Decorating Your Modern Hardwood Flooring

Posted on by Flooring

The Do’s and Don’ts of Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Have you been toying around with the idea of replacing your current commercial flooring with engineered hardwood flooring? Engineered hardwood flooring is both a stable and striking choice.

Commonly known to lend a sense of durability to interiors, it has been a popular commercial flooring choice for centuries as it portrays a variety of benefits, including:

  • A sustainable long-term investment
  • More resistant to moisture and humidity than solid hardwood
  • Allows for expansion and contraction of wood to be minimized
  • Complimentary to a variety of interior designs
  • Easy to clean
  • Environmentally friendly
  • High value look
  • Strength and durability

Although a versatile flooring choice, engineered hardwood has necessary requirements that are not always apparent to consumers. Business owners who don’t research the installation and maintenance of engineered hard wood flooring often face a loss of time, money and overall investment when executed poorly.

Below are some of the most vital hardwood flooring do’s and don’ts:

The Do’s

  • Do consider the environment in which your engineered hardwood flooring will be installed. Assess the humidity and level of foot traffic within your facility and choose the right flooring species accordingly.
  • If you have little to no experience installing engineered hardwood flooring, do hire a professional.
  • When cleaning the floors within your facility, only utilize vacuums and dry or damp mops and cloths to keep the flooring clean and clear of debris.
  • From the point of installation, do wipe up all spills on your engineered hardwood flooring as soon as possible to avoid permanent stains and water damages.
  • To minimize as much tracked in dirt as possible, do place wide mats or rugs by all entrances and high traffic areas.
  • To avoid permanent scratches and scrapes, do place protective pads under all furniture legs including chairs, tables, couches, desks, filing cabinets, etc.

The Don’ts

  • Don’t apply other coats of stain / polyurethane finishes on already finished engineered hardwood flooring.
  • When cleaning your new hardwood flooring, ensure that you don’t use any wax-based cleaners or harsh detergents that will dull the finish of your flooring.
  • Although more resistant to water than solid hardwood flooring, it’s important that you don’t use excessive water when cleaning your flooring, as it can cause damage to your finish.

 

Where to lay solid wood flooring?

Anywhere with a relatively consistent humidity. Particularly in hallways and living areas where you can show it off.

Pros of solid wood flooring

  • Has a classic look and feel
  • Appealing to buyers/tenants if you decide to sell or let your home

Cons of solid wood flooring

  • Solid wood flooring swells in damp conditions and shrinks in dry
  • It’s tough to install because it has to be glued or nailed down. Fitting the individual boards together can be difficult because they change shape after they’ve been manufactured
  • New solid wood flooring has a more expensive starting price than other wood flooring options Solid wood floorboards can amplify sound, so rugs are a good option if you have boards upstairs

 

Floating Installation

Only engineered styles with 5 plies or more are approved for floating installation. Anything thinner could buckle or become damaged while floating.

  1. Lay Down Underlayment

Any floating floor installation requires the use of underlayment. Use underlayment designed for engineered hardwood floating floors, with a minimum thickness of 1/8″ and a 2.0# density.

  1. Leave Enough Room For Expansion

An expansion space of at least 1/2″ must be maintained around the perimeter of the room, all pipes, counters, cabinets, fireplace hearths, doorframes and any other fixed vertical objects in the room. This allows the floor to expand and contract normally. Not leaving an expansion gap can cause your floor to buckle.

  1. Apply Glue To The Grooves (Optional)
  • If you would like to add extra strength to your engineered hardwood floors, you can use recommended floating floor glue for use with engineered hardwood floors for installation.
  • Glue placement is very important. The glue must be placed along the topside of the groove the full length of the grooved side and end.
  • This can be accomplished by inverting the plank and applying a bead of glue to the topside of the groove, the side of the groove nearest the face of the plank.
  • When the plank is turned back over the glue will run down the back of the groove giving total coverage.
  • Apply only a 3/32” bead of glue; if the groove i s filled with glue it will be difficult to close the seam will not allowing a tight fit.
  1. Installation
  • The installation begins in the left hand corner of the room with the long direction parallel to the longest wall of the room.
  • Install three rows of flooring glued together and held in place with blue painter’s tape with the groove side facing the wall.
  • If the floor’s installation guide recommends for it, tap boards together with a hammer and tapping block against the tongue side only.
  • Spacers must be used to establish the minimum 1/2″ expansion space from the walls. Place spacers against the wall every 2 – 3″ and at each plank end joint connection.
  • The three rows must be straight, square and in rack because they establish the alignment for the rest of the floor. After putting these three rows together, allow the glue to set (15 to 45 minutes) before proceeding with the installation.
  • With the tongue facing out, the planks can be tapped together with a tapping block on the tongue to make a snug fit.
  • After installing 8 or 10 rows of flooring, stand back and check for crowning or heaving due to tension strapping or any damage caused by improper tapping.
  • If you applied glue in step 3, clean up any glue that squeezes out of the seam between the planks, wipe away with a damp cloth immediately, as dried glue is more difficult to remove. If glue has dried, then lightly scrape it away with a plastic scraper or other method recommended by the glue manufacturer.

 

Glue Down Installation

Caution: Whether you choose to install using the dry or wet method, follow all guidelines set by the adhesive manufacturer and the instructions below. By not adhering to the guidelines the warranty on the floor can be voided.

  1. Select A Starter Wall

It is recommended to start the installation along an exterior wall because it’s more likely to be straight and square with the room. Measure out from the wall the width of two planks and mark each end of the room and snap your chalk line.

  1. Spread The Adhesive
  • Spread the moisture cured urethane wood flooring adhesive from the chalk line to the starter wall using the recommended trowel size specified by the glue manufacturer.
  • It is important to use the correct trowel at a 45° angle to get the proper spread of adhesive applied to the subfloor, which will produce a proper and permanent bond. Improper bonding can cause loose or hollow spots.

Note: Change the trowel every 2,000 to 3,000 SF due to wear down of the notches. This assures the proper spread of adhesive.

  1. Begin Installing The Flooring
  • Install the first row of starter planks with the tongue facing the starter wall and secure into position.
  • Alignment is critical and can be achieved by securing a straight edge along the chalk line, or by top nailing the first row with finishing nails (wood subfloor), or sprig/pin nails (concrete subfloor). This prevents slippage of the planks that can cause misalignment.
  • Note: The planks along the wall may have to be scribed and cut to fit in order to maintain a consistent expansion space since most walls are not straight.
  • Once the starter rows are secure, spread 2 1/2″ to 3 feet of adhesive the length of the room. Never lay more adhesive than can be covered in approximately 2 hrs.
  • Place tongue into groove of plank or strips and press firmly into adhesive; never slide planks or strips through adhesive.
  • Note: Do not use a rubber mallet to butt the ends of the material together as it can burnish the finish and cause marring. Use a tapping block to fit planks snugly together at side and butt ends.
  • Clean any adhesive off the surface before it cures using clean terry cloth towels, mineral spirits or adhesive manufacturer’s glue removal product.
  • Use straps to hold planks securely in place as you are installing and continue the process throughout the installation.
  • Note: Never work on top of the flooring when installing.
  • Light foot traffic is allowed after 12 hours but wait 24 hours after installation to remove straps.

 

What if I need or want to change the color or finish?

Maybe five years from now, you decide to put your home on the market and the buyer says the color of your floor is a deal-breaker.  Or, after your children have grown and moved out, you want a fresh and different visual.  No worries, there are several solutions, depending on the construction of your hardwood.

Pre-finished solid hardwood can be sanded, re-stained, and refinished multiple times, over many years, to bring a worn floor back to life, or completely change the color to complement a fresh, new room design.

An engineered “face” or “wear layer” thickness can vary and correlate with the method of milling.  A thicker wear layer on an engineered product can actually permit full sanding for a refresh and complete color change.  Consult your dealer to determine if your engineered selection will allow full sanding and re-staining, and refinishing.

All engineered and solid hardwood flooring can be refreshed with a fine sanding, referred to as “screen and recoat.”  This process removes the worn urethane coatings to allow a new finish application.

Be prepared to lose most distressing, wire brushing or scraping if you choose to fully sand and refinish any hardwood flooring.

Best Tips To Be A Professional Wedding Photographer

Posted on by Events

Questions you should ask yourself  when picking  your  wedding photographer

Brides, I’ve been there. Right where you are. Newly engaged with the daunting task of wedding planning ahead of you, nervous, yet weirdly excited to take the first step into that process. It can be so exciting at first: Pinteresting to get decor ideas, choosing colors, asking your best friends to stand by your side. Then the more you dive deep into wedding planning, the more the fun seems to get sucked away. You start dealing with tricky seating charts because Aunt Helen hates Aunt Sue so they can’t sit by each other, groomsmen who can’t seem to all get the same color of pants making you want to rip your hair out, and lastly, every single person having an opinion about your big day to the point you ask yourself, “Who’s wedding is this again?”

Between planning my own wedding and photographing many more, I’ve come to know a thing or two about the wedding planning process. As a wedding photographer, I don’t believe my job stops at just taking photos. I’m here to be a resource to bounce ideas off of, help you destress, and assist in making your big day a beautiful reality. So today, I want to give you some helpful tips and advice as you begin planning your wedding…namely, the top 3 questions you must ask yourself when picking your wedding photographer. Since I am a photographer, it only makes sense that we start there, right?

When you begin searching and reaching out to photographers for your wedding, I want you to ask yourself this questions. Let’s dive in.

Am I obsessed with their style of photography?

First and foremost, before you ever send an email to a photographer, ask yourself, “Am I obsessed with their work?” Do you love how they pose their couples? Do you like the way they edit? Does your wedding aesthetic match their photography style? Can you see yourself in their images? All of these questions are SO important. Asking yourself these questions before you ever inquire, will save both you and said photographer lots of stress down the road.

To illustrate this even more, here are some examples of different types of clients and photographers who may not be the best fit:

  • A bride who loves candid images, but inquires to a photographer whose portfolio is mostly traditional posed images. When you look at a photographer’s portfolio, can you image yourself in the images? How they pose or direct other couples is how they’ll pose or direct you.
  • A bride who loves a classic and light style of editing, but inquires to a photographer who edits more dark and moody. Professional photographers are not going to change their style for you or hand over their RAW photos for you to edit yourself. So loving the way they edit is vital.
  • A bride who is having an adventurous outdoor elopement, but inquires to a photographer who mainly does indoor, artificially lit, traditional church weddings. This might seem silly, but photographers showcase certain work on their site for a reason. They love that type of work and excel at it. If your wedding doesn’t match up with what is primarily on their website, they might not be the best fit to serve you.

All in all, one style of photography isn’t better than another. Just like one style of wedding isn’t better than another. The beautiful thing about weddings is that every one is unique because YOU are unique. You deserve a photographer whose style aligns with what you envision your day to look like. Trust me, you’ll be so thankful in the long run.

 

Do we click like long lost BFF’s?

I think this one might come as a bit of a surprise to most brides, because I don’t think it’s naturally something you think about when inquiring to a wedding vendor. You’re probably thinking, “Why should I be best friends with a person I’m just hiring to document my wedding? Do I need to be best friends with my caterer too?” No. You don’t need to be best friends with your caterer, but I so fully believe you should click like kindergarten bffs with the person you choose as your photographer. Why? Because your wedding photographer is the one person other than your spouse-to-be that will be by your side from start to finish on your wedding day. Do you want to have a random stranger you don’t jive with follow you around all day on the most important day of your life? Yeah…. me neither. Not only that, but your wedding photographer is creating one of the only things on your wedding day that lasts longer than the day of. Your cake will get eaten that evening. Your DJ will play the songs, and people will enjoy them that evening. But your wedding photos? Those are forever. You see, an amazing thing happens when you feel comfortable (or dare I say bff-status) with the person taking those forever photos. You relax. You act like yourself. You are able to let your guard down and fully let them in to capture your love story – your intimacy, your quirks, your raw emotion. Trust me when I say that a bff bride/photographer relationship ALWAYS makes for the best images. If you choose a photographer you don’t naturally click with or relate to, your wedding photos will reflect it.

 

Do I trust this person?

Last but not least, this question is absolutely necessary when choosing your photographer and goes hand in hand with the first two questions. Do you trust this person to use their expertise and talent to capture your wedding in a way that will leave you free to just enjoy your day stress free? Do you trust their skill to deliver for you? Do you trust them as a person to help when needed? I think trust is a no brainer when choosing the person who’s going to be capturing something that only happens once, something as important as your wedding day. Trusting your photographer looks like a beautiful collaboration. Here’s a few examples of what it looks like when a bride DOES trust her photographer:

  • She won’t give them detailed page long shot lists she got from Pinterest, because she trusts them to create amazing photos other people will want to pin.
  • She’ll plan her timeline around when they recommend the best light is.
  • If they suggest something for the sake of the shot, she’ll happily oblige, knowing that they are creating something she will value years from now.

These examples only can happen when a bride fully trusts her photographer, because trust = better photos. Brides, pick a photographer you can trust hands down.

 

Ask if you can see some FULL weddings. (I mean every single image from start to finish)

This is one of the best questions to ask wedding photographers. Anyone halfway decent with a camera can come up with enough pretty shots to fill a website. A stopped clock is right twice a day and all that right? A website portfolio has been carefully curated and is designed to reel you in with the best of the best photos. It’s not a good place to show off an entire wedding for a number of reasons but the biggest is that other couples don’t want to pore over photograph after photograph of other another couple’s family formals. Hell, I don’t even really want to look over my best friend’s family formals. (Don’t tell her that!) Still, skimming through a few full weddings from a photographer will give you a better idea of what the true coverage of your wedding will be like. Your wedding will not be 100% Pinterest-worthy highlight shots. Go beyond the website portfolio and ask for a more complete picture of the overall quality of their work. Which leads me to the next question you should ask your photographer…

 

Things to Tell Your Photographer Before Your Wedding Day

I’ve learned a lot about weddings. I consider myself to have a wealth of wedding knowledge and am always happy to share what I’ve learned with clients and even non-clients! However, there are always a few things I won’t know until you tell me. Here are 4 of those things:

  1. Do you have a side: This one sounds silly, and it may not apply to you, but it’s very real for some people. If you have a side (or angle) that you prefer to be photographed from, tell your photographer. For example, if you really don’t like how you look when photographed from your left side and you haven’t told your photographer, speak up! We can’t read your mind. And if, while your photographer is photographing you and it’s clear they’ve forgotten, speak up again! Occasionally, we’ll have to photograph you from the other side for various reasons, but make sure we’re aware of your preference.
  2. Family situations: This one can be uncomfortable, but it is so important that we, as photographers, know if there’s any family drama or unusual circumstances that may influence the way we photograph certain situations. If your parents are divorced and are not amicable, tell us so we don’t accidentally ask them to stand next to each other during family portraits! If your grandpa recently passed away and your grandma’s been lonely, let us know so we can be extra kind! If you have a family member that’s sick, make sure we know so we can take more photos of them than we otherwise would. I know this is all very intimate information, but hopefully you’ve booked a photographer that you feel comfortable sharing these tidbits of your life with. It’ll make things easier for you on the wedding day and you’ll be happier with the photos later.
  3. Is there anything special you want photographed: On a wedding day, we’re focusing on capturing every single special moment and detail. However, there are certain things that we won’t be aware of until you tell us, and if you don’t, we might miss it. Some examples of this include: your wedding date embroidered on the inside of your dress, engravings on the inside of your rings, special details that you put a lot of thought into (ie: your table numbers, escort cards or any DIY decor that have a personal touch), the initials on the handkerchief that belonged to your grandmother, the groomsmen’s matching socks, that one yellow rose in your bouquet that’s there because it was your grandfather’s favorite flower. If there’s anything that you can think of that’s meaningful to you in one way or the other, please tell us ahead of time. I always carry around a printed list of these things with me on your wedding day. By telling us ahead of time, we can both be sure that the things that are most important to you will be photographed.
  4. A very detailed list of every single family photo you’ll want: I always have my clients give me a very detailed list of ever single family photo they’ll want taken on their wedding day, including their names and relationship to you. Photos on the list can be as small as “bride and mom” and as large as you and your entire maternal family. It can be easy to forget to include someone in family photos on your wedding day, so by creating a list ahead of time, you can make sure you don’t forget anyone. This is another thing that I print out ahead of time and carry around with me on your wedding day. This way, I won’t need to ask you any questions about who you want in what photo. The family portrait process becomes extremely efficient, which helps make the most of you and your guests’ time.

Practical New Electric Circuits For Non Electricians

Posted on by Electricians

New Electrical Circuits

Just because you have sufficient power for your home now is no guarantee that it is going to accommodate any additional demands that you place upon it. While many homeowners are under the impression that just adding circuits to the breaker box will handle any additional demands, this isn’t always the case

Most homes are outfitted with an electrical panel that is suited to its electrical requirements, with a little room for increased electricity. Adding a circuit or two might be just fine to accommodate your new electrical needs, but it’s quite easy to exceed the safe threshold if you’re not careful.

Instead of just adding circuits in the hope that it will be enough for your needs, it’s best to have your circuits and electrical panel evaluated by a certified Los Angeles electrician. When do you need to look into adding circuits or updating your electrical panel?

Any time you add an appliance to your home, you are increasing the demand on the electrical system. Consult with a licensed electrician before hooking up a major appliance to determine if your system is ready for the added load.

Whenever you set up a big holiday light display, this is one of the leading causes for needing upgraded circuits.

