Recently I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who said her air conditioning was having trouble keeping up with this hot weather.
Her home is only 2 years old, so I wasn’t really concerned there was something wrong with her system. My favorite question to ask in this situation is, “What temperature do you have your thermostat at?” Her response was 70, and I shared, “You need to turn it up!” I always get this “deer in the headlights” look… so I proceeded to share, “When we are not home we keep our air conditioning set at 76, and when we are at home, between 73-74, and at work I keep my office at 75.” She was really struggling with this whole concept; however, she also knows we have similar size homes.
By keeping your system running more evenly and not at too low of a setting, basically running too much, you will get better results. Over-use will actually cause your
coil to freeze up, thus defeating the purpose of keeping your home cool… Turn it up!
Here are few other fun tips to try:
THE MAGIC OF PLAY-DOH — Ever drop a glass and shatter it? After sweeping the area, use this play-time “doh” to pick up the tiny slivers that are missed and
only found in the bottom of your foot when you least expect it. Simply press the Play-Doh into the tiny shards. Be sure to have the glass wrapped up before disposing.
DIRTY TOILET BOWL? — You can have a fresh, sparkling toilet bowl in minutes. Just drop two Alka Seltzers into the bowl and let soak for 20 minutes, scour
and flush. It’s as easy as that!
NATURAL MILDEW REDUCER — This is a perfect combination to combat mold and mildew on shower tiles. Take equal parts lemon juice and baking powder
and spread the mixture on the problem areas. Let sit for 2-3 hours and rinse.
SMELLY GARBAGE DISPOSAL — Add a sliced half of fresh lemon and a half cup of ice cubes, run first for a minute without running water to help break up the
“yuck,” then run hot water for a few minutes.
VINEGAR — White vinegar is something we all should have in our pantry, not only for cooking but for cleaning as well. Freshen up a dishwasher by adding a half cup in the detergent area and running it through a cycle. A coffee maker can also benefit from this method by adding 3 cups white vinegar and 6 cups water; turn on coffee maker to brew. When finished, brew with water only for two additional cycles. I like to keep one cup vinegar to 2 cups water in a spray bottle, to use when a glass gets “milky film.” Spray to coat glass, let set a bit and then rinse and buff with a cotton cloth.
BAKED-ON PANS? — Food stuck on that’s impossible to scrub out? Throw a dryer sheet in the pot or pan with the baked-on food, fill with hot water and let sit
overnight. The fabric sheet is loosening magic.
RED WINE SPILL? — This is not the end of the world, but you should act fast. First blot in an up and down motion to pick up most of the liquid from the carpet. NEVER RUB back and forth; this will make it harder to remove, and make the stain larger. Blot from the outside working toward the center of the stain, take some white wine and pour over stain! It really works and blot dry. However, for myself, this is a waste of wine, so I always have “Oxy-clean” on hand. I make a paste with water and place over stain and let set over night. Just vacuum up next day, you may have to apply another application. The same applies to your clothing, mix a quarter cup of “Oxy-clean” in
a gallon of water, rub area directly with some “Oxy-clean” and soak garment over night. clean” and soak garment over night. Stain will completely disappear.
As always, your Comfort is our Central concern. Call us at 756-6656, for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and drain cleaning nedds!
P.S.: My favorite tip to share… I love cut flowers at this time of year, add a few drops to a teaspoon of bleach! The flowers stay fresher longer and your water does not
get all murky. Much better than any additive you can buy that claims to keep flowers fresh. I even add this to flowers that are sent to me from the florist…