ABC Blog

Please choose a city to view local blog posts:

Choose a City

Snakes in Texas

. Posted by in • Houston
Snakes in Texas

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 »

Comments Closed

How to Trim a Tree

. Posted by in • San Antonio
how to trim a tree

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 »
Comments Closed

Eggshells in Garbage Disposal and Other Common Questions Answered

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
eggshells in garbage disposal

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 »

Comments Closed

What You Need to Know About Mosquito Season in Florida

. Posted by in , • Orlando
mosquito season florida

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 »

Comments Closed

How To Dispose of Household Items in San Antonio

. Posted by in • San Antonio
How to dispose of trash 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 »

Comments Closed

Where To Donate Household Items In San Antonio

. Posted by in • 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 »

Comments Closed

How To Dispose of Household Items In Orlando

. Posted by in • Orlando
How to dispose of trash 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 »

Comments Closed

How to Turn Up Your Water Heater

. Posted by in , • Houston
How to turn up water heater

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 »

Comments Closed

Where To Donate Household Items In Austin

. Posted by in • Austin
Where to donate household items Austin

When it comes to decluttering and organizing your living space, there’s no time like the present! January might be Get Organized Month, and “spring cleaning” may be traditionally saved for springtime, but the truth is, any time of year is right for simplifying your life by purging unused and unwanted items from your home. Best of all, your unwanted things could help someone else complete their wardrobe or home furnishings, or even get back on their feet. That’s right—when you donate your used goods to a charitable organization, you’re helping people in need in your community.

So, what’s stopping you? Find out where to donate unwanted items today, and get started on refreshing your living space along with your outlook on life!

Where to Donate Household Items in Austin

Austin has a myriad of places to donated unwanted goods, including Austin clothing donation dropoff spots. All you have to decide is which … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

ABC Assumes Management of Austin Kite Festival

. Posted by in • Austin
Austin Kite Festival

Austin is one of the top cities in the country for families. With our temperate weather, extensive park and trail system and a wide variety of kid-friendly events, our town is a great place to raise children.

The Austin Kite Festival has become the city’s favorite annual family-friendly festival. The event is not only the way many Austinites commemorate the arrival of Spring, but also it is an excuse for all of us to connect with our inner child and experience the simple thrill of getting a kite flying high in the sky.

ABC Home & Commercial Services has been serving the Austin community for over 60 years. For the last three years, ABC has sponsored the Kite Festival, which has been produced by the Exchange Club of Austin.

In 2017, ABC Owner Bobby Jenkins announced that the company will assume management of the festival, which is now called the ABC … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed