Tips

How to Become a Real Estate Agent

So you want to start a career as a real estate agent? Real estate agents act as a go-between seller and buyer transactions. Once a successful transaction is made, you get a commission which has been arranged between you and the seller. So what do you need before you become a real estate agent?


First, you have to be at least a high school graduate. Then you can get a training course for real estate agents. It may cost a bit ranging from a few thousand dollars, but consider that as your capital investment. Enroll in a reputable institution, which is accredited. You cannot pull off a real estate agent job if you didn’t acquire any training. You should know about the requirements of the state where you want to practice as a real estate agent. There is an age requirement for each state; you have to be at least 18 or 21 to become a real estate agent. Post-licensure training is also required in some jurisdictions.

The next thing you need to become a real estate agent is great interpersonal and communication skills. Since you will be dealing with different kinds of people, with different attitudes and temperaments, you have to be patient. You should also be convincing and persuasive. You have to relay information to a buyer effectively so misunderstandings would be avoided.

You also have to be uncomplaining. Your hard work won’t be paid off for a while. But if you know how to wait, your efforts will be worth the wait.

Now, you also need to know how to deal with brokers who you will work for. You should expect at least 30 percent commission for starters. If they offer you less than that, working for them would not be a good idea.

Dealing with buyers is another thing. You have to be courteous and respectable. You should make them feel you are worth their trust-and don’t make them lose their faith in you. If you have a scheduled appointment with a buyer, be prompt and dress up formally. Make sure you’d leave a good impression. Be as friendly as possible. If buyers find you reliable and polite, they might even recommend you to others, expanding your network.

Once you have established yourself as a real estate agent, earn a good reputation. And don’t do anything that would ruin it. Always give your clients a business card so if ever they recommend you to other buyers, they will know how to contact you.

If you are really enthusiastic about being a real estate agent, get a continuing education for it. You have to level up to be more successful.

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Tips

How to Become Real Estate Appraiser

If you want to know how to become real estate appraiser, you have to understand first what it means to be one. A real estate appraiser settles on a value for a particular house. Once a value is determined, mortgage firms and banks can then verify if that house is an adequate collateral in order for a person to secure a loan.


Moreover, a real estate appraiser aims to come up with a fair analysis of the current market value of a certain property. This must be done independently without being influenced by any external forces. They are assigned to assess the property value for tax purposes, government agencies, purchases of government land, mortgages for banks, and many others. Keep in mind that you need to follow some simple steps in order to become a certified real estate appraiser.

Secure a trainee license
One state may have a different set of requirements when it comes to obtaining a trainee license as compared to other states. Go to the licensing board of your state and ask for a list of the things needed. There are some states that require experiences in connection to appraising before one can obtain his own trainee license, while others may require you to attend some classes first. Since most of these classes can be done via the Internet, it is very convenient to complete them. Check your schedule before heading to any enrollment.

Have a knowledgeable mentor
It is a good start to have a certified appraiser as your mentor. With your trainee license, you can work with your mentor on learning important aspects of real estate appraising. See to it that you listen carefully to the techniques taught by your mentor so that you can apply them to your work later on. Gaining experience can be done by means of hands-on activities.

Find a trainee job
Obviously, you will not get as much salary as how certified real estate appraisers usually do. But then again, bear in mind that experience is more valuable during this stage. Before you go any further, gain as many experience as possible for you to be honed in the best ways possible.

Get certified
Again, how you are going to get certified depends on the area where you are living. By and large, the higher the level of experience you have, the better the chances you have on having the certification you need as a real estate appraiser.
Knowing how to become real estate appraiser comes along the responsibility of being determined in every endeavor related to the training and certification process. At the end of the day, once you are truly certified, it will not be difficult for you to land on your dream job. Apply the lessons you have learned and be the best you can be as a real estate appraiser.

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Tips

How to Clean a DVD Player

One of the most used appliances for home entertainment nowadays is DVD player. With the wide variety of disc types that a DVD player can play, and the broadening range of models, there are now lots of possibilities when it comes to watching in DVD players. However, just like any other electronic device that we have these days, a DVD player is prone to scratches and dust. Without knowing how to clean DVD player, the overall experience might be put at stake with all the unprocessed data and bounces while the disc is being played.


Prepare the DVD player and cleaning materials
You have to take note that dust is a major contributor to common mishaps when running a disc in a DVD player. Since this is the case, it is ideal to have both the interior and the exterior of the DVD player cleaned. First, make sure that you have unplugged the DVD player from the power source. Also, prepare cleaning materials such as rubbing alcohol, clean and dry cloth, and cotton.

