How To Dispose Of Household Items In Austin

February 22, 2017. Posted by Les Stobart in Community • Austin

Austin has been recognized as one of the greenest cities in the United States. According to Travis County, Austin residents recycled almost 900 car batteries and 300 gallons of antifreeze in 2012. Single stream recycling increased by 10% from 2013 to 2014. The city even offers a composting rebate program.

How To Dispose of Household Items in Austin

Though many Austinites are taking advantage of some of the better-known programs and incentives to dispose of waste properly, there are still a few household items that can pose a challenge to even the most informed citizen. If you are wondering about how to dispose of trash, Austin has plenty of options to get rid of common items in an environmentally responsible way. Read our list below to learn more.

What’s considered toxic or hazardous waste?

Before you begin sorting which items to recycle and deciding where to take them, it’s important to know what … Read Full Post »

Signs You Have Termites

February 21, 2017. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Termite Control • Orlando

Signs You Have Termites

Termites cause billions of dollars of damage each year, and the average termite infestation can cost homeowners tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. We’ll share the common signs of Eastern subterranean-type termites found in and around Orlando and help you with termite prevention.

Common Termites in Orlando

Subterranean termites nest in the soil to obtain moisture and can nest in wet wood. Essentially, they can quickly attack any timber in contact with the ground.

The subterranean termite colony members regularly seek food to feed themselves and their nestmates. They will travel hundreds of feet to find cellulose material to return to their nest. Subterranean termites are highly attracted to cellulose, the plant fiber used in wall and roof cavities to insulate, draught proof, and reduce noise in homes. During their travels, they may stumble upon the wood of your house and begin feasting. Termites in … Read Full Post »

Snakes in Texas

February 20, 2017. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Rodent & Wildlife • Houston

Snakes.

If the very word sends shivers down your spine and makes you recoil in fear, you aren’t alone. Snakes in Texas are as ubiquitous as cowboy hats, horses and prickly pear cactuses—which is to say, you may not see them in urban areas on a daily basis but get even just a little bit rural and they’re sure to start popping up (or slithering along). While newcomers to Houston or any other Texas metropolis may not expect to deal with wildlife, snakes in Houston—and the rest of the state—are a simple fact of life. That’s why it’s so important to educate yourself about this much-maligned and often misunderstood animal.

Snakes in Texas

The two broad categories of snakes are venomous and non-venomous. Texas is home to a wide variety of species within those two groups, including many that present little or no threat to humans. Of course, plenty of snakes that are … Read Full Post »

How to Trim a Tree

February 17, 2017. Posted by J Zambo in Tree Care & Trimming • San Antonio

The most valuable part of your home’s landscape is the trees. Healthy, mature shade trees significantly improve a home’s curb appeal and value, and often reduce energy costs.

How To Trim a Tree

In this article, we’ll look at how you can safely trim a tree without causing harm to the tree itself.

Why Should You Prune a Tree?

There are a number of reasons why a homeowner might want to trim trees on their property. Here are a few of the reasons why pruning a tree makes sense:

Removing dead limbs before they can cause damage to property, people or pets.
Allowing more sunlight into the yard.
Preventing rodents and other pests from using branches as a pathway to your roof.
Eliminating branches that interfere with fencing, structures or other landscaping.
Creating a better shape or removing erratic growth.
Removing suckers (new growth) at the base … Read Full Post »

Eggshells in Garbage Disposal and Other Common Questions Answered

February 16, 2017. Posted by Tom Riggs in Plumbing • Corpus Christi

One of the kitchen appliances we often take for granted is our garbage disposal. We don’t think much about the mechanics behind the device that allows us to scrape our dinner dishes into the sink without having to worry about clogging up our drains. When’s the last time you thought about what you’re putting down your garbage disposal?

Eggshells in Garbage Disposal and Other Common Questions Answered

Below we’ll take a look at how this workhorse appliance does its job, and how to make sure it keeps working into the future.

How Do Garbage Disposals Work?

