Archives for 2019

Where you live has a profound affect on both your mental and physical well being, and even small details can make a big difference. In this article we outline 6 ways that your home can cause problems to your health and the easy improvements you can make that’ll bring about big, beneficial changes to your whole life.

Mold Can Lead To Serious Health Issues

A type of fungus that often grows in damp and musty conditions, mold can lead to serious health problems if it isn’t treated quickly. You need to clean the affected area to get rid of the mold, then prevent its return by finding the root cause of the problem and fixing it. Often mold is caused by poor insulation, or condensation as a result of ineffective ventilation, so work with a contractor to identify and rectify the issue before it causes you serious health problems.

Dust Isn’t Just Unsightly

As well as being a sign that your home hasn’t been cleaned thoroughly in a while, dust can also cause respiratory problems and lead to allergies. These health problems are easily avoided by dusting your home regularly and using a high-quality vacuum cleaner to dispose of any dirt as quickly as possible.

Pests Can Be More Than Just Annoying

Not only do unwanted visitors cause a disturbance, but they can also lead to serious health problems including rashes, allergies and respiratory problems, as well as potentially spreading diseases such as salmonella. The most effective way to rid your home of pests is to collaborate with an expert pest control service like Aswatona Pest Control, whose talented team can eliminate any trace of pests and leave your home fresh and clean.

Uneven Flooring Is A Trip Hazard

Having uneven floors and dangerous staircases can lead to falls, which could potentially lead to a serious injury. To avoid this, make sure that any bumps on the ground are removed and that any lifting carpet or flooring is fixed so that you can walk around your home safely.

House Plants Aren’t Just Decorative Some house plants can lead to skin rashes, respiratory problems and even be poisonous, so you need to make sure that you check that your plants are non-toxic and safe. If you notice any change in your health when you’re around your plants then consider moving them to a place you don’t spend a lot of time in, or even getting rid of them altogether.

Damp Is Never A Good Thing

If your home gets damp then this could not only lead to more serious problems like mold, but on its own it could cause breathing problems, fungus on your skin and even other issues like a loss of appetite and poor mental health. Being damp can seriously affect your health and also damage the structure of your home, so find and fix any damp patches before they worsen and cause you health issues.

Monomorium pharaonis, or Pharaoh ants, are thought to be natives of Egypt, but they have spread all over the world, including to North America. Measuring just 2 millimeters, these ants are brown or yellowish in color. Although originally a tropical species, Pharaoh ants are highly adaptive to climate and temperature variations. They can even survive in American homes in winter if the central heating is on. As a loving and caring parent, you’ll want to get rid of this all-season nuisance pest.

Pharaoh ants live in colonies and they follow the social order of polygyny. Often, there are several queens in a single colony, so their population multiplies rapidly. When a colony becomes overpopulated, it gets fragmented into bud colonies, thus increasing their presence inside a home. Colonies can be anywhere including electricity pipes and ducts, small holes, or even cracks in walls and floors. Pharaoh ants can also damage silk, rayon, and rubber products, as they feed on almost everything sweet with sufficient protein content.

What is the biggest threat from Pharaoh ants?

These ants do not pose any major threat themselves except for mild stings. However, Pharaoh ants can transmit many illnesses and diseases as they are transporters of several pathogens. These include Streptococcus, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus. Pharaoh ants must be eliminated from modern homes to keep the family healthy and happy. However, keeping your home ant-free is a big challenge.

Why is it difficult to eradicate Pharaoh ants?

There are two major challenges in ant control. First, ants are very tiny and agile, and can easily escape or hide inside holes and cracks if attacked. Second, Pharaoh ants also have the unique gift of sensing insecticides and will abandon colonies before any harm comes to them.

What then are some effective ways of controlling pharaoh ants? Here are three options.

Ant-baiting

These ants have a terrific sweet tooth, so the smartest way to destroy them is by preparing poisonous baits mixed with honey, crushed sugar, or any other sweet solvent. Boric acid and baking soda are two effective household bait ingredients. These baits should be placed strategically and particularly in and around cracks and openings so that the ants can easily access them. Quite often, ant workers carry food to their queens so this method is also effective in killing the queens and thus controlling the population.

