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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

DIY Saturday #77 – How to Practice Kitchen Safety this Thanksgiving (Video)

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DIY Saturday #77 – How to Practice Kitchen Safety this Thanksgiving (Video)

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 03:21 AM PST

Entry #769, November 19, 2011

Thanksgiving is this week, and there is one room in the house that will get used more than any other, yes the kitchen! The kitchen is where all the magic happens for Thanksgiving, and it is also one of the rooms where most mishaps, accidents, and emergency room visits to the Hospital occur as well!!

Protect yourself this holiday season

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This week I thought it would be a great DIY Saturday to arm you with helpful tips to prepare your kitchen for Thanksgiving, so that you enjoy the holiday around the dinner table, and not in the ER. Whether it is taking extra care while cutting, talking, cooking while entertaining, here are tips to consider.

Youtube video – Thanksgiving Cooking Safety

The Oregon Red Cross has assembled a Thanksgiving Safety List that is very helpful here:

‘Thanksgiving Day has more than double the number of home cooking fires than an average day according to the U.S. Fire Administration. In fact, each year more than 4,000 fires occur on Thanksgiving Day.’

To help prevent home fires this Thanksgiving, the Red Cross suggests the following tips:

Keep potholders and food wrappers at least three feet away from heat sources while cooking
Wear tighter fitting clothing with shorter sleeves when cooking
Make sure all stoves, ovens, and ranges have been turned off when you leave the kitchen
Set timers to keep track of turkeys and other food items that require extended cooking times
Turn handles of pots and pans on the stove inward to avoid accidents
Follow all manufacturer guidelines regarding the appropriate use of appliances
After guests leave, designate a responsible adult to walk around the home making sure that all candles and smoking materials are extinguished

Even with the best preparation and precautions, accidents can happen. Thanksgiving is high time for cooking related burns. Minor burns can be treated easily if you remember to save the butter for the rolls and not a burn. For a superficial burn, cool the area by running it under cold water until the heat eases and then loosely cover the burn with a sterile dressing.
Another danger that can interrupt a good turkey dinner is choking. The most common cause of choking is talking while eating. If you feel as if food may be caught in your throat, never leave the room, stay where others can see you and help if your airway becomes blocked.

Make your Thanksgiving dinner the highlight of the day

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To help someone who is choking, remember “FIVE-and-FIVE Can Keep Them Alive.” First, ask the person if they are able to breathe and if you can help. Once you know the person is unable to cough, speak or breathe, have someone call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number, lean the person forward and give FIVE sharp back blows with the heel of your hand. If the obstruction isn’t dislodged, give the person FIVE quick, upward abdominal thrusts. If you are alone, you can perform abdominal thrusts on yourself, just as you would on someone else. Thrusts can also be administered by pressing your abdomen firmly against an object such as the back of a chair.

Just because we get to take a break from dieting on Thanksgiving, doesn’t mean we can throw caution to the autumn winds. Remember these suggestions and have a happy and safe holiday.

For more Thanksgiving ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Guest Blogger: How to Organize your Garage for Maximum Storage

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Guest Blogger: How to Organize your Garage for Maximum Storage

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 02:05 PM PST

Guest Blogger #261, Entry #768, November 18, 2011

Many homeowners and families have a garage filled with clutter and since a garage isn’t part of a main home, it’s easy to ignore a growing mess. The following guide provides several simple tips for maximizing one’s garage space with shop shelving units.
1. Throw out anything that has no use in the future. While it can be painful to throw away items that have a memory, consider cleaning out anything that won’t be used again. Many things can be donated to charities, such as old clothing, cribs, bed stands, and furniture. By getting rid of larger items that aren’t used anymore, it’s possible to increase shop shelving space for future projects.

Garage shelving

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2. Eliminate excessive packing material. A garage that appears to be full may have a deceptive appearance: poor use of existing storage containers can take up an excessive amount of space. These can include oversized cardboard boxes, half-filled plastic hampers, and bins that aren’t filled to capacity. By consolidating everything in a garage, it’s possible to free up additional space for a new shop shelving system.
3. Don’t concentrate on the small details. Many homeowners try to organize their garage item by item: this can be a tedious task. While it’s a good idea to organize a tool box, spending several hours trying to fit wrench sockets in their holders can be a headache. It’s important to address larger organizational issues first: by doing this, it’s possible to see a noticeable difference in a few hours work.
4. Place shelving racks on all sides of a garage. Many garages have one large opening, with three walls available for shelving units. Consider installing shop shelving units on all walls in a garage. Items that aren’t used often can be placed on top racks, while smaller and more commonly used items can be placed on lower racks.
5. Consider hanging oversized items in the top of the garage. A raft or kayaking boat can take up a huge amount of space in a garage or shop. By installing a few hooks in a shop or garage ceiling, it’s possible to hang oversized items out of the way. This will free up additional space for other projects.

Organize your garage with helpful shelving systems

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6. Plastic part bins can be a great way to keep track of smaller items. It can be a challenge to keep track of many smaller items in a shop or garage. By organizing items following a theme, it’s possible to maximize available space.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get your garage space back and at the same time improve you home organization.
Having recently cleared out my garage and organized it with shop shelving units I thought I’d share my tips with others.
For more garage ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Guest Blogger: Saving Money with Sustainable Energy Sources for your Home

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Guest Blogger: Saving Money with Sustainable Energy Sources for your Home

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 06:26 AM PST

Guest Blogger #262, Entry #769, November 18, 2011

Creating your own energy is both good for the environment, and for your long term finances! Reducing your reliance on the national grid and ‘paid for’ services also creates an overwhelming sense of well being. Sustainable energy is not only a financial investment, but an investment for the prolonged future of our planet.
Below you will find a number of energy creating solutions that are environmentally friendly and perfect for home installations.

Save your energy bill this season!

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Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Solar energy systems are an extremely clean and effective way to produce your own electricity. Solar photovoltaic panels capture the suns light, converting it in to usable electricity. This can be used within your home to power appliances, or stored for later use. Unused energy can often be sold back to the national grid, helping to pay off the initial investment for the solar panels even sooner! There are also numerous government incentives to make the installation of solar panels an even more attractive prospect.

Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are another clean and effective way to create energy for your home; they use the power of the wind to spin the turbine, which is connected to an electricity generator. Small scale systems, called “microwind” turbines, are perfect for those looking for a more low key solution. They supply enough energy to help power the lights and appliances of a typical home. This reduces the costs of your electricity bill, as well as making you applicable for the government incentives and subsidies of installing renewable energy in your home. Similarly to the solar photovoltaic panels, unused energy can either be stored for later use, or sold back to the national grid.

Wind turbines can help you use save energy to heat your home

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Wood Stoves

Wood stoves have been used for centuries to heat homes, and they are experiencing a resurgence in popularity in recent years. The contemporary name for a wood powered stove is a “biomass” system, but the principles are the same as they always were. The stove burns logs or pellets, and can even be integrated with a boiler to heat water. Biomass systems are extremely effective at heating homes and water, thus saving substantial amounts on heating bills.

Wood stoves are a good alternative to traditional heating of your home

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Ground Source Heat Pumps

Using pipes buried in your home’s garden, ground source heat pumps extract naturally occurring heat from the earth. Heat taken from the buried pipes is used to heat radiators and underfloor heating (if your home has it installed). When combined with a biomass system, you may be able to eliminate traditional heating bills altogether!
Although all of the above systems require relatively high initial investments, the costs of renewable energy are constantly being lowered. When combined with government incentives, reduced energy bills, and the opportunity to sell unused energy, the installation of renewable energy sources is an extremely attractive prospect, both for those looking to save money, and those looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
Evergreen PV specialize in MCS Approved Solar Panels; these meet government requirements for eligibility in to their feed-in tariff, meaning home owners who install MCS approved solar panels receive a cash back incentive. For more information, you can visit their website: Evergreen PV
For more green living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Guest Blogger: How to Build Open Shelf Cabinets for your Kitchen

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Guest Blogger: How to Build Open Shelf Cabinets for your Kitchen

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 02:45 AM PST

Guest Blogger #261, Entry #768, November 18, 2011

Are you looking for a fast and inexpensive way to give your kitchen a fresh new look? Consider building new cabinets. Cabinets can be relatively simple to build and install yourself, and it is a great way to improve the look and functionality of your kitchen, while increasing your home’s value.

Simple steps for open shelf cabinetry

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Just follow these simple steps:

1. Plan ahead!

It’s important to never “wing” any home improvement job, no matter how simple it seems. Purchasing your materials and starting construction will inevitably lead to multiple attempts and a lot of wasted time and materials. Carefully measure the space you need for your new cabinets, drawing out a plan if possible. You may be able to find generic plans complete with measurements for common cabinet sizes online.

2. Gather your tools and materials

Once you have your measurements and are confident in your plan, it’s time to go shopping.

Simple open shelving can be used for display

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You will need:

1. Drill
2. Stain for sure, maybe paint. If you want to paint your cabinet
3. Screws, preferably flat-head. You will want to be sure you have enough so get several dozen. Screws are cheap and even if you have some left over chances are you will need them for something someday.
4. Sander or sand paper
5. L – Brackets. Consult your plans and see how shelves your cabinets will have and multiply this by two – than buy a few extra just in case.
6. Choose the type of wood you want and buy according to your measurements. Some home improvement stores will be able to cut the proper size for your, otherwise be sure you have a power saw.
3. You should have two side pieces, a back piece, the top and as many shelves as you are going to place within. It may be useful to mark each piece “top” “bottom” “shelf” etc to ensure you are cutting the right piece. Cut each piece to the size specified in your original plan.
4. You want to be sure your edges are smooth, so use a sander or cut the corners of the top and bottom pieces into rounded edges.
5. Set down your back piece and mark where you will be screwing in the side panels, measuring to ensure you are screwing it in evenly, and then use your screw driver to affix the side panels.

Beautify your kitchen with open shelf cabinets

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6. Next it is time to insert the shelves. Accuracy is even more important here so measure and mark where you will be screwing in your shelves with a pencil. Fix two L-brackets for each shelf evenly, once affixed lift the cabinet and set the shelves in place to make sure they are even.
7. Remove the shelves, then carefully measuring screw in the top and the bottom of the shelves. Now everything should be sturdy.
8. Now use your stain and paint if applicable. Make sure it dries completely before using the shelf.
9. Affix the cabinet to the wall. Marking with a pencil where it will be placed beforehand to ensure it is even. Place the shelves within.
That’s all there is to it. Now you have beautiful new open shelves for your kitchen.
Jeff is an internet marketing consultant, part time blogger and he often writes about home improvement and DIY topics. Currently he is a writer and content contributor at Queens Condos.
For more kitchen cabinetry ideas on Stagetecture, click here.