How To Winterize Your Pool

January 13, 2017. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Swimming Pool Service & Repair • Austin

Pools can add value to your property, give you an excuse to have people over and provide you with a fun way to spend time with family and friends without having to leave home. When winter comes, however, you’ll need to take steps to make sure your swimming pool can handle the cold weather. If you don’t take proper precautions, even a light freeze can damage a pool. Furthermore, allowing a pool to go unused for several months without proper winterizing can lead to algae or bacterial growth and other unwanted consequences.

How To Winterize Your Pool

Below we’ll look at the basic steps to winterizing your pool. A little attention before winter comes will ensure you and your family can start swimming as soon as warm weather returns.

Clean the Pool

The first thing you will need to do is clean the pool thoroughly. Clean mildew, algae and other gunk around the rim … Read Full Post »

Easy Home Improvement Projects

January 12, 2017. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Handyman • Austin

As a homeowner, chances are you’ve been through your share of surprise home repairs—which means you’ve also likely experienced expensive bills, poor service, and unreliable handymen. Unfortunately, those are risks homeowners take when they hire out for home repairs or renovation projects. But here’s the good news: There are a number of easy home improvement projects you can tackle, many of them on your own, without breaking the bank.

Easy Home Improvement Projects

The following project ideas represent just a few inexpensive ways to improve your living space, and many of them offer that priceless sense of accomplishment that comes from doing it yourself. And when you need an improvement or repair that you can’t manage on your own, ABC is here, ready to help.

Update Your Home’s Front Entrance

Want to enhance your curb appeal? Of all the many easy do-it-yourself home improvements, updating your home’s entrance is one of the best … Read Full Post »

Refresh Your Home With New Decor

January 11, 2017. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Home Improvement • Austin

Many of us spend so much time out of the house that it can be easy to forget to update our home decor. Do you look around your home and notice things are looking a little shabby? Is your house in need of a little TLC?

If your home’s interior could use a little updating, you don’t necessarily need to call an interior decorator. There are little things you can do, such as tossing or refurbishing worn-out furniture, lighting, and other decor, and bringing in new items, which can easily refresh your home.

Easy Ways to Update Your Home’s Decor

Check out all of our ideas that can help freshen up the look of your house without breaking the bank.

Switch Out Lighting and Candles

Nothing says last season like melted candles. Banish all of your old candles to your pantry or emergency supplies tub. Get new accent candles for every room … Read Full Post »

Will Capybaras Become Orlando’s Next Pest?

January 10, 2017. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Rodent & Wildlife • Orlando

For anyone who has seen the cult-classic movie The Princess Bride, capybaras might bring to mind “Rodents of Unusual Size,” the giant, fanged rat creatures inhabiting the film’s Fire Swamp. While adult capybaras aren’t nearly as big or ferocious as the R.O.U.S., they’re certainly an arresting sight, at least for those of us used to smaller rodents like rats, mice, and guinea pigs. But unlike the R.O.U.S., capybaras aren’t a fantasy animal. They’re genuine and make their home in certain parts of the United States and Central and South America regions. Capybaras have recently been spotted in Florida, which has caused some scientists to wonder what impact they will have.

Will Capybaras Become Orlando’s Next Pest?

While not indigenous to the United States, capybaras are sometimes kept as pets in the U.S. Some of them have been sighted in Florida rivers and swamps. Florida’s capybara population is thought to have originated from … Read Full Post »

How To Keep Pipes From Freezing Without Heat

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

Winter often means bundling up and adding on extra layers. For homeowners, the season can also bring extra responsibilities. When temperatures dip below the freezing mark, pipes can freeze and lead to other, more serious problems.

How To Keep Your Pipes From Freezing This Winter

Since the possibility of freezing pipes only happens once a year, and relatively infrequently in warmer climates, it can be difficult to remember exactly what to do to minimize any potential damage to your home. Here at ABC Home & Commercial Services, we want to help make things easier on homeowners all year long. Read our list of tips and steps you can take to prevent your pipes from freezing over below.

