’ll know almost instantly if it’s too humid or too dry. You don’t need to buy a thing, and the results are almost instantaneous and quite accurate!

Wall water fountains: the ultimate combination of form and function in an indoor (or outdoor) decoration. These magnificent installations are often stunning, frequently beautiful, and always unique, adding a palpable character and sophistication to any room in your home, or any space in your garden. But aside from their aesthetically pleasing qualities, wall fountains also deliver a few useful health benefits to balance and soothe your body and mind. Online retailers make the process of selecting a water fountain even easier.

Wall fountains may be traditional or contemporary in appearance, but either way you will be able to enjoy the pleasant sound of trickling water. Flowing water has been demonstrated to reduce stress levels by increasing endorphin levels, drowning out background noise, and bringing the sound of nature indoors. Enjoy the sound of your wall fountain, which allows you to experience peace and relaxation.

Installing and mounting your indoor wall water fountain is a fairly simple process. A quality indoor fountain usually comes with its own mounting materials. depending on the dimensions and weight of your wall fountain, you may need a hammer, level, screwdriver, and other similar tools. You may wish to install an outlet directly where the fountain will be mounted in order to hide the cord. extension cords tend to make a mess; this way, the water flows effortlessly and without the clutter. As soon as your wall fountain is installed, it is ready to be enjoyed.

like a houseplant, your indoor wall fountain needs to be watered and cleaned at regular intervals. This simple task, performed often enough, will prevent evaporation and improve functionality. To keep your fountain’s water clean and safe, and to prevent hardening and bad odors, try using distilled water and algae-fighting agents. Essential oils can be added to your wall fountain, providing healthful aromatherapy to help you relax even further. There is a bevy of unique scents available to you, in order to achieve a variety of relaxed physical and mental states.

When you’re shopping for wall fountains, try looking online to get the best possible deal. Online resources provide a wide variety of styles, designs, and qualities of water fountains, suitable for a number of budgets and incomes. Be sure to obtain a wall fountain from a reliable company. Reliable online retailers usually have a professional-looking web page, including a phone number that is frequently available to help you with any questions, and checkout security to keep your transactions safe. Many web companies offer free shipping services, meaning that going out of your way to a warehouse will incur no savings. The savings are all available online.

Everyone who visits your home will be green with envy when they see your beautiful new indoor wall fountain. With some careful foresight and planning, a wall fountain can enhance the d้cor of your home, improve relaxation, and make any room a more beautiful place to be.

Washing lines, laundry lines and clothes airers are available today in all shapes and sizes, however there are new products such as Handy Lines, Ceiling Airers and state of the art drying racks, which are designed specifically for indoor use.

Some of the features found on these new products are really cutting edge technology, and not found on most of the other common washing airer and clothes airer products.

As energy pricing increases around the world for both electricity and gas, alot of people are looking to eco friendly products to save them money, and also have a benefit of helping out the planet.

As the electric or gas powered tumble dryer is one of the most energy consuming household appliances, any product that can reduce the usage or eliminate the need to use this device altogether is going to be popular.

As homes reduce in size around the world as land rises in value, the use of an airer takes over where you would have had a conventional washing line.

Indoor airers can be used in all living environments from normal large homes right down to small uints and flats.

Utilising the latest modern materials and technologies, lightweight, very strong folding washing airers that can also double as an airer or drying rack if required, are now appearing in large stores and on the internet.

Indoor airers are available today with some models have a huge 16m of washing line space.

One aspect that is a bonus for todays airers is that they are able to take Queen and King sized sheets.

With products constructed of powder coated aluminium that will never rust even when left outside, and airers that fold flat and can be stored behind a door, in a cupboard or even in the bathtub!

With the high quality aluminium used in manufacture makes these washing airers easily carried in one hand and operated by the elderly or frail with no problems what so ever.

Products come from all corners of the globe with many designed in Australia, the UK and USA and coming in some cases with a 2 year warranty, these functional, energy saving washing airers can be used in a variety of situations to dry your washing and laundry.

The indoor airer is a timeless piece of household equipment that has stood the test of time, and is now available in a huge range of styles, designs and variations, which is why it can be daunting finding the perfect indoor airer for your individual needs.

A big reduction in household emissions and your eco foot print can be acheived with the use of an eco friendly airer as they require no power to operate.

From Folding to Fixed and Ceiling Mounted, there are Many Choices.

Laundry airers, clothes airers and indoor drying racks have been around for years and have now evolved into unique styles and models.

