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Remodel Fireplace |
Add Some Paint
Marble For Less
White Washing Brick
Wall Treatments
Statement Making Tile
from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/01/how-remodel-fireplace.html
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Remodel Fireplace |
Ear mites are a pretty common problem for rabbits. Most infections aren’t serious, thankfully, and can be dealt with easily at home. If left untreated, the problem will get worse and can lead to serious infections, including meningitis and eventually death. Even a minor infection is a pain for a rabbit to deal with, so it’s better to get it taken care of as soon as you can.
It’s almost impossible to catch ear mites in rabbits before they start. They burrow deep into the ear canal, and there are virtually no visible signs of them. You may notice your rabbit is scratching or shaking their head a lot, but may not be able to actually see anything inside the ears.
Eventually, as the infestation grows, the mites will start to create scabs which will spread to the outer part of the ear. At this point, it’s pretty uncomfortable for the rabbit, but not dangerous as long as you act quickly to take care of it. It will look like a brown, waxy buildup at first. Shortly after, it will become scab-like or flaky, and your rabbit will be pretty unhappy.
Ear mites spread quickly, so get the rabbit out of there! Place the rabbit with the infection in a separate hutch and clean, clean, clean! You’ll want to disinfect everything you can, toss out the bedding and keep their permanent living area as clean as possible. The treatment should be done in an area where no other rabbits are going to be. Mites can survive for up to three weeks away from a host, so anywhere the infected rabbit has been is a hot spot.
As the breeder or owner, you also need to be vigilant in making sure you wash your hands after handling the infected rabbit. Mites can transfer from rabbit to people to rabbit, and then you’d have to start all over with treatment!
Ear mites in rabbits are common, so having a reliable home remedy for them is important. It’s actually quite simple to do, so long as you’re able to keep the rabbit from re-infecting themselves. There are a few easy ways to take care of the mites.
The most common natural home remedy for ear mites is oil. You can use most oils, like coconut or even vegetable oil. Just add a few drops at a time and the oil will smother the mites. Only use two or three drops, since more will be unhelpful and could make the rabbit uncomfortable. This method does take some time, and it’s vital to keep the rabbit separated until the infection is gone. Tea tree oil can help as well, to sooth the itching and help prevent infections from the scratches.
Do this treatment for two days, then every-other day for two weeks. Do it two more times — once at 21 days from the first treatment, and once at 28 days to make sure the mites won’t come back.
If you aren’t comfortable putting oil in your rabbit’s ear, you can also use honey. Mix three teaspoons of honey and three ounces of water, then coat the inside of the ear. This requires more than just a few drops of oil, but it should be followed on the same schedule. The honey is also a natural antibiotic and will help soothe irritated skin.
Be Proactive
As with any common ailment, prevention is the best medicine. Ear mites in rabbits occur and spread most rapidly in overcrowded conditions, so don’t try to house too many animals in one area. Another big factor for ear mites seems to be stress. The animals get stressed out, and all of a sudden ear mite infections start popping up left and right.
Straw bedding tends to harbor mites, so switch to a different kind if that’s what you use. You can also pre-treat the animals with a gentle mixture either once a week or whenever you do other basic grooming, like nail trimming. A mix of mineral oil with a few drops of apple cider vinegar, and a few drops of a healing essential oil, like tea tree oil, can prevent mites from establishing an infection.
More than anything, remember that a mite infection is not pleasant for a rabbit to go through. Making sure it’s taken care of is an animal health and safety issue. Give your rabbits a little extra love — they’ll thank you for it!
The post Easy Treatments for Ear Mites in Rabbits appeared first on Homey Improvements.
If you’re a new homeowner and tech is your thing, a central vacuum is no longer going to cut it. Personal technology has always been hip, but recently we’ve learned to expect more from our cars and even our homes. Why can’t we enjoy the same level of tech in these big-ticket items that we do every day on a cellphone?
The age of smart home technology is upon us. With it come amazing new functionalities, and all of the troubleshooting and hair-pulling you’ve come to expect with your technology. When done right, a smart house can have a real impact on your quality of life. Imagine never having to worry about checking locks before a trip, having the ability to tune your stereo with a voice command or receiving an alert on your phone when the dishwasher has finished its cycle.
All these things and more are doable thanks to the set of technologies we know as the Internet of Things (IoT). New network technologies like Z-Wave, X-10 and more are enabling low-fi communication between appliances that makes it easy to link just about any network-aware device to your home’s central hub. Here are just a few of the things you can do if you’re new to cool home automation ideas.
When home automation ideas first became a thing, the smart hub was introduced as the centerpiece of your home automation operation. The hub performs exactly the role you would think it does: It acts as a center point through which other devices communicate. When you add a new device to your home network, you sync it with the hub to allow cooperation with your existing devices.
Here’s the thing about smart hubs: They’re being phased out, and the solution that’s replacing them is simpler and cheaper. Apple and Google have already released hub apps that manage your network using your smartphone. These new apps allow for a decentralized approach, and allow you to manage devices at a distance if you have an Apple TV or similar device in place.