Inspect Your Home

Homeowners often ask us how to keep pipes from freezing without heat. The answer is that the same tips for keeping your pipes from freezing can also protect your home if you lose … Read Full Post »

Home Maintenance Checklist

January 6, 2017. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Home Maintenance • Austin

When it comes to taking care of your house, there are so many things to think about. It’s easy for homeowners to get overwhelmed by all of the work that come with protecting your biggest investment. What are a few things you can do every month to maintain your home? Whatever month you are in, we have a home maintenance checklist printable to keep you on track.

Home Maintenance Checklist

As homeowners, time may be our most valuable resource. With that in mind, how can we best spend our precious free time taking care of our homes?

January

Prepare for warm and rainy spring days

It may feel like winter now, but warm days will be here before you know it. Time to repair or replace any damaged window screens. While you’re at it, inspect your roof for damage to shingles and flashing, especially areas that might have been pulled up by the wind. … Read Full Post »

How To Save On Energy Costs This Winter

January 5, 2017. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Air Conditioning & Heating • Corpus Christi

Depending on the weather, your home, and your heating system, winter can be a time of year when your utility costs go up. When thinking about your energy bills in the winter, there are a number of things you can do to keep your heating (and in warmer parts of the country, sometimes your air conditioning) costs low throughout the season.

How to Save on Energy Costs This Winter

Read on to learn how to put winter energy saving tips to work to reduce your utility bills.

Maintain Your Equipment

Your HVAC unit needs occasional attention to make sure it’s running at peak efficiency. It’s a good idea to schedule an annual inspection with a licensed heating and air conditioning technician. Experts such as the ones we have at ABC Home & Commerical Services can take a look at the unit’s coils and connections. They will check your vents and test your equipment … Read Full Post »

How To Improve Soil Quality In Your Lawn

January 4, 2017. Posted by J Zambo in Lawn Care • Corpus Christi

A healthy lawn and garden begin with your soil. In fact, many problems with home gardens, trees, and an unhealthy looking lawn are caused by poor soil quality. Wondering how to improve soil quality on your property? Luckily, a simple switch is all you need to make a big difference.

How To Improve Soil Quality

One of the ways you can improve your lawn by is by incorporating more organic material into your soil. With countless amendments and enrichment products on the market, however, knowing which to choose can be overwhelming.

Read below to learn about soil improvement methods which can help improve the quality and health of your lawn.

Test It Out

When thinking about how to improve soil health, one way to start is to conduct a soil test. Having a better understanding of the current nutrient levels in your lawn and what your soil is missing can help you determine what … Read Full Post »

Fleas Driving You Crazy? Try These Natural Flea Killers

January 3, 2017. Posted by ABC Home & Commercial in Pest Control • Austin

In warm climates, fleas are a year-round problem. Even as autumn comes upon us with cooler temperatures, fleas will hold on until the first frost, and if they’re comfortable inside our homes, they might never leave.

What’s worse, fleas are difficult to control. To get rid of them for good, you’ll need to treat your pets as well as your house and your yard. You’ll need to adopt an approach which allows you to kill both adult fleas and their eggs, preventing them from returning.

Natural Flea Killers

There are some ways you can tackle a flea infestation without resorting to dangerous chemicals. Let’s take a closer look at how fleas can become a problem, how you can make your own natural flea killer, and how you can get rid of these pests, once and for all.

Why Are Fleas Such a Problem?

Fleas are small insects that live on mammals, including dogs, cats, and … Read Full Post »

Wildlife Rescue Organizations In Orlando

January 2, 2017. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Rodent & Wildlife • Orlando

Both humans and wildlife can agree on one thing: Florida is an excellent state in which to live. However, animals can become a nuisance in new neighborhoods. Unfortunately, in these areas, animals can become injured when they are hit by cars. In these cases, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organizations serve an essential role.

Orlando Wildlife Rescue Groups

Rescue groups can help capture animals caught in bad situations, take care of their health issues, and, when possible, release them back into the wild in areas where they can live their lives safely.

Types of Wildlife In Florida

Florida is home to many wildlife because of our temperate climate and plenty of water and food resources. Below is just a handful of the many different animal species that we are fortunate to have in our area:

Bald Eagles
Florida Panthers
Scrub Jays
Manatees
Key Deer
Brown Pelicans
Read Full Post »