EV Car Chargers will require there own 120 Volt or 240 Volt electrical circuit.

Hot tubs draw a lot of electricity and are almost always a time for a new circuit installation and potentially upgrading your electrical panel.

If adding a new room to your house or other additional square footage is added, this will need to be accommodated by adding one or more new circuits to the system. Depending on the size and electrical requirements of your addition, the increase in amperage could require updating the electric panel as the only viable option.

If you’re unsure about the best course of action, consult with the professionals at The Electric Connection. We’re always happy to talk with you about all of your options over the phone. We’re happy to schedule an appointment at your property to provide a free estimate, too, and to give you an in depth consultation in order to pick the very best course of action for your situation.

 

Breaker Box Safety: How to Connect a New Circuit

Introduction

Adding a new circuit can be a daunting and even dangerous job. We show you how to do it with step-by-step instructions and important, life-saving safety tips.

Tools Required

Flashlight

Needle-nose pliers

Pliers

Utility knife

Voltage tester

Wire stripper/cutter

Materials Required

AFCI circuit breaker

Cable clamp

electrical staples

Know What You’re Getting Into

We believe in safe DIY. That’s why we’ve always been reluctant to show readers how to open a breaker box and connect a new circuit. Even with the power shut off, there’s a chance you could touch the wrong parts and kill yourself. But then we figured if we didn’t show you, you’d just go search it somewhere else. And that scared us even more. So we’re going to walk you through the process, showing you the safest way to open the breaker box, wire a new breaker and test your work.

Opening the main circuit breaker panel box and adding a circuit is actually pretty easy. You only have to connect three wires to add a circuit, and each circuit wire is color-coded. But there are some safety precautions, and if you ignore them, you could kill yourself. Really. If you follow our safety steps in order and to the letter, you’ll be fine. But if at any point you’re unsure how to proceed or feel uncomfortable with the project, call an electrician.

 

How to Run a New Electric Circuit from a Breaker Panel

Running a new electric circuit is a pretty simple task that can be accomplished with a little bit of effort, care, and the right tools. This article is focused on running a new circuit for light fixtures or outlets. The same principals apply to all 110V circuits, and slightly modified instructions can be used for 240v circuits

Tools & Materials Required to Run a New Circuit

Wire strippers.

Pliers or wire cutters.

14/2 or 12/2 Romex wire in the length required (see below).

Electrical boxes.

Receptacles.

Wire staples.

Hammer.

Phillips and flat head screwdrivers.

Electric Code & Regulation Concerns for Running a Circuit from the Breaker Panel

To meet code in most areas you must obtain a permit and have your work inspected by the local electric inspector. In some jurisdictions you can only perform this work if you are a licensed electrician, even if the work is in your own home. Check your local government’s web site for details.

Almost all jurisdictions enforce either the 2005 or 2008 National Electric Code (NEC). You can read the 2005 and 2008 NEC online for free, just follow the instructions in that article for how. If you’re new to electrical work or looking for some helpful guidance, we highly recommend picking up a good instruction manual.

15 or 20amp Circuit: Select the Right Wire for the Amperage

Lighting and receptacle circuits in a house are 110v, 15-amp, or 110V, 20-amp. For 15-amp circuits, 14/2 (meaning, 14 gauge, 2 conductor) Romex is appropriate. For 20-amp, 12/2 Romex is appropriate. Note that 14/2 and 12/2 wire will actually have 3 wires inside: a black, white, and ground wire. Remember, as gauges go up, the size of the wire goes down. Do not install a breaker that is too large for the wire. (E.g., do not install a 20amp breaker on 14/2 wire). This is unsafe and could lead to a fire.

 

The Complete Guide to Electrics in the Home Including Wiring and Circuits, Switches and Sockets and Lighting

Everything You Need to Know About Wiring and Circuits – How and When You Can Do Wiring Yourself and When to Use 110 Volts and Why

Understand all aspects of Wiring and Circuits when working with electricity in your own home

Chases – cutting and filling – DIY Doctor’s advice on cutting chases in walls using a chase cutter and how to cut electrical chases and fill them for plastering afterwards

Consumer unit – Help and advice on how to install a consumer unit within your home with instructions on wiring a consumer unit to specifications for dual RCD and RCBO consumer units.

Electrical – adding a spur socket – How to add spur sockets and fused spur sockets to a circuit. How to add new sockets to an existing circuit

Electrical – cable sizes – How to check electric cable sizes for the correct amp ratings and kilowatts DIY Doctors tables below show two different cable and amp ratings

 

planning circuits for new home

I am beginning to plan my electric circuits for my new home. Here is a couple circuits I planned. Just looking for opinions to see if I somewhat know what I am doing… but then again maybe not

I would keep the receptacles and lights separate. Use 14ga wire for the lighting, it will help alot with multigang switches and box fill. The 20A dining room receptacles cannot be shared with lighting as they are considered part of the small appliance circuits [210.52(B)(1)2002]. You can have 15A switched receptacles however, in addition to the other.

I’m a DIY with over 30 years of wiring experience, and I’d only undertake a complete house wiring job if I didn’t have a day job at the time. It’s far from trivial, especially when you have to look up every new situation to see what code allows.

rewired a few old houses, but wiring a new house is very different. With the former, you can do one circuit at a time, often leaving much of the old wiring in operation until you’re ready to cut over. In DIY rewiring, it’s usually no big deal if it takes you 3-4 years to finish the job. But for new construction there are lots of problems with that approach, from mortgage lenders who want the house done, to family members who usually aren’t too keen on fixing dinner on a stove by the light of clip-up work lights.

There are only a few dining receptacles. My plan was to have two or three small appliance circuits for the kitchen receptacles – so if can add these 3 to one of the circuits that would work.

Choosing A Commercial Electrical Maintenance

Posted on by Electricians

Commercial vs Domestic Electricians

What separates commercial and domestic electricians? If you’re looking to get into the electrical trade, then the answer to this question could define your future career progression. That said, there’s no need to make a decision from the outset: many electricians start by training to carry out work in domestic environments and then go on to qualify as commercial electricians.

This guide will begin by explaining the main differences between commercial and domestic electricians in terms of qualifications and training. From here, we’ll cover the different roles and responsibilities associated with the two jobs. Finally, the guide will provide information on the wages you can expect to earn for each of the roles.

Qualifications and Training

When you start out in your career as an electrician, you can choose to become an apprentice, study a diploma, or take part in domestic installer courses (see our guide on how to become an electrician for more on this). Domestic electricians can train up and gain the necessary qualifications much more quickly than fully qualified commercial electricians.

Domestic Electricians

The fastest route to becoming a domestic electrician is to take a domestic installer course. Most of these programmes will train and assess you in important topics such as the wiring regulations, electrical installation tasks, Part-P regulations, and inspection/testing, preparing you for all parts of the domestic electrician role.

Commercial Electricians

Only fully qualified electricians can work in commercial environments on more advanced tasks. Before you begin to specialise, you’ll need to obtain an electrotechnical qualification – either a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Electrotechnical Services (Maintaining Electrotechnical Systems) or a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems & Equipment (Buildings, Structure and the Environment). If you took the apprentice route to start with, then you’ll require the Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) before progressing.

 

Licences, Permits & Registrations

Contractors

An Electrical Permit may only be issued to a person who is the holder of an Electrical Contractor’s Registration Certificate. Registered Electrical Contractors must complete and submit the Electrical Contractor’s Representative Inspection Report prior to the Government Service Centre issuing Connection Authorizations and/or Certificates of Inspection on behalf of the Chief Electrical Inspector.

Registered Electrical Contractors

Active Electrical Contractors in the province, as of June 12, 2020.

Electrical Permits and Inspections

To ensure public safety, approval must be issued before the installation or repair of any electrical equipment commences.

Electrical Maintenance Permit

Approval is required from the Government Service Centre to maintain a building’s electrical system.

 

Commercial Services

offer the highest level of responsiveness and reliability, including on-line job management and reporting. Our highly experienced contractors across the nation ensure that your premises are always maintained and compliant. This means your team can operate at maximum efficiency and safety.

have a commitment to a high standard of Health and Safety and believe all accidents are preventable. We ensure our contractors are up to date with current Health & Safety practices and do our best to ensure that all sites are safe before proceeding with any work.

Using our unique Laser systems, we ensure that your facility management is headache free. We coordinate technicians, manage scheduled servicing and ensure all administration is handled promptly and professionally. Whether it’s new installations, designing a solution, or programmed facilities maintenance, contact your local Laser member for “Totally Dependable” electrical service.

commercial services include:

Preventative and Scheduled Maintenance

Emergency Service, Fault Finding & Repairs

Lighting Design, Exit & Emergency Lighting

Installations & Project Management

Thermal Graphic Scanning

Switchboard Labelling, Circuit Tracing & Identification

Home Ventilation

RCD Testing, Safety Switches, Testing & Tagging

Data & Communication, Audio & Visual

 

Commercial Electrician

The Commercial Electrician Program is designed to prepare students for commercial entry-level electrician positions. Building and equipping electrical power generating plants, installation and servicing of electrical systems for stores, homes, and office buildings that use electrical energy for heating, lighting, cooling are other operations among the career opportunities for which students will prepare.

The need for a commercial electrician as oppose to a residential electrician is the fact that commercial buildings require a different type of electrical work, mainly based on the fact that a lot more electricity is needed in comparison to a residential building. Our Commercial Electrician program focuses on commercial wiring, motors, transformers, generators, raceways, and National Electric Code (NEC) standards. Students will learn the knowledge and skills needed to install, repair, and maintain commercial electrical systems.

Careers

As the name suggests, commercial electricians work in commercial places and properties, such as retail stores, schools and office buildings. The average salary for an electrician in Louisiana is $24.43 per hour/$50,810 per year

 

Commercial Electrician Services

your one-stop-shop for whichever services you need. We provide everything from new Electricians wiring, lighting installation, retrofitting energy efficient lighting, custom renovations, maintenance and repairs. We get the job done quickly so that your business can operate with minimum interruption.

no job is too big, too small or too complex. Our team of fully licensed commercial electricians ensure each and every one of your project requirements are fulfilled. That means we adhere to the budget, adhere to the schedule, are always available to answer questions and address concerns and review all work prior to declaring the project finished.

A Foundation of Trust

Every member of our team from Master Electrician to apprentice is dedicated to the task at hand and each spends long hours every year upgrading and honing their skills. Our knowledge of the industry, of established standards and regulations and, of course, best safety practices means your project will get done right the first time. While some companies work hard to pad the bill we believe that the best path to success is to build trust with our clients. Therefore you’ll never see any phantom costs on one of our bills or hear a litany of excuses from our commercial electricians about why we missed the deadline.

Commercial Services

offer a full range of electric commercial services

Lighting – We handle everything from subdued hotel lighting to sophisticated restaurant lighting to state-of-the-art club lighting and everything in between. Need to upgrade to high efficiency LED lighting in your factory or warehouse? We can do that too.

Panel upgrades and changes – If the wiring in your older office building is starting to buckle under the pressure of modern power demands we can upgrade or replace your current Electricians panel and bring you in line with the times.

Electricians troubleshooting – Sometimes it can seem like there are ghosts in the wiring. If you’re experiencing unexpected, unusual or disruptive Electricians events give Hotwire a call. Our commercial electricians will get to the bottom of it quickly.

Permitting – Nothing can get done on an Electricians services in the GTA without proper permitting. Some companies will insist you arrange all the permits ahead of time for them. Not us. We handle all aspects of the permitting process so your project moves ahead without delay or interruption.

Plugs for your electric vehicles – After being talked about for decades electric vehicles are finally here in numbers. If your company has recently purchased electric vehicles to augment your fleet you’re going to need outlets through which they can recharge. We’ll install them for you.

Protecting your valuable data – It’s estimated that nearly $30 billion is lost every year in North America to power surges. That means your company’s valuable data along with printers, copiers, scanners, alarm systems and more could be at risk. We can install surge suppression devices that will protect all your Electricians devices as well as the lifeblood of your company; your data, from debilitating Electricians surges

Maintenance and Repair by our Commercial Electricians

Our fully licensed electricians provide your company with the dependable, affordable Electricians maintenance services you need to keep your business on the cutting edge. Whether it’s a routine monthly check-up of your hardware or an emergency call prompted by a natural disaster we’re there for you assessing the situation quickly and correctly and performing whatever mitigation services are necessary to keep you or get you up and running. If repairs are necessary we provide free estimates and in most cases, can get underway as soon as we have your okay. If large scale repairs are necessary we’ll discuss all options with you so you can make an informed decision before proceeding.

Why Water Testing Is Important

Posted on by Home Inspection

Guideline: What You Need to Know About Clinical Laboratory Reagent Water

Whether you’re designing a new water system for a clinical laboratory, or if you’re checking the quality of your current system, you’re going to have to know the basics of CLSI standards and guidelines for CLRW. We’ll provide you with an overview, including some ways to prevent problems before they occur.

An international, interdisciplinary, not-for-profit, standards-developing, and educational organization that promotes the development and use of voluntary consensus standards and guidelines within the healthcare community.”

Global in scope, CLSI works with the laboratory community to “foster an excellence in laboratory medicine.” Their process for developing standards relies on input and consensus from industry, government and healthcare professionals.

What are CLSI Standards vs. CLSI Guidelines?

CLSI produces standards, guidelines and reports. When it comes to deionized water in a clinical laboratory setting, most lab managers are focused specifically on the guidelines and how they adhere to the lab’s di water system.

Standard: A document developed through the consensus process that clearly identifies specific, essential requirements for materials, methods, or practices for use in an unmodified form. A standard may, in addition, contain discretionary elements, which are clearly identified.

Guideline: A document developed through the consensus process describing criteria for a general operating practice, procedure, or material for voluntary use. A guideline may be used as written or modified by the user to fit specific needs.

 

Hardness of Water

In scientific terms, water hardness is generally the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water. But in layman’s terms, you may notice water hardness when your hands still feel slimy after washing with soap and water, or when your drinking glasses at home become less than crystal clear. Learn a lot more about water hardness on the Water Science School site.

Water Hardness

The simple definition of water hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water. Hard water is high in dissolved minerals, largely calcium and magnesium. You may have felt the effects of hard water, literally, the last time you washed your hands. Depending on the hardness of your water, after using soap to wash you may have felt like there was a film of residue left on your hands. In hard water, soap reacts with the calcium (which is relatively high in hard water) to form “soap scum”. When using hard water, more soap or detergent is needed to get things clean, be it your hands, hair, or your laundry

Have you done a load of dishes in the dishwasher, taken out the glasses, and noticed spots or film on them? This is more hard-water residue—not dangerous, but unsightly. Many industrial and domestic water users are concerned about the hardness of their water. When hard water is heated, such as in a home water heater, solid deposits of calcium carbonate can form. This scale can reduce the life of equipment, raise the costs of heating the water, lower the efficiency of electric water heaters, and clog pipes. And, yes, mineral buildup will occur in your home coffee maker too, which is why some people occasionally run vinegar (an acid) through the pot. The acidity of vinegar helps to dissolve mineral particles by making them charged. These newly charged particles become attracted to the positive and negative charges in water and can be washed away easily.

But hard water can have some benefits, too. Humans need minerals to stay healthy, and the World Health Organization (WHO) states that drinking-water may be a contributor of calcium and magnesium in the diet and could be important for those who are marginal for calcium and magnesium intake.

Measures of water hardness

Hardness is caused by compounds of calcium and magnesium, and by a variety of other metals. General guidelines for classification of waters are: 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate is classified as soft; 61 to 120 mg/L as moderately hard; 121 to 180 mg/L as hard; and more than 180 mg/L as very hard.

 

How to Test Your Drinking Water

As a result, you need to learn how to test your potable water, so you and your family remain safe. Contaminated water consumed on a regular basis can lead to health problems.

Higher than acceptable levels of lead occur in potable water in 41 states, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In 33 states, potable water tainted with industrial chemicals and pollutants has also been linked to health problems including cancer and hormone disruption

What Contaminants Are in Drinking Water?

Sometimes simple nuisance bacteria develop in water and can produce iron and sulfur, two dangerous contaminants. However, other bacteria cause disease. These include E. Coli and coliform which require medical treatment.

Many tests for potable water help determine if the following contaminants are present: arsenic, bromine, carbonate, copper, chlorine, cyanuric acid, fluoride, iron, lead, nitrates, nitrites and residual chlorine. These common elements can occur in safe levels, but the test materials explain what those are and the appropriate safe parameters.

Its Hard to Detect Contaminants

While you cannot see these elements with the naked eye, you can see symptoms of their presence in your bathroom fixtures. For example, iron leaves yellow or orange stains on the bathtub, cement and sinks. Iron creates rust which contaminates your water with long-term consumption of rust causing serious illness. Manganese also stains fixtures, but in black or purple. Long-term consumption of it leads to declines in mental health and psychiatric issues.

 

Water Quality Results

Beaches and COVID-19 Transmission

Swimming at the City public beaches is not considered to be an important risk for transmission of COVID-19.  Water is not a favoured route of transmission for the virus that causes COVID-19. This virus preferentially transmits short distances (up to 2 metres) through the air by respiratory droplets from an infected person (from coughing, sneezing, shouting, singing, talking, breathing), by direct  contact with an infected person or by contact with a surface that an infected person has touched (and now, contaminated fingers bringing the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth).

To minimize transmission of COVID-19 when at a public beach or park:

Practice physical distancing from others in changerooms, washrooms and wear a mask for added protection in areas you cannot maintain at least 2 metres from others not in your group.

When in the water, on the shorelines and enjoying the park and picnic areas, practice physical distancing. While the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is much less outdoors than indoors, when there is significant crowding, as there could be at a pool or beach, there is greater concern about spread.

Physical distancing, wearing face masks, staying home when sick, and practicing good hand hygiene remain the best way to prevent the spread of the virus.

Water test results are not available immediately as they take at least 18 hours to process in the laboratory. For this reason, swim advisories are issued based on water sample results from the previous day, as well as our knowledge of water quality at each beach in previous years and how they react to factors such as rainfall and bird activity.

Public Health will not recommend swimming at beaches if:

the geometric mean of 5 water samples taken on the previous day is greater than 200 E. coli per 100mL of water ( water quality standard for beach water quality);

there is a significant rainfall event; or

we are aware of a situation that could impact the water quality at a beach.

 

Water Testing

Are you concerned about what is really in your drinking water?

Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to drinking water, safety of human contact and for the health of ecosystems

served many largest food and beverage industry, hotels, and restaurants for water testing. We have passed the audit process from various industries as an external laboratory. The analytical methods used are official methods

independent and internationally recognized testing, inspection and certification provider with many years of experience. people are competent specialists with specific additional qualifications for the different areas within the food testing and calibrations.

will support you with our know-how and will develop tailormade proposals for your company within a process which is fast, unbureaucratic, cost-effective and transparent.

A New Paradigm For Accountant Consulting

Posted on by Accounting

Why are adjustments important in final accounts?

Businesses rely on their accountants to report accurate information. The owners and managers use this information to make decisions on behalf of the business. The accountant records financial transactions throughout the month as they occur. They receive documentation for each transaction, such as invoices or customer deposits. Sometimes at the end of the month, they also record adjusting entries. Adjusting entries update the financial records for events that have occurred, but no document for a transaction exists.

Adjusting Entries

Adjusting entries bring the account balances current as of the last day of the month. This means that events that have not been documented yet are recorded through these entries. An example of an adjusting entry includes recording wages for the last days of the month for which employees have not been paid yet. Another example would be to record the electricity used through the end of the month even though a bill has not been received.

Matching Concept

The idea behind recording adjusting entries lies with the matching concept. The matching concept records the cost of doing business during the same business that the company earns the revenue. The financial records then communicate the activities that occurred rather than the actual money that was transferred. These include providing services for customers and billing them later for the work or receiving inventory and paying for it the following month.

Financial Reporting

Adjusting entries allow the accountant to communicate a more accurate picture of the company’s finances. The owner can read through the financial statements knowing that everything that occurred during the month is reported even if the financial part of the transaction will occur later. A financial statement prepared without considering adjusting entries would misrepresent the financial health of the company.

 

Meaning of Adjustments:

Adjustment entries are those entries which need to be passed at the end of the accounting period so that the true profit or loss and fair financial position of the business can be shown. Trial Balance is the base for preparing final accounts of any business enterprise. To see the arithmetical accuracy we record all balances of debits and credits extracted from ledger accounts, including cash book in this statement. There are possibilities that some such items, as were not detected at the time of preparing trial balance, could hence not be shown in the trial balance.

For example, closing stock cannot be estimated during the accounting year and is usually valued after the accounting year is over. Similarly, depreciation is charged on fixed assets at the end of the accounting year. In the same parlance, there are innumerable important items that may not find a place in the trial balance.

As per Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), all these items are very important and critical to calculate the actual earnings and thus show assets and liabilities at their true and fair values.

From the above it is clear that these items must be shown in the final accounts of business enterprise because without showing the impact of these items we cannot say that books of accounts show true and fair view of the business enterprise. It is also true that the ultimate impact of these items must show itself in trading and Profit & Loss Account and Balance Sheet.

Now question arises as to how these items can be shown when all the ledger accounts must have been closed. The only option available is to pass adjusting entry for each and every such item in such a manner that the true and ultimate impact on Trading and Profit & Loss Account and Balance Sheet can be shown. Following the double entry system, adjustment entries are to be posted to at least two accounts.

 

Types Of Adjusting Entries

Adjusting entries are primarily of six types:-

ACCRUED REVENUES

These entries help a business to report all the revenues it earns during the accounting period. There might be a case when a company has already provided a service, but it has not yet got the payment for the same. So, accrual type adjusting entries are shown in the financial statements to account for such revenues.

ACCRUED EXPENSES

Just like the accrued income or revenue, a company should only record the expenses that it incurs. A business must report an expense even if it does not pay for it. Take for example; a company hires a worker from on a contract basis. The company is expecting to get an invoice on January 2nd and remit the payment on January 10th. However, the services of the worker were availed in December. Therefore, the company needs to account the expense and liability as of December 31.

DEFERRED EXPENSE

Deferred expenses are the payment made in the present for future expenses. One must refer these payments as deferred until the expenses expire or the company avails the service. For example, a company pays $10000 on December 25 towards vehicle insurance for the six-month period starting January 1. This means the insurance is prepaid for a period between December 25th and December 31.

DEPRECIATION EXPENSE

It is in relation to the use of a fixed asset in the business. Examples of fixed assets are machinery, equipment, vehicles, furniture and so on. Usually, a company depreciates an asset at a certain rate that has a useful life for more than one year. Through depreciation, the company allocates the cost of the asset as an expense in the accounting periods in which the company uses the asset. For instance, a machine costing $50000 with no salvage value and useful life of 20 years will result in a monthly depreciation expense of $50000/240 (20*12).

DEFERRED REVENUE

If the company receives any amount as advance before earning, it should mention it as a liability in the current accounting period. For instance, a company gets an advance of $5000 for offering a service that it will offer at a later date. As on December 31st, the company should determine the portion of the service that it has already delivered. This portion will come as income, and the balance will be deferred revenue.

DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS OR BAD DEBTS

Not all debtors pay their dues. To account for this, the company makes provision for bad debts, and it needs to update the balance regularly to account for more bad debt or bad debt making payment.

 

Purpose of Adjusting Entries

The main purpose of adjusting entries is to update the accounts to conform with the accrual concept. At the end of the accounting period, some income and expenses may have not been recorded, taken up or updated; hence, there is a need to update the accounts.

If adjusting entries are not prepared, some income, expense, asset, and liability accounts may not reflect their true values when reported in the financial statements. For this reason, adjusting entries are necessary.

 

What are adjusting entries? Why are they necessary for preparing final accounts?

Entries which are given outside the trial balance are called adjustment entries, to record those entries a proper treatment is required according to the double entry system. Here it is to be remembered that all adjustments given outside the Trial Balance are posted at two places. Adjustment is generally done for those items which are omitted or entered with the wrong amount and/or recorded under wrong heads.

The following are reasons for recording or incorporating these adjustment entries in preparation of final account.

  • Through these adjustment entries we come to know the actual figure of profit or loss
  • Because of these adjusting entries we can assess the true financial position of an organisation based on accrual basis of accounting
  • These adjustment entries enable us to records the omitted entries and help in rectifying all those errors.
  • These adjusting entries help in providing depreciation and making different provisions, such as Bad Debts and Depreciation.

What To Expect From A Professional House Cleaning Service

Posted on by Cleaning

GUIDE TO KEEPING YOUR HOUSE CLEAN AND ORGANISED

Keeping your house clean and organised makes it a pleasant and hygienic place for your family to live in. However, trying to keep the house spotless and tidy is not an easy task, it takes away valuable time from your busy schedule. Getting professional cleaners to do the house chores can largely reduce your stress. But if you don’t wish to avail the services of a cleaning agency, then this guide will help you make the most of your available time to get the house looking organised and clean.

CLEAN AS YOU GO:

Don’t save up the chores for next time, or the next day. If you go by the ‘Clean as you go’ philosophy then you would save yourself the daunting task of cleaning up piles of dishes, filthy kitchen and piles of unwashed clothes. So try multitasking whilst you are talking over the phone, watching television, talking to your children. Glance around the room, de-clutter the table, toss the clothes in the washing machine, sort out the piles of letters and throw the unnecessary extras into the bin. You will be surprised how you can stop mess from building up by simply multi-tasking on a daily basis.

CLEAR THE CLUTTER:

If you can get rid of the unnecessary items in the living room, table, fridge etc., then you can reduces your house cleaning task to less than half. It is easier to clean a room that is de-cluttered. A quick wipe of the table is only possible if you don’t have to rummage over pencils, pens and papers lying around. Look through your refrigerator, throw away all the expired food rather than wait for them to rot. Anything that is piled up, stacked or heaped needs a good look through to see what needs to go into the bin and what needs to be kept. Discard outdated magazines and throw away any junk mail.

TIDY YOUR KITCHEN:

Kitchen cleaning is not as tough as it seems. Keep wipes and clean napkins handy in a cupboard or drawer in the kitchen. When you notice a spill on your refrigerator shelf, wipe it off immediately. While you are at it, check for any expired products or anything that you will not be reusing and toss them in the bin. Use a wet wipe to quickly clean any finger print or stains on the kitchen cabinet.

DUST AWAY:

If you are too tied up for a complete dusting of the house, then use the vacuum cleaner every weekend to dust the curtains, blinds and carpets. If tea or coffee accidently spills onto the carpet use a wet wipe it off immediately. You can also use diluted detergent and a microfiber to clean off any stains on upholstery or carpets.

 

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES

There are numerous tasks to do on a daily basis such as washing dishes and cleaning clothes, there are tasks to be completed on a regular basis such as vacuum cleaning and dusting and then the bigger tasks that also have to be completed on a regular basis such as window cleaning and clearing gutters.

Keeping a house clean may sound like a simple task, but chores quickly build up leaving you with a mountain of work to do. There are also other areas that can go neglected such as the bathroom and the oven which can suddenly become difficult and time consuming jobs.

Different types of house cleaning services

Trying to keep a house clean inside and out requires constant time and attention. Sometimes the only time people have to complete this is in the evenings after they come back from work when all they want to do is relax. If not done on a weekday, then a lot of people have to use their weekend time maintaining their property

General house cleaning

Some jobs have to be done regularly that can take up a lot of time. Also known as spring cleaning, these are standard jobs that don’t require any expert knowledge or equipment. Vacuuming your house can be a lengthy chore and they can be difficult to manoeuvre, especially upstairs and in corners.

Carpet cleaning

Carpets are a tough and durable material that can last for many years without the need for replacement. Many people replace them, not because of wear and tear, but because they no longer look the way they did when they were first bought.

 

When and how can my housekeeper return?’ Experts explain how to calculate the risk

You’ve been hunkering down at home in isolation for months, and the days are starting to run together. After weeks of around-the-clock cooking, cleaning and parenting, it’s not surprising that when we asked readers to send us their most pressing questions regarding the coronavirus, an overwhelming number of you wanted to know, “When is it safe for my housekeeper to return?”

Everyone is understandably tired of scrubbing their own toilets and the endless dirty dishes. But it’s about more than just cleaning. Many people have maintained a decades-long relationship with their housekeepers. Keeping housekeepers at a distance can feel like turning away a trusted friend or family member.

When stay-at-home orders were put in place in March, many housekeepers were told to stay home, some with pay and others without. Meanwhile, the orders have hit domestic workers, many of whom don’t have access to healthcare and paid sick days, particularly hard. Many are eager to get back to work.

If we’ve learned one thing while sheltering in place, it’s that it’s difficult to do everything alone. But as counties start to reopen — with some health officials concerned by the fast pace of lifting stay-at-home restrictions — how do we know that the people who come into our homes are not symptom-free silent spreaders? Just as important: As states move to reopen, is it safe for them to return to housekeeping?

With the easing of stay-at-home rules, that time may come sooner rather than later. The experts we consulted realize that many homeowners will ask their housekeepers to return before there is a vaccine.

 

Want to Keep Your Home Clean All-Year-Round? Here’s Our Guide

In regards to home cleaning, over time, we all deliberate on whether it’s time to give the house a deep and thorough clean to compensate for all the other months that we spend in it. After quite some time, you’ll probably notice all the dust, dirt, muck, and molds that have accumulated in a year. No matter how much you try to hide the fact that a thorough carpet cleaning is due sometime soon

After quite some time, you’ll probably notice all the dust, dirt, muck, and molds that have accumulated in a year. No matter how much you try to hide the fact that a thorough carpet cleaning is due sometime soon or a proper fridge wipe has to be done, it’s important to undergo home cleaning, and give your home some much-needed TLC

Which Parts Need to be Cleaned and the Frequency?

If you’ve been meaning to give your home a thorough cleaning but don’t exactly know where to start or how often you should do it, let’s go over its frequencies and cleaning areas in further detail

Weekly Home Cleaning

In most American households, there are certain places that need to be cleaned much more often than homeowners expect, such as various places that are interacted with the most every day. Let’s go over each part that you’ll need to clean weekly

The computer: monitor, keyboard, mouse, table: Seeing that it’s used every single day, a computer can harbor a significant amount of bacteria over as little as a week, making it vital to start cleaning it. With the help of disinfecting wipes, cleaning every surface in your work/play setup will make a world of difference in the cleanliness of your home.

The bathtub: What most homeowners need to know about their bathtubs is that they’re a breeding ground for 26 percent of grave infections and are 20 percent more than the garbage bin you have at home. By treating your bathtub with some disinfecting, water, and soap, you can have your soapy sessions in peace without worrying about getting any nasty condition.

 

A House Cleaning Service Guide: When Are the Best Times to Clean the Areas in Your House?

Currently, it’s crucial to keep your living space clean and tidy. To ensure that everything is neat and tidy in your home, you need to set a regular cleaning schedule, and/or consider a recurring house cleaning service. However, to do this, you need to know the areas and the objects that you need to clean on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

Clean the Bathroom Weekly

Your bathroom should always be clean, especially because you use it daily. Schedule a weekly house cleaning service for bathroom cleaning, especially when you don’t have the time to clean your house yourself. That way, you can guarantee that your house and your bathrooms will always remain clean and sanitary.

Clean the Kitchen Weekly

Just like your bathroom, your kitchen is one of the most used rooms in your house. A clean kitchen is essential; therefore, you need to spend time cleaning it thoroughly. For most homeowners, it’s impossible to clean a kitchen every day, which is why it is best to clean it every week to ensure that it’s in excellent condition.

Clean the Bedrooms Every One to Two Weeks

If you don’t spend a lot of time in your bedroom because you’re usually away during the day, you can clean your rooms every one to two weeks. This includes your bed linens. Some homeowners tend to think that their bed linens are dirty, and so they frequently change them. However, it’s not as dirty as you think, especially when you only lay in your bed to sleep, so you can change your bed linens every one to two weeks.

What to Clean Every Day

Here are some of the things that you should clean every day inside your house:

Coffeemaker

Dirty dishes

Kitchen counters and table

Beds

Kitchen floors

Bathroom surfaces

Kitchen and bathroom sinks

Shower walls

Refitting Your Dentist Practice

Posted on by Health

How to change dentists

There are many different reasons to change dentists. It could be because you have moved home and want to attend a dental practice closer to your new address. It may be because a new practice has opened up locally that is more convenient for you, or closer to where you work, or perhaps your current dentist doesn’t have the opening hours that best suit you. You may also consider changing dentists if you’re unhappy with the treatment you have received from your current dental practice or an individual that works there.

This guide includes information about how to change dentists and on finding a new dentist, or changing dentist within a practice, whether you are an NHS or private patient.

Can I change my NHS dentist?

You can change your NHS dentist at any time. When you have found a new NHS dentist or practice to join, you should let your old dentist know and make sure that any upcoming appointments there have been cancelled. If you’re in the middle of a course of dental treatment, you will need to ensure that any treatment you have received so far has been paid for.

You might want to change your NHS dentist for a number of different reasons. It could be that you wish to move practice for convenience, because you’re not happy with the care provided by your current dentist, or because you don’t want to be seen by a different dentist within the same practice.

If you receive NHS dental treatment, you will need to change dentists to a new practice or dentist that is currently accepting new NHS patients. Depending on the area in which you want to change to, the number of dental practices or dentists that you are able to choose from may vary.

With NHS dentists, you are not bound to a specific catchment area like you may be with a GP. You can choose any convenient dental practice that is currently accepting NHS dental patients. You can give a potential new practice a ring to see if they are open to new NHS patients at the moment, or whether there is a waiting list you need to join first.

 

Choosing a new dentist

You might recently moved to a new city or a new neighborhood and want to find a new dentist, or maybe you’ve been going to the same dentist for some time but you’ve decided that it’s time to find a new dentist. For many of us, selecting a new dentist comes down to simply asking friends and family for a recommendation.

Choosing a new dentist is an important step because you are entrusting your health and wellness to a professional. In this guide, we outline easy steps to find the right dentist for a successful relationship. These questions will help decide on the best dentist for you.

FIRST, SEARCH FOR THE DENTIST WHO CAN HELP YOU

Every case is different. Some people will be looking for a dentist for minor work like teeth cleaning. Others will be searching for more complex dental services like braces or dental implants. Establish the basic criteria for your search and start by asking yourself the following questions:

  • Is location important? For many of us, this means finding a dentist close to home, work or school. If you are looking for a dentist near by, this question will be crucial as it will help manage the appointments and reduce the commute. For example, if you live in Oakville, you probably be interested in finding local Oakville dental offices.
  • What specialization are you looking for in a dentist? Are you looking for a general practitioner or a specialist in certain field.
  • Are you looking for specific office features like wheel chair accessibility or first floor office.
  • If you have a dental insurance, does the dental office accept dental insurances?

 

Second, make a narrow list of potential right dental offices

Now, you have brainstormed your requirements. It’s time to start the search. One of the best methods to find a dentist is to ask people for recommendations. This can be done by asking close friends and relatives for great past experiences. In this day of age, the advancement of the internet made it easier to locate the dental office online.

One of the best ways to find a list of dentists in Ontario is by using the Find a Dentist tool. You can search by city, postal code or specialty. You can also use opencare or yellow pages. Once the search is done, make sure you visit the website and read reviews about the dental office.

 

Third, call the office, send an email or book a consultation to meet the dentist

Say, you have a short list of few dentists. Now, you can visit their websites and find more about the dentist, the team, the services provided and the office. The research should not stop here. Call the office or use the email to ask the question. Better still, book a meeting with the dentist to directly ask the questions.

Here are some of the questions you may want to ask:

  • Is your dentist accepting new patients?
  • Are there any availability in the near future? Some offices are way to busy that it takes weeks to book an appointment.
  • What is the dentist’s credentials?
  • What to expect on the first visit? Should you request the old xrays? How long will the first appointment last and what will be included in that appointment?
  • What is the financial policy of the office? will the dentist explain the treatment options and explain the cost of the procedures?
  • What are the office hours? Will the schedule fit your schedule? Is the office open during evening hours or on the weekend?
  • Is the dentist keeping up with the new treatment techniques and new developments.

If you are satisfied with the responses you’ve received, it’s time to make an appointment with the best dentist that will address your specific needs.

 

Healthy Teeth Habits From Dental Hygienists

Keep routine dental appointments.

Think about the mold in your bathroom in the shower. What three things happen in a shower that make that mold grow? It’s dark, it’s warm and it’s moist. With your mouth, it’s kind of the same thing, especially under your gums – it’s dark, warm and moist. Bacteria like to be left alone to eat all the stuff in there, and grow and get nasty. So that’s why you come in every six months so I can clean that out.

Floss thoroughly.

Flossing is important because your teeth are round, not flat, especially your back teeth. Where they’re touching, you’re not reaching. “With a toothbrush, you’re missing almost two-thirds of the teeth.” Brushing alone cleans teeth’s outer and inner surfaces but misses the sides, paving the way for infection. Flossing feels awkward for many people. So try to show them. “It takes practice and it takes time just to work at it.

Don’t judge your teeth by their color.

It’s a common joke among dental hygienists : “You can tell a patient they have 16 cavities, and they’ll say, ‘But do you do whitening?'” But having model-white teeth is a cosmetic concern, not a sign of superior oral health. “White teeth are not necessarily healthy teeth,. “I see many, many people with yellow or gray teeth, and they think their teeth are not healthy or not clean.” But that’s not the case. Just like the whites of our eyes are different and our skin tones are different, your teeth have different shades.

Hiring A Professional Move Out Cleaning Services Company

Posted on by Cleaning

End of Tenancy Cleaning Guide

If you’re a landlord there’s a lot of worries and concerns you may have, and this is common amongst landlords. One of the main ones is the concern that a tenant is leaving your property in a mess, and not just leaving a few crumbs on the side. There’s deep stains in your carpet that will be difficult to remove, things like this which is a common worry amongst landlords. Don’t worry, you’re not alone in this.

Fortunately tenants who are moving out of your property are moving into another one that’s more suited to their current situation, so it’s important to them that they keep your property in good shape. They’ll need a reference in most instances from a previous landlord, so making sure they get a good word from you is something they need and if they’ve left your property in a bad state then they can usually expect an honest letter of recommendation detailing this.

Despite this, when your tenants move out you may find that the property has become used to them being there and there’s areas of the house that need a good scrub before the next guests come and move in. This is where end of tenancy cleaning, or tenant cleaning services come into play. Companies specialise in cleaning may offer this service to help you to rid any hidden dust or dirt to help your new tenants settle into your property as easily as possible.

How Can I Find a Tenancy Cleaning Service?

There’s a few ways of finding companies that will offer this to you, but it’s important to capture what it is that you’d like them to come and do. There’s a few different types of tenancy cleaning that you can expect to find

Pre Tenancy Cleaning – This involves cleaning a property thoroughly before your expected tenants move in so it’s clean and hygienic from day one.

Post Tenancy Cleaning – This is also known as a move out cleaning service. When you’ve had tenants live in a property for a short while, a good spring clean may do the job. If they’ve been there for much longer then a post tenancy cleaning service may help to get rid of naturally congregating dust particles in those hidden places, readying the property for whatever lies ahead next.

 

The house cleaning service

You want to get your deposit back when you move out of an apartment, don’t you? Cleaning of the apartment could just be everything you need to do. Of course, you may not really need to bother about cleaning the stuff if you have already damaged a lot of fixtures in the apartment but if the mess is all surface dirt, you can clean them up and get your deposit back

Clean the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important parts of your home that need to be cleaned. You need to clean your liners and cabinets, wash the front cabinets, disinfect countertops, clean sink and faucet, clean the refrigerator inside out, clean the oven inside out, clean the dishwasher, exhaust fan and appliances.

Clean Living/Bedrooms and Garage

The empty rooms should be properly cleaned, mopped, dusted and swept. Dust the appliances in the living room and sweep the floor. Remove the cobwebs, clean the ceiling fans, HVAC system and so forth. Sweep the garage and make sure that it is completely empty.

The surroundings

The surroundings should also be properly clean. You will need to cut the grass, remove the weeds, grass strains and ensure that the outside looks clean. You can also check around for some of your stuff hanging in the trees to remove them.

The rest of the home cleaning

The ceiling fixtures, ledges, windows, doors and door knobs should be cleaned and dusted. You should also clean the light switches and outlets, walls and baseboards, and vacuums. Unscrew every screw on the walls and remove every nails. Thoroughly examine the walls to ensure that none is left and when done you can add smoothly add putty on the areas to make them look as if they were not screwed or nailed before.

 

The Comprehensive Apartment Cleaning Checklist

Use this apartment cleaning checklist to deep clean on moving day.

Before moving out of your current rental and into your new apartment, there’s a lot to do: signing the lease, planning, packing and yes, cleaning. While you may be tempted to walk away as soon as the last box is gone, failing to clean your apartment before officially moving out may cause you to lose a portion, or all, of your security deposit.

Make sure to go over your lease agreement and make note of the stipulations of moving out. If there’s nothing mentioned, you may need to check with your landlord to gauge their expectations.

Once you’ve done that, you can come up with a move-out cleaning checklist. If you can manage it, it’s best to clean your apartment after you’ve already moved into your new place, as furniture and boxes won’t be in the way.

For many, the kitchen is one of the most-used rooms in any apartment. For this reason, it’s important to be sure you’ve thoroughly cleaned before moving out.

Remove belongings from your cabinets and drawers

Use a wet paper towel to wipe cabinets out and clean the outside

Use an all-purpose cleaner to disinfect the countertops

Clean the sink basin, faucet and handles

Use an oven cleaner to remove interior grime

Spray the oven’s interior, then use a scraper to remove grease and grime

Clean the stove using an old sponge and/or scouring pad, then rinse and wipe down

Wipe down the refrigerator’s interior, including the drawers and shelves

Move the refrigerator and sweep the floors behind it

Disinfect the dishwasher and wipe down the exterior door

Sweep and mop the floors

If you want to make the bathroom sparkle and shine when moving out, an all-purpose cleaner is your new best friend. Be sure to clean every nook and cranny in your bathroom to guarantee you’ll get your deposit back.

Wipe down the countertops with an all-purpose cleaner

Clean the sink basin, faucet and handles

Wipe down the mirror with a glass cleaner

Clean the toilet bowl, then wipe down the toilet lid, tank and handle

Use a toothbrush to remove mold or stains from any surfaces

Remove grout stains with bleach

Wipe down drawers and cabinets — interior and exterior

Wipe down the shower and bathtub

Vacuum and mop floors

 

A Checklist for Landlords With Tenants Moving Out

A checklist can help ease the stress of tenant move-out. It makes both sides aware of the expectations. Landlords can customize this checklist to meet the specific needs of their property. The items on this list should include the condition the rental property should be left in, as well as any additional move-out procedures and obligations.

Your tenant should provide notice that they intend to move out of your rental unit. Most often this is in the form of a letter but you may specify it be delivered in another format in your lease. Check with your local landlord/tenant laws to see how much notice the tenant should give before they vacate a rental unit.

Move-Out Checklist

A tenant move-out checklist is a form that landlords should attach as a rider to the original lease agreement. This checklist provides instructions for the tenant on the procedures and the tasks they need to complete when they vacate your property.

Why It’s Important

Move-out checklists are especially important when it comes to the security deposit. Security deposit disputes are a big issue between landlords and tenants. If the tenant understands the proper procedures for move-out, including the condition they are supposed to leave the rental property in, it will help minimize these issues.

All of the aforementioned items need to be done PRIOR to your move-out inspection so that you can RECEIVE YOUR FULL SECURITY DEPOSIT BACK (less any withholding from earlier tenancy). Any and all repairs, repainting, trash removal, cleaning, and/or any other expenses that are attributed to restoring your home to its condition prior to your tenancy will be deducted from your Security Deposit.

 

Move Out Reminders

Clean your apartment

All surfaces within your apartment shall be clean and free of debris, stains and damage. Such surfaces include but are not limited to, flooring, walls, doors, windows, shelving, appliances, cabinets, lighting fixtures, and bathroom fixtures.

Pay special attention to the inside, under and behind of the stove, refrigerator, shower & toilets as these often need additional care to clean when moving out. You may find it’s easier to replace the drip pans under the stove burners than taking the time to clean them. Also remember to pull the refrigerator out to clean behind. Make sure all the shelves in the cabinets are free of items and wiped clean. Tile floors shall be swept & mopped. Carpets shall be vacuumed and we recommend renting a carpet-cleaning machine to remove any stains.

If all surfaces are not clean and free of debris, stains or damage, Tenant shall pay for costs of cleaning at a rate of $30 per man-hour and repair at $60 per man-hour plus materials cost. Cleaning the apartment is important, so please make sure your roommates are cleaning their space.

Keys

All keys shall be turned over to landlord. If keys are lost or otherwise not returned, Tenant shall pay for costs of replacing all non-returned keys at $30 per key and $100 per lockset for re-keying apartment entry doors locks. When you move out, please leave your keys (apartment, bedrooms & mail if applicable) on the kitchen counter and lock the door as you leave.

Security Deposit Return

We want to return to you as much of your security deposit as possible, so please follow the above recommendations so we can do that. A good faith effort on your part does make a difference. Security deposits are returned in a one lump sum check payable to the tenant designated on the lease. If you are the designated tenant, let us know where to send your security deposit return by completing the Security Deposit Return Address section of the Tenant Info Update form.

Types Of Mosquitoes Larvae Control

Posted on by Pest Control

Ways To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes Indoors

Mosquito prevention is cheap & effective

It would take 1.2 million bites for a mosquito to drain all of the blood from our body – that entire thought is enough to want to make us run inside and hide away from all those nasty mosquitos.

If only that worked – running into the house and hiding, that is. It’s quite inevitable, actually, that mosquitos will find their way indoors. Mosquitos can make their way into your room through open doors and windows, obviously, but they also make their way in through minuscule holes in your window screens, and they even get blown in on occasion, from the wind.

Easy steps to less mosquitoes in your home

Kill off the larvae. The fewer mosquitoes are buzzing around the smaller is the chance that they will annoy you indoors.

Use mosquito dunks & mosquito beater granules around your yard – they work best in the weeks before mosquito seasons starts.

Use mosquito netting for doors & windows. They don’t offer 100% protection but they are cheap & make everything else easier.

Once they hatched you can get rid of them with mosquito traps on your property. These devices are expensive but very effective killing machines.

Mosquito lanterns & mosquito killer sprays are cheaper helpful, but generally less effective.

Are electric indoor traps effective?

From my experience electric insect killers are the best indoor tool because they help against mosquitoes and many other bugs. I usually switch my indoor mosquito trap on for 2 days a week and it gets rid of most insects in my house.

Chemical-free & easy to use

They are nontoxic, require minimal maintenance and they are straightforward to use. Their light lures flying critters into a grid where they meet their doom. In comparison to many other ways to get rid of mosquitoes they are chemical-free and you won’t experience any concerning side effects in regard to your health.

 

Ways to Keep Mosquitoes Away

It only takes a few minutes outdoors, particularly at dusk, to develop a deep-rooted disdain for mosquitoes. And as if buzzing incessantly near your ear and feasting on your exposed arms and legs aren’t enough, mosquitoes can transmit a number of infectious diseases, a fact that elevates the insects from a nuisance to an outright health risk.

a veterinarian and senior research associate in University’s department of population medicine and diagnostic sciences, specializes in infectious diseases spread by ticks, which also transmit infectious diseases. But they’re not her main concern on a personal level.

Sure, you can buy a plethora of devices designed to repel, capture, and kill the bugs. But as satisfying as bug zappers and electrified insect swatters may seem, few, if any, of these products are effective when it comes to controlling the mosquito population in your yard.

Use Your Screens

Maximize fresh air indoors, but introduce a bugproof barrier. advises using fine mesh screens in all open windows and doors. This allows cross-breezes to enter your house, but the screens’ openings are too small for mosquitoes to permeate.

Get Rid of Standing Water

That means it’s imperative to empty outdoor water toys and remove wheelbarrows and other outdoor gear that can catch water after a rainfall. Keep your gutters and drain lines clear of debris—clogged leaves and branches can cause water to pool.

 

Controlling Mosquitoes at Home

Remove standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs

Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. Mosquitoes lay eggs near water.

Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.

For containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Use larvicides to treat large containers of water that will not be used for drinking and cannot be covered or dumped out.

If you have a septic tank, repair cracks or gaps. Cover open vent or plumbing pipes. Use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Kill mosquitoes outside your home

Use an outdoor insect spray made to kill mosquitoes in areas where they rest.

Mosquitoes rest in dark, humid areas like under patio furniture, or under the carport or garage. When using insecticides, always follow label instructions.

Keep mosquitoes out

Install or repair and use window and door screens. Do not leave doors propped open.

Use air conditioning when possible.

Kill mosquitoes inside your home

Kill mosquitoes inside your home. Use an indoor insect fogger or indoor insect spray to kill mosquitoes and treat areas where they rest. These products work immediately, and may need to be reapplied. When using insecticides, always follow label directions. Only using insecticide will not keep your home free of mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes rest in dark, humid places like under the sink, in closets, under furniture, or in the laundry room.

 

A Guide To Mosquito Repellents

People do the darnedest things in hopes of avoiding mosquito bites. They burn cow dung, coconut shells or coffee. They drink gin and tonic. They eat bananas. They spray themselves with mouthwash or slather themselves in clove/alcohol solution. And they rub themselves with Bounce. “You know, those heavily perfumed sheets you put in your dryer,”

None of those techniques have been tested to see if they actually keep mosquitoes away. But that doesn’t stop people from trying them, according to a study that will be published this summer

Beyond folklore and traditional remedies, there are proven ways to protect against mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. NPR talked with researchers, many of whom spend lots of time in mosquito-infested jungles, marshes and tropical areas.

Which repellents work best to stop mosquitoes from biting?

Products containing DEET have been shown both safe and effective. DEET is shorthand for the chemical N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, the active ingredient in many insect repellents

DEET appeared on store shelves in 1957. There was some early concern about its safety — speculation that it was linked to neurological problems. But recent reviews, for example a study published in June 2014 in the journal Parasites and Vectors, says, “Animal testing, observational studies and intervention trials have found no evidence of severe adverse events associated with recommended DEET use.”

 

Mosquito Control For Your Backyard

There’s so much to love about summer: getting outside to enjoy the longer days with a barbecue or enjoying a friendly game of Wiffle ball with the family … that is until pesky mosquitoes drive you back inside.

Unfortunately, the warmer months also mean mosquitoes. Mosquitoes might seem like an annoyance that you can easily swat away, but they can be a big problem. They not only make it impossible for you to truly enjoy your backyard, but they can also spread diseases. Using bug spray can help keep them away, but they are almost impossible to avoid completely unless you plan to stay inside all summer.

Don’t pack up your outdoor gear just yet! There are actions you can take to greatly reduce, or even eliminate mosquitoes from your backyard this summer. Most are fairly simple and just require a different approach to taking care of your lawn. The payoff can be a summer without itchy bug bites, giving you more time to enjoy your yard.

Avoid Standing Water

The best approach to mosquito control is to keep them from showing up in the first place. You can accomplish that by removing places where they breed. And where do they breed? Anywhere there is standing water. That can include spots as small as a bottle cap, so do a careful inspection of your yard to find any containers of water. This includes kiddie pools, toys, plant trays, garbage cans and gutters. The exception to this rule is a swimming pool, as the chlorine drives them away

Keep your Grass Cut

In addition to water, mosquitoes like to hang out in cool, shady spots. Shady areas near trees, tall grass or brushy areas are ideal mosquito habitats, so focus on getting rid of those spots. As a bonus, the more sunlight that reaches your yard, the less likely you are to have wet or damp spots that foster mosquito breeding, disease or even mildew.