The popular Nest learning thermostat has become something of a poster child for the smart home. It’s still a great option, but in the short time since Nest hit the market, a number of competitors have launched attractive alternatives.
Take for example the Ecobee3 Smart Thermostat, which offers a large, touch-sensitive screen and the ability to add additional sensors and expand the range of your thermostat in larger homes. Either way, you’ll be pleased at the ability to control your air conditioning and heat without leaving your bed.
Another uber-convenient feature that many smart home owners enjoy is the ability to control lighting in their home at the touch of a button. Smart lighting can help save energy by placing lights on a timer, and in combination with smart locks, you can make leaving the house for vacation as simple as two quick taps on your smartphone. You can even define preset programs, and in the future it’s likely these will incorporate more than a single smart device.
If you’re really looking to impress, you can equip your smart home design with color-changing bulbs. Feeling blue? Adjust the hue of your entire domicile through an app on your phone. We can only imagine well-to-do ravers find this the best thing since sliced bread.
You’ve already got all that music on your phone, why not sync it with the home-wide speaker system you’ve installed and enjoy music in any room at the tap of your smartphone? A number of Wi-Fi audio systems are already able to provide this functionality, an essential ingredient in any well-equipped smart home.
Taking things a step further, Amazon offers the Echo, a clever combination speaker and voice-control device. The Echo answers to “hey Alexa,” and once added to your network, it can play music and control other devices. The classic Echo includes a speaker integrated into its base, but you can expand your system or save some cash with the smaller Echo Dot, which still delivers voice control.
It might not be quite as fun as piping high-fidelity sound into your cutting-edge living room, but the security features that home automation makes possible should help give you peace of mind while you rock out in the glow of your color-changing lights. They could also make it possible for homeowners to see what’s going on at their house from afar when on vacation or traveling for business.
There are a number of smart devices designed to keep your home safe already available. The most obvious selections for new homeowners are smart locks and cameras. Some smart locks give the added convenience of unlocking your front door when you approach with your cellphone.
Innovators at Cocoon have even devised something entirely new with the smart home device that bears the company name. The system can incorporate cameras, but its secret weapon is the ability to listen for low-frequency sounds that wouldn’t normally occur in your home. If an intruder is detected, it can sound an alarm or alert you via smartphone.
The amount of functionality these new technologies can add to a home is already impressive, but we’ve really only scratched the surface. The potential for technologies like Amazon’s Alexa to expand in scope and usability is enormous, and we’ll no-doubt be living in a world where voice-operated, network-aware homes are the norm sooner than we think.
The post 5 Innovative Ways to Automate your Home appeared first on Homey Improvements.
Chances are, like many gardeners, you have sometimes found yourself with an overabundance of a particular crop. Perhaps your peppers were particularly prolific. Maybe this year’s crop of zucchini grew with unanticipated zeal. Or perhaps you have more tomatoes than you can reasonably add to salads, put on sandwiches or make into salsa.
That is where the time-honored art of home canning steps in to save the day. When faced with a surplus of tomatoes, you can prepare and store them for future consumption by stewing and canning them.
Think that sounds both delicious and useful, but not sure where to start? Below you’ll find a helpful set of instructions outlining how to can stewed tomatoes.
Canning stewed tomatoes might seem intensive when you first look at the combined ingredients and materials list. The ingredients are what you’d expect when making easy stewed tomatoes, but the materials can be daunting for those who many be canning for the first time. Luckily, once you purchase your canning equipment, it will serve you well for years to come.
The ingredients list is fairly straightforward. For about three quarts — roughly seven pints — of canned stewed tomatoes, you will need:
The materials list is about half canning-specific supplies and half kitchen basics:
Whether you just bought your first pressure canner or have owned one for years, it’s important to inspect it each time you use it. Performing an inspection helps you make sure everything is clean, accurate, fits properly and is in good condition.
Before you start preparing and cooking your ingredients, it’s a good idea to get your canning materials cleaned and ready to go. This way, you can start filling your jars as soon as your stewed tomatoes are ready.
As mentioned above, perform an inspection of your canner before using it. Once you’re satisfied that it is clean and in good working order, make sure the jar rack is in the bottom and pour in three quarts of water. You want to get your water hot and then keep it warm, but you do not want it to boil.
As for your jars and seals, you want to make sure they are clean. You can wash them in a dishwasher or hand-wash in the sink with hot, soapy water. If you hand-wash, make sure to rinse thoroughly. You do not need to sterilize jars when pressure canning.
You’ll also want to keep the jars hot until you’re ready to use them. To do this, place them upside down in a pot with a few inches of water. Bring to boil. Turn off or remove from heat, but leave the jars upside down in the water. This will keep them hot until you are ready to fill them.
For keeping the seals hot, follow a similar process to the jars. Place them in a pot with a few inches of water. Bring to boil, then remove from heat, leaving seals in the water until you are ready to use them.
Chop your onions and peppers and/or celery and set aside.
Get a large pot of water boiling. You can use a blancher for ease of removal, but a simple pot and tongs or pot and spoon combo will work just as well.
