7 Ways to Stop Your Pipes Freezing this Winter

As winter sets in and the temperature plummets, the last thing you need is frozen pipes in your home. It's bad enough trying to cope without running water, but you could end up with a major leak that damages ceilings, flooring and furniture.

Why are frozen pipes an issue?
When pipes freeze, your supply of water might be interrupted for a while. But worse than this, a frozen pipe can split or separate at the joint. Then you could have a disaster on your hands. When water freezes, it expands. If the frozen water is inside a pipe, the expansion process either breaks the material or pushes the joints apart.

As soon as the water thaws again, it will pour out of the splits or gaps. A small amount of water can cause a lot of damage to property. Damage that is expensive to repair is stressful to deal with. Avoid all of this by reading our 7 tips for preventing frozen pipes.

7 tips for preventing frozen pipes.
1. Insulate your pipes
Lagging material for pipes is inexpensive to buy and easy to install. All the pipes in cold areas should be carefully insulated, so get to work in the attic, basement and garage. Look at where pipes enter and leave your home – if they are exposed at this point, then they should be properly insulated too.

If you’ve covered your pipes a long time ago, check them again to make sure that they are still in good order. Some insulation material perishes after a while.
2. Close down your garden
In the Fall, it’s a good idea to shut your garden down and get it ready for winter. Along with sweeping up leaves and bringing in delicate plants, spare some time to care for your pipes and faucets.

Disconnect the hose pipe and empty any trapped water before putting it away. Insulate outdoor faucets with faucet covers (these are available at DIY stores).

Cover outlets such as overflow pipes or heating drain. It’s all part of winter preparation for the home. Here are some other seasonal tips to consider too.
3. Seal gaps and cracks
Take a close look around the areas where pipes come into the property. You may find there is a gap where freezing air gets in. Check the area where the walls meet the foundations, there might be a gap that shouldn’t be there.

These openings can cause cold spots that might freeze any pipes nearby. You’ll find several products on sale that will help you seal gaps, most of these chores can be completed by a DIYer.
4. Get your plumbing updated
If you have an older house or know that some issues need attention, you should get things sorted before winter. Some of these jobs should be looked at by a plumber.

Getting these niggling jobs completed now can prevent you from suffering from a failed water supply, frozen pipes, or leaks when you need them least.
5. Set your thermostat
Although it’s tempting to turn the heating off to save money, it could be a false economy if you end up with frozen pipes. Instead, when it’s frosty outside, keep the heating on most of the day and night but with the thermostat on low.

A steady warmth will stop pipes from getting cold enough to freeze. This is a top tip if you’re going away for a few days. Leave the heating system on, but turn the temperature down to around 55 degrees F. Ensure that you have an adequate boiler in place, otherwise having a boiler replacement might be on the cards.
6. Let the warm airflow
If you know you have pipes in some of the coldest parts of the home, make sure those spaces get a warm flow of air daily. Regularly open doors to the basement, leave cabinets ajar, undo the attic hatch and unlock spare rooms. Do this on the coldest days to circulate a little heat around the whole building.
7. Leave a faucet dripping
This tip is controversial! Some swear by it and others say it doesn’t work but if you leave one faucet dripping all the time, the water inside your pipes is constantly moving. Running water doesn’t freeze, so this makes a degree of sense.
A final note
It isn’t too difficult to stop your pipes from freezing in the winter. It just takes a bit of preparation and a small budget. Using the tips above, you can prevent leaks and the devastating damage a burst pipe can cause.
If you find you have a frozen pipe, what should you do? First of all, before you attempt to thaw it out, locate your shut-off valve and isolate the water supply. You never know how much harm has been done to the hidden plumbing, so you might want to call in a professional before matters get worse.

Clever Ways to Organize Your Kitchen Drawers

In recent years, it has become increasingly necessary to keep kitchen drawers organized, as many prefer to keep their dishes and cookware in drawers rather than cabinets. Drawers are an essential part of any kitchen, but they are especially important in a small kitchen when space is at a premium. You can have them made to fit your specific requirements, making it easier to find what you need in the kitchen without having to rummage around in cluttered cupboards. Having a smart kitchen drawer organization system and smart storage is important if you want your kitchen to be not only useful but also a pleasant and family-friendly place to spend time cooking and cleaning.  Let’s go over some clever ways to organize your kitchen drawers.

Take everything out of the drawers

You should start by emptying your kitchen drawers if you want to get things in order. After that, separate everything into three piles:

1. Give

2. Keep

3. Trash

Toss out everything you don't need, anything missing a part (hello, Tupperware), or anything broken. Your findings will astound you.

