Even though wildfires are a part of the natural process of creation and destruction in the environment, the bad thing for people is that sometimes their homes are located directly in the path. A large number of people have to worry every year whether a wildfire will affect their area, but if you own your home and you know what to do, there are things that can protect your home from them. Depending on the circumstances and where your home is located, it may not be enough, but it certainly cannot hurt to try and you may actually end up saving your home.
Using fire-resistant materials on the exterior of your house is essential. The roofing material is the most important, since this has the largest amount of surface area and sparks of fire called firebrands will be picked up by the wind and possibly carried over your house. Having the fire-resistant roofing material such as metal, fiberglass, or tile will slow down the spread of the fire from the roof and it may not even catch on fire at all from one of these small sparks. You do not want to use oil-based roofing materials on a home that is located in a place at risk of wildfires.
Fire-resistant materials on the outer walls of your home will also slow down the spread of the fire, such as stone, metal, or brick, so if you are considering having a home built for you, these are materials you really want to consider. You should also have smaller windows on the exterior of your home, since large windows are more likely to break and allow the hot air and fire sparks from the outside of the house inside, where it will catch curtains and everything else. If you have to have large windows, have multi-pane ones instead of single-pane.
If there is a wildfire close to where you live, wet down the exterior of the house, especially your roof. This will give a little extra protection against firebrands floating by on the wind. Wetting down the yard and vegetation will also help, but you should do this just before you decide to leave the house.
Get rid of any dead vegetation in the yard and do not allow things like dead leaves to build up, since these are easy targets. If you do have a pile of leaves in your yard, the best thing that you can do before you evacuate is soak them down with water.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Chicago Water and Sewage Extraction and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Treating Moldy Clothing
Clothing contaminated by mold is not a fun thing to have to deal with, especially if it happens to affect an old favorite item of clothing that we found lying in the back of a closet or behind a dresser. We are usually hesitant to throw it away, but sometimes we are unsure if the item can be completely cleansed or not.
The Bible talks about mold contaminated clothing in ancient times and these items were always seen as untreatable and were always thrown away. It is fortunate that these days we know that these items can usually be completely cleaned, but we may not be able to completely get rid of the stain the mold left behind. This is particularly true for leather items, since this is a piece of dead skin and the natural role of mold is to decompose dead organic matter.
The cause of moldy clothing usually has something to do with moisture and forgetfulness. Sometimes we get our clothes wet and just toss them into the laundry basket or into the bathroom closet and forget about them. Doing this is a mistake, because if they are not dried within about 48 hours, mold will start to grow on them. What is even worse is that dry clothing is usually thrown on top of it and the infestation spreads to other clothes. Mold can also start growing on items that have been left behind dressers or in closets that become humid and do not get enough ventilation.
Molded clothing can usually be cleaned by using borax laundry detergent in the washing machine and allowing the clothes to soak for a few hours. Wash in warm to hot water, depending on what the clothing’s dye will tolerate without the colors bleeding everywhere.
After the clothes are done the first time, using a stain remover on them before washing them the second time could help remove any stains that may exist on the clothes. Washing the clothes at least twice is generally recommended, since most of the time it takes more than once to get rid of the infestation completely. Do not use your dryer to dry moldy clothes, however, since an artificial heat source like this usually sets the stain further into the fabric. Put the clothes outside to dry instead.
Depending on the amount of clothing that you have to wash and re-wash, it might be easier to just throw the afflicted clothing away than try to restore it, especially if there are a lot of stains. Most clothing is salvageable, though, as long as you treat it properly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Sewage Damage Clean-up and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
The Bible talks about mold contaminated clothing in ancient times and these items were always seen as untreatable and were always thrown away. It is fortunate that these days we know that these items can usually be completely cleaned, but we may not be able to completely get rid of the stain the mold left behind. This is particularly true for leather items, since this is a piece of dead skin and the natural role of mold is to decompose dead organic matter.