Clean the sockets and wires
Get a clean piece of dry cloth and clean the sockets and wires connected to the DVD player. Most of the time, this part is overlooked but cleaning the sockets and the wires is also included on the cleaning process. Take out one socket at a time with the consideration of where it should be inserted once you are done. Commonly, the sockets are color-coded so that users can identify them right away. Once you have cleaned them, do not forget to clean the jacks as well to remove any accumulated amount of dust.

Clean the outside part of the DVD player
A great cleaning agent for the outside part of the DVD player is rubbing alcohol. Not only does it make the surface tidy, it evaporates easily without leaving any trace of liquid on the surface. Get a small cotton and dip it in alcohol. Take one side at a time when brushing the cotton onto the surface. Make sure that you focus on the vent area afterward. If you have an air compressor, use it to have the vent area cleaned. Remember that an overheating might occur if the air from the inside cannot come out smoothly.

Clean the inside part of the DVD player
Unscrewing your DVD player to see the inside of it is only necessary if you suppose that the problem is worse than expected. If there is any unusual noise coming from the device and a disc cannot load properly when fed to the device, then there is a need to open the DVD player and clean the inside. Check the size of the screws and prepare the appropriate screwdrivers. Place the screws in a safe place where they can stay together for the meantime. Get another cotton and dip it into alcohol. Clean the interior of the DVD player without touching the circuit board. Spraying a compressed air can be done whenever there is a hard part. Finish the cleaning with a stroke of a clean and dry piece of cloth. Screw it back and test your device.

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Tips

How to Display China Plates

Do want to add special feel to the kitchen or the room by adding few Chinese plates. Decorating the kitchen with Chinese plates can change the décor and can add spice the whole atmosphere. It will give an oriental touch to the kitchen. Chinese plates are of different grades ranging from the ones that are below 5 years to the one that are 20 years and more. Depending on how old these plates are they are also priced.


If you have a sizeable collection of these plates there are different ways of displaying these items while you not in use or you have just bought a new set. Some of the common displaying methods are shelving or storing them in buffets or Chinese in cabinets or even fixing them on the wall. If you want to arrange these items in a buffet, try placing them sideways or on a plate holder. The cabinet is ideal for display; this will give color and decorative depth to the plates

The other most common method of displaying these plates is by placing these items onto a wall. All you need is a small plate hangers, some drill equipments to do the job. Placing these plates with similar pattern is a good way of arranging.

The other place where these plates can be displayed is above the cabinet. The empty space will provide the best location for these items. It will give an esthetic feel when placed alongside other decorative items. In addition, these items placed on the top of the cabinets will also make it safe.

Here are some basic tips for displaying Chinese plates
1. Display the ones that are more colorful in the cabinet or display case.
2. Look for complimentary colors that will best suit your kitchen or the room where you want to display these plates.
3. Whatever way you display the plates ensure that you use it at lest once a year so that you can enjoy the full potential of theses plates.
4. Ensure that these plates are beyond the reach of children.
5. Clean these plates frequently to avoid dust from collecting .
6. Use water and mild shop to clean these plates (no abrasive solution).

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Tips

How to Polish Silver and Gold

Jewelries made of gold and silver are some of the most priced possession for a woman. Most women cherish the idea buying them, wear them and making a beauty statement. However, the though part is maintaining the same level of shine and quality after few years of usage. All jewelry tends to loose it vibrancy shine and looks after few years of using it. Here in this article, I would like provide some information on how to prolong the longevity of these items without costing you much, and also how to reinvigorate the more stained and older items.


There are few do’s and don’ts of using any silver and gold jewelry. If carefully adhered to will extend the product life of your jewelry.
1. Try to wear gold or silver ornaments only after you have just colognes, make up or perfume. Some of the chemical present in perfume etc might react with gold or silver.
2. Avoid swimming in chlorine water when wearing gold or silver.
3. Store them in oil and dust free environment.
4. If you are allergic to gold or silver, which results in skin discoloration, then you need to reconsider the use of these items.
5. If your gold or silver chains are entangled, you to try to unknot them. Applying talcum powered or little drop of baby old with help you will unknot easily.

