Learning Stuff About ‘Home Improvement’ Category
How To Clean Your Patio Awning Without Taking It Down
Ever had an awning for your patio or elsewhere that needed cleaning, but was just too much trouble to take down? Maybe you haven’t, but I certainly had this problem.
Some time back, I had an awning installed for the patio. Not very long after it rained heavily and dirty water from the roof collected in the awning because it was raised a bit to allow for a better view out. Basically because of the way it was raised, the water couldn’t run off freely, so it just collected and stayed there. I didn’t realise this was the case until a few days later.
When the patio awning was adjusted so that the water was allowed to run off, there remained sludge on it, and it looked quite awful. Of course, I was determined to clean it. I couldn’t have such an ugly sight staying there for anyone to see. So I tried taking down the awning so I could get it washed. However, it proved too difficult a task to get it down.
Fortunately, I have a knack for finding solutions to problems. So I came up with a plan of action to clean the unseemly sight. I decided I would need a course broom, a bucket with soap and water, and a chair or stool to stand on. I stood on the chair, infront of the awning, dipped the course broom into the soapy water, and applied it to the dirty parts of the awning, giving it a good scrubbing. It worked like a charm. The dirt came right out.
I should probably mention that I thought of using a toothbrush to do the cleaning. I did try it, but it seemed like a daunting task to clean the whole awning with it. I also didn’t know how I would reach the upper parts with the toothbrush. Anyway, the broom took care of this, as the long handle gave a better reach.Â
What I did learn from using the toothbrush though, was that the soapy solution I made was sufficient to clean the patio awning. For when I applied it to the frills, the dirt came out nicely. So if you want to check if the cleaning agent will be effective, you can try applying some to a toothbrush and then brush the dirty part of the awning. In case you’re wondering, I used some bleach and water.
I should probably mention that this method of cleaning with the broom was quite tiring and tedious. But it beats the toothbrush idea hands down!
Tags: cleaning patio awnings, patio awning
Improving Lighting And More With Sliding Glass Doors
I have been trying to find ways to improve the lighting in my home. My place is not very big, and the windows don’t really open so well. So I was brainstorming ways to brighten up the place and sliding glass doors came to mind.
Sliding glass doors would be one way to solve my problem, because they allow so much more light in, and that itself can be adjusted with shades or blinds or curtains. Upon doing some research on sliding glass doors, I came to see that there are other advantages too. For example, they now have them such that they can reduce the noise transmission from the outside. They can also add a certain exquisite demeanor to the home which would actually add to the value of the real estate.
Now unfortunately I am not able to go this route, due to lack of funds, as well as other practical considerations that I cannot get into here. (I might go with this idea on a smaller scale, and get sliding glass windows). But sliding glass doors can be a great option. There is really a lot to know about them, and quite a bit of information is readily available to help one know what to look for when shopping for them. You may be interested in this resource to learn more stuff about sliding glass doors.
Tags: improve lighting inside, sliding glass doors
Idea For Cooling Down Home During Summer
Where I live, during the summer time, it can get really hot inside. I have a slab roof, and this seems to just drink up the heat and transmit it inside. So usually when I get home on a typically hot summer day, it feels really hot inside, and it is a most uncomfortable feeling.
A mind like mine naturally is inclined to come up with a solution to this problem. And I have an idea that I want to try some day. That’s correct, I haven’t tried it yet, so I don’t know how well it works. But I post my idea here in case someone wants to try it before me and report back on the kind of results achieved.
Since the main cause of the problem seems to be with the heat from the sun being absorbed by the concrete roof, then if I could reflect the light/heat hitting the roof, then it should help. Seems logical to me. So there are a couple ways I have thought of to do this.
One is to place a big mirror on the roof to cover its surface area, or use several small mirros. This should reflect most of the light and prevent most of the heat from being transmitted through the roof to the inside. The problem I have with implementing this, is that it seems to be somewhat expensive. It also seems to come with certain risks. For eg. I would have to ensure that the glass cannot be easily moved, lest a strong gust of wind lift a fragment off and deliver it to a passerby or some other innocent person. So while I think the idea should work beautifully, it has challenges in being implemented. This brings me to the alternative idea.
The second approach I thought of, would be to paint the roof white. I don’t think this would be near as effective as the former idea, but I believe it should have some noticeable effect. As one should know, white reflects more light than any other colour, so this should reduce the heat transmitted through the roof. To supplement this method, I thought maybe throwing some glitter on to the paint would produce even greater cooling.
I hope someone tries any of these ideas. I’ve toyed around with them for a couple years now, but still have not put them to the test. If I manage to do any though, I’ll report back to let you know how effective it is.
Tags: cooling home, summer heat