Home & Living

How to Ensure Your Property is Safe for Guests

Published

3 months ago

January 31, 2019

When you move into a retirement community, chances are you will be entertaining guests at some point. Family and friends will want to come and visit, grandkids can stay, and you may need a carer to sleep in the guest room.

Safety is a very important issue; not just for you but also your guests. If you don’t have adequate safety measures in place, someone could have an accident, or worse still, die. Here are some simple tips to help you ensure your property is safe and welcoming for guests.

Fire Safety

Top of the list is fire safety. All properties need fire safety measures, but senior retirement homes are more vulnerable than most because seniors need extra time to vacate the building in the event of a fire. Make sure you have smoke alarms fitted on each level. If they are battery operated, check and replace the batteries at regular intervals. Sprinkler systems will prevent a fire from taking hold and spreading, giving you more time to escape. Learn more about dry pipe sprinkler systems by reading this blog post written by sprinkler engineers in Chicago.

Don’t forget to add smaller fire safety measures. All kitchens need a fire blanket. It will help you if a pan catches on fire. Fire extinguishers are also handy, but remember that they need servicing annually.

If any of your guests happen to smoke, ask them to avoid smoking in the property. Smoking is a major cause of house fires in the US. Discarded cigarettes soon ignite flammable materials, and before you know it, the building is a raging inferno.

Remind guests to be very careful when cooking late at night. It’s easy to fall asleep and forget you left a pan on the stove. That’s how fires start.

Bathroom Safety

Bathrooms can be dangerous if you don’t have the right measures in place. Place a non-slip rubber mat in your bathtub, so guests don’t slip and fall. A support handle is useful if guests are infirm and struggle to get in and out of the shower or bathtub. Grab rails are easy to fix and can be purchased from any good DIY store.

Be mindful of rugs and trip hazards. Guests with mobility issues might trip over the edge of a rug. If in doubt, roll it up and put it away for a few days.

Child Safety

Do you have the grandkids coming to stay? You will need to be very careful. Put all medications well out of reach and cover power outlets so prying fingers can’t find a way in. If there are stairs in the property, fix a gate at the top and the bottom, to prevent babies and toddlers falling down and hurting themselves. Check locks on external doors, so younger children can’t wander off unnoticed. Keep pans and trailing power cords well out of reach of little ones. They are an accident waiting to happen.

It only takes a few minutes to check your home is safe your guests. Do a risk assessment and make any alterations before your guests arrive.

Home & Living

Know All About the World of Carrara Marble

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2019

Micheal Anderson

As a stone, marble has the ability to accentuate the beauty of any place where it is installed including as marble kitchen worktops. It is thus no wonder that it has always been the favourite of artists and designers alike. Throughout history, it has been used in cathedrals, palaces, and for carving sculptures.

Marble is a part of the limestone family and has a low index of refraction. This allows light to penetrate giving it the signature dazzling look. In its purest form, marble is white but the addition of impurities provides the veining pattern in it.

Also read: Complete Guide to Choose Marble Worktop

Carrara Marble

One of the most common types of light coloured marble used as ceramic kitchen worktops is Carrara marble. It is economical and is available in a wide variety of colours including shades of white and grey. The distinctive colour along with the veining makes identification of Carrara marble very easy. It was first used in Roman Civilization including the Ducal Palace and Basilica of Massa.

Uses of Carrara Marble

Carrara marble is used in a number of places including as marble kitchen worktops, art industry and in construction. It has a number of decorative and structural applications because of which it is used in commercial and residential spaces. It has been used in a number of religious places and by the royalty including forts and castles.

Here are some of the other places where Carrara marble can be used –

Tiles: Carrara marbles have long been used as tiles in bedrooms, bathrooms, corridors, kitchens, and shower areas. These tiles can be used for decorating fireplace surroundings, kitchen backsplashes and also for covering walls of the bathroom.

Marble Pavers: Apart from use as ceramic kitchen worktops, Carrara marble pavers are used for exterior decoration such as in courtyards, decks, driveways, fountains, pools, patios, garden pathways, and stepping stones. They are also used as retaining walls and fire pits.

Marble Slabs: Use of marble slabs has two applications – as ceramic countertops in kitchens and bathrooms and as stair treads. They can be installed for covering the kitchen island or as regular countertops.

Carrara Marble Designs

Carrara marble is known for its gorgeous appearance and it can be used for a number of design ideas, a few of which have been mentioned below –

Bedrooms: Carrara marble is considered ideal for bedroom decoration because of its classy appearance. It can be used for covering floor and accenting the walls and areas surrounding the fireplace. Individuals can also go for polished finishes to make it look even more glamorous.

Living Rooms: Usage of Carrara marble in living rooms betters the aesthetic value of any living room and lounge areas. Depending on the taste and preferences of the user, it can be used in a number of ways.