The cause of moldy clothing usually has something to do with moisture and forgetfulness. Sometimes we get our clothes wet and just toss them into the laundry basket or into the bathroom closet and forget about them. Doing this is a mistake, because if they are not dried within about 48 hours, mold will start to grow on them. What is even worse is that dry clothing is usually thrown on top of it and the infestation spreads to other clothes. Mold can also start growing on items that have been left behind dressers or in closets that become humid and do not get enough ventilation.
Molded clothing can usually be cleaned by using borax laundry detergent in the washing machine and allowing the clothes to soak for a few hours. Wash in warm to hot water, depending on what the clothing’s dye will tolerate without the colors bleeding everywhere.
After the clothes are done the first time, using a stain remover on them before washing them the second time could help remove any stains that may exist on the clothes. Washing the clothes at least twice is generally recommended, since most of the time it takes more than once to get rid of the infestation completely. Do not use your dryer to dry moldy clothes, however, since an artificial heat source like this usually sets the stain further into the fabric. Put the clothes outside to dry instead.
Depending on the amount of clothing that you have to wash and re-wash, it might be easier to just throw the afflicted clothing away than try to restore it, especially if there are a lot of stains. Most clothing is salvageable, though, as long as you treat it properly.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Sewage Damage Clean-up and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Types of Sump Pumps
The purpose of a sump pump is to pump water out of your basement before it completely floods.
If you are thinking about installing a sump pump into your basement, this is a very good idea. The problem mainly lies with what kind of sump pump you need to purchase. There are about three different kinds of sump pumps and depending on your own circumstances, you may need one more than the other.
A pedestal sump pump is an electricity powered pump that stands up in your basement and has a motor that is a few feet over it. This motor should not be gotten wet at any point. It has a float that will activate a switch inside the pump to turn it on when water reaches a high level in the basement. This kind of sump pump is best for basements that need to be drained frequently. This is the least expensive kind of pump, but they tend to be a lot noisier than the submersible kind.
Submersible sump pumps are installed into the ground and as the name might imply, they are designed to work while they are under water. They also have a float activated switch that will turn the pump on as it is needed. These tend to be more expensive than the pedestal pump type, but these are quieter and usually last longer. They have a sealed and oil-cooled motor that protects them from dust and water.
Something else to consider is whether or not you need to acquire a plastic or a cast iron sump pump. Cast iron pumps last a lot longer than their plastic counterparts, but the plastic ones do not last as long. No matter which kind you might get, any sump pump that you get should feature a check valve on the pipe that lets the water out so water does not go back into the pump after it has shut off. If water flows in and out of the pump excessively, this will cause the pump to turn on and off more than it needs to and this will drastically shorten its life.
Water powered sump pumps run using the water pressure in your home plumbing system and they also have a float-activated switch. These require no electricity in order to function and can be used as a backup sump pump system during power failures.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
If you are thinking about installing a sump pump into your basement, this is a very good idea. The problem mainly lies with what kind of sump pump you need to purchase. There are about three different kinds of sump pumps and depending on your own circumstances, you may need one more than the other.
A pedestal sump pump is an electricity powered pump that stands up in your basement and has a motor that is a few feet over it. This motor should not be gotten wet at any point. It has a float that will activate a switch inside the pump to turn it on when water reaches a high level in the basement. This kind of sump pump is best for basements that need to be drained frequently. This is the least expensive kind of pump, but they tend to be a lot noisier than the submersible kind.
Submersible sump pumps are installed into the ground and as the name might imply, they are designed to work while they are under water. They also have a float activated switch that will turn the pump on as it is needed. These tend to be more expensive than the pedestal pump type, but these are quieter and usually last longer. They have a sealed and oil-cooled motor that protects them from dust and water.
Something else to consider is whether or not you need to acquire a plastic or a cast iron sump pump. Cast iron pumps last a lot longer than their plastic counterparts, but the plastic ones do not last as long. No matter which kind you might get, any sump pump that you get should feature a check valve on the pipe that lets the water out so water does not go back into the pump after it has shut off. If water flows in and out of the pump excessively, this will cause the pump to turn on and off more than it needs to and this will drastically shorten its life.
Water powered sump pumps run using the water pressure in your home plumbing system and they also have a float-activated switch. These require no electricity in order to function and can be used as a backup sump pump system during power failures.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
