Properly Cleaning a Chimney

Preparation Before You Clean

Chimney cleaning can be an overwhelming task for anyone who has never done it before.  There’s much more to cleaning it than just scraping the sides off and sweeping up ashes.  First off, you need to determine if you even need to clean it, but if it’s been a year or longer chances are it needs to be cleaned.  Take a plastic utensil to scrape off some of the the creosote that has accumulated on the inside of the chimney.  If the creosote is 1/8 of an inch or thicker, it needs to be cleaned.  You also must clean it in the fall, right before the events where you would have an indoor fire.  This prevents a chimney fire from happening.   

You also must use a flashlight and check the chimney for animals that may have made their way in there over the past year like birds or any sort of rodent.  If you find an animal you must take the proper steps to have it removed.  

Time to Brush Away

To make sure you have enough piping to reach up to the top of the chimney, add six inches on top of your estimate to guarantee yourself you have enough to clean the entire thing.  Your local hardware store should have all the materials you need to successfully clean your chimney properly.  A wire cleaning brush is a necessity along with the extension pipes in order to reach all the way to the top.  It’s also important to make sure that you lay a tarp or towel down below you to catch all the debris that you’re scrapping off from the wall as this can be harmful if not contained.  With that said, it’s also important to wear safety goggles and a dust mask so you don’t inhale any of the soot that comes off the inside of the chimney.  If there are windows near you, you should cover them as well especially, if they’re windows installed by Wallside Windows.

Disposing of the Soot

After taking a hand held wire brush to do the bottom of the chimney, it’s time to dispose of all the debris you’ve cleaned from the inside.  You can’t empty everything into your garbage can, but rather a separate bucket that you can transfer to a waste station and empty.  Call the city to see where the nearest place is that you can empty the creosote.  This is important because the creosote is flammable, and harmful if emptied into a garbage near you.  After all this is completed, you’ve completed cleaning your chimney.  Make sure you wear clothes that you’re not afraid to throw away if need be because of the toxic material that may get on them.  At least you won’t have to clean it for another year, and you and your family can enjoy nice cozy fires all winter long.    

How You Lose Money With Bad Windows

No One Likes Losing Money

When your home encounters a bad window problem it can cost you money besides having to get it fixed or replaced.  That’s why there’s Wallside Windows, and they can have that problem fixed for you in a snap at a reasonable cost.  Check out all the windows Wallside Windows has to offer so they installers know which one to bring onsite.  Worn out or broken windows are a pain to deal with, but you don’t have to deal with those problems any longer because the experts at Wallside Windows want to make sure you have your window properly fixed so you don’t encounter another window problem for years to come.  

It’s Getting Cold in Here

Worn out or old windows may be hard to shut.  After the material on the windows start to erode you’ll also encounter problems where air seeps through the window causing it to chill your house in the winter time when you have the heat high as it is.  The longer you wait to have your worn out window replaced, the colder it’s going to get in your house which causes for the energy bill to rise because of the amount of heat needed for the room to be sustainable.  Plus, letting the cold air seep in may cause you to lose sleep at night, catch unnecessary viruses that are easily avoidable just by having your window fixed or replaced.

Selling or Renting a House

When it comes to selling your house, or trying to rent out the house you’ve already bought to someone else you better be sure the windows are in good shape.  Whether the windows are in good shape or not can be the difference of someone buying the house or not.  Having vinyl replacement windows installed from Wallside Windows can raise the value of your house significantly.  Even if the windows are in decent shape, it might be worth your while to have them replaced with newer looking windows because looks can be everything when trying to find buyers to purchase your house.  

With all things considered, nobody likes dealing with bad, worn out or broken windows.  Leave the work to a professional because you don’t need them to let you know whether you need a new window or not so you already have half of the work done.  All the work that needs to be done is letting them know what kind of a window it is, and for them just to come out and do the replacing.  Once you have your brand new window installed you’ll be thankful you don’t have to go through one more sleepless winter night.  It may cost some to have the replacement done, but we can guarantee that you’ll be much happier with the money you’ll be saving in the long run.       

How to Stay Warm in Your House Without the Heat On

Fires Aren’t Just for Roasting Marshmallows

Imagine that it’s a late night in the middle of January and you’re enjoying a movie with your loved ones all in the living room, then all of the sudden it’s pitch black.  The power goes out, and you can’t see anything, but everyone has their phone they can use as a flashlight.  You call the electric company, and they tell you that the power went out in the whole city.  They also say that the power won’t be back on until the next night so, what do you do next?  Hopefully, you have a fireplace and some candles handy because this is the best way to keep your house warm if your heater isn’t working.  Actually, candles not only give off heat and light, but the smell and aroma of the candles provides a positive atmosphere among everyone to make them not think about the power being out.  

It’s Pretty Windy Out There

Your first action after you start your fire, and light some candles should be to close all the curtains to further keep the wind from coming in.  Winter drafts can drop the temperature significantly in the house, especially with no heat on.  It’s better if you have the curtains with two layers to allow sunlight to come in once it gets sunny out.  If you have windows in your house that don’t have any curtains using towels or clothes serve as a great substitute, as long as the air doesn’t leak into your house.  If you had your vinyl replacement windows installed by Wallside Windows then you shouldn’t have to worry about air leaking through anyway.  