Kitchen: The kitchen is the most frequented part of the house and thus requires special attention to both the style and design. One of the designs that is most desired happens to be a wooden floored kitchen which has Carrara marble that is used as a backsplash and kitchen island. The Carrara tiles in the backsplash can be used in a herringbone pattern for the centerpiece while the rest of the rest is covered in a simple grey pattern.

Home & Living

The Harmful Health Effects Of Sleeping On A Bad Mattress

Published

4 weeks ago

March 25, 2019

Moiz Raza

If you sleep on a bad mattress night after night you are bound to experience harmful side effects that will not only affect your sleep but also your overall health. Mattresses are not designed to last forever, but in fact higher end mattresses will cause less harm that the cheaper mattresses. However, if you are sleeping on an old and worn out mattress you will surely have a lot of health issues whether it is of high quality or cheap. It is for this reason that you are advised to go through the Real Mattress Reviews reviews Saatva before you buy a mattress.

The health issues

Here are a few of a large number of dangers of sleeping on a bad mattress.

It can aggravate allergies: Mattresses are known to collect dust, sebum, dead skin cells, and dust mites over time. These all are usually microscopic and therefore you will not see them with your naked eyes. All these feast on your skin cellsand eventually lead to different skin and health problems such as eczema, allergies, sore throat, and even cause damage to your lungs To avoid these issues simply washing your bed sheets and the mattress covers is not enough. You will need to replace your mattress after five years or so.
It can make your back hurt: As old mattresses will often sag to form a dip and even form a curve due to the curvature of your body over time, this can affect your skeletal system in a very bad way. This is especially true if you have the habit of sleeping in one particular position in the same part of the mattress every night after night. This will eventually make your back hurt.
It can lead to insomnia: If you do not get a restful sleep overnight due to your uncomfortable mattress you can actually suffer from insomnia eventually. Insomnia in turn can lead to a large variety of health problems over time. If the other environmental and psychological factors are taken care of, it leaves to replacing your old mattress to get rid of these probabilities.
It can weaken your immune system: No matter how surprising it may seem to you, a bad mattress can also affect your immune system and make it weak due to low or no sleep at night. This is because your body will work overtime while you are sleeping and due to the weakened immune system that cannot be replenished due to inadequate sleep, you can actually get more vulnerable to colds and other diseases.

Finally, a bad mattress can also hinder memory retention. When you get deep sleep of Rapid Eye Movementor REM, memories will actually formin your brain. If you cannot reach to this deeper sleep state, then your brain will be unable to form these memories just as the way it should. This inability of your brain will cause long term memory damage over time.

All these for simply sleeping on a bad mattress! It is not worth. Therefore, change it.

Home & Living

Tips for Outdoor Furniture Buying

When you are looking for furniture for outside, whether it is for your own use in the garden or for customers at your place

Published

1 month ago

March 18, 2019

Angela John

When you are looking for furniture for outside, whether it is for your own use in the garden or for customers at your place of work there are some practical considerations to think about before you make a final purchase. Outdoor furniture, Melbourne needs to be able to handle the weather where you are, be able to be looked after, be comfortable and be safe. Here is a look at some of our tips for outdoor furniture buying.

Tip One – Consider the weather where you are

You need the furniture you choose to be able to handle the weather where you are. If it gets too high temperatures you need it to be able to handle that without damage, if it is damp, then you need a material that is not prone to mildew and so on. There is some weatherproofing you can do, there are sprays you can coat the furniture to give it better protection, but you need to re-apply those when they wear down. Resin or metal options tend to be easier to look after with cleaning and with protection so may be better choices for commercial use.

Tip Two – Making them easy to use or adjust

If the chairs adjust, or there is an umbrella on the tables to lift up offering the user shade, make sure the process is easy. If there is cushioning that the user can adjust to suit their comfort make sure it is looked after and in good condition. Be careful with moving parts though, they are more likely to break with a lot of use.

Tip Three – Think about user safety

Outdoor furniture needs to be safe for people to use. If it is being used commercially it needs to be safe for different shapes and sizes of people. Make sure there are no bits a child could get their fingers trapped in for example if it is near an open flame like a heater or BBQ make sure it is non-flammable.

Tip Four – Is it comfortable?

You want yourself and anyone else using the outdoor furniture Melbourne or wherever to actually be comfortable sitting in it! If you are wanting to relax in your garden with a drink and some friends you want to feel good doing so. If it is for customers you want them to be happy to sit and buy more refreshments, food and be a returning customer. If people are not comfortable there are plenty of other cafes or establishments they can go to where the seating is better. Do not make it just about squeezing in as much seating as you can.

Summary

When you have narrowed down things like material, size, type, ease of use, safety and comfort you are then faced with how much budget you have to spend. It can be tempting to try and save some money but if you want something that will last it can actually make more sense to invest in it whatever you can afford.