From the traditional ceiling mounted clothes airers which are still found today, to the state of the art portable airer such as the Mrs Peggs Handy Line, which is lightweight, portable and folds almost completely flat.

When you are looking at purchasing a new airer you need to look at things such as how much space do you have? Does your laundry airer or clothes airer need to be fixed to the wall or can you have a portable model that you can take out into the sun on nice days?

Line space is a key point to consider when buying your indoor airer. If you have a large family you will need something that offers plenty of drying area and can take large items like sheets and large towels.

Ceiling mounted indoor airers are still very popular in areas such as the UK and Europe, as they utilise the warm air that gets trapped in the ceiling space to dry clothes free of charge and in all weather conditions.

Retractable indoor airers from manufacturers such as Hills and Austral washing lines, are also very popular as the drying lines are only seen when required, with these units often styled to blend into the d้cor of modern homes.

One of the key considerations when purchasing an indoor airer is the money you have available to spend as the more you have, the better airer you will get.

Very cheap models of airers can be found but often need replacing each year, while dearer models will last for years and years.

The main point to consider with an indoor airer is that they will save you money if they are used instead of the electric tumble dryer and they will also help in the fight against climate change.

Vegetable gardening is a worthwhile project to undertake as the fruits of your labor can end up at your dinner table! However, you must first decide if you want to grow your vegetables indoor or outdoor. Both methods have pros and cons to it and you will need to consider conditions such as lighting and pest control as well. You need to consider your current situation to make a wise choice.

Soil preparation and maintenance can be much more difficult when gardening outdoors. Over time, nutrients in the soil can be diminished by repeated planting. It can be harder to deal with diseases and fertilizers then. Large areas that require pH adjusting and breaking down of clay particles present difficulties also. Preparing a container and maintaining it is not needed when gardening outdoors and this is a positive aspect.

Although less is required, maintaining fertilizer levels can be tricky when gardening indoors. It’s easy to accumulate too much. Great care needs to be taken in order to maintain the proper balance between water drainage and retention. Soil in indoor gardening will not adjust itself as easily when compared to soil outdoors. Overwatering is much more dangerous for your plants than underwatering.

It is cheap and simple to use a automatic system for watering when you have a garden outdoors. It can be harder to do this with indoor gardening. It is possible but it will probably cost a lot and be messy. Depending on the number of containers you have, it may not even be worth the effort.

Lighting usually isn’t an issue with outdoor gardens if they are planned correctly. It should be quite easy to give the plants approximately five hours of exposure to the sun, but it will depend on your local climate. lighting provides another challenge for indoor gardening. You might have the hassle of shifting your plants throughout the day if you have no access to a window area with adequate light and warmth.

However, this does make controlling the amount of light received somewhat easier. If the sun gets too hot, you can easily close the shades or blinds to prevent burning. Automated systems have been designed just for this purpose. Put plants near the windows to help create a greenhouse effect of sorts and it saves you the trouble and money of building an actual greenhouse.

Although pests and diseases are present in both settings, obviously, they will be easier to control indoors. Closer inspection and, usually, more chemicals are required for battling these things outdoors. Moisture on your plant’s leaves during the cool night will cause fungi. It’s also easier to for insects to lay their eggs undetected when outdoors.

Many of the controls available today, whether chemical or organic, have very unpleasant odors and would not be suitable for indoor use. Almost all insecticides are similar. Plant-based oils have a more pungent odor and is more expensive than chemical sprays.

You know what suits you the best, so you should be the judge of which method of vegetable gardening to adopt. Each method has its difficulties but it is definitely worthwhile when. You’ll be supping on the fruits of your labor pretty soon.

Tell the cold weather to take a hike, and get ready to have
some fun!

* Winter Beach Party
Bring that fun-in-the-sun feeling into your home with a
winter beach bash. Spread beach towels on the living room
floor; wear your swimsuit and a pair of flippers (why
not?); feast on hot dogs; make castles out of clay and play-
dough; and don’t forget to take pictures!

* Winter Word Race
Challenge your friends and family to a race of the minds.
Set a kitchen timer for one minute. When the time starts,
write down as many winter-related words as you can think
of. The winner gets a cup of hot cocoa and the chance to
choose the next word race topic.

* Balloon Drop
Who doesn’t love a good balloon game? Arrange players in a
circle and have them number off. The player with the
highest number is “It”. “It” stands in the center of the
circle, and calls out a number while dropping an inflated
balloon. The player with that number must catch the balloon
before it reaches the floor. If the player catches the
balloon, “It” calls another number. But if the balloon
touches the floor, then that player is “It” and the game
continues.