Tag Archives: life
How to Extend the Life of Your Carpet
Whether you chose the carpet in your home or you inherited it when you signed a rental agreement or a mortgage contract, you probably hope it will last a long time. Protecting your carpeting in high traffic areas by using runners or area rugs is an excellent life extension idea, but that is only half the battle. Every kind of flooring needs proper cleaning, and carpeting holds no exception.
Prevent Premature Aging and Damage
Carpet fibers break from dirt that embeds itself within the piling. As someone walks across a room, the dirt is ground deeper and cut more fibers. It’s not long before traffic patterns become visible.
To reduce that effect, many people prohibit wearing outside shoes in the house. Using a throw rug, runner or area rug at entry points allow people to remove shoes that carry dirt and grit before tracking the elements around the house. Tiled entry areas or porches provide ‘safe zones’ for footwear. Removing the outside shoes for in-house footwear can extend the life of any carpeting, tile, or laminate you have.
If changing shoes immediately is too inconvenient or you enter and exit too often, provide a stiff mat which can remove most of the dirt or mud on your shoes prior to your stepping onto your carpet, saving the cuts that the crystalline granules make.
Regular deep vacuuming with new or empty bags can draw much of the hair, grit, crumbs and dirt from the threads and help maintain good looking and feeling flooring.
Periodically deep clean your carpeting with a thorough steam cleaning. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, steam cleaning is by far the best, deep cleaning you can provide.
Additional Tips
Your carpet may be stain resistant, but even that protection cannot prevent all spill damage. Should you spill something, pick it up immediately. If a liquid will stain, blot the spill—don’t rub. Use clean areas on a rag or a towel and press the material deeply and repeatedly until as much of the liquid has been removed from the carpeting as possible. Deep clean it as quickly as you can.
Reapply the stain resistance right after a deep cleaning. Even the best resistance chemicals can wear out over time, so replenishing that protection makes economic sense.
Clean both sides of the area rugs lying on your carpeting. They catch a lot of dirt and contaminants which can work their way through and drop into the piling.
Before using shampoo, always test in an out-of-the-way spot first, even if you’ve used the brand before. It takes only a few moments and can save you heartache and expense if the chemical reaction changes over time.
Summary
With proper care and attention, the carpet in any area of your home can last and look marvelous for many years, saving you money, time and possible embarrassment.
Sources of Quick Loans (Page 1 of 2)
If you have a poor credit profile and are facing a situation where you need to obtain funds quickly, your options may be limited. You are unlikely to achieve approval for a conventional bank loan, especially if your income is limited. As a result, you may be tempted to pursue quick loans from payday loan companies.
However, if your situation is truly dire, you may qualify for assistance from one or more government scheme. If not, by thinking outside the box, you can almost certainly find alternatives to payday lenders for quick loans that represent less of a threat to your financial well being. The loan sources listed below may serve as resources for one-off quick loans. On the other hand, if you find yourself regularly seeking sources for quick loans, you should re-evaluate your spending habits. You may need to cut back on your spending, figure out a way to boost your income – or both.
Loans From Friends and Family
You may hesitate to borrow from friends or family members because of the possible risk of causing a rift in your relationship. However, if the amount that you need is reasonably small, friends and family can provide a legitimate source of quick loans. Draw up an informal agreement and do everything in your power to repay the loan as quickly as possible. If circumstances beyond your control prevent you from repaying the loan as planned, come clean with your friend or family member, and work out alternate terms for repaying the loan whenever you are able.
Credit Card Cash Advances
If you need the money to pay day-to-day expenses, try purchasing the items you need with credit cards instead. While living off credit cards is not ideal, interest rates charged for transactions is far lower than those for cash advances. However, if you need hard cash and you have no other means of obtaining money, cash advances from credit cards are preferable sources for quick loans than payday loans. If you do opt for a credit card cash advance, borrow what you need in a single transaction if possible, because credit card companies typically impose hefty charges on each transaction.
Credit Union Loans
Local credit unions are a good source for quick loans. Interest rates for credit union loans are much lower than those for payday loans, and credit unions are often more lenient with credit than conventional banks. You must be a member in good standing; however, it is likely that you are eligible for membership in at least one credit union in your area.
Bank Overdraft
If you have funds available, you may tap into your bank overdraft as a source of quick loans. If you opt to draw from your overdraft, never go over your pre-arranged limit. Otherwise you will encounter fees that nearly rival those of payday loans. You should also repay the overdraft as soon as you are able.
Whole of Life Insurance Policies
If you have been paying premiums for a whole of life insurance policy, you might have accumulated a tidy sum that is available for you to borrow against. Ordinarily, drawing funds out of your life insurance policy is not a good idea, especially if you intend to use those funds to finance your retirement. However, if you are desperate, withdrawing funds from a whole life insurance policy is preferable to obtaining a payday loan.