How to polish gold and silver?
1. Cleaning daily is one of the simple ways of maintaining the new look of the jewelry. It can be done by simple tools like a piece of cloth and a mild cleaning agent. Storing these jewelries in a zip locker after cleaning can prevent any dust and dirt form catching on.
2. To remove stronger stain or discoloring a solution of ammonia soaked in water can be very helpful. Soaking the jewelry in the solution for 15 minute, then scrubbing them with light brush and wiping with a soft cloth will get the shine back. In you want a stronger cleaning process then there are jewelry cleaning solutions available in the market. But be sure to check the chemical composition of these cleaning agents.
3. Here are some tips of cleaning a more tarnished silver.
o Take a heat resistant glass bowl and place an aluminum foil on the inside with the shinning part facing up.
o Then place the silver piece at the bottom touch the silver foil and add 1 tsp of baking soda along with water to cover the piece of jewelry. All the tarnish and impurities from the piece will be collected onto the foil.
o Take the silver piece out and wipe thoroughly, and there you will have thoroughly cleaned and shinning piece.

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Tips

How To Eliminate Skunk Odor In The House

Each living creature is created with their unique defense mechanisms. The lions have brute strength, teeth and claws to use when in danger. Snakes have their venomous poison to use against their predator. Even humans have various defense mechanisms to use against other creatures and even fellow humans. But if we are to award a living creature with the most disturbing and bothering type of defense mechanism, the skunks will win the trophy and bring home the first-prize award.


The skunk has oil that can make a perfume smell wonderful and last for long. Skunk oil plays an important role in the production of both expensive and inexpensive perfumes. But never intend to frighten nor make a skunk angry, for they will produce anal skunk spray with a high decree of accuracy that can reach up to 16 ft. Skunk spray is a smelly combination of sulfurous chemical oils that can cause irritations and temporary blindness. The most horrible part of the skunk spray is its infernal scent that does not wear off easily.

Everything that is reached by a skunk spray will smell awful for a very long time. The aroma of the skunk spray is absolutely intolerable and annoying. Moreover, it is one of the most avoided scents in the world. The skunk spray is also extremely contagious. A pet that has been sprayed with skunk spray can spread the scent on your house furniture and other things and areas such as the carpet, tapestries, sofas and beds.

So make sure that you know how to eliminate skunk odor in the house.
• Any object or creature that has been sprayed with skunk spray, should not be brought inside the house.
• If ever something with a skunk spray is brought inside the house, get rid of it or wash it immediately. The sooner you wash or get rid of it, the better the chances of not spreading the scent.
• Regular laundry soap will do, and shower gel is alright for the first washing. In this modern society, there are already different ways on how to eliminate odor in the house. Some products are already available to eliminate skunk spray problems. But there is a simple remedy that you can do at home. It is a simple formula that you can make to eliminate skunk odor.
• The formula consists of 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide that is mixed with ¼ cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap. This formula is a versatile remedy for any object that has skunk odor. If your dog has the odor, bathe him with this formula, and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Remember, be careful in applying this solution on your pets. Make sure it does not get in their eyes, for it can burn. Use a sponge to rub this formula on affected items and areas.
• Have your clothes washed with this as well. Rinse whatever you’ve washed with simple tap water. And don’t be afraid to repeat this method if necessary. For further freshening, use air deodorizers and fresheners.

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Tips

How to Eliminate Cigarette Odour from Clothes

The more cigarettes smoke in a day, the higher your risk of lung cancer, hypertensions, cataract, allergies and many more diseases that can cause death. Cigarette odor, unmistakable, spreading widely in cars, and in any parts of the house, and business. Government health agencies with the coordination of some private sectors are making ways to battle the problems in regards with the cigarette smoking. They use different promotions through the different media outlets to give health advisory to the public.


One major problem in cigarette smoking is how to eliminate cigarette odour from clothes and inside the house especially from carpets furniture, walls and clothes or sometimes even the smell in your breath. The use of commercial aerosol air fresheners is not the most practical way to do. They are quite expensive and do not deliver on the promises they are promoting.

It can really be really irritating when after a night out an expensive signature dress you are wearing smells like cigarette smoke but it is really not dirty or stained, just smelly. Dry cleaning it is quite expensive.

There are simple tips on how to eliminate cigarette odour from clothes.
• Just place the dress in the dryer. Place one or more dryer sheets inside of dryer according to strength of smoke odor, place some dryer sheets for a stronger smoke odor. Turn on the dryer. Next is to tumble dry the dress with dryer sheets for about a minute. Take out and smell. If the smoke smell is still there, repeat the first procedure. You can do it as much as three times.

