Check These Key Spots to Stop Bugs from Infesting Your Home

Have you been hassled by spiders, cicadas, or other bugs sneaking into your home recently? Worried about your pets getting heartworm or other parasites from rogue mosquitoes, fleas, and flies? If you’ve had a few scares recently, you may want to inspect your home to identify how exactly they’re getting in.

Open Doors

Your number one culprit will the same place almost everything enters your home, through the exterior doors while they’re being used or left ajar. If you are forgetful you may want to invest in a door closer that will automatically pull the door shut once it is not being pressed on. If calibrated correctly, door closers will completely shut the door until it latches, saving you money in energy costs and preventing bugs from gaining entry to your home.

Even Closed Doors

Check under your doors to see if it has a feature called a “sweep” A sweep is a strip of rubber or other flexible materials that is affixed to the bottom of the door. Sweeps fill the gap between the door and the door jamb without causing any scraping or friction. It may surprise you, but without a sweep bugs are able to enter even when your door is properly shut. When your door has a proper sweep, this enhances the seal between your home and the outdoors, providing sound dampening and keeping out pests.

Windows and Screens

Windows and screens are the next most likely culprits. Check around all window sills to make sure they do not show any gaps into the insulation space or to the outside. Fill in any gaps with caulking to close them up for good. If you like to have your windows open, be sure to regularly check your screens to ensure they are seated properly in the sill and do not show any signs of damage, rips, or wear.

Bio: ETO Doors is a door manufacturer and vendor with showrooms located in Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas. ETO Doors is known for their custom-cut doors and customizable options, in addition to a wide variety of pre-cut doors, double doors, transoms, and more. Check out their selection, read ETO Doors reviews, and more on their website today.

 

Creating a Proper Storage Case for Your Valuables

It’s in every spy movie: the sleek chrome case full of jewels, or that special hard drive or a gun. These cases not only look cool, they serve a valuable purpose. You don’t need to be a super spy to own one either. Someone with a flute or even a few watches might like foam inserts that will keep their valuables from being jostled around during transport. You can have a sleek case of your own, without breaking the bank, if you read on.
Reduce Jostling
Smaller objects have a tendency to shuffle around and break as they are transported, especially if they are handled by careless ground crews. A strip of foam, the same kind of foam used to make a custom cushion, can be placed inside the case between the top lid and the item itself. The combined pressure of the shut case and the foam pressing down will keep whatever is in the case from moving around.
Choose a Durable Case
The reason many people use a steel or metal case is because of durability. These cases don’t scratch or dent easily, which means they are compact and able to fit into smaller spaces without fear of your belongings becoming damaged.
Identify Your Luggage
The final tip is to leave space for you to identify your luggage. Most of these steel cases don’thave some handy name placard that can hold an address card. Attach a quality luggage tag to your suitcase if you plan to do any kind of travelling. Whatever is in your cool case isn’t something you’ll want to part with easily.
Bio: Carlo Badalamenti is the marketing manager for The Foam Factory, and a prominent guest blogger discussing DIY projects involving foam for the home.

Well, Well, Whelp: Padding and Lining a Whelping Box

Welcoming a litter of puppies into the world is a wonderful and messy experience. Providing a comfortable and central space for the whelping process is crucial for the health and happiness of the mother and puppies. Above all, whelping pads should provide safety first, comfort second. Whelping pads should help protect puppies from the cold and keep them cushioned without endangering them.

Padding

It’s important to remember that softer isn’t always better when it comes to cushioning. While your knees may thank you, soft padding can be difficult and dangerous for mothers and puppies. Padding in whelping boxes should be made of very slim (1-2” thick) pads of foam from Canada, with a thicknesses and firmnesses that can cushion and cradle the mother and babies without putting them in danger. These can also make it easier to oversee the process without being distracted by aches and pains.

Lining

If you are looking to make a whelping pad, you can’t use just any old latex mattress; Canada Foam by Mail highlights the benefits of using dryfast foam when dealing with pets. Because it allows liquid through without pooling, it is much easier and faster to wash and dry. Dryfast foam pads are also anti-microbial, this means they will resist molding and mildewing and will be safe for use even if stored for long periods of time. If you cannot use dryfast foam, there are also whelping liners available that block liquid from passing down into any padding.

Bio: Carlo Badalamenti is the Marketing Manager for The Foam Factory, Inc. They have been providing high-quality foam and rubber products to industrial and civilian consumers for more than 30 years. Browse their website to learn more at www.thefoamfactory.com/.