Blog Archives

Put Some Tang in Your Toilet!

10/22/2013

Ever heard of putting Tang Orange Drink (known in the 1960’s as the official drink of the astronauts) in your toilet? Until recently, neither did I. While Tang contains no oranges in its composition, the citric acid used in flavoring the drink make it an effective, environmentally safe toilet bowl cleaner. Turns out, it works well in eliminating hard water stains.

Here’s how it’s used:

Flush your toilet to wet the entire bowl.

Mix one tablespoon (or 1 individual serving packet) in the bowl water and let it soak for one minute. Double the amount for bowls containing more than average water levels.

Using a toilet bowl brush, scour the bowl and rim and then flush. Your hard water stains should be gone and your bowl will smell fresh.

Since Tang is nontoxic and safe for the environment, there are no concerns using it around children or pets. So there you have it. Tang is not just for astronauts anymore! Let me know how it works for you.

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It's Simple to Maintain and Freshen your Garbage Disposal.

10/16/2013

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Garbage disposals are one of the most neglected appliances in the kitchen. Forgetting to maintain yours can cause you future inconvenience and cost you money. You can keep your disposal working properly by following these quick, simple tips.

FINGER ALERT! DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS INTO THE DRAIN AREA WHEN MAINTAINING YOUR DISPOSAL. FINGERS ARE IMPORTANT!

Bring on the Ice
At least once a month place two handfuls of ice cubes into your garbage disposal. It won't sound pretty, but it is safe for your disposal and increases its efficiency by loosening grease and debris that have attached to the cutters. Yuck! Avoid using egg shells in place of ice cubes. Egg shells don't dissolve like ice cubes and pieces can jam the blades. (Not to mention, they can also lead to odors.)

Cold Water Works Best
When operating your disposal, using cold water is better than hot. Cold water won’t soften the food scraps as quickly before they pass through the cutting blades. This allows your disposal to shred the scraps more efficiently.

Use Regularly
It is very important to operate your disposal on a regular basis to prevent the blades from rusting and seizing together. Lack of use can lead to repairs or replacement. When visiting my homes, I run the disposals every two weeks to keep them operating properly.

Don't Forget the Orange, Lemon or Lime Peels.
To ward off odors that develop from food and grease accumulating on the blades, drop a few orange, lemon or lime peels into your disposal to keep it smelling fresh. Citrus oils do a fantastic job of naturally refreshing your drain.

So there you go. Keeping your disposal operating properly and smelling fresh is easier than you thought!

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Who's Watching When You're Not?

10/12/2013

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WHO’S WATCHING YOUR HOME WHEN YOU CAN’T?

Let Aloha Home Watch Services, LLC help protect your home and resolve issues that could arise while you’re away.

Storm and Wind Damage

The severity of Florida storms can be very unpredictable. Better to know immediately if your home has experienced storm damage than being surprised months later when undetected damage has led to even bigger problems. Home watch services take the guesswork out of the condition of your home after stormy weather.

Insect and Pest Infestations

Overseeing home pest services can prevent you from experiencing an overrun of insects and possible damage by pests making “their home” in your home or attic. (See tips for preventing rats in your attic in my previous blog.)

Vandalism or Forced Entry

Removing papers, fliers and other throwaways gives your home the appearance that it is occupied. Maintaining a “lived in” look helps your home not stand out to potential thieves. In the event that a break-in were to occur, a quick response would ensure your home is secured immediately and may increase the chance of finding the intruders. Having someone respond to an alarm at your home is crucial to maintaining the security of your property.

Appliance Failures

Leaking hot water tanks, malfunctioning humidistats and broken A/C units are problems that can be quickly identified and resolved before causing more expensive damage when left unnoticed for weeks or months. Air conditioners can break down allowing humidity levels to rise, increasing the chance for mold and mildew growth. A clogged A/C drain can inhibit condensation water from reaching the outside drain causing it to backup and leak from the unit inside the home. Imagine that surprise you when you arrive months later if your home is unmonitored. I can also help extend the life of your dishwasher by regularly (monthly) operating the rinse cycle to avoid damage to the rubber seals preventing costly repairs or replacement.

Supervision of Maintenance Services

Do you know if the regular home maintenance services you have contracted, such as lawn and pool care, are being done HOW YOU WANTED and WHEN YOU WANTED? I can check that regularly scheduled work is being completed and be on site to oversee and document (sending pictures) the progress of home maintenance projects.

Supervision of Servicemen Working on Your Home

I can be at your home to meet and provide entry to servicemen and ensure the safety and security of your property when workers are performing services inside your home.

Once again, that’s why hiring a home watch company to monitor your home is such a small price to pay to gain so much peace of mind.

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Why Choose a Home Watch Service?

10/8/2013

You’ve made a major investment in a vacation home in one of the most beautiful regions of Florida. Your plan may be to visit for a few weeks or even a couple months every year with the goal of maximizing your leisure time while you‘re here. Is this goal realistic? It is if you plan wisely.

By choosing Aloha Home Watch Services, LLC, your plan to return to a home in good order with no unexpected surprises has just increased. Experience has taught me that even unoccupied homes still need to be regularly monitored and maintained.

Unexpected things do happen! (More on that in future blogs.)

Having a home watch company visit your home allows small issues that arise while you’re away to be quickly resolved before becoming bigger problems requiring more difficult and expensive solutions when you return. Who wants to deal with home problems when they return? Besides, do you even know who you would call for help? Let me take these concerns off your mind. With my regularly scheduled visits and knowledge of local vendors, I can help your home receive the attention it deserves.

Many vacation home owners have come to realize that seasonal homes require more attention than they initially thought. That’s why hiring Aloha Home Watch Services, LLC to regularly monitor your home is such a small price to pay to gain so much peace of mind.

ARE YOU INVITING RATS INTO YOUR HOME?

10/6/2013

The roof rat is a very common pest in Florida. Also referred to as the black, fruit or citrus rat, they are extremely agile climbers and spend most of their lives off the ground nesting in palm trees, fruit trees and ATTICS.

Here are 4 simple tips to safeguard your home from attracting these unwanted nuisances.

1. Trim tree branches that come in contact or are near your roof. Roof rats usually enter and nest in the upper portions of homes. Branches provide super highways for rats to gain access to your roof and possibly your attic. When you trim the branches, you remove their bridge. But even this is not foolproof if you’re not careful. Roof rats are known to jump up to 48” from branches to roofs, so keep trees limbs trimmed at least 4 feet from your roof, eaves or utility wires.

2. Seal cracks and holes in your home’s foundation and siding. Rats can squeeze through an opening as small as a ½ inch! If the opening is the size of a quarter or larger, they can squeeze through. Seal holes and cracks using ¼ inch or smaller square steel mesh, concrete/stucco patch or metal flashing to discourage intrusions. One popular entry point in block homes is the gap around the Freon line running from the A/C compressor into the wall.

3. Remove unintended food sources. Feeding cats and dogs outside may be attracting rats to your doorstep, especially if the food is left out overnight. Bring food and water bowls in each evening since rats are nocturnal with most activity taking place between sunset and sunrise. Don’t forget to protect the bird feeder, another gourmet feeding area for rats.

4. Pick ripened fruit and clean up the fallen fruit. Fruit trees are attractive and an ideal food source for roof rats. Regularly picking ripened fruit and promptly collecting fallen fruit will help prevent an easy meal. Fruit with much of the outer peel intact while the center is hollowed out is a sign that rats have been actively feeding.

Rats are very prolific and can multiply rapidly. The average female can produce up to 8 litters per year with an average of 4 -7 offspring per litter. By taking the time to inspect your home and following these 4 simple tips, you can make your home less inviting to these pests.

Welcome to my blog

Put Some Tang in Your Toilet!

It's Simple to Maintain and Freshen your Garbage Disposal.

Who's Watching When You're Not?

Why Choose a Home Watch Service?

ARE YOU INVITING RATS INTO YOUR HOME?

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