Now is the perfect time to evaluate the value of that extra piece of cookware eating up precious cabinet space. As you clean out your kitchen cabinets, you may be shocked by the number of duplicate items. Try to keep only the necessary ones and give the rest to charity. 

Place regularly used items in convenient locations

In order to organize your kitchen drawers, you should find a spot for everything and stick to it. Drawers for storing things can be made unusually deep to conceal a lot of clutter, but this doesn't necessarily make them easier to use. Using your nonstick frying pan is inconvenient if it's always buried under a stack of five other pots and pans. Be sure to give your most important possessions their own space.

Use corkboard tiles to prevent your cutlery from sliding around

It's a good idea to invest in some corkboard tiles (which you can cut to size if need be) to line the bottom of a large drawer in your kitchen that contains a wide variety of utensils to prevent the utensils from sliding around every time the drawer is opened and closed.

Magnets with some contact paper can also hold metal cookware in place. Use double-sided tape to secure the magnet inside the drawer. Now every time you open your drawer, your knives, and other metal implements will stay in place. To further strengthen the safety of your cutlery drawer, you can attach a magnet to a piece of cardboard and use it to cover the cutting edge of your knives. With the magnet's help, it'll stay put, yet it's still within easy reach. However, when packing sharp objects, like knives, you should use protective materials. This might be especially helpful if your kids are old enough to use the utensil drawers alone. 

Install turntables in your cabinetry

Turntables in the kitchen are an invaluable tool for optimizing the use of restricted floor space and helping you organize your kitchen drawers. They are one of the best tools to help you be more organized. You can use them to arrange your spice collection or to locate that one bottle of spicy sauce that is perfect for your tastes. In a similar vein, you may make use of them to organize and neatly store oil bottles in the kitchen cabinet that is situated directly next to the range. 

Use magnets to create a rack for your spices

To create a spice rack, you can install a sheet of magnetic tin inside your kitchen cabinet. The magnet's pulling power should be sufficient to hold some metal in place. Even though magnetic racks are a common sight on the inside and back of the fridge, you shouldn't use them to arrange the contents of your pantry.

Keep your pots and pans in deep drawers

If you use your pots and pans frequently, it is far more convenient to have them all in one easily accessible location, such as a deep drawer, rather than scattered across many cabinets. The graduated drawer units are perfect for storing your lids in the shallow top drawers and your pots and pans in the deep bottom drawers.

When you open and close the drawer, stacked pots and pans can scratch and rattle against one another. Putting a pan rack inside a drawer can address the problem, giving you more room to store and retrieve your cookware. A kitchen designer can help you decide between vertical and horizontal layouts and more unique choices. You can purchase pan guards to line the bottom of the drawer if you decide to stack, which will avoid scratches.

Extend the existing shelves by adding more of them

Adding on to the space that you already have is the most effective method for organizing and creating additional room for kitchen appliances. If you want to keep things in order, you should make good use of the available vertical storage space for kitchen appliances. If you want to keep things in order, you should use the available vertical space. Similarly, if you require additional vertical space while still desiring to preserve order, you may add more shelves to your existing shelves.

Try rolling your kitchen towels 

If it can survive in hotel rooms, it can survive in your kitchen drawer. To avoid spreading germs to the rest of your towels and to organize your kitchen drawers, roll them up instead of folding them. Towels are bulkier and more awkward to wiggle out from the top of a pile and tuck away under a drawer. Troublesome jams in drawers are now a thing of the past.

How to Get Organized When You Have ADHD

Becoming and keeping organized probably isn't high on anyone's list of things to accomplish unless you're a professional organizer. But, it may be incredibly challenging for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. All the confusion and fuss in your head will make it way more difficult to keep your obligations at bay and still have some quality time for yourself. The good news is that this does not automatically rule out the possibility. Here's how to get organized when you have ADHD.

Learn to accept your chaos

First things first. In order to even begin to think about improving your organization, you need to accept your condition to the fullest. It's easy for people with no ADHD to talk about healthy habits and make lists. But, when your brain is wired differently, general rules don't apply. Yes, we can talk about making lists and setting goals, but all of that needs to be adapted to your situation. You can't really begin to think about organizing stuff in your bathroom while denying the chaos in your head. When surrounded by chaos, you need to learn to swim in it to improve, not run away and deny its existence.

Accepting that your terms of living are way more challenging for establishing any organization is tough. But it's the only way that you can make any progress. When you suppress yourself, you can only make everything worse.

