Burglaries are on the rise. Home invasions are on the rise. Lock bumping is the latest craze for would be burglars making it so simple to get into your house. The value of your home possessions keeps going up as you get more and more of them.

The Bureau of Justice reports that:

• Nearly one out of six homes was violated by a burglar.

• Three fourths of all crime was property related.

• In nearly 90% of all burglaries, the burglar gained entry into the house or other building.

Property crime occurs every 3 seconds, a home burglary every 15 seconds.

That’s the bad news. The enormously good news is that almost any expert in the field will tell you that 90%-that’s right 90% of all burglaries can be prevented.

So what can you do to burglar proof your home?

Let’s look at three fast and simple things you can do to make your home more burglar proof.

1. LOCK DOORS AND WINDOWS It doesn’t matter if you are

HOME OR AWAY get in the habit of locking yourself and your family

in. Consider window grates-items that are visible from the exterior of the

house will not only act as a deterrent but slow down an intruder should he

decide to try to enter.

2. GET SOME SIGNAGE an NRA sticker; “Vicious Guard Dog on Duty”;

“These premises protected by….” You get the idea. It is your way of telling

potential burglars to stay away from your house.

3. LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE and your yard with motion activated spots.

The “look” of your house is very important to a burglar too. If you take steps to make the residence “unattractive” to a burglar chances are pretty good he will pass your residence and choose someone more vulnerable. Follow these tips and you will be miles ahead of the game by making your home more burglar proof.

Jack Krohn is the #1 author of Home Security Articles in the country according to EzineArticles. He owns SECURITY SOLUTIONS a one stop resource that provides solutions and answers for all your self defense and home security problems.

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Many home owners would love to know how to clean the house quickly.

Having worked all day or spent hours running around after children no-one then wants to do chores. This guide to how to clean the house quickly will help.

The first step in learning how to clean the house quickly is to become organized. Gather together a small tool tray for cleaning materials and a bucket for hot sudsy water that is then readily available to you whenever you have ten minutes to spare. If you have to go hunting for cleaning materials the time will be gone before you can use it.

Break the task of how to clean the house quickly into manageable chunks and involve other members of the household. Give everyone a zone of the home and show them how to clean the house quickly. Organize your self and your family to clean a different zone each day.

Having the right tools for the job is half the secret of learning how to clean the house quickly. A feather duster that uses static to attract and hold on to dust means the dust is simply not being redistributed around the house.

By encouraging everyone to manage their possessions and to keep them in the proper place cleaning becomes easier and everyone will discover that how to clean the house quickly is simply a matter of being better organized.

How to clean the house quickly relies on there being a system in place and this system will be as individual as you are. Most people choose to clean their bathrooms more frequently than their living room and their kitchens more frequently than their bedrooms - but this may not be the case for everyone. Lifestyle dictates in some ways the best way of how to clean the house quickly.

House cleaning is one of those jobs that just has to be done - often. If you can come up with strategies that allow you to discover the secret of how to clean the house quickly you’ll have more spare time to do whatever you want to do.

Still looking for more tips on how to clean your house quickly? Find out time saving secrets to decluttering any room in a matter of just minutes. These tips will shave at least 20-30 minutes off your cleaning time no matter how big a cleaning champ you think you are. Who couldn’t use that extra time to lay back and take in the day?

thecomputerguynetwork.com/info/End-Clutter.htm Treat yourself to some great decluttering tips by Clicking Here!

Are you thinking of buying an aquarium? If you love fish
and want to have an easy pet that doesn’t need to be walked
and definitely doesn’t make a mess on your floor, you’ll
love having fish. But, you can’t just head to the local pet
store and scoop them up. Your first task will be to invest
in quality products and that starts with the right aquarium.
Buying an aquarium isn’t really hard, as long as you know
what to look for.

Here are some tips to help you sort it all out.

* Size counts. Of course, you realize that the bigger a
fish is the more room it needs. The size of the aquarium
also will dictate how many fish you can put into it. A
large sized aquarium is recommended if you plan to invest in
many fish. But, size counts in other ways too. The larger
it is, the more support you’ll need to give it. That means
that you’ll need a strong enough place to store it.

