One of the most common question homeowners have about their fine cabinetry is how to clean and care for their cabinetry investment. This is understandable since the kitchen and bathrooms can be very harsh environments. Consider what these rooms experience - high levels of moisture, varying levels of moisture, varying temperatures,dirt, oils,salts,food and seasoning residues, etc. We demand a lot from the kitchens and baths and that can be a challenge in keeping them looking sharp. Since this is such an common question we decided to rerun the information from last year.
Control Moisture
One thing that you always want to do is wipe off any moisture on the cabinets. Pay particular attention to sink areas, utensil drawers, trash cans and any areas that are likely to be splashed with water or steam. Controlling moisture in the home is a very important element of overall care for your home.
Regular Cabinetry Maintenance
The simplest solution is always the best. Clean spills immediately with a clean soft cloth slightly dampened with clean water. Thoroughly dry the surface with a clean dry soft cloth. Regular maintenance is the best way to keep your cabinets looking their best every day.
Heavy Cleaning
Not all soils respond to plain water. If necessary, a dilution of mild soap and water applied with a clean damp soft cloth can be used to remove oil, grease-based marks and other more difficult smudges. Use another clean damp soft cloth to thoroughly wipe away soap residue and dry completely with a clean dry soft cloth.
Stubborn Problems
If the above remedies do not work contact your cabinetry professional and ask them for advice or assistance. You never want to take an action that could permanently damage your custom cabinetry. It is best to ask for advice first. OK guys, I know that will be hard, but your wife be will thankful that you asked for directions this one time. In the end you will be as well.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Permeable Pavers are an Eco-Friendly Option
Permeable pavers are an envionmentally friendly alternative for use on walkways, driveways, patios or any other paving application. Permeable pavers provide a surface strong enough to support heavyloads, including vehicles, while at the same time allowing water to filter through the surface and into the underlying soil. As a result, rain water soaks back into the soil, naturally, rather than creating storm water runoff. The base system used by Techo-Bloc Permea Paving Bricks is on a stone base that acts as a basin until the water percolates back into the soil. Through this percolation process many pollutants are filtered out of the water before reaching the main watershed. An added benefit of permeable pavers is the prevention of erosion as rain water seeps through the surface rather than off the surface as with a typical concrete or asphalt application. Less water run off means less storm water entering our natural waterways with contaminants and pollutants. In the end, permeable pavers can help preserve one of our most precious resources of all-water.
This article was contributed by Shane Holderer of Landscape Plus LLC
Shane Holderer
Landscape Plus LLC
4734 Applebutter Road
Pipersville, Pa. 18947
215-646-1235
Landscape Plus LLC
This article was contributed by Shane Holderer of Landscape Plus LLC
Shane Holderer
Landscape Plus LLC
4734 Applebutter Road
Pipersville, Pa. 18947
215-646-1235
Landscape Plus LLC
Friday, February 13, 2009
Green Seminar Series Eco-Friendly Paints and Color Design
The Environmental Home Store presents a color, design and technical seminar on ecofriendly Mythic Paints. Contractors, designers, homeowners and do-it-yourselfers are invited to attend this FREE seminar at the Doylestown, Pa location of The Environmental Home Store.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is a special paint seminar that will discuss and analyze good color schemes, the impact of color, how to go about selecting colors, wall finishes and the technical aspects of paint, including why a zero voc paint is not always a healthy and safe choice. The seminar is being conducted by Doris Nieves and Daniel Duffin, from NWD World, a leading interior design firm based in New York City.
Environmental Home Store
320 North Broad St.
Doylestown, Pa 18901
SEMINAR DATE: SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 28, 2009, 12NOON
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is a special paint seminar that will discuss and analyze good color schemes, the impact of color, how to go about selecting colors, wall finishes and the technical aspects of paint, including why a zero voc paint is not always a healthy and safe choice. The seminar is being conducted by Doris Nieves and Daniel Duffin, from NWD World, a leading interior design firm based in New York City.
Environmental Home Store
320 North Broad St.
Doylestown, Pa 18901
SEMINAR DATE: SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 28, 2009, 12NOON
Monday, February 9, 2009
Suburban Home & Flower Show - Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
Come and visit Superior Woodcraft at the Suburban Home and Flower Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. The Suburban Home and Flower Show is open February 19th through February 22nd. Come and visit with Superior Woodcraft's designers and see examples of Superior Woodcraft's handcrafted custom cabinetry. Learn what makes Superior Woodcraft's cabinetry a sustainable and green product. We look forward to seeing you there.
Suburban Home & Flower Show
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
Oaks, PA
February 19-22, 2009
Suburban Home & Flower Show
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
Oaks, PA
February 19-22, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Controlling Condensation and Mold Growth in Winter
Mold likes humidity. While we don't usually think of winter as a time when there are humidity problems, the conditions for mold growth can be ideal. Knowing a few basic facts about humidity and mold can help you avoid situations that promote mold and moisture damage.
We've all heard the weatherman talk about "relative humidity", but what is it? Relative humidity, or RH, is a measure of how much moisture is in the air. 100% RH means that the air is holding all the moisture possible, any more and the water literally falls out of the air. But, did you know that warmer air can hold more moisture? Air that contains a set amount of water, might be 50% RH at normal room temperature but it could be 100% RH at 40 degrees. This is why windows get covered with condensation during the winter.
As noted, mold likes humidity. It is well known that mold growth is promoted by RH levels above 70%. So if you see mold, it means that the surface has a lot of moisture. Most likely, it is a cold surface like a window-frame or door threshold. But sometimes it can occur inside a wall or ceiling.
Usually, the outside air contains very little humidity during the winter, making it uncomfortably dry inside the house. To increase the comfort and avoid winter nosebleeds, most people use humidifiers. But we just saw that humid air leads to mold growth, so how do you make it comfortable without promoting mold growth?
The most important thing is to control the level of humidity. Studies show that most people are comfortable at humidity levels between 25% and 60%. So, if you are going to humidify your home, do so gently. Only raise the humidity the least amount necessary for comfort. Generally, it is best in our climate to keep the humidity between 25% and 35%. When it gets higher than this, you run the risk of condensation on cool surfaces in your home.
If you have a whole-home humidifier, do not trust the humidity dial to accurately control the indoor humidity. For $10-$20, you can purchase a small humidity monitor. Place one of these on each floor of your home. Humid air rises, so there's a good chance that the upstairs will be more humid than downstairs. Adjust the humidifier a little bit each day, keeping an eye on the monitor. This simple measure can help to greatly reduce the risk of mold and rot in your home.
Special note for people with forced air heating systems: furnaces and heat pumps are often called "dry" heating systems. People complain of nosebleeds or dry throats due to the dryness of the air with these systems. However, it turns out that furnaces don't really dry out the air. The culprit is usually leaky ducts. Many systems have ductwork routed through attics or have air registers mounted in the walls. When these leak, they suck cold, dry air into the house while forcing out the warm, moist indoor air. The result is a house that is very difficult to keep comfortably humid. If you think your house is like this, chances are you have leak, maybe big ones, in the return air part of your heating system. An energy auditor with a blower door and a thermal imaging camera should be able to track down these leaks.
Remember, mold grows wherever the humidity is high. This is often in bathrooms, bedrooms. If you see condensation on any surface, wipe it down immediately then find out why there's too much humidity in your house. Keep the humidity low, and mold can't grow!
This article was written by Ted Inoue of Energy Testing & Consulting LLC.
Ted Inoue
Energy Testing & Consulting llc.
New Hope, PA 18938
215-760-0211
www.etccreations.com
We've all heard the weatherman talk about "relative humidity", but what is it? Relative humidity, or RH, is a measure of how much moisture is in the air. 100% RH means that the air is holding all the moisture possible, any more and the water literally falls out of the air. But, did you know that warmer air can hold more moisture? Air that contains a set amount of water, might be 50% RH at normal room temperature but it could be 100% RH at 40 degrees. This is why windows get covered with condensation during the winter.
As noted, mold likes humidity. It is well known that mold growth is promoted by RH levels above 70%. So if you see mold, it means that the surface has a lot of moisture. Most likely, it is a cold surface like a window-frame or door threshold. But sometimes it can occur inside a wall or ceiling.
Usually, the outside air contains very little humidity during the winter, making it uncomfortably dry inside the house. To increase the comfort and avoid winter nosebleeds, most people use humidifiers. But we just saw that humid air leads to mold growth, so how do you make it comfortable without promoting mold growth?
The most important thing is to control the level of humidity. Studies show that most people are comfortable at humidity levels between 25% and 60%. So, if you are going to humidify your home, do so gently. Only raise the humidity the least amount necessary for comfort. Generally, it is best in our climate to keep the humidity between 25% and 35%. When it gets higher than this, you run the risk of condensation on cool surfaces in your home.
If you have a whole-home humidifier, do not trust the humidity dial to accurately control the indoor humidity. For $10-$20, you can purchase a small humidity monitor. Place one of these on each floor of your home. Humid air rises, so there's a good chance that the upstairs will be more humid than downstairs. Adjust the humidifier a little bit each day, keeping an eye on the monitor. This simple measure can help to greatly reduce the risk of mold and rot in your home.
Special note for people with forced air heating systems: furnaces and heat pumps are often called "dry" heating systems. People complain of nosebleeds or dry throats due to the dryness of the air with these systems. However, it turns out that furnaces don't really dry out the air. The culprit is usually leaky ducts. Many systems have ductwork routed through attics or have air registers mounted in the walls. When these leak, they suck cold, dry air into the house while forcing out the warm, moist indoor air. The result is a house that is very difficult to keep comfortably humid. If you think your house is like this, chances are you have leak, maybe big ones, in the return air part of your heating system. An energy auditor with a blower door and a thermal imaging camera should be able to track down these leaks.
Remember, mold grows wherever the humidity is high. This is often in bathrooms, bedrooms. If you see condensation on any surface, wipe it down immediately then find out why there's too much humidity in your house. Keep the humidity low, and mold can't grow!
This article was written by Ted Inoue of Energy Testing & Consulting LLC.
Ted Inoue
Energy Testing & Consulting llc.
New Hope, PA 18938
215-760-0211
www.etccreations.com
Sunday, February 1, 2009
SUPERIOR WOODCRAFT DELIVERS ON TIME
Below is an excerpt from Alice L. in New Hope, PA. Alice L. provides feedback on yelp about Superior Woodcraft, Inc. Builder warns client about kitchen people never making the dates. See what Alice L. has to say about this warning.
They make custom cabinetry with their factory located right in Doylestown. They made the cabinets for our entire home. We worked with Ellyn who was easy to work with and had some great ideas.... We were building our home at the time and our builder warned us the kitchen people never make the dates, but Superior delivered when they promised and got everything installed in their alloted time... See YELP TO READ MORE ABOUT ALICE L.'S REVIEW
They make custom cabinetry with their factory located right in Doylestown. They made the cabinets for our entire home. We worked with Ellyn who was easy to work with and had some great ideas.... We were building our home at the time and our builder warned us the kitchen people never make the dates, but Superior delivered when they promised and got everything installed in their alloted time... See YELP TO READ MORE ABOUT ALICE L.'S REVIEW
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