Seek professional help

If you haven't seen a mental health specialist because of your ADHD, it's a good idea to come to at least one session to consult about your organizational problems specifically. Why is that?

We can give you some general guidelines, but everyone's head is different because everyone's chaos is different. Only an experienced professional can give you a recipe to follow to solve the part of your problem. A one-on-one session will reveal what path is the best for you to follow according to your personal traits.

ADHD is a health condition and should be taken seriously 

Don't forget that this is, in fact, a diagnosis and that you shouldn't take it lightly. Now you might have a problem with the organization and other skills. But, if untreated, it can escalate to severe measures. Did you know that ADHD is strongly connected to substance abuse? The chaos in the head makes it unbearable to live without chemical additives for some people, and if they avoid going to a health professional, they often give in to drugs or alcohol. Addiction recovery experts at archstonerecovery.com suggest that the best cure is prevention, and one of the best preventions is going to a therapist on time.

Limit how long you have to make a choice

People with ADHD may take days to make choices others complete in seconds. Quicken the process by establishing a deadline or financial limit. This will keep the focus and help you get organized when you have ADHD. For example, suppose you're picking a summer camp for your kid. Give yourself a deadline and do everything you can to settle on a program before then. If shopping for a new phone, choose a maximum pricing point and only consider phones within that range. Or, if you're planning on executing roof repairs, put on paper all the expenses in advance and give yourself a deadline.

Before making a choice, it's vital to zero in on what matters most to you, whether that's cost, ease of use, aesthetics, functionality, or something else. Don't consider anything else except that in making your choice.

Resist the need to overcommit

Whenever you take on a new responsibility, it's important to release an old one. For example, if you want to help out with school fundraising, you'll have to step down from your position on the neighborhood watch. Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder sometimes try to do too much. In order to make a proficient organization, that's the spot to target.

Support groups can help

The benefits of support groups extend beyond simple consolation. When it's time to do the dull stuff, like taxes or paperwork, the members may gather together online. One by one, everyone gets up from their desks, works on the project for 15 minutes, and then checks their DMs to share jokes, vent, and celebrate successes. Having a support group can be a crucial part of the healing process if you have any additional problems, such as substance abuse. When you have a long-term recovery plan, people around you can help you stay motivated and focused after substance abuse recovery.

Say farewell to long lists

Create an index card with no more than five activities written in prominent, bold characters. You may then place any more information on the reverse of the card. When you've finished those five items, use the instructions on the reverse of the card to make a new to-do list and then throw away the old one. It's a good hack for organizing essential things in your life, simple and not-so-simple ones. For example, it can be suitable for organizing your apartment or for big tasks with a long-term effect. There are so many benefits:

• your output will increase

• your mood will stabilize

• your time management skills will improve

Is it possible to get organized when you have ADHD?

It might seem unlogical and impossible to use the words "organized" and "ADHD" in one sentence and make it make sense. But, if you follow our advice, you can get organized when you have ADHD. Of course, don't put a lot of pressure on yourself, as it won't be the kind of organization you see in magazines or people with OCD. But it will surely improve that part of you, and that useful skill will help you live your life easier.

5 Easy Ways to Organize Your Dog’s Supplies

Having a dog is like having a furry family member—they bring so much joy, love and activity into your life. However, even though they are often less messy than your spouse or your kids, dogs require a lot of supplies if you want to have a clean, healthy and happy pup. So where do you put all the food, bowls, brushes and toys to avoid clutter in your home? Well, here are a few organizational tricks and tips for a clean home and well-supplied dog:

Create a shelf or drawer for walking supplies

Dogs need daily walks, even those that live in a very big yard. And all responsible dog owners use proper collars and other things when going for a walk. For the most practical approach to walkies, it’s best to dedicate some space in your hallway for collars, harnesses, leashes and muzzles. You can dedicate one hook in your hanger for your dog’s walking supplies or dedicate one drawer in the hallway closet or console. This way, you can quickly grab everything you need before stepping outside with your pup and putting all items in their place when returning home.

Create a feeding station

Breakfast and dinner are most dogs’ favorite times of the day. If your dog is also obsessed with food and snacks, make sure to provide them with a nice experience while keeping your house free of dog food. If you have a free floor cabinet in your kitchen, place a plastic container with a well-sealing lid and keep all the food in there instead of leaving it in a big bag. If there’s a drawer above the cabinet, use it for doggy treats and vitamins. When you get healthy dog treats, they smