Making Your Home More Water Efficient

Water conservation is not only important for the environment; it can save you a lot of money as well. The good news is that it is not so difficult to make your home more water efficient. From making sure that your pool pump is a recirculated pump, to turning off the water in the shower while you shampoo, here are a few effective ways to create a more water-efficient home:

Monitor Your Water Bill

The first step towards water efficiency is to make sure you are using only as much water as you need. Water conservation goes hand in hand with water efficiency, so you’ll want to make sure that you monitor your water usage on a monthly basis. When you monitor you monthly water usage, you can analyse how your water is being spent. You can also determine whether or not there are any leaks you may be unaware of.

Turn Off the Water!

Without even thinking about it, we waste water – whether it’s by keeping the water running while brushing our teeth or leaving the tap on when washing dishes. It is important to make a conscious effort to turn off the tap when it is not necessary to have it on. So next time you’re shaving or washing your car, make sure you’re only using as much water as you need.

How to Water Your Plants

Many of us don’t realise how much water our plants need to remain healthy and vibrant. Something as simple as planting in the wrong season can double the amount of water your plants consume. The best time to plant is in spring, when it’s not too hot and when springtime showers sprinkle some natural rainwater on your plants. Also, use organic mulch as it holds in more moisture and saves water. And always remember that over-watering kills plants more than under-watering.

Don’t Pour Water Down the Drain

There are a few things that you can do to save water that you may not have thought of before. For instance, if you drop an ice cube you wanted to put in a glass of lemonade, don’t just throw the ice-cube into the sink, throw it into a potted plant instead. Also, keep a bucket in your shower to catch excess water. You can then use that water for plants or even to clean items like your car tools.

Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS)

Finally, you’ll want to make sure you buy products that have the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS). These labels can cut your water bill in half, without compromising performance. By 2021, it is estimated that Australians will save over 800,000 mega-litres of water thanks to conservation schemes like WELS.

Making your home more water efficient can seem like a difficult endeavour at first, but if you implement these water-saving tactics you will be saving money on your utility bills and helping the environment.

What You must Know about Dental Implants

In the recent years, the field of dentistry has seen significant improvements. A few decades ago, there was no satisfactory solution to the problem of loss of teeth. This is no longer the case today. If you have lost your teeth and are suffering from it, dental implants are the best solution. There are also other solutions like bridges and dentures but dental implants are much more advantageous.

Dental implants are artificial teeth made of titanium or titanium alloys. Titanium is the metal of choice to make dental implants because it is highly resistant to corrosion. It also displays a unique property known as osseointegration. When a titanium implant is kept in contact with bone, the cells of the bone fuse with the titanium implant and make it very strong. The stability of dental implants is due to this phenomenon.

Dental implants are very advantageous when compared to other dental restoration techniques. Some of the advantages of dental implants are as follows:

Better appearance: Dental implants look very natural. If you are afraid to smile due to lost teeth, you can completely solve this problem by using dental implants. Dental implants look so natural that you cannot tell the difference between dental implants and natural teeth by merely looking.

Better speech: Loss of teeth can cause speech abnormalities. Dental implants can cure these abnormalities. With dental implants your speech will no longer slur and you can speak confidently.

Easier eating: Dental implants not only look like natural teeth but also function like them. With dental implants, you don't have to worry about your teeth slipping when you're eating. Dental implants are very strong and so you can eat normally.

Improved oral health: When dental implants are placed, nearby teeth are left untouched. This ensures that your oral health is not affected. Dental implants also don't require excessive maintenance. With normal maintenance, they last for a long time.

Dental implants and success rates

Dental implants are highly successful. Statistics indicate that dental implants are successful in 98% of the cases. There are a number of factors that affect the success rate. Some of the common factors include the health condition of the patient prior to surgery, tobacco use, oral infections and oral hygiene. If proper oral hygiene is maintained, dental implants can last for a long time without any issues.

Conclusion

Dental implants are an excellent option for lost teeth. They have many advantages. The only drawback with dental implants is that they are relatively costly. And in most cases dental insurance companies will not provide cover for the procedure. You have to finance it by using other means. Nevertheless, dental implants are an excellent option for lost teeth and are worth the investment.

About the author:

Aditya Venkatesh is a computer-enthusiast who is fascinated by computer technology, gadgets and the Internet. He writes frequently on computers and other topics on www.AdiWebs.com. In the past, he worked as a technical writer at a leading web development company in Hyderabad, India. His other interests include photography and DIY projects.

Common Household Spending Problems

There are several common household problems that many families don’t even realise is having an impact on their finances. The only way to find out where you could be wasting money; is to start by identifying exactly where your household’s earnings are being spent.

Look at your budget

Don’t have one? This is your first mistake. One of the best ways to be able to identify seemingly black holes in your spending is to outline what all of your expenses are. Draw up a budget outlining how much you are spending on your car and home insurance, your electricity bills, your groceries, right down to how much your child’s sporting activities cost. Leave nothing unaccounted for.