* Maintenance is needed. Don’t be fooled into thinking that
you won’t have to clean the water in your tank. You will.
The best way to know what maintenance you’ll need is to get
to know your fish. Learn about what the species needs and
then provide it. Some fish need oxygen filters; others
don’t like the water to drop below a certain temperature.
And, when cleaning the tank, you’ll need to insure you don’t
shock the fish. If this all sounds hard, make sure that
when you purchase an aquarium, you purchase one that is
equipped with everything your fish needs.

* Filling it. You may be tempted to purchase cute little
castles and plants for your aquarium. While you will likely
be able to, you should also make sure that you choose the
elements for it that the fish will enjoy. Some fish want a
dark area to hide. Others will munch on plants.

It is also important to purchase the aquarium from a
reliable producer. The right aquarium should come with
virtually everything that you need to maintain a healthy and
enjoyable atmosphere for your fish. Doing this will allows
you to get more enjoyment out of the aquarium.

Jacqueline Mitchell is an editor at HouseImprovementTips.com where you can find
more articles about houseimprovementtips.com/ home improvement tips.

Price : $12.00

Features

• Reel mower sharpening kit keeps reel blades in top cutting form
• Cuts down on mowing time; environmentally-friendly
• Do-it-yourself kit allows users to sharpen their own mowers at home
• Includes grinding compound, application brush, and back-lapping crank
• Designed for use with 1705-16 and 1815-18 push mowers

Amazon.com Product Description

The American Lawn Mower Company reel mower sharpening kit is an easy way to keep reel blades in top cutting form. This do-it-yourself kit allows users to sharpen their own mowers at home. The kit contains everything you need for safe and effective sharpening, including a detailed instruction manual, grinding compound, application brush, and a special back-lapping crank. The kits is designed for use with 1705-16 and 1815-18 push mowers. Cutting down on mowing time, this sharpening kits gives you an environmentally-friendly, perfectly cut lawn.

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-09-10
This is a simple low teck product that does exactly what it is supposed to do. It sharpens the blades on a reel type mower. My mower’s blades were not in horrible condition and I cannot comment on how this product would perform on severly damaged blades. I was satisfied with the product, the instructions and the price.

Review date : 2008-08-28
This kit is essentially what anyone can do on their own but it is conveniently packaged. The goop everyone is referring to is essentially the same as automotive valve grinding compound (which you can get at most auto parts stores). I like the idea of using a power drill to turn the reel while it sharpens - so here’s an alternative for anyone who feels like taking a DIY approach:

1. Prop up the lawn mower so you can turn the reel by twirling the wheels.

2. Check the blades for nicks and burrs. If you find any, remove them with a file (hold file flat against blade and push away from spindle). I use a sharpening stone that fits my power drill but that’s b/c I’m lazy.

3. Check your bar alignment, it’ll be obvious if it’s off - it will hit the guide bar. If alignment is off, you need to fix the alignment with the screws at the end of the bar but hopefully it’s fine (if it turns with that cool whispy sound, then you’re fine).

4. Spread a thin & even coat of auto valve-grinding compound.

5. Take off a wheel and affix your power drill so that the blade turns and the grinding compound squeezes between the blades and the cutting bar. Go a few dozen times.

6. I reapply the grinding compound and do it again.

7. Check out the blades, which should be sharper then rinse the valve compound off the blades.

This is EASY and quick. I really like how the kit makes it a no brainer exercise and if you’re going to use a reel mower, use one with sharp blades.

Review date : 2008-08-23
I only gave it three stars and perhaps I’m not being fair but here’s why I’m not pleased with it: I bought the Gilmour 20" reel mower from Amazon.com and at the time of my purchase, they suggested I buy the sharpening kit too. Well, the hand crank from the sharpening kit does not fit the Gilmour mower. I’m sure it fits all the rest and probably works fine but I’m a bit ticked off at Amazon suggesting that I buy it. PS: The Gilmour did a great job for 15 - 20 cuts and then since then it seems like it needs to be sharpened because it’s missing too much of the grass.