Stay Active

Now, it’s probably not the easiest thing to do when you’re trying to bundle up and stay warm, but yoga and stationary exercises will help you stay warm when there’s no heat in the house.  Putting mind over matter is key in this step to staying warm, because with a few simple yoga poses in your house you can feel much better.  During yoga, one focuses on breathing and maintaining the yoga position that they’re in, and not the cold they might be feeling.  Although the surface of your skin may be cold, you’re training your mind to focus on something else.  This is a great way to tease your own brain while getting some unexpected exercise in at the same time.  

How to Remove a Bird From Your House

Ahh Help!

More than likely it’s happened to your at some point in your life where a bird accidently makes its way into your house uninvited, and you have no idea how to get it out.  The first thing people start doing is panicking, yelling or screeching, but the truth of the matter is that the bird is much more frightened than you are.  The bird only knows the outdoors and everything that comes with nature so, when it stumbles upon the indoors of your house it’s really in an environment it knows nothing about.  So, swiping at it with a broom might not be the best idea out there.  There are plenty of quick and efficient ways to make sure the bird flies freely out of the door or your new vinyl replacement window you’ve just had installed by Wallside Windows.  

Stay Calm

The last thing you want to do when a bird is in the house is to start being overdramatic or excessively yelling especially if you have young ones in the house.  The bird is more than likely not harmful so, there’s nothing to really be scared of, and as it was already mentioned, the bird is going to be more scared than you are anyway.  You have to think logically in a situation like this, and this would include keeping your pets away from the bird by putting them in a room with the door closed so the bird isn’t visible to them.  If you stay calm in front of your kids, this will keep them from being frightened and crying as well.  

Best Option

Birds are attracted to light so, the easiest thing to do is to let the bird fly away freely to wherever the source of light is coming from.  The simplest way to do this is by shutting off every source of light there is including from outside.  Turn everything off, close all the curtains and blinds to make sure it’s as dark as can be in the house except for one thing.  Between the front door and back door, determine which one the bird is closest to and open it all up so the bird can easily locate where the only source of light is coming from, and they’ll likely fly towards the light because that’s what they’re attracted to.  This might be a scary situation with you not being able to see anything, but you just have to trust that the bird wants to be where the light is, and that it will fly out under its own power.  

Getting a bird out of the house isn’t an easy task to complete and the process could last anywhere from five minutes to five hours depending on the sequence of events that happen.  Treat the situation as if it isn’t a big deal because in all actuality it isn’t.  The next time a bird enters your home, make sure it exits safely so you can go on with your day happy that you helped a bird out of your house.         

Building a Successful Tree House

Preliminary Steps

Your son has hit the age where he has a consistent group of friends that always hang out with one another, and he’s built up the courage to ask if you can build him a treehouse.  You realize this is going to be a tough task so you start gathering up the tools necessary to start building, but what is there to do before you even pick up a hammer.  It’s important to consult with the local planning department about height restrictions as well as needing a building permit.  Make sure you have a chat with your insurance agent about it too.  You're going to want to double check your homeowner’s policy to make sure treehouses are covered.  It’s also not a bad idea to talk to your neighbor just to be courteous and make sure they don’t mind if you build one, especially if it sees over into their backyard.  

Is the Tree Sturdy Enough?

When you’re examining the tree that you’re going to use for your son’s new hiatus the key elements to make sure of are making sure there is a thick sturdy trunk as well as branches, and make sure the tree is clean of any diseases or parasites that will weaken the foundation.  The method that is the easiest, safest and least harmful to your tree is by the post method where nothing is actually being supported by the tree itself, but just built around the tree.  This allows you, the builder, to be in more control of the stability of the tree.  You stick support posts into the ground around the tree, and build from there.  

Although, windows would be a great addition to any tree house, Wallside Windows doesn’t do installations on treehouses.  A window that does need replacing on your normal house would be no problem for Wallside WIndows as we have the best vinyl replacement windows any company can offer.  As far as the treehouse goes, your best bet is to probably cut out a square in the side of it that you can stick your head out of.  

Building and Finishing Touches

When actually building the house, you’re going to need many different shapes and sizes of wood depending on the size of the tree and the house itself.  As far as building an access method to the tree house, the easiest method would be to install a normal wooden ladder that sometimes comes already made at hardware stores.  They come already made for bunkbeds sometimes so, if you get lucky enough to find one it cuts some work out for you.  If you want something more creative, the rope ladder always looks good plus it’s easy to construct and climb.  Just be sure to take extra caution with these two styles of access because you don’t want to slip and hurt yourself.  For extra safety, you can get a couple bags of mulch to surround the tree house or just the ladder area specifically so in case a fall does happen, the landing is cushioned.  

When everything is said and done,  your child will be happy that you put the time and effort into building a treehouse for them and their friends.  Remember to make sure you’ve contacted everyone necessary before you start building, and make sure you have the adequate amount of help needed from your friends to help you put everything together, but most importantly have fun!