Author: Joel Matchett

Categories
Guests

How To Be The Perfect Host For House Guests

As much as you will think that your house is just for your needs, there will be a time that you will have guests over. It could be just for a simple dinner or get together. There will also be times that they will need to stay over if they came from far places. No matter what, you will need to be a good host for them.

It is kind of intimidating at times because you would want to please them and also they might have expectations. The key to this is just to be hospitable and also to relax. You will just have to be prepared for their needs and also be a great company yourself.

1. Clean House

First and foremost is to have your home cleaned. That is for good sight and health. You might also need to think about redecorating or rearranging to fit your visitor’s needs. For example, they might have some kids, so you might need to keep away some plants and other breakable things. You might also need to add some space to fit them in.

2. Meal Plan

One of the activities that do not go away is eating. So whether it is for a short time or overnight, you will still need to plan your meals. Your visitors might have preferences or allergies, and it is wise and considerate to ask about it. Also, there will be no possible catastrophe that way. When you plan, make sure you also include snacks and drinks.

3. Bedroom Needs

If your visitor is staying overnight, make sure that their needs are prepared. The bedroom itself should be clean and have enough space for them and their belongings. The bed should have clean sheets and extra pillows and blankets. If they came during the hot season, let them be comfortable and have your air conditioning on if needed. They will also need power for charging, so point it out to be and even provide extra power strip if needed. 

4. Bathroom Needs

Same as the bedroom needs, you will have to prepare for their needs for the bathroom. This will include towels. You should always have extras. Toiletries are also a must, so you provide them with shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion. You can even provide them toothbrushes and toothpaste in case they forgot to bring one. You can have it travel sizes so that they can also bring it home as a souvenir or be useful for their next trip.

5. Entertainment

For your guests to really enjoy their stay, you can provide all sorts of entertainment to them. As a good host, it should not be like in hotels where they just do their own business. You can be involved with them. You can watch TV together or play games together. Because this is the modern time, the internet is a great source of entertainment, so you are to share your wifi password with them. You can have it posted in the guest room or by the living room for them to see.

Categories
Yard

How To Build Up A Low Area In Your Yard

As much as it is great to have your own lawn, it is a lot to work with. From the maintenance of the grass and garden and also the furniture and accessories around it. In addition to that, you will have to watch out the soil. You will have to always check if the soil is still healthy enough and for pests and weeds or else your lawn may die and will really be expensive in reviving it. 

Another problem is animals that go around your lawn. They are one of the factors that ruin it. If your lawn has many holes in them, it is a big possibility that they are the reason. Because of that, you might always have the need to cover them. For that matter, you will notice that your lawn is becoming uneven. It has other causes too, but as soon as you notice it, you will need to do some leveling.

Here are the ways to do it:

1. Topdress

To topdress means to apply fertilizer or compost in the soil. The great thing about this is that it is not harmful, but it will only work with the mild ones. Even so, this will be good if your lawn is just starting to get uneven, you can have this as a solution right away. All you need to do is have some of the soil and mixed it with compost. With it, you will have it spread all over the uneven areas. You will have to watch out for it because it will grow grass later on, and it will also have its role. If you noticed that it is still uneven, you will have to repeat the process.

2. Putting Dirt

This is another process that is easier and less work but will only be used if it is not that severe. Also, this will only work if you have less. Instead of mixing your soil with compost or fertilizer, you will just need to put it under the turf until it is even. You would still need to add water to remove air pockets. There are also some that use sand though this will be risky. That is because it will just dry out especially during the summer season. You can still mix it with your soil but make sure it is not too much.

3. Leveling the Worst

What if it is really low and extreme? It will surely take a lot of work because if it comes to that, you will have to change or remove the whole turf and reseed new grass. This way, you will also have to decide if you will need to change anything major like your soil or the grass you will seed. One of the reasons that should be kept in mind is because it might be the cause of your uneven lawn. It could be because the soli is not that good or the grass is not compatible with it. Add to that, there might be pests that not only destroy your lawn but also causes animals to dig. 

Categories
Cleaning

How To Best Clean A Carpet

Keeping your house clean is one of the important aspects once you have one. The reason for that is because of maintenance which is beneficial for you and also important to have your house in high value. Because of that, you will have to take care of it and cleaning is one of the ways.