Capping holes, openings, and cracks

These are the gateways for Pharaoh ants that facilitate their entry and exit in homes. By sealing them, you can restrict their movement successfully. The challenge here is to spot and seal all possible points of entry, as many of them may be out of reach or simply go unspotted.

Spraying pesticides

If the ant infestation remains unmanageable even after trying the previous methods, you can try spraying pesticides. This should be the last resort because the average homeowner might struggle choosing the right pesticide for the job, as well as finding one that was safe. Using the pesticide both correctly and effectively might also be a challenge to a layperson.

Pharaoh ants are both smart and elusive. Controlling them is an expert’s job, so the best way to do it is by involving professionals. When it comes to the health and safety of your family, you would not want to take chances, right?

Too often, we are guilty of buying a fancy gadget and not worrying about its maintenance until the first problem occurs. Although a standby generator may seem like a simple machine that runs on sources of mechanical energy – it really isn’t. In fact, it’s a clever complex piece of equipment that needs as much care as your regular car would need. If you need help with your generator installation, the internet is a great place to look up some expert tips and tutorials. Alternatively, a professional may be hired to help get you set up.

Like a car, a standby generator has a list of parts, wiring and other materials that are critical in its seamless functioning. This is the primary reason why it is important to regularly run checks on your generator to ensure it will be available at the time of need.  If you find that your generator is not working properly, you can check your area for a local repairman.  Consider doing an internet search, such as Generator Repair Milwaukee.

Reasons To Maintain Your Generator

A poorly or never maintained generator is as much bad news as an unpredictable loss itself. Here are a few reasons as a generator owner to ensure regular maintenance:

Parts, parts and the bigger picture: Like any equipment, generators also have plenty of parts that require regular checks. Each part within the generator adds up to make the generator work. Comprehensive maintenance of your residential generator plan should include checking of oil, oil filter, spark plugs, adjust and tighten any valves, check gas pressure, clear air filters, cross-check voltage, hertz, RPM outputs, perform a transfer test, last but not the least, the battery itself. Just like you would take your car for maintenance or call a professional to service your air conditioner, a standby generator requires a complete check-up at frequent intervals.

Maintain to remain: A standby generator is definitely a long term buy. Whether it is a short term outage or a power cut off that extends for a month- a standby generator should be available to run until normal power returns. A well-maintained generator can run from 10,000 hours to 30,000 hours. 10,000 hours translates to about 20 years of usage! Not only do you have a buy that’s long term but can attend to all your emergency needs.

Be risk smart: Your family and life are more important than anything else. Whilst you cannot mitigate every unforeseen event, investing in maintaining your generator can save you lots of trouble. When you don’t maintain it regularly, you are definitely putting yourself and your loved ones up for the risk. Imagine a blackout during terrible weather such a rainstorm, with no power, therefore no heating? It’s at these times that you need a fully functional generator to provide you with a seamless supply of power to have access to basic necessities like heating, information, and communication. Don’t risk instead, be smart, invest in the maintenance rather.

How to Maintain your Generator?

If yours is an industry like farming, you will understand the importance of having seamless and quality electricity at all times. In fact, In the farming world, Brett Patterson from AbleSales.com.au says that poor electrical quality is a common problem, making a reliable generator a must. Maintenance is the way to ensure your existing generator is a reliable one. While you may feel overwhelmed just looking at your generator equipment with all the wires and protective covering it may have, it’s actually quite straightforward on how to maintain it. Here are a few tips:

Create a comprehensive generator maintenance plan

This is probably the most important and the first thing to do right after you purchase a standby generator. A one-time schedule, it must include a routine maintenance check to ensure all aspects are covered along with timelines. If you decide to hire an outside contractor or a professional to carry out maintenance, it may be worth discussing your plan with them to gather their inputs.

Purchase a warranty

Investing in a warranty is one of the best backup plans you can have. Most generators don’t come cheap, ensure to understand the coverages- whether full or partial.

Invest in a cover

It may be worth investing in a cover or building an enclosure to protect your generator. The slightest bit of rainfall can damage parts that can prove to be costly.

Test your generator every 3 months

Most manufacturers recommend powering up your generator every 3 months for at least 30 minutes to charge the battery. Testing and maintaining your generator frequently improves the performance. The last thing you want is to get is a nasty surprise of your electric starter not working at a moment of need.

Check the outsides

Do a regular check outside of the radiator core and the intercooler of the water tank. There should be absolutely no foreign objects blocking the way.

Check the oil levels

If your generator runs on diesel, it’s important to check the oil level is between maximum and minimum levels of the dipstick scale.

Leaks

Inspect for any leaks from the equipment. If there are, investigate the source and clean up any residue.

Air filter blockage

Check if there is an air filter blockage. If the indicator shows red or is pointing towards the red zone, do not delay to replace the filter. The filter must be replaced after the unit is shut down. Remember not to reuse the air filter that was replaced.

Electrical connections to control systems

The last thing you want is to discover electrical connections to control systems are loose or faulty during an emergency. Run checks to ensure all portals are connected and fully working.

Use soft water

Check the cooling water level in the water tank. If it needs filling, make sure to use pure distilled water or soft water to ensure there is no corrosion.

Buying a generator may be simple. But ensuring it’s long life involves regular and complete maintenance. A standby generator has proven to be extremely useful at times

of need, especially life-altering emergencies that rely on medical equipment. Mitigate the risk of not having power by taking care of your generator. If you are unable to find the time or lack the ability to ensure regular checks, it may be worth hiring a professional to overlook the maintenance for you.

Many people focus on finding happiness through material gains: buying a new toy, getting some new recipes, making their home a ‘better’ place by filling it with new belongings. However, all of this materialistic purchasing begets a bigger question: why aren’t you happy in the first place?

This simple question could be the answer to a lot of people’s unhappiness. Many people struggle with some sort of unidentified mental health issues, like anxiety or depression. Rather than acknowledge and cope with these problems, they prefer to look to external sources in hopes of ‘covering up’ the problem.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this – most times people aren’t even aware that they struggle with a mental illness. However, the sad reality is that in our society, a huge number of us are. One of the best things that you could do to improve the quality of life is not to buy new things, but to consider checking in with your mental health. You can see a professional and get a Mental Health Primary Diagnosis.

Self-Help Blogs and Mental Wellness Blogs There are tons of mental health and self-help blogs (for example: E-counseling.com) that are directed towards people in a similar situation. It’s becoming quite common knowledge that having more (material) wealth doesn’t equate to being happier, but unfortunately, not everyone is aware of what the alternatives are.

The alternatives generally involve a great deal of honesty and self-care, which means checking in with yourself to determine whether or not your mental health is really as good as you think it is. It is also equally as important to understand mental illness, as many people simply hear buzz words these days but don’t understand any of it. Make sure to read up about mental health. Read up on Google News. Research any questions you may have on mental health through resources like Mental Health America and NAMI.

Mental Health – Is It Really That Important?

Mental health is one of the most important things for anyone to take care of – just as important as physical health. The problem is, while many of us are educated about physical health, not nearly as many of us are educated about mental health.

Mental health is important for many reasons.

· Mental health follows you everywhere, just like your physical health. A good state of mental health will improve your work, your relationships, and your overall quality of life. On the other hand, if you have mental health problems, you will likely struggle in these same areas.

· If mental health problems are left unaddressed, they can manifest as physical illnesses. Chronic stress, for example, can lead people to develop heart disease or immune problems.

What to Do About Mental Health

Even though many people are aware of what mental health problems can do to their lives, they may not know what to do next.

One of the best things that you could do to improve your quality of life is not to buy new things, but to consider checking in with your mental health. For instance, you could see a professional and get a Mental Health Primary Diagnosis. This is the first step toward getting a treatment plan in place and making a positive step forward.

If you think that you could improve your mental health in any way (and most of us certainly can), don’t hesitate to seek the counsel of a therapist.