Review date : 2008-07-22
did what it was suppose to mdo really worked well on sharping the blades on out reel mower

Review date : 2008-07-22
Go to your auto parts store and get some grinding compound for a fraction of the cost.

Also, for a much quicker sharpening session, remove both wheels, swap the gears so that the reel turns backwards, apply the compound, and walk the mower up and down the driveway. The backwards operation provides the backlapping to sharpen the reel and blade. Clean up the excess, and swap the gears back. Total time: less than 10 minutes.

Every home improvement situation is different. Still, there are some general points that apply to most projects.

Some General Points

When all the woodwork in a house is the same color (cream, white, and off-white work easily), spaces tend to visually ?flow smoothly? even if the walls of rooms are different colors. Make sure you don?t break this rule.

The colors of all rooms, which can be seen at the same time, should look good together. Let?s take a typical center hall floor plan for a modern two-story house. The living room and dining room are to the right and left of the entrance. The foyer goes straight back to the family room, breakfast area, and kitchen across the back of the house. There is probably a deck opening off that area. Some part of all those areas can be seen from each room, and the foyer walls continue upstairs to a hall from which each bedroom is visible.

To continue our example with cream woodwork, the foyer and halls might be painted a pearl gray, light tan, soft gold, or deeper cream. The woodwork is probably a gloss or semi-gloss and the walls and ceiling a flat paint. Since ceilings reflect light down on people, they’re usually best in cream or off-white. I once saw a dining room with an indirectly lit octagonal tray ceiling painted to look like creamy clouds in a peachy sunset sky that made every dinner guest look like he or she had a perfect complexion. It was wonderful.

The living room opening off our foyer might be a solid color (maybe sage green or deeper tan) or it might look very handsome with a vertically striped wall paper (cream and gray, cream and green, or cream and tan are good possibilities). The dining room is apt to have a chair rail. A darker color could look good below the chair rail (again sage green, gray, gold or tan would work) with a lighter tint of the same color above. If a solid color were chosen for the living room, the dining room could handle a deep red below the chair rail and a cream paper with a narrow red stripe above it. Lots of crystal and mirrors would look terrific in a room like that.

I?m sure you get the idea. Today?s open floor plans make it important that rooms work together.

Raynor James is with the FSBO site - http://www.fsboamerica.org - FSBO homes for sale by owner. Visit our sell my home page -http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm - to sell your house yourself with a free 1 month listing.

When your company is looking for safety equipment, there are many factors to consider before placing an order. Safety equipment includes head, respiratory, and full-body equipment. It also includes emergency equipment. The big question is: How will you know what you need to purchase? The answer is simple. Before you purchase safety equipment, you need to put together a list of what each employee will need to be safe on the job. Below are a few examples of safety equipment products and ways to decide what manufacturer is right for you.

Earplugs are one of the big sellers when it comes to safety equipment. Earplugs can be purchased as disposable plugs or as reusable plugs. Disposable earplugs are manufactured out of smooth, non-allergenic material that conforms quickly and comfortably to the shape of the ear canal. On the other hand, reusable earplugs are washable, but are flexible when adjusting to the ear canal. Both disposable and reusable earplugs are comfortable for most employees and are extremely lightweight.

Earmuffs are another type of safety equipment on the market today. Safety product manufacturers provide a wide variety and range of earmuffs. Some earmuffs allow a person to hear well enough to communicate, while other earmuffs provide complete sound protection. Some earmuffs have steel headbands, while others have plastic headbands. Some earmuffs are able to connect to a safety helmet. You can even purchase earmuffs that wrap around your neck. Common features that all earmuffs have are soft foamed cushions, superior protection in the most demanding circumstances, and comfort.

Safety glasses are another form of safety equipment. Choosing a pair of safety glasses is more difficult than choosing a pair of earplugs or earmuffs. But if you take your time and critique the several different features involved, you will find the right pair. First, you must decide what type of safety glasses are needed for your particular job environment. You need to decide whether safety glasses need vented channels, and what type of lens material they should be crafted from. You must choose between panoramic, polycarbonate, or prescription safety glasses. The size of the safety glasses also makes a big difference. This is because if they are large enough, they can be worn over regular prescription glasses. Most safety glasses have the standard features of anti-fog and scratch resistant lenses.

Safety equipment can be purchased in many stores including Lowe’s, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart. It can also be found on many sites on the Internet.

Timothy Anderson writes for

Home and garden furniture is furniture that can be used inside as well as outdoors. Some people have opted to enclose a large patio in glass or screen, carpet the floor with indoor - outdoor carpeting, furnish with a fireplace, and install ceiling fans along with an air conditioner. The patio area can be adjacent to the house or separate. The plans of the room or structure can come equipped with a kitchen separate than that of the primary section of the house. This area would require home and garden furniture to furnish the surroundings. When looking for plants for this area, you would still opt for house plants but maybe that of the larger variety.

Home and garden furniture can be made from wicker and wood. Metal and plastic garden furniture can be used, but would probably be considered inappropriate to adorn this region of your home. You would want furniture that is not too elaborate, but on the other hand you don’t want the furniture ill-suited for the region either. You will want it to blend with the surroundings you have created. The enclosing of the back patio area convince visitors that this is just an extra room in the house. You will want the room to give off the look of casual comfort. A room in which to relax and have fun. Home and garden furniture fabricated from wicker have a classic appearance. The simplicity of the designs leans to the casual look of romantic, comfort. Since the home and garden furniture constructed of wicker is made for the outdoors, care and maintenance should be a much easier, simpler task. Consult your retailer for those requirements.

Wicker is also constructed to be durable. It is a good investment in the future of your home. The wicker constructed home and garden furniture comes in a wide range of style, designs and colors. Along with the variety of colors you will have the option to choose one of the dining sets, or from a cluster of sofa, loveseats and chairs. Wicker tables will complete the look of your conversation area of the room. You also have the option of a porch swing a cozy, intimate seating for lovers and friends young or old.

Home and garden furniture is also available an array of wooden pieces or sets. If you want to be able to move home and garden furniture, you may want to browse the teak wooden furniture lines. Teakwood is well known for its lightweight and strength. Its natural finish is a golden color. Wooden home and garden furniture like the wicker home and garden furniture is also built to be sturdy and durable. Wooden home and garden furniture is also available in the same furniture pieces as the wicker furniture from the dining sets to the conversation sets included with loveseat or sofas. The porch swing is also one of the options available in the wooden home and garden furniture line. The maintenance and care for the wooden furniture as with the wicker should be a much simpler and easy task. For requirements for that care, check with the retailer. As with the wicker home and garden furniture, wooden home and garden furniture is a great investment in the future for you and your home.

Gene Dodge
giftandnoveltydepot.com giftandnoveltydepot.com

If you have decided to add laminate flooring to your home, you may be a bit intimated by installing laminate flooring. This isn’t as hard as you imagine it can be. If you do your homework before you begin and read all of the installation instructions that come with your laminate flooring, it shouldn’t be difficult to learn how to install laminate flooring.

Before you begin, you will need to check that the floor where you are going to install your laminate flooring is smooth and free of any bumps. You need to be sure that the floor is level so that the laminate flooring adheres properly and ensures that you will have laminate flooring that not only looks like a professional installed it, but will last for years as well.

You will need to check all the tiles and ensure that they are all in good condition. Failing to do this may result in your warranty being canceled out if any problems should arise. You want to then saw to the proper length and do a sample layout using the first couple of rows of tile. This will make it certain that the tiles are aligned properly before you are ready to continue. You always want to leave a minimum distance of ¼ inch space between the walls and the flooring.

Then set out the remaining tiles in the second row. You will want to check the fit and that the layout is correct. Be sure that all is square before you go on. Glue the first tile beginning on the left hand side corner in the first row. Any excess glue can be wiped with a dry cloth.

You want to push the tile carefully into place. Use a 2-3 inch piece of plastic tape to secure the seam. If you have difficulty getting the tiles into place, you should tap them lightly with a tapping block. You can take the tape off after the glue has set which will take about an hour.

There is more involved, but you get the basic idea of installing laminate flooring. It is not a job that is difficult if you have patience and a basic knowledge of cutting skills. You can save money if you know how to install laminate flooring because you will not pay to have a professional do it for you.

For more information about aboutflooring.net/Laminate-Flooring.html Installing Laminate Flooring? Feel free to visit us at: aboutflooring.net/Laminate-Flooring.html aboutflooring.net/Laminate-Flooring.html

You spend quite a bit of money on your homes upholstery. Don’t you want to make it last? Of course you do, so you need to read this article and learn some simple things that you can do to increase the life of your upholstered furniture.

The first thing you should do is vacuum your furniture often. This is perhaps the single most important thing you can do and perhaps the most neglected maintenance step. Vacuuming will remove the soil that can wear down your upholstery. Try to vacuum your upholstery once a week.

The next thing you can do to protect your furniture is to flip your cushions over. Many couches, love seats and chairs have reversible cushions. If your furniture does you should take advantage of that fact by flipping them over often and spreading out the wear.

Another way to extend the life of your furniture is to keep it out of sunlight if it is made from a bright fabric. Some colors such as red and bright blue are sensitive to sunlight and will fade. Keep them out of bright lights and extend their life.

The last way to protect your furniture is to have it cleaned often. If you wait too long to have it cleaned it might be ruined. Try to clean it at least every other year. More often if it sees regular or hard use.

Upholstery is expensive but by taking a few simple steps you can greatly extend the life of it. This can save you a great deal of money.

Learn about atlantacarpetcleaning.net/ Atlanta Upholstery Cleaning Services at the author’s website. Information on upholstery and carpet cleaning in Atlanta.

Price : $88.91

Features

• 10-inch electric pole-mounted chainsaw with adjustable arm
• 1.5-horsepower motor; cuts branches as high as 12 feet and wide as 10 inches
• Rust-resistant fiberglass and aluminum pole
• Includes saw (removes from pole) and pole

Product Description

Electric pole chainsaw; 10 bar; Adjustable length; 120v, 60Hz; Fiberglass pole; Extends from 63 up to 88

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-06-04
A few years ago one of our large mature honey locust trees (50′ tall) fell onto our house during a pretty ferocious windstorm. Unfortunately for us we didn’t own a chainsaw, but our neighbor had this little monster and boy was it a lifesaver!

We were outside cutting the tree off the house for a good six hours straight and this thing didn’t slowdown the least bit. Not once did it bog down or couldn’t make it through the hard wood of the locust.

The size of the saw was perfect, compact enough to get into a lot of tight spots, but large enough for the big branches.

The other nice thing was that when you released the trigger the chain stopped spinning pretty quickly, unlike a lot of gas and electric chainsaws I’ve used. This is especially great when you are dangling off a ladder/halfway up a tree and using the chainsaw one handed, it makes it a whole lot safer and reduces the chance and likelihood of accidents.

This brings me to another thing I like about it, it’s fairly lightweight BUT has exceptional build quality, especially for the price (which was surprising)! Again not once during the six hours of constant use did I feel like it was unsafe or was going to break, it’s built solid!

Of course a saw is only as good as it’s chain, so keep it sharp and this baby will continue to run like a champ.

Whether you are pruning dead branches, removing unwanted growth, or taking down an entire tree, this saw will deliver unsurpassed performance year after year.

So to recap…

Pros:
Lightweight
Exceptional build quality (built like a tank)
Consistently performs without hesitation, even after hours of constant use
Electric, so no mixing of oil and gas (yeah!)
Fiberglass extension pole provides safe and secure trimming, even when fully extended

Cons:
It’s electric so during a blackout it’s worthless (duh)
Small chain oil reservoir requires you to stop and fill it up more often, not a huge problem just something I thought I should mention