Category: Lifestyle

Moving into a new home tick all the excitement in your bones. New living room to spend your lazy days, new kitchen to cook your favorite food, new bedroom to sleep in—everything feels like a dream coming to life.

But no, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.

We all have to face the reality that your moving day can get messy and crazy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be stressful. Here’s why we’d like to offer some relief to those experiencing the joys and pains of moving.

Get your notepads ready to jot down these eight tips on how you can settle into your new home without a hitch:

Create a moving inventory

First things first, create a list. By doing so, you’ll have an inventory of the things that you should need when you move out. That includes all the stuff you will need to bring from the old house to your new place.

Checklists are heaven-sent. They are real lifesavers when it comes to all your packing needs. From your clothes to personal items to furniture, you’ll have nothing to worry about if you have that list in your hand.

Hire professional movers

Don’t do all the hard work yourself. Besides the fact that it might be too stressful for you, you are not professionally trained to handle the heavy lifting.

Let the movers do what they do best, and trust that they will take your stuff with great care.

Why is it essential that you hire professionals to manage your moving day? One, they know what they are doing. Two, you only have to hand out a couple of lists and specific instructions. And then you’ll probably spend the rest of the day waiting for updates on the status of the move.

Movers like MovingPros Sydney Removalists recognize necessary factors and adjustments during your moving day. And they will be able to troubleshoot any problems that come their way without the need to even tell you all about it unless it’s a major hiccup.

Start the packing process

The packing process may take a while, especially if you have plenty of stuff at home. Start packing early. Dedicate a couple of days (or weeks if you must) for this activity at least ahead of time before your actual moving day.

Don’t cram and squeeze all the packing a few days before your moving day. Chances are, you’ll be too exasperated at the end of the process, and you will probably forget to pack a lot of essential items.

Start with the room with the items that are hardest to pack. That way, you’ll get through the tough nut first before breezing your way into the things that can be done quickly.

Clean before moving out

Don’t forget to clean your old place after all the packing is done. It’s nice to leave it in a spick and span manner as a sign of respect to the future owners.

Ensure you leave the floor clean and dust off the surfaces, especially after moving all the furniture. The spaces underneath these big appliances might be filled with dust and dirt from years of neglect.

There’s nothing wrong with cleaning the house before you say your goodbyes to it. If you’d like to reward your landlords or the incoming residents with peace of mind, do it.

Set up the basics first

Once you’re starting to settle in your new home, the first thing that you should do is to set up the basics.

Is your water line connected? How about electricity? Is your place, internet-ready? If you answer yes to these two questions, you’re right to move to other factors you will need for your new home.

Staying on top of these necessities will give you peace of mind. Don’t let a week go by without handling all these factors.

Pack a “go” bag

Your “go” bag should be filled with essentials. Start with at least a pair of clean clothes, your medicine kit, toiletries, phone chargers, important documents, a couple of crackers and mints if you don’t have the time to buy food, and a water bottle.

This will be your lifesaver on the day of your move. Be sure to keep it in an easy-to-spot place inside your old house (by the door would be a great place to keep it) or inside your car. That way, it’s safely tucked there no matter what the time is.

Have enough food

Plan your meals. The entire process will tire you out, that’s for sure. So to be able to battle the fatigue, make sure you refuel your body now and then with healthy and nourishing food.

You will also need to have meals for your movers. You must make sure they’re all loaded with food so that they can have all the energy they need to complete the move.

You can prepare protein bars, nuts, and fruits. Don’t also forget to hydrate often!

Do a final thorough walkthrough

Before you close the doors of your old house, make sure to do another round of double-checking. You will likely have zero energy to go back to that place if you leave anything of importance behind.

You should have everything with you when you leave the area. Go through the cabinets, the closets, the drawers, and all storage areas in the house to make sure you don’t leave any behind.

Once that is settled, you can freely leave the place and look forward to the days you’ll be spending in your new home.

Eco-consciousness doesn’t require much of a radical change in your way of life. They’re more of minor adjustments. For example, you can start by approaching your household chores in an eco-conscious way.

There are several ways you can accomplish these, as listed below.

