Show Notes: Saturday To-Do List For Fall – On the House
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Show Notes: Saturday To-Do List For Fall

By on October 7, 2018

Show Notes for On The House with the Carey Brothers recorded October 06, 2018

Check out some of those items on your fall to-do list that you’ve been procrastinating with tips and tricks from the Carey Brothers!

In this episode we discussed:

  • water softener
  • fall safety for your pets
  • how to update by outdating your home trends
  • fix your water pressure at your faucet
  • Plus a delicious fall recipe!

Check it all out below!

Did you miss the live episode? Don’t worry, you can still check it out here!

Water Softener 101   

 What it does: A softener removes minerals that make water hard by filtering the water through salt crystals. Water softeners protect against such hard-water problems as: 

  • Reduced cleansing action of soap
  • Lime scale and buildup inside pipes
  • Soap scum on shower walls

How to maintain it: If your salt tank seems to be full but the water doesn’t feel soft and you detect unusual spotting on dishes and shower enclosures, you may have one of these problems: 

 

A salt bridge is a hard crust that can form between the salt and the water entering the tank, preventing the salt from doing its job. 

Solution: Use a long-handled tool, like a broom, to poke the salt bridge and break it up. 

  • Salt mushing occurs when dissolved salt forms a sludge at the bottom of the softener tank and prevents proper circulation of water.
  • Solution: The cure is to completely drain the tank, removing any salt and residue. Using high-quality salt helps alleviate the problem.

What it could cost you: A complete replacement of plumbing pipes due to excess lime scale inside pipes costs $2,000 to $15,000. 

 

Source: https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/home-maintenance-tips/preventive-maintenance/?/ 

 

 

Autumn Safety Tips For Your Furry Friends   

 animals friends

Here are some tips to keep your pet happy and healthy during the autumn months. 

 

Be Cautious of Rodenticides and Cold Weather Poisons
The use of rat and mouse poisons increase in the fall as rodents seek shelter from the cooler temperatures by attempting to move indoors. Rodenticides are highly toxic to pets and, if ingested, the results could be fatal. If you must use these products, please do so with extreme caution and put them in places inaccessible to your pets. 

Many people choose fall as the time to change their car’s engine coolant. Ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic, so spills should be cleaned up immediately. Consider switching to propylene glycol-based coolants—though they aren’t completely nontoxic, they are much less toxic than other engine coolants. 

 

Keep School Supplies Out of Paws’ Reach
Fall is back-to-school time, and those of you with young children know that means stocking up on items like glue sticks, pencils and magic markers. Although these items are considered low toxicity to pets, gastrointestinal upset and blockages can occur if ingested. Be sure your children keep their school supplies out of your pet’s reach. 

 

Steer Clear of Mushrooms
Fall and spring are mushroom seasons. While 99% of mushrooms have little or no toxicity, the 1% that are highly toxic can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Since most toxic mushrooms are difficult to distinguish from nontoxic ones, the best way to prevent pets from ingesting these poisonous plants is to keep them away from areas where any mushrooms are growing. Please visit our Poisonous Plants page for more information. Contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately if you witness your pet eating a wild mushroom. 

 

Watch Out for Wildlife
Autumn is the season when snakes are preparing for hibernation, increasing the possibility of bites to those unlucky pets who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pet parents should know what kinds of venomous snakes may be lurking in their environment—and where those snakes are most likely to be found—so pets can be kept out of those areas. 

 

Source: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/autumn-safety-tips 

 

 

Your Saturday To Do List For Fall

 

Plug Holes with Copper Mesh 

Find a hole where pests can enter your home? Stuff in a generous amount of copper mesh with a screwdriver, leaving about half an inch of space for expanding foam sealant. Seal gaps with foam. 

 

Store Firewood Away from the House 

While firewood may be an important summer staple for your backyard fire pit, it’s also a magnet for pests that will happily make the jump into the house. So store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house. 

 

Seal Gaps 

Look not only for larger gaps in your attic or garage, but watch for small, unsealed gaps where electrical lines and pipes enter your house. Bugs, mice and other pests love these small gaps. So caulk them closed or use expanding foam insulation to deny entry. 

 

Inspect Your Fence 

Fall is an ideal time to inspect fences and take care of any rot or structural issues before they become problematic. Ground frost can cause weakened fence posts to heave and shift over winter. This will result in damage all along the fence line. 

 

Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/must-do-things-to-get-your-house-ready-for-fall/view-all/ 

 

 

 

5 Outdated Home Décor Trends That Are Back   

 

With all the progress that is taking place in every aspect of our lives, as luck would have it, interior designs and home decorations have been able to cope up with that fast pace. They are going fast that even launching a new design every single day is not surprising anymore, giving us a lot of options from which we can freely choose, however; there are a lot of trends that are really beautiful, but not everyone has the required budget to give their homes a new makeover and, to be honest, no one likes being far behind all of the new launched trends, but we have some good news for you; a lot of outdated styles are expected to make a big comeback in 2018 and start getting popular all over again. 

 

Brass Again And Again 

Avocado Green And Harvest Gold 

Black And White 

Oversized Furniture 

Art Gallery Walls 

 

Should they stay or go away again?  

  

Source: https://www.pouted.com/5-outdated-home-decor-trends-that-are-coming-again-in-2018/ 

 

 

Great Fall Eating! 

 Roasted Pears with Brown Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream 

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis 

 pears

Ingredients 

  • 1/3 cup apple juice
  • 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored (about 1 pound)
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Arrange the pears cut side up in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Whisk the apple juice and sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the butter. Pour the sauce over the pears. Bake until the pears are crisp-tender and beginning to brown, basting occasionally with the juices, about 35 minutes. 

Spoon the pears onto plates. Top with ice cream. Drizzle with any juices and serve. 

The pears can also be served frozen. To do so, cool the pears, then place them in the freezer until frozen solid, about 8 hours. 

Source: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/roasted-pears-with-brown-sugar-and-vanilla-ice-cream-recipe-1943321 

 

Colorful Plants Chilly Weather

Redtwig Dogwood 

Cold hardy and water tolerant, redtwig dogwood is an especially elegant garden addition throughout the year. Its wild growth habit, delicate blooms and vibrant winter color contribute to it being the perfectly untamed, yet sophisticated, design plant. 

 

Redtwig dogwood is a shrub for all seasons. With a dense multi-stemmed structure as a base, ovate green leaves cover its smooth green stems in spring. Leaves are joined by creamy white floral clusters in summer, followed by creamy white or blue berries. 

 

Cyclamen 

Few blooms say winter like cyclamen. Pretty flowers in shades of white, pink, rose, and red are carried atop an attractive clump of leaves. Flowers resemble shooting stars or butterflies. 

Large-flowered florists’ cyclamen (pictured) is most often seen as a container-grown gift plant though they also make great bedding plants. 

Smaller-flowered, hardier plants are better adapted to outdoor use, but will be fine in a container as long as it’s kept out of direct sunlight. Give them part shade and regular water. 

  

Hellebores 

Plant hellebores for distinctive flowers in winter and spring. Flowers are usually shaped like cups or bells, either outward facing or drooping. 

They range in color from white and green through pink and red to deep purple. Flowers persist beyond bloom periods, gradually turning green. 

Plants take full sun or part shade, and moderate to regular water, depending on species. Plant in well-drained soil amended with plenty of organic matter. 

 

Ornamental kale 

Giant rosettes of frilly leaves in lavender, rose, white, and creamy yellow make ornamental kales favorite additions to the winter garden. 

Because these showy cabbage relatives tolerate cold weather and can hold their brilliant color all the way into spring, they’re ideal for display on porches, patios, or beside entryways, or for massing in garden beds. They grow 1 to 2 feet tall. 

Plant kale as soon as possible so heads develop fully; the color will intensify in the cold. Plant in full sun or light shade. Water regularly and feed every other week with a dilute liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion. 

 

Source: https://www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/best-plants-for-winter-color#winter-garden-color 

 

Accessorize Your Project

Sometimes the finishing touches to your painting project create the most impact. Add some extra character to your garage door by giving it a faux carriage look. Decorative garage door hardware is popular because it is inexpensive and creates added cohesion between your garage and the architecture of your home. Find hardware that suits your style and finish your project on a high note. 

 

Low Water Pressure At a Faucet?

faucet water pressure

 Restore Free Flow to a Faucet 

When a kitchen or bathroom faucet loses pressure or starts spraying to the side, it’s usually due to a dirty aerator screen. Luckily, cleaning a screen is an easy job. Start by closing the drain plug (so you don’t drop parts down the drain). Then remove the aerator using a rag or masking tape so you don’t mar the finish with your pliers. 

To remove the sand and other deposits, soak the aerator in vinegar, then scrub it with a toothbrush. This usually solves the problem. If you have to disassemble the aerator to clean it, lay out the parts in the order you removed them so you can reassemble them correctly. 

 

Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/if-you-know-these-things-youre-a-genius-homeowner/view-all/ 

 

That’s it for this week! Thanks for listening to the show and tune in next week!

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