The carpet may come and go, but it is still important to have it taken care of for it to be nice to be looked at and also for health purposes. Carpet is prone to dirt, dust, and stain, so you will really need to learn the different ways to clean it. What will be the best? Let us see the options.

1. Vacuum

Vacuuming regularly will be an important task you will have to do. This is especially if you have kids or pets. Even if that is not the case, you will still have to keep the mind of the dirt and dust that enters your home. You may also have visitors from different places. Before you vacuum, make sure that you have dusted first, so debris will be avoided and for your home to be cleaner.

2. Steam Clean

Of course, vacuuming will not solve if your carpet is stained. There are many ways to do it, and one of the solutions is to steam clean it. It involves using steam, and you can find machines available in stores. If you are worried or having second thoughts on investing in one, keep in mind that it can also be used on different surfaces such as tiles, mattresses, wood, etc. You can also use it with your appliances, and all you will need is water for the cleaning and killing of bacteria. You can also rent out one if you do not wish to purchase one.

3. Natural

If you have decided to not purchase or rent a steam cleaner, you will still have ways of cleaning your carpet using household items. The first is dish soap, and it can be used for removing stain paired with warm water. Another is baking soda which is also a very effective deodorant. Another item you can use is vinegar. All you have to do is mixed it with dish soap and water then you use it for stain. You can also mix it with baking soda, and it very effective for old and new stains. The odor will also surely be gone.

4. Carpet Products

You can also purchase products for cleaning your carpet. There will be times that you will have to clean it immediately and have no time to look for the different items. Having one within reach will be the fastest way especially if you have guests. With all the products available, you will need to choose the right one for you. You can look at all the ones that it is all-purpose, but keep in mind that to know how effective will they be and know what your carpet is prone to like spills or pet-related. Because of that, you might need to have something for that specific purpose.

Categories
Fun

8 Weird Facts You Didn’t Know About Los Angeles

Everyone around the world seems to be fascinated with the City of Los Angeles. While they may already know plenty of fun and interesting things about the “city of angels”, there are still plenty of weird facts they can still learn about the city. 

1. The original name of the city was not Los Angeles. In fact, it was actually a Mexican town that was deemed by locals “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora Reina de los Angeles sobre el Rio Porciuncula”. While this may mean nothing if you do not speak Spanish, it literally translates to “The town of our lady queen of the angels on the Porciuncula River”. Now that’s a fun fact that you can tell your friends at cocktail parties. 

2. In an area where Dodger Stadium is now located, oil was found. This was back in 1892 but prospectors never took full advantage of the fact and so the Oil Kingdom of the South title eventually went to Texas. 

3. Even though it was never fully exploited, Los Angeles still produced about one-quarter of the world’s oil. In fact, to this day, the city rests on top of one of the largest oil fields in the entire country. 

4. Some time ago, an oil company made a deal with Beverly Hills High School to build an oil derrick on their property. As of the last check, it still pumps around 400 barrels of oil on a daily basis. The high school earns approximately $300,000 in royalty fees every year. 

5. This may seem unusual to visitors but the coroner’s office in Los Angeles County actually has a gift shop. This is due in part to so many celebrities passing away. People feel a draw to them and want a simple memorial to remember their visit to the area. 

6. In an interesting bit of film trivia, filmmaking began in Los Angeles because of Thomas Edison. But not because he wanted it to. In fact, back in New Jersey Edison held all of the copyright claims to certain filmmaking procedures. Filmmakers on the East Coast could not make a movie without paying Edison substantial fees to do so. So they decided to head west where they would be legally out of reach of his copyright claims. This was bad news for Edison but great news for the film industry later to be known as Hollywood. 

7. People these days think of Beverly Hills as a bastion of obscene wealth. While it is exactly that currently, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, Beverly Hills began as nothing more than lowly lima bean farm. 

8. While many celebrities are buried in Los Angeles, nobody’s headstone is as famous as the lovable Mel Blanc. Mel is known for his years of voicework on the Looney Toons brand of cartoons. When he died, he commissioned his headstone to read: “That’s All Folks!” 

Hopefully you have found these weird facts about Los Angeles as fun and exciting as we have.