• Another way to eliminate cigarette odor from clothes is to wash and dry the clothes with a clothes’ softener, such as Downy. Add a half to a full cup of it mix with little amount of water, spray all the clothes and let it dry.

• Another cigarette odor eliminator is by using white vinegar. For strong and stubborn odors, add a cup of vinegar and half-cup of baking soda to your wash. Again, use fabric sheets in the dryer to help freshen your clothes and to eliminate the cigarette odor. For the really, really strong and stubborn cigarette smoke odors, soak the clothes overnight in a strong solution of vinegar and water, then wash and dry as usual. After washing, hang them to dry outdoor in the fresh air.

• The most basic and simple step to eliminate cigarette odor from clothes is to put and soak the clothes in warm water with few drop of clothes’ softener and laundry detergent overnight. Whirl it around the next morning. Then soak it again with the same eliminators for about 30 minutes. Wash and wring the clothes out well and hand it outside somewhere to air dry.

But if the above procedures do not work out with the stubborn odor from your clothes or cannot be wash again for the nth time in a washing machine or too lazy to do some hand washing, you may consider dry cleaning or steam dry your expensive clothing.

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Tips

How to Eliminate Smoke Odor

Smoke odor is an established health risk as well as the smoking habit per se. There have been reports that there is an existence of third hand smoke. Thus, this is the smoke that finds its way to your home. These can be found in the smell of your home, from carpets to clothes and even your breath.


Having guests in your house or going out for a special night can actually make you think about cleaning out your homes or clearing the smell of smoke. It is especially for children or elderly guests. There are actually three sources of smoke odor eliminator – nature, your kitchen and the corner convenient store.

Let us primarily check on the three most places where you would need to eliminate the smoke odor and also how to eliminate smoke odor.
• First, in you carpets. The carpets are the perhaps the biggest cloth piece in your homes. This is where the odor runs deep. The carpet should also be able to contain much of the odor. Natural odor cleanser like baking soda can reduce a large portion of the smell.
o At night or before you leave for work, sprinkle some amount of baking soda directly to the carpet. This will ensure that the soda will sit in. When you wake up I the morning or when you return from work, you should vacuum it out. You may also want to do it twice before your guest arrives.
o Hydrogen Peroxide plus Listerine mouthwash will also make the carpet smell better. Put a little Hydrogen Peroxide into a small bottle of mouthwash then after sharing pour them out. Suck up the mixture in the carpet after 30 minutes using a shampooer vacuum.
o Supermarket also have a specialized smoke reducing spray, one of the best includes Febreze. Just spray directly into the carpet, sometimes this can be used for upholstery.
• Second, in your clothing. Sometimes even if you are a non-smoker, smoke odor may still stick to your clothes. Clothes would actually require some special steps than the usual washing. You may need to soak them up using hot water and then add Arm & Hammer laundry brand detergent. This should be dried in high heat and with a fabric conditioner.
o You may also use grated 1/3 cup of a bar of Ivory soap and then add it to a half cup of washing soda with a half cup of borax. Your local supermarket may also offer mountain fresh scents to eliminate smoke odor.
• Third, for your breath usual tooth brush and mouthwash may actually not be enough. Targon Smokers Mouthwash may be found in your supermarkets, it is a specialized mouthwash for smokers.
o There is also an Arm & Hammer brand baking soda toothpaste coupled with any brand of mouthwash. You may also use baking soda in brushing your teeth. In some cases, Hydrogen Peroxide may also be used as mouthwash. Read instructions on how to eliminate odor.

Smoke odors may be hazardous for your health, so make sure that you can clean them out every once in a while. Some use The Bad Air Sponge to prevent the smoke from coming back.

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How to Eliminate Roller Marks

Painting is the most easiest and economical way to make a room more airy and beautiful. But painting may results streaks, drips and marks left by paint rollers. How to eliminate roller marks is as easy as ABC. There are pointers to avoid and eliminate roller marks. Before painting a wall with paint roller, move and cover furniture and flooring. This will preserve the furniture as well as avoid any damage on it. Apply painter’s tape to adjoining walls and then trim those that won’t be painted with the same color of the wall. Cut in the edges and wall corners with paintbrush. Do not place excess paint in the brushes. Paint a section along the edge of the wall one or two feet long. Skip ahead the same distance, and paint back toward the wet painted area. Continue this process. After the primary painting procedures, the rest of the wall can be covered with a paint roller. Dipping and loading the paint brush properly will help avoid drips, streaks and lap marks. Using the ridges at the top of the paint pan can help minimize the excess paint. But be sure the roller is not dripping when raised. This will make sure that the floors will not be stained.


Rollers produce some types of lines, there are more material coming off from the ends of the roller as it moves across the surface. With a variety on the material used, application temperature and pot life, the roller lines may or may not even out. The speed of rolling, the amount of material on the roller and the weight pushing the roller plays an important role in leaving roller marks. Heavy bodied materials are always best applied in small batches and with a push-pull applicator such as a lamb’s wool or micro-fiber pad or a T- bar will help to eliminate roller marks. Make sure to get the right quality materials. If not, it might results to poor result.

Roller marks or stipple are the unintentional textured pattern left in the paint finish by the roller.

Here are the simple tips on how to eliminate roller marks.
• Be sure to use roller cover with right frame and nap.
• Avoid too long a nap for the paint and the substrate.
• Use a good quality roller cover to make sure enough film thickness is applied and the uniformity of the finish.
• A quality paint roller is made around a plastic or wire mesh core that will not soften when wet.
• Use quality paints that tend to roll on more align due to the higher solid contents and leveling properties.
• Moisten roller cover used with latex paint and shake out all excess liquids.
• Apply the paint evenly and rolling the paint brush at a corner near the ceiling and paint down the wall in 3 or 4 square sections.
• Spread the paint on a zigzag way, beginning with an upward stroke to minimize spatter and without lifting the roller from the surface fill in the zigzag pattern with even parallel strokes.

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Tips

How to Eliminate Pet Urine Odor

Face it your family pet would already be perfect if only he was housetrained. But even so, there are some instances when your pet will urinate inside your house. When this happens, odor starts to build up and it can be hard to get rid of it. If you don’t know how to properly get rid of it, the scent will remain and your pet will keep urinating in the area. This is why you need to know how you can eliminate pet urine odor. Aside from being able to have a clean home, this will also stop your pets from urinating in your home.


While some people can just go to the supermarket and buy a regular cleaner, this cannot fully get rid of the odor permanently. In order to fully get rid of this problem, here are some tips that you can follow:

• Get rid of the soaps and cleaners you have already used. This can be done by using clean warm water. If your problem is your carpet, you can make use of a steam cleaner. Use water only and not any soap or rug cleaners.
• You can also make use of a quality enzyme based odor and stain remover. The product which you select for this should contain friendly bacteria so that the removal of the stain and the odor can be properly enhanced. The reason why enzymes are preferred from the other cleaners is because these can actually destroy the unwanted uric acid crystals which stick to probably anything. On the other hand, a cleaner can also mask or even cover up the odor problem.
• When using an enzyme cleaner, you should not scrub them. This is important since you are no longer required to drench the affected area so you can reach all of the uric acid crystals which can get left behind from your pet’s urine.
• You should not skimp out on buying a product as this will only cost you more money and time. If the stains and the odor from the urine become older, you may have a harder time getting rid of them. As such, you might even need to make use of a second treatment.
• If your pet has urinated on a piece of cloth, you can actually just leave it under direct sun for a few days as sunlight can kill the scent. However, you have to be careful with this as sunlight can also damage the color of the garment.
• You can also make use of a combination of vinegar and water since it has long been known to neutralize any scent.

Aside from using specific products to eliminate pet urine odor from your home, you can also consider housebreaking your pet. There are a lot of tips from the internet on how you can do this. By doing so, you can allow your pet to stay indoors with you without having to worry about the odor and stains that can get left behind when he urinates.

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Tips

How to Fix a Damaged String Lights

Holidays and special occasions are mostly celebrated with the presence of light. Sometimes you would like to save money and use the same lights which you had used the previous year. However if the decorating string of lights are damaged, it can be quite difficult and unproductive. For this reason, this article is based on how to fix a damaged string lights. This article is for a person who finds it very frustrating when the glowing string lights get spoiled. So follow these simple steps and you can fix the problem of a damaged string lights and enjoy a good celebration.


One of the common ways to fix a damaged string lights is by making sure that the fuses are working well and to check the 120 volts circuit wires. To test the two circuit wires, you simply have to plug in a very small amount of 120 volt device into the end of the string while it is plugged in. After which you need to turn it off. If the light are turns on, it will mean that the wires are perfect. If not there might be a problem with the bulbs. This will mean that one of the fuses is blown. So before checking the fuses look at the strings first. If there is no damage, slither or slide the male plug panel open and take out the 3 amp buss fuses from their contacts. If they are spoiled, buy a new one from a hardware store and test the device again. It will work and the light will start to glow again.

Sometimes it can be the fault of the light bulbs so you have to check the bulbs and observe if they have a poor contact with the electrical sockets. If a bulb makes a low contact with the sockets, it will start to flicker and cause the whole set of 50 bulbs to go dark. Also, find out if the bulbs are burnt out or non working bulbs. If it is so then you can always replace new lights to the fused ones.
At the end of the day, a damaged string lights can be only through a bad wire, some blown fuses or few of the bad bulbs that tends to darken the whole string of lights.

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Tips

How to take care of black hair

The overwhelming majority of all the people in the entire world have black hair (with only Europe as the continent with the most number of people without black hair). It is widely viewed that black hair is the original hair color of the homo sapiens. Black hair is different from other kinds of hair in so many ways. They have their own luster and brilliance when it comes to its aesthetic properties, and black hair can sometimes dictate your nationality when paired with all of your other physical features. Along with these differences though, comes the difference in maintenance. There is a significant difference if you want to take care of black hair, like all the other hair types as well, and we are here to tell you some of its secrets.


Hairs a made up of fine single strands bundled together, and I know everyone knows that already. The thing that we forget to point out however is that hair is also much like fibers in a cloth. So, if you want to take care of black hair, you must first treat them like fibers in a piece of clothing. Treat it like a silk robe, shiny, elegant, beautiful, and most of all, fragile. Building determination and dedication are some of the things that you have to do first before you finally start maintaining your beautiful black hair.

Reduce the tangles of your hair in the morning in any way that you can. This includes tying it, plaiting it, wrapping it up with a cloth and so on. The technical reason for this is that you would have a less hard time in arranging your hair the next morning. This also greatly reduces the chance of your hair breaking, easily reducing the effort needed to do other hair maintenance procedures. Choosing a fabric that can reduce hair friction against the pillow like satin can also help a lot.

This can be quite unusual for some people to hear, but you actually don’t have to wash your black hair ever so often. A few soaps and even commercial shampoos have what we call glycerin, a thick colorless compound. Glycerin is a highly hygroscopic compound, which means that it absorbs water quite well. If you use cleaning products that have glycerin, you might want not to use them ever so often. While glycerin with water promotes moisture to the body, too much glycerin over water will actually dehydrate you skin and hair. Keeping your hair clean is very good, but keeping it moist enough should be the better priority.

A well-balanced diet can also help your hair keep its brilliance. Choose a diet that is rich in protein and vitamins, as these can reinforce your hair’s overall durability. You can also go for supplements if you want a more specific and pin-point way to infuse these much needed protein and nutrients into your hair.

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How to protect environment from pollution

Our environment these days is heavily affected by pollution and it’s getting worse as days and years go by. If this will continue even further then what will happen to our future? What about our children and the coming generations? Will they still be able to breathe fresh air and swim on crystal clear waters? Before the situation gets much worse, let’s do our best today to save what is left on our environment.


Protecting the environment means not leaving a large economical foot print on the earth. Now, how do we do this? How do we save our environment for the future generation?
First, we must use our water wisely and sparingly. Do not just let it go down the drain. While washing your fruits and vegetable, you may just fill your sink with water and wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly. You may also use the same water to wash the dishes. When it comes on watering plants and grass in your front yard, you may adjust your sprinklers so that water will not just be wasted by reaching the sidewalk. Use water efficient shower heads, sprinklers, and faucets. Throw your tissue on the trash can instead of throwing it in the toilet. Do not throw your garbage at the sea or to the rivers nearby.

Second, we must also value the air that we breathe. Clean air is very important to our health and to be able to maintain the clean air that we have, we must plant more trees and encourage everyone to do so as well. Choose pump sprays, and not aerosol sprays, choose latex paints over oil-based ones. Drive smart, and don’t overfill your gas tank. Though pollution is mainly produced by factories, we can also give our deepest contribution to save our environment.

Third, we should eliminate extra wastes. When going shopping for groceries, don’t go for those products with major packaging. Don’t just toss away all the wrappings, but recycle them instead. Go for second-hand stuffs and shop at the local farmers market for food. Also bring your own shopping bag so that the use of plastic bags may decrease.