To understand the care and “feeding” of our garbage disposals, we need to have a better understanding of how they work. In most cases, the units consist of a metal canister that has rotating blades or impellers. Some have additional grinding mechanisms for additional functionality. When food enters the unit, the blades spin rapidly to crush/grind … Read Full Post »

What You Need to Know About Mosquito Season in Florida

February 15, 2017. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Mosquito Control, Pest Control • Orlando

While the year-round temperate weather is one of the many perks of living in Florida, any resident of the Sunshine State can tell you those perks come with a price—including a nearly year-round mosquito season. Thanks to plenty of warmth and moisture, two conditions where mosquito populations thrive, mosquito season in Florida doesn’t have a clear beginning or end point. However, Florida mosquito species are most active in the spring and summer months, when warm temperatures combined with frequent, heavy rains produce thriving mosquito populations.

What You Need To Know About Mosquito Season in Florida

In any geographic region, mosquito season depends on rainfall and temperature. In many parts of the country, the first warm days of spring signal the start of mosquito season, and winter’s first frost signals the end—except in more arid areas, where mosquito populations don’t pose a problem even in colder months.

But while January is typically Florida’s coldest … Read Full Post »

How To Dispose of Household Items in San Antonio

February 14, 2017. Posted by Les Stobart in Community • San Antonio

Just because we can throw an item in the trash can doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. You probably already know that there’s a list of household items that don’t belong in the trash—just as you know there are things you can’t put in your sink’s garbage disposal. But what should you do with other common items around your home, such as light bulbs, appliances, electronics and everyday cleaning products?

Read Full Post »

Where To Donate Household Items In San Antonio

February 13, 2017. Posted by Les Stobart in Community • San Antonio

Where to donate household items San Antonio

Wondering where to donate household items in the San Antonio area? Maybe you’ve cleared out a closet or two—or an entire attic or garage—and now you have boxes on your hands full of things you know shouldn’t end up in the landfill, but shouldn’t hang around your living space any longer, either.

Clearing your home of clutter is a process with many benefits, including emotional ones for you and life-changing ones for others, if you choose to donate your unwanted items to a charitable organization that works to help people in need. All you need to do is find out where to donate unwanted items, including San Antonio clothing donation dropoff locations, and you can get started on improving your own life along with someone else’s.

Where to Donate Household Items in San Antonio

The San Antonio area has many options for donating your used clothing, furniture, household goods and other items. … Read Full Post »

How To Dispose of Household Items In Orlando

February 10, 2017. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Community • Orlando

Practically every day, we bring new items into our homes. While it’s relatively easy to add items to our households, it can be difficult to know exactly how to dispose of certain things. Yes, we realize we can recycle plastic containers, and we shouldn’t put grease down the drain, but what about when your fridge goes on the fritz, when you have to replace that CFL light bulb, or when you change out the batteries in your child’s favorite toy?

How to Properly Dispose Of Common Household Items

It’s easy to throw something in the trash can when you no longer need or want it, but can your item help someone else in our community? If you are considering throwing away a piece of clothing, a book, or a pair of shoes, for example, look at our list of where you can donate household items in Orlando before adding them to the … Read Full Post »

How to Turn Up Your Water Heater

February 9, 2017. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Air Conditioning & Heating, Plumbing • Houston

Don’t you hate it when you try to take a hot shower and the water is barely lukewarm? Or maybe your dishes aren’t getting as sparkly clean as you’d like them to be. One easy fix is to check your hot water heater. You might just need to turn it up a bit, or your cold water might be a cry for needed maintenance.

How To Turn Up Your Water Heater

Below we’ll look at where your hot water comes from and what you can do to resolve the cold water blues.

Water Heater Basics

To know what could be going wrong with your hot water, you must understand what kind of water heater you have.

There are two basic types of water heaters: gas and electric. Most water heaters in the U.S. are conventional tank water heaters—tall cylinders that heat the water slowly at the bottom of the tank and must … Read Full Post »