Feng Shui Tips for Your Bathroom to Promote Wealth

Avoiding Bad Feng Shui in Your Bathroom - According to the ancient art of Feng Shui, bathrooms are known to have bad Feng Shui because this is the area of the house where energy is removed. However, with a few tips, you can get rid of bad bathroom Feng Shui and encourage the flow of energy and promote prosperity.
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Toxic Chemicals: How to Get Rid of Them and Prevent Them From Getting Into Your Home in the First Place

Despite the sensationalism contained in most news reports, there actually are a great deal of substances within homes and commonly used products that will degrade your health over time. The most insidious threats dwell within the home since you're always in that environment and the effects may be so subtle that you won't notice until you or a family member has experienced a permanent decline in health. Luckily, with a proactive spirit it's possible to head off the worst threats before they have an impact, and the first step is to gain a bit of knowledge.

 Asbestos

This is a common one. Asbestos was popular in building materials due to its strength and thermal resistance, but once it gets in the air it becomes an extremely dangerous carcinogen that's linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma. The good news is that new regulations have kept asbestos out of modern housing products. The bad news is that if you live in an older home then you've probably been exposed to some of the offending building materials.

If you suspect that you've got asbestos in your home, you'll want to call a professional inspector. If you try to do it yourself you'll probably make things worse unless you have the proper protective equipment. This is doubly true if an asbestos product has started to crumble. It's most commonly found in ductwork, roofing tiles, insulation, and popcorn ceilings, and if you suspect that an item in your home contains asbestos, you should contact someone immediately.

If you are qualified to handle it on your own, you'll want to seal up any vents within your home and remove any furniture from the immediate area. Asbestos products should be soaked in water before they're removed from the home, and you should eliminate each one in small pieces so as to reduce the likelihood that pieces will break off and contaminate your home. If removal of the offending product is impossible, then it seal it off from everything else. Make sure to double bag each piece of debris and take it somewhere that specializes in asbestos disposal. Do not throw it out with the regular trash. Asbestos is much too harmful to be allowed to mix into the air and pollute the environment.

Cigarette Smoke

While it's easier said than done, the best way to clear it from your home is simply to stop. The carcinogenic effects of cigarette smoke are well documented, and it's a big enough health threat to you and everyone in your home -- especially children -- that there's no reason to keep doing it. If you're going to smoke, at least do it outside.

As for getting rid of the smell, there are a few simple ways to do it. Unbeknownst to most people, vinegar is very good at absorbing odors, and if you fill a couple bowls with vinegar and place them around the house for a few days your home will smell much better than it did before, although it may take a little while for scent of vinegar to go away.

Laundry Detergent

The following can be said about many household products, but you want to be especially careful about laundry detergents since you absorb a lot of things through your skin. Harmful ingredients include but are not limited to chlorine, sulfuric acid, formaldehyde, and phenol.

Nearly every product on the shelves at major retailers like Wal-Mart will contain some harmful ingredient or another, so the best option is to look for alternatives at a healthfood store or use vinegar as a substitute. Although it may sound like an old wive's tale, vinegar is useful for a number of things thanks to its bacteria killing properties, and it's just as good at removing odors or cleaning grimy surfaces as many of the expensive chemical concoctions marketed by corporations.

If it's used in place of detergent it even softens fabric, eliminating the need for a separate product altogether. Your clothes will also come out smelling fresher than you'd probably expect given vinegar's strong scent; it meshes perfectly with whatever scents you wear on a day-to-day basis. Just make sure to use natural products since nearly all commercial deodorant contains harmful elements, the worst of which is probably the aluminum they put in antiperspirants. It's linked to Alzheimer's, and preventing your body from sweating isn't a good idea, either.


Vinegar may well be the holy grail of home products, but it can't cleanse every toxin. Modern life is filled with products that aren't fit for human use or consumption that make it into our homes anyway, and the only solution is to be constantly vigilant. Just make sure not to become paranoid. Nobody's out to get you; corporations are just lazy and greedy, and they'll cut corners wherever they can. The general rule of thumb is to make things yourself whenever you can, and if you're looking at a big-ticket purchase like a house, make sure to research the materials that are currently in use so you can get the best bang for your buck both in terms of the quality of your home and your health.

Candles in Interior Design - Interior design Tips

Candles in interior design create a perfect homely atmosphere, providing the required ambience not only in the bedroom but the living area as well. Usage of candles for interior design purposes provides an adorable romantic atmosphere in a room, as the aromatic scents and flickering lights bring life and satiated passions. Candles offer that much needed dramatic impact that gives any room an inviting and cozy look. Candles have a visual appeal that sets the right mood of romance, holistic wellness and luxury.

With candles, the aesthetics of a room and décor are perfectly complemented. With only flickers from restrained light, large spaces are lighted up. Unique candle choices within glass, metal, wrought iron or wicker give a room some perfect sense of elegance and style. The kinds of aroma they release symbolize the personality the owner of the home would like to be seen. Using lime and vanilla essences makes the candles in interior design to provide an ambience that reminds one of the countryside, while flowery and musky scents help one to conjure senses of style and romance.

Using candles for décor purposes is carried out whether one is operating under a limited budget or not. With just a few dollars, you will find aromatic candles, hardly expensive in favorite online outlets. The different decorative designs are highly recommended since they offer one a chance to choose the best. You could choose scented, decorative column, totem or pillar types of candles.

Candles are very rich in history since they have been in use for thousands of years. They have been utilized in emergency lighting purposes but currently, they are making their mark as highly decorative tools the entire family can use. Candle making is not a hard thing, since the only needed ingredients are very basic, including the equipment and tools. You will find so many candle types, yet the fundamental candle making process is the same.

As you make unique candles for interior design and décor purposes, many making techniques can be harnessed to come up with the best, stylish pieces. To perfect the candles, you might need to have carried out a lot of testing and experiments. If you are a beginner, keep track of your work output so that the same mistakes can be avoided in future. However, you need to remember or keep a log on the sources of materials used in the candle making venture. This is usually stated on the material containers, pigments, dyes, wick holders, wicks, fragrances and wax.

If you are making candles for commercial purposes, you will need to do test-runs, a very important part of the process. If the candles are for your home or personal use, a test-run is not necessary but it is important. Market testing is important if the intention of making candles was selling. You can test the candles to friends or neighbors and request some feedback for quality control purposes. Let them comment on pricing, look, scent and color before the candles in interior design are delivered to stores and other market outlets.

Current Trends In Garage Doors Design

Nowadays the choice of garage doors is so wide that many people don't have time to explore every option but just go for the cheapest or the best looking doors. But there is more to it. In terms of functionality, quality and even statement they make there is a big difference among the available options. As it is the case with other doors, garage doors show certain trends that are being set by both buyers and manufacturers. Here is the overview of some of the best sellers at the moment.
 

First off we have the wood-lookalike doors. They may look like wood, but these doors are made from steel, aluminum, melamine and other composites. The great thing about these doors is the only mainenace you may have is to take your hose and spray them down. This is quite a bit different then the actual wood door. No more sanding and repainting every 2 years. Plus the cost of the wood-lookalike doors is a fraction of the price.

Another trend in the garage doors is the composite doors which are made up from steel or melamine. These doors are selling at a little bit of a higher price tag like a wood door, but the benefit of this is they won't crack, split, rust, or dent. Again no maintenance on these either.

Next we have my favorite, the energy-efficient doors. I'm a sucker for anything that says energy efficient and for good reason they save you money! Let's face it we have all walked into our garage in the middle of summer and immediately broke into a sweat. So, why are we putting garage doors up that are uninsulated? We put installation in the walls and ceilings, so lets do it to the door too. Also, another perk an energy-efficient products, there is a tax credit if you buy one. You can qualify for a federal tax credit up to 30 percent. However the tax credit is only good up till the end of the year. The only way to qualify for this is if the garage that it is being installed in is insulated, this is the outdoor walls. Make sure you discuss this with the dealer that sells you the garage door, so you know which models are eligible. The dealer should be able to give you a certificate that verifies your purchase.

Another look that is back is the carriage style door. These doors look like the old carriage house doors, which were basically barn doors. Now, with just one click from your remote garage door opener and you would think this door would just swing right open like a barn door, but no its like any other door they roll up overhead in tracks. They are made out of a variety of materials including wood, steel and composites. If you are wanting the look of the old school door make sure you check those out. One thing to keep in mind some homeowners associations don't allow these types of doors, so make sure you check before you buy one.
Last but not least, we have the glass doors. These are becoming very popular in the contemporary style homes. If you have a toy that you are wanting to show off then this is a perfect option. These are available in see through glass or in frosted panels. These are also double paned so they will be more energy efficient.
It turns out that choosing doors for your garage can be interesting, with so many options it is possible to select the ones that fit the look of your house as well as giving you all you need in terms of functionality and maintenance.