Not looking for a better deal

Once major mistake many families make is not shopping around for the best deals when it comes to credit card interest rates, home phone and Internet packages, car insurance, health insurance and even their mortgage.

Take the time to go through your policies and find out if you can get a better deal elsewhere. Call around, research online and get quotes. If you didn’t put in the hard yards to make sure you are getting the best rates, then you will probably be able to save yourself hundreds just by shopping around.

Not taking advantage of bundling services

Many companies, whether they be insurance or telco providers, offer discounts for package deals. So if your home phone and Internet is from one provider and your mobile phone services are with another, see who can offer you the better deal and bundle your services. Not only will this save you money, but it’s also easier when everything is in the one place. It’s also good to do this with your insurance as well.

Spending too much on electricity bills

Are your power bills through the roof? Many families struggle to keep their electricity bills down for a number of reasons. Here are a few ways to dramatically reduce your household energy consumption:

●  Educate your children about how to save electricity. For example, put on warmer clothes rather than turning on the heater and keep blinds closed during the hottest parts of the day to keep an area from heating up from direct sunlight.

●  Turn off appliances at the switch; everything from microwaves to televisions are still using power even when they are in standby mode.

●  Use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, The higher the star rating, the more energy efficient the appliance. As you need to replace each item, buy a replacement that’s really efficient. It will save you money in the long run.

It’s easy to let household spending get out of control if you are not entirely sure where the money is actually going. But the good news is if you create a budget, and take steps to reduce the amount of outgoings, you can rectify your spending habits easily, and get your family’s finances back in great shape, fast.

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Why Parents at Home should Take Care of their Children's Experience Range of Eye Conditions

Vision disorders are a common problem among children in the United States. Based on an estimate, almost 25% of children in the school going age have vision problems.  Despite the rise in medical care and living standards of people, most of the young children, even of pre-school age, are not getting appropriate eye care. Only an estimated 1/3^rd of all kids have eye tests or vision screening before joining a school.

Another study conducted recently showed that 11.5% of teenagers face vision difficulties that go unchecked and are not treated at all. That is why, the society as whole should strive towards early detection and treatment of eye and vision disorders. This can become possible by spreading the knowledge about the crucial stages in the development of the human vision. The earlier the vision disordered is discovered and treated, the higher the chance of the child not facing any negative effects on his/her growth and development.

Eye tests and vision examinations such as visual screening, conducted in the school or even pre-school are not sufficient on their own, and they can never be substituted for professional and expert eye care. This is the concern of the American Optometric Association (AOA). Vision screening is a restricted procedure of reviewing some aspects of vision problem areas. However, only professional eye doctors can diagnose eye diseases and prescribe the correct medication and treatment. Even simpler procedures of recommending eye glasses and contact lens (like the 1 day acuvue moist) should be done by an experienced doctor. If this is done before the child enters school, there will a significant reduction in academic failure due to vision problems.

Negligence of taking timely eye tests (and not realizing their flaws) is the major cause of undetected eye problems in children. Many eye problems can be treated simply by using contact lens such as the 1 day acuvue moist, or spectacles.  Several studies also point out the growing need of effective eye examinations for children. As mentioned before, vision screening in public and private schools is necessary, but it is not a one step solution to solving eye problems.

Such tests and programs are designed to detect the children who possibly have vision problem that can affect their learning development at school, along with affecting their physiological and perceptual processes. Screenings, however, are not designed to diagnose eye disease, and they do not direct a person towards treatment. Visual screening is just a first step to indentify whether a person needs future eye care or not.

Coupled with their ineffectiveness is the fact that only 33 states, according with the District of Columbia actually require public and private schools to conduct vision screening! Furthermore, it is also worthy of attention that vision screening programs are not uniform.  Their range and abundance is not the same in all states.

Moving on, it is also noticed that people misunderstand the need for an all-out eye exam program with improved vision screenings.  Enhancing the quality of vision screening programs is good, but is not the same as a comprehensive vision examination. The limitations of vision screenings are not in the knowledge of the masses.  Awareness should be created in the public and it should be communicated that merely passing the eye examination does mean that the person does not have any eye problems.

A weak communication network is also a reason why children experience eye problems that are not treated on time. What this means is that there should be clear communication between the school nurses, doctors and the parents. As soon as any of these groups discover the slightest hint of eye disease in a child, immediate medical attention should be given.

Failure to do so can put a question mark on the credibility and quality of the vision screening attempts at the education institutions. Another problem is that only the visual acuity is considered the benchmark in a screening process. All parties involved, as well as well the society at large should know the immense costs of untreated vision problems, not only to the children’s eyesight, but also to their learning development at school.

Finally, it is also important to know that children who are handicapped physically or mentally have greater chance of developing visional abnormalities than their peers. Moreover, such children are not capable of completing vision screening and other eye tests in an appropriate way. This further demonstrates why many vision problems in children are not undetected and is left untreated.  

Making the Most of Under Desk Office Space

In today’s office environment, there is very little personal workspace in the average cubicle, and it can be even worse if you are working in a home office. Sometimes desks are so small that you need to get creative with what little space you have, in order to keep things tidy and efficient. The following are a few ways that you can use extra space under your desk in an organised way so that you feel less cramped while working.

1. Bookshelf Desks

A really good design idea for rectangular desks is the bookshelf desk. The general idea is that instead of regular legs for a desk, you use low-rise bookshelves to hold up the table. Square bookshelves that are about 75-centimetres tall serve as a good average height for the desk, and they are great because you can store books, binders or files within reach, but not in your way.

2. Horizontal Shelving

Another layer of shelving under the desk might be just what you need when it comes to maximising your office space. An unobtrusive shelf, close to the floor, that mimics the shape of your desk – remembering to leave room for your legs – is a great place to stack boxes of files or other odds and ends that won’t inhibit your working space. You can get special storage boxes that stack well for easy access when you need it.

3. Mobile Pedestals

Mobile pedestals are probably one of the most common storage solutions for underneath the desk. To create more space for various office supplies or files, many people turn to these small drawers or filing cabinets on wheels that can be efficiently stowed underneath the desk. While you are working, you then have the option to roll out the pedestal to have it beside you to make for easy access to the drawers as well as extra table space.

4. Pegboard

Many workspaces these days require a lot of electronics, such as computers, laptops, CPUs, wireless routers, power bars and phones. You don’t want all these things cluttering up your desk, nor do you want to just have them in a pile on the floor under your desk with cords everywhere. One really interesting solution to the clutter associated with electronics is to install pegboard on the underside of your desk. Now you can secure all your electronics and wires to the underside of your desk using brackets and wires. This is also a great solution because it’s easy to shift things around to make room for new electronics as they come.

5. Under-Table Mount Rack

Metal mount racks can attach directly to the underside of the table. These racks are mostly used to hold a CPU, however you can use it to hold just about anything else. The great thing about these is that not only is the CPU, or whatever else, out of your way, but it is still at an accessible height and within reach. Many of these mount racks are also retractable and have a swivel feature, which allows for access to the wire ports on the back.

Why Not Having a Clear Property Investment Strategy is the Biggest Mistake

Property investment is said to be one of the most crucial ways to expand your wealth. In a stable economy, it can yield high profitability. However, you definitely have to face tough time if you are living in a recessionary economy. The only way to get rid of any financial blunders is to make a sound property investment strategy. Failure to do so can be the biggest mistake of your life. Having an appropriate property investment strategy can save you a lot of money as well as time. The following factors will help you understand how not having a clear strategy on property investment can cost you a lot:

Not Taking Advice from Estate Agents

Most people think that they are qualified enough to research the property themselves and make a final purchase decision. However, they often forget that being their own advisor can lead to an ineffective property investment strategy. Moreover, they prefer to buy properties in those areas that are similar to their own areas of residence. They neglect other residential areas that have a lot of potential growth. Therefore, the best practice in terms of property investment is to consult online estate agents.

Emotional Investment Decisions

A property investment strategy should have nothing to do with emotions. If you make emotional investment decisions, you can end up losing a lot of money on a property that does not promise you any prospects for growth. Although your emotional attachment with your house is important, you should not forget the power of a sound property investment strategy. For instance, if online estate agents advise you to rent out your property, then you should follow the advice.

Purchase of Old Properties

A vague property investment strategy also includes the decision to purchase old properties. When investors buy old apartments, they do not realize that an old property requires a lot of renovation costs. Although these properties are sold at low price, what compensate their low prices are high renovation costs. Therefore, there is no use of buying an old property.

Short-Term Investment Plans

Many people start investing in various properties once they have sufficient money to spend. However, their inappropriate property investment practices can result in a financial disaster. This is because they have not planned for their investments in the long run. Short-term planning, especially in the property industry can never make an ordinary investor successful.

Long-term planning is what makes a property investment strategy worth considering. The main reason behind it is that you will only be able to succeed if you have a clear and long-term goal in your mind for at least ten years.

No Re-Assessments

Once you understand the nature of property investment as a long-term strategy, it is easy to for you to explain it to others as well. Along with long-term property goals, it is important to know that a property requires a periodic review or regular assessments. This is essential for the growth of the property because it requires being updated with real estate market trends.

Limited Financial Literacy

Many property investors take their financial decisions on their limited financial literacy. They think that they have ample knowledge of the real estate market. Therefore, they do not prefer to take help from professionals working in popular estate agencies. As a result, their limited knowledge is the main reason behind the failure of their property investment strategies. The only solution they have is to consult estate agents.

Limited Choice in Buying a Property

Obviously, purchasing a property is a big financial decision. This is because you have to invest thousands of dollars in it. Some people save money all their life and make a wrong decision in terms of property investment. It happens a lot of times that they do not get the yield from their investments.

Although there are various reasons behind this phenomenon, the most visible one is that these investors restrict their choices. They buy properties that they like. It indicates that they do not consider any logical reason behind buying any property. They can earn high returns from their investments only if they do not limit their choice when buying a property. Keeping the above factors in mind, you should always follow the advice of online estate agents in terms of making a property investment strategy.