LIFETIPS - For The Home

• If you are money consious you can make one tank of hot water spread for everything. First use it to run a bowl of water for washing the dishes, then load the washing machine and set it going. Finally, take a bath using the last of the hot water.

• There is no need to switch on the hot water just to wash the dishes, switch on the kettle instead!

• House lights cost so very little to run that there is no harm done by leaving the lights on for long periods. High users of electricity are things which use a heater or a motor such as water heaters, irons, electric cookers, washers, dryers, kettles and refridgerators. Now with energy saving lights, they last ten times longer and cost even less to run because of their low wattage. A lightbulb will last much longer if it is left on for long periods of time as the switching on/off process is what weares out the bulb.

• One good tip to secure your home against burglers and thieves is simply to leave the kitchen light (or back light) on all night. 95% of all break-ins are done from the rear of the house, so if a thief sees a light on in the house, there is no way of knowing whether there is someone still awake inside the house. Rather than risk breaking into a house with a light on, thieves will be almost sure to go somewhere else. Also the more walls you have around your house, or the more hidden the house seems to be, the more likely thieves will try to break in. The mystery of a hidden house is an instant attraction, and will also hide the thief upon breaking in.

• If you use aromatherapy oil burners, place one on top of your fire or radiator and the heat should evapourate the oil just as a candle would do. You can also use the metal base from old tea light candles (half full of water) to make extra oil burners for a fire or radiator.

• If you buy secented tea-lights without special candle holders, just use an egg cup on a side plate instead.

• If you are lucky enough to receive flowers there are a number of things you can do to keep them longer. Cut the last 2cm off your stems as this will help the plant take in water. You may get a flower foods sachet with them which you can add to the water straight away or after a week to extend lifetime. A drop of baby bio will also do the trick. If your roses start to bend over, place them in warm or hot water instead of cold and they should pick right up again.

• Heating bills can be cut simply by draft excluding the rooms you use the most i.e. the living room and the bedroom. Get hold of a tub of flexible decorators filler and a gun (both around £1.50) for around the window frames. Simply fill in any cracks which have appeared around your woodwork and smooth over with a wet finger before painting over. Another good idea would be to find brush type excluders for the bottoms of doors and a foam type excluder roll for around door frames (and catflaps/letterbox). You can also save heating bills by eating more energy rich foods and wearing thick clothing in the winter months.

• Light, white colours reflect heat and dark colours absorb it, so stay aware of this when decorating a room (and choosing clothing). This is why radiators are painted white and saucepans are black. The more heat you can reflect back into a room the easier it is to warm it. Remember also that heat rises so every room has to warm from the ceiling downwards. An easy way to keep the heat/energy flowing in a room is to use a foam filler to fill in the corners. The rounder you can make a room, the easier the heat/energy will flow.

• Your music setup will sound much better by placing your speakers in the top corners of a room. You don't need special wall mounts to do this - electrical wire will do fine. For this method you will need a length of single core copper wire (or something thicker for heavier speakers), screws at least an inch long and metal washers which fit them. A screw (and washer) can now be screwed into your wall about 6 - 8 inches from the corner. Tie one end of the wire securely around the screw between the washer and the wall, and tighten completely. Now screw in another your second screw on the adjacent wall again about siz or eight inches from the corner. Place the speaker into the corner of the room, Take the wire hanging from your first screw, and bring it dowm and underneath the speaker, and back up to the second strew. You can now tie off the wire tightly around your second strew and the wire will be looping around the speaker. You may want to winde the wire all the way around the speaker to hold it in place.

• Always make sure you have a spare door key somewhere in case you get locked out. Locksmiths are expensive!

• You can paint paper lantern lamp shades with glass paint to make them much more attractive. Glass paint can also brighten up any window.

• Try to avoid chemical air freshners as the chemicals they are made from are not very good for health. Natural essential oils in a burner are far better for your cinuses, as is opening the window!

• Music can raise and change the atmosphere within a room. To set an ambient mood for a relaxing night in, light some candles and play gentle music in the room before or as you use it. To liven up a room before a party, play music with a fast beat and lots of energy about half an hour before your guests arrive.

• Too many colours in a room will be shocking to your senses. If your wallpaper is patterened with lots of colours, consider having the floor and ceiling coloured in a single colour to complement rather than clash with it.

  
  

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