As an optional step, use a paring knife to slash a shallow X on the bottom of each tomato before placing them in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Half a minute in the boiling water should be enough for the skins to split on their own, but the shallow X’s can help speed this process, making the loose skins easier to remove.
Continue boiling batches of tomatoes for 30 seconds until all tomatoes are done. When removing from the boiling water, place the tomatoes in cold water. You can use a separate tub or pot on your counter, or just fill your sink with cold water. The cold water will stop the cooking process and make the tomatoes safer to handle.
Remove the skins from the tomatoes, then core and quarter them. Depending on your preference, you can remove the seeds and/or cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces.
Combine the tomatoes with the other vegetables in a large pot. Add salt and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom or sides and burns.
Use your funnel to fill your jars, leaving ½ inch at the top — this is called the head space. Then run a small rubber, not metal, spatula around the inside of the jar to remove air bubbles. Wipe the rims of your jars clean. Place seals and rings on your jars.
With that done, you are ready to begin the last part of the canning process: pressure canning.
Due to the risk of botulism, it is extremely important to follow accurate, up-to-date instructions when canning goods at home. The USDA offers a complete guide to home canning. It is highly recommended to follow that guide. If you need additional instructions or have questions, take them to a reputable source, like your state’s Cooperative Extension Service.
Home canning is a wonderful, time-honored, frugal practice that will yield safe, delicious results when done correctly. By using this preparatory guide and then deferring to the USDA’s instructions, you and your family can safely enjoy the fruits of your garden, no matter the season.
The post Recipe for Canning Stewed Tomatoes appeared first on Homey Improvements.
So you think it’s time for a closet renovation. Master bedroom closet ideas are endless when you consider all the storage and style options you can incorporate.
So this is not a simple project. Reserve a large chunk of time to tackle this task — perhaps a long weekend if you are working without a professional closet company. For step-by-step inspiration, here’s how to redo a closet.
Clear out your closet.
You may think organizing parts of the space is a good start, but that strategy only puts a bandage on the project. Clear everything out, every last safety pin and lonely button.
Store miscellaneous items elsewhere.
Do you have non-clothes in there? Sewing kits? Christmas stockings? Children’s crumbled art projects? Find other storage rooms in your home for those: a garage, basement, linen closet, or spare bedroom. Consider storing miscellaneous items in chests or armoires you may have in other living spaces.
Divide your clothes.
Make three piles of clothes, those you’ll keep because they are in good shape and fit you, those you’ll give away or toss out, and those you’ll take to be repaired. Clothes are worthless if they are missing buttons or have torn hems. Even if you have the skills to mend clothes yourself, will you? Take them to the cleaners and let them do it for you. You will feel as if you’ve gotten new clothes for a fraction of the cost.
Clean the empty space.
Wash the walls and vacuum the floors. Pick up every lost earring and bobby pin. Assess the emptiness.
Make a storage plan.
Research storage options such as hanger rods, shelves and rolling storage bins. Measure your space to narrow your choices and purchase what you need to store long-hanging dresses and pants as well as tops and skirts. Consider shelves and drawers for sweaters and folded items.
Get a shoe rack with multiple shelves. This will force you to put them away instead of just kicking them off.
Install a mirror and lighting.
A bedroom demands a full-length mirror. If you are short on space, hang one from your closet door.
How is the lighting? Can you see what’s in there in the dark of the wee morning, or are you habitually wearing mismatched shoes to work?
While a glamorous chandelier might be nice, if you don’t have space, install ribbon lighting above your hanger rods, an easy DIY task.
Decorate for functionality.
Your closet should not be an afterthought to your bedroom—it is an extension of it—so it deserves some style, too. Just make sure the style you choose is within budget and is functional with your way of life. If you know you don’t hang up your clothes after wearing, considering drawers or a basket you can through it in till you have time to sort it out over the weekend.
Return your clothes.
The most important part of a closet renovation is restoring order, putting everything in its place and savoring the new sense of accomplishment. This can often take longer than you realize so play music or an audio book so you don’t get bored.
Group clothes by function.
Hang dresses together, then pants and skirts, and arrange tops from sleeveless to long-sleeved.
Incorporate specialty hangers.
If you don’t have room for more storage bins, use scarf or belt hangers. They can fit on a hanger rod alongside your clothes and can accommodate numerous accessories.
Now that your bedroom closet design looks amazing, how do you keep it that way?
Consider reserving a sturdy wall hook to hold your workday outfits. Plan your week’s wardrobe on Sunday and hang it all on the hook with Friday’s clothes in the back and Monday’s in front.
When you come home from work Monday, immediately return your clothes to your waiting hangers or put them in the laundry. Tuesday’s clothes will be waiting dutifully for you.
If you find you don’t feel like wearing something you planned, that’s probably a sign you should get it out of your wardrobe. You should not feel obligated to wear your clothes—you should want to.
Once your master bedroom closet is organized, you may be surprised how good YOU look outside your home.
Feature image by libreshot.com/towels-in-bathroom/
The post How to Clean and Organize your Bedroom Closet appeared first on Homey Improvements.