 

Make changes to your laundry routine

A simple change that you can do in your laundry routine that will help you be more eco-conscious is to stop using warm water to wash your clothes.

The energy you’re using to heat the water is unnecessary. You can still have clean laundry even if you’re using cold water to wash them.

Next time you wash your clothes, turn off your washing machine’s heating system, so it doesn’t automatically heat the water for you.

 

Dispose of all your hazardous cleaners

It is impressive how hazardous to our bodies the cleaners that we use in our homes are. There’s a reason why there are warning labels on these cleaners.

If you want to be more eco-conscious, you might want to dispose of all your hazardous cleaners. After all, if these cleaners are harmful to you, they’re going to be detrimental to the environment as well.

At Planet Maids Home Cleaning Services NYC, we use a lot of green cleaning cleaners upon request.

Green cleaning solutions are quite affordable and are more available and easy to get than one would think. Some are in the same aisle as the usual cleaning agents that you currently use.

If you’re so inclined, you can even make these cleaning solutions from home.

 

Repurpose old towels into cleaning rags

Plenty of households have a reliance on paper towels to wipe away spills and messes. However, there’s a more eco-conscious and affordable way of getting rid of spills, and these are cleaning rags.

All you need is to wash them, and then you can use them again after that.

You can also make cleaning rags out of old clothes or even towels. If you have an old towel lying around, all you need to do is cut that into little squares, and you’ve got yourself a cleaning rag.

It’s less wasteful, and you aren’t spending money all the time to replace them.

 

Switch to biodegradable cleaning materials

Besides replacing your cleaning solutions, it would help if you replace your cleaning tools with biodegradable materials.

Of course, don’t throw them out if they are still functional. Otherwise, that in itself is wasteful and not the most eco-conscious step.

However, if you need to replace them, make the switch to biodegradable cleaning materials.

There are plenty of brushes, mops, and even waste bags that are made from biodegradable alternatives. Should you ever need to throw these cleaning materials away, you won’t have to worry about adding to the mounds of trash around the world. NYC office cleaning companies like Maid Marines, use eco-friendly products.

 

Throw out your air fresheners

If you want to make your home smell good, don’t buy those air fresheners. Many better alternatives will do the job in a better way without potentially harming the environment.

Instead of air fresheners, why don’t you create your version of a potpourri at home? All you need are some herbs, cinnamon, cloves, and maybe apples and oranges.

Boiling these together creates a pleasant smell that will spread throughout your house. If you want a neutral smell, having plants around is the way to go.

 

Remove mold naturally

If you’ve removed all the harsher cleaning agents in your home, you might think that you don’t have a chance of eliminating mold and mildew.

However, there are also household items that you can use to help you dislodge them with ease. All you need to have is to let the problem areas soak with vinegar for a few hours before scrubbing.

To bring out the big guns, make water and baking soda paste and use it on those areas and start cleaning away gently.

 

Reduce water usage

To be eco-conscious also means not to use resources excessively. For example, you should reduce water usage as much as possible, including when you’re cleaning your house.

If you want to reduce the amount of water you use when cleaning your house, try and invest in effective cleaners.

There are pollutant-free cleaners out there that don’t need the help of water to work. All you need to do is spray them on your floors or other areas, and they’re good.

 

Recycle what you can

Even as a kid, we all know the 3R’s of reducing, reusing, and recycling. Let’s focus on the latter part.

There are plenty of items or trash in our home that may not be useful for their original use. Instead of throwing them away, contact your nearest recycling center and ask them which recyclable items you can send over to them.

Instead of sending your trash to landfills, you can be more proactive in your trash management by getting them recycled.

 

Over to You

Starting your eco-conscious journey by being more aware of how you manage your household chores is an approachable entry.

Of course, once you start doing the things listed above, you’ll slowly begin incorporating that in other areas of your life.

It’s a pleasant change that’s both good for you and the environment!