Fourth, we should encourage recycling our wastes. Separate paper from plastics and glass. Maximize the use of recycle-friendly trash cans. You can also recycle old clothing, cars, electronics, etc. by donating them.

And lastly, pause for awhile just to make sure if what you’re doing and what you’re about to do would be a big help to the environment. Let us think environment-friendly thoughts and be mindful of our actions. By doing this, you will not only help the environment but afterwards, you will feel great by just knowing that you did your own part on saving it.

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How to Protect Wood from Weather

For those of us who loves our garden and patio so much that we always keep them clean, plant new flowers, protecting our plants from weather, and watering them occasionally there are just some things that we also need to give our focus to. Since we love staying in our garden for some peace, quiet, and relaxation, we must also give focus on how we should protect the things were we usually sit, and that is our garden wood furniture.


Since these things are usually out in the sunlight or in the rain, they are often subjected to temperature and moisture extremes. When properly cared for, garden wood furniture can last several years and still looks nice and presentable. However, if wooden furniture is not protected then it may fade and crack over time as moisture and UV rays take their toll. So how do we protect our garden wood furniture? How do we make it last for the years to come? How do we do it without spending too much money?

• Wet sponge in soapy water
Clean your wood furniture thoroughly from all the grime that had came up like dirt, tree sap, small leaves, etc. rinse it all with a garden hose and let it air dry. Bird droppings, tree sap, and other substances may stain the furniture if it isn’t well cleaned.

• Spread waterproofing wax or gel
Using clean cloths, spread waterproofing wax or gel into your furniture. Make sure that the wood is dry first before doing so and that the waterproofing formula is specifically made for wood. For most products, apply waterproofing formula to a cloth first and then rub it into the wood one section at a time. Apply gloves before doing so.

• Use wooden furniture covers
Cover your wooden furniture most especially during rainy weather. Even after you have waterproofed the furniture, this is an important step to protect the wood from excess moisture. Furniture covers also come in various sizes.

• Keep the furniture covered at the end of the season
Store it in the garage as well. Since our homes are climate controlled, it will be better if you’ll store your furniture inside. If you live in a country or region with harsh winters, this is an important step to take. A second option for this is a garage, if you don’t have much room inside your home anymore. This will at least protect the furniture from the winds, rain, sleet and snow.

Taking care of our outdoor wooden furniture is as important as taking care of the plants in our garden, and our indoor furniture as well. We should always keep them presentable and in good shape so that their beauty can be retained for a very long time.

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Painting, Tips

Protecting your carpet when paiting

For those who had just moved into their new home and to those who are planning to renovate, there are a lot of things to do like buying new furniture and appliances and moving them in, choosing wallpapers that will fit every particular room in your house, and buying some paint for those areas which aren’t needed to put wallpaper into it, like for instance, the baseboards.


But if you would want to save money and choose to invest on painting the walls instead of putting wallpapers, there are also steps to consider on taking care of your belongings like your appliances, furniture, particularly the carpet. Now take note. The carpet may be one of those stuffs that would require a lot of cleaning once you get them stained so In this case, you should treat them with extra care most especially when you’re painting.

First, go visit the local Home Depot and look for a 2 foot wide roll of carpet protection tape which can be found in the carpet department. You can either leave them as they are on 2 foot wide, or you can cut them in half or in quarters with a miter saw, depending on the coverage your carpet requires. Then, you can place the roll on the floor near your baseboard with the sticky side down on the carpet making sure that you cover all the parts of the carpet. When you have done this, you may now continue on painting your walls with no worries of getting your carpet stained, and when you’re done with everything, you can just take off the tape from the carpet and dispose it.

Now, let’s go to the baseboards. Painting baseboards need extra care as it increases the possibility of getting your carpet stained. First, cut the tape at about 18-24 inches and place it along the baseboard and the carpet. For a medium size carpet, leave an allowance of about ½ inch. You may need to experiment a bit regarding the “lap up” for it depends a bit on the depth of the carpet pile.

Start at one end. Place fingers on the “corner”, between the carpet and the baseboard. Press your fingers down, and slowly pull the carpet away from the baseboard and push the tape down into the opening space. To finish the incompletely seated portions of the tape, you may use the putty knife. After doing all this, you now have enough space the paint the rest of your baseboard above the carpet, without staining putting stains on it. You can just use a smaller brush to paint the lower side of the baseboard for it won’t need much coverage anyway, as it would be covered by the carpet.

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Tips

Repairing a Water-damaged Ceiling

Rainy season comes again. You may be having problems of keeping up with the prices of some of your favorite fruits and vegetables, cleaning your yard with all the leaves and trunks of trees that had fallen due to the heavy rains and gusty winds, looking out for your kids and keeping them inside your home since it’s not that safe to go outside. You are so busy doing a lot of stuff until you felt a cold drop of water on your forehead. Looking up, you noticed a crack in your ceiling.


A water-damaged ceiling may also occur if you have a bathroom on your 2nd floor and there had been a leaky faucet in it. Now, what will you do when these situations happen? How will you handle these things in your own way? Like giving first-aid to a wounded person, it’s also very important for us to know how to give the proper “first-aid” to our home, particularly the ceiling. Here are some steps on how you will do it.

• Place dropcloths on the ground
You may also use disposable plastic for this. Remove all damaged ceiling texture. With a putty knife, scrape away loose areas. Clear about three areas around the cracked surface. Lightly spray the ceiling with water. Wait a few minutes for the damaged texture to absorb water and soften for this will make the removal much easier. Scrape away loose areas and allow it to dry.

• Fill in the cracks
Use a drywall compound or putty to fill in small cracks. Lightly skim the surface with a putty knife to fill in holes and cracks. Avoid causing the new plaster to crack by applying it in thin layers about ¼ inch thick. Allow each layer to dry and lightly sand with fine or medium grit sand paper. Examine the area so you can determine if additional layers are needed.

• Apply Texture
Apply texture over the repaired cracked surface. For popcorn ceilings, use a spray-on texture. Lightly spray it onto the surface. Before applying it thoroughly, practice the technique first. For stucco ceilings, you may apply joint compound, using a putty knife. Apply the texture in random strokes to copy the existing texture. If it doesn’t match, remove the plaster immediately and try the technique again. Allow it to dry for 24 hours.

• Paint
Paint the ceiling with a brush or a mini roller. Use existing latex paint that matches the ceiling. If existing paint is not available, repaint the entire ceiling.
Repairing a water-damaged ceiling is quite tedious. It may also take a very long time to finish. That’s why before the rainy season comes, you must check your ceiling for holes and cracks so you can do the repair immediately. Be prepared for everything today so it won’t be that much of a problem in the future.

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Tips

How to repair a washing machine

The invention of the washing machines just made life a lot easier. Imagine never having to scrub you way during each laundry session, just think on the huge amount of time saved by just one simple machine. But machines, just like our cars and toasters, sometimes do break down and stop from working properly. A quick visit to your repair man might solve everything, but wouldn’t it be better for you to repair a washing machine yourself?


Before you tinker with the interior of your washing machine, you need to assess first the damage and the problem. What we need to see and know from this assessment is whether the problem is simple enough for us to repair a washing machine on our own. Tampering with the interior of a washing machine is a very risky thing to do, most especially if you don’t. Besides, you’d end up breaking the washing machine all the more if you try to mess with it without knowing its interior workings.

The first and most common problem would be the simple mechanical failures. For those not using digital keypads on a washing machine, the dial on your washing machine is actually less electrical in nature than what it really is. It is really a simple spring mechanism, much like what you would see in old clocks and wristwatches. Washing machines using this kind of dial sometimes break up and get loose. Try opening the dial using something that can fit through the small opening around the dial, and rearrange the mechanism. For unresponsive buttons in digital keypads, open the keypad (you may have to use screwdrivers or something that can tip off covers). If you see a paper-like circuit board, use a pencil to shade the part where the button is supposed to be pressed.

Another example of a simple mechanical failure is when something gets clogged into the spinning of a washing machine. People sometimes forget to remove certain items from the pockets of their clothes, coins, clips, pieces of paper, etc. These obstructions are usually unable to break through the mechanism of the washing machine, although some smaller ones are usually able to go through. You’d have to open the entire washing machine to see this problem, but simply removing the obstruction can instantly fix this problem.

Improperly grounded electrical connections are probably the most hazardous problems that you can face in washing machine repair. If you’re still alive to notice and assess this problem, check first the simple electrical connection whether there might be some misplaced areas or live wires. If there is none around the machine and the problem still persists, then it’s best that you bring it to the nearest repairman right away to avoid any further problems.

Not all washing machine problems can be solved by yourself, but you can save a lot of money in the long run, if you at least know how to fix the simpler problems on your laundry workhorse.

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