Playing is a vitally important part of any dog’s life. From lowering rates of canine aggression, establishing good behaviours and habits and developing motor skills, engaging your dog with stimulating and fun activities is an essential part of making him healthy, happy and fun to be around. With a wide range of eco-friendly dog products from Wild Thought, it has never been easier and more fun to keep your dog healthy whilst also caring for the planet and being eco friendly.

 

Strengthening bonds

A recent study conducted by Bristol University found that playing with your dog regularly helps to strengthen the all-important bond between canine and human. The study found that the frequency of play is likely to be an indicator of the quality of dog-owner relationships. Wild Thought’s range of eco-friendly toys offers you a myriad of responsible ways to play with your dog and strengthen that all-important relationship between man and his best friend. As they are made from natural ingredients, the toys offered by Wild Thought ensure that you can build a happy relationship with your dog whilst also maintaining a positive relationship with your environment and the world around you.

 

Motor skills

Playing with toys can also help dogs to develop their motor skills. Toys such as the Spring Fruit Treat Dispenser develop dogs’ problem-solving skills and their motor skills whilst also having a minimum impact on the environment.

 

A quiet life

More play means less whining and disobedience. Play reduces anxiety in dogs and helps to train them to be obedient. The more you play with your dog, the more you will be able to reinforce the good habits that make being a dog owner a joy. It is easy to use toys like the Natural Eco Rubber Flyer to teach your dog to fetch and return an item. This type of play offers the opportunity to reward and praise your dog, and in turn, this makes him more obedient and settled. Developing these habits early on in your relationship with your dog can save a lot of effort and upset later on.

 

Social skills

Your dog’s ability to be sociable with people and other dogs is key to happy and successful ownership. Walks become an anxiety-filled burden when your dog looks to attack every dog he meets. Making sure that your dog is calm and welcoming to your visitors is also important – not everyone enjoys being pounced upon, licked and hassled! Playing with your dog will help to make him a more sociable creature, and will encourage him to act in a socially acceptable way around other dogs and people. Being a dog owner should be fun, not stressful.

Anyone who desires to play host to a dinner party knows the importance of ensuring that the guests have a good time. After all, if a person is rumored to be a bad host, he or she may not be able to get anyone to come to the next dinner party. There are some things that hosts should know when they are planning to invite guests who are of a different culture, religion, or social practice. This article will focus on what people should know who are planning to host guests who are of the Islamic faith.

 

Tips for Serving Guests of the Islamic Faith

The first thing a host must keep in mind when serving Muslim guests is that they have a strict dietary code, which means all of the meat they consume must meet halal guidelines. Halal means that the meat used for food preparation must come from a live animal that is slaughtered through the jugular vein, windpipe, and carotid artery. The animal must also be healthy, and if the host is unsure, there are affordable halal catering services in Singapore who can supply the meat for those in the area. This is one way to avoid doing something that would insult the Muslim guests.

 

More Tips for Serving Muslim Guests

Another thing to keep in mind when serving Muslim guests is that it is not considered bad manners to ask questions about what the guests would prefer. It would be better to know of all and any restrictions that a particular guest may have. It is also not necessary to have food and drink that only the Muslims can eat if there are other dinner guests at the dinner party who are of other faiths or are not particularly religious. In addition to finding out what foods people can’t eat because of religious reasons, the host will want to know if there are restrictions because of certain illnesses or allergies.

 

More Information about Halal Foods

There are some other things people may want to know about Halal dietary guidelines, other than just the way the meat has to be prepared. There are some companies that offer Halal processed foods and products if the hosts will take the time to do the research and find the companies that offer such. In cases where Halal foods are not readily available, Muslims may be permitted to eat foods that are Kosher. As a last resort, if the choice is between eating non-Halal food or starving, they are permitted to consume the food, although they may want to eat sparingly.

 

A Final Thought about Halal Cuisine

In addition to the food being Halal, Muslims are also forbidden from using other products, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, that have been produced by non-Halal methods. Once the host has every possible difficulty removed that would prevent his or her Muslim guests from eating, then it will be certain that the dinner party will be a success. It may also worth mentioning that prior to slaughtering the animal being used in Halal-prepared foods, that the animal should be stunned to prevent it from suffering much due to its throat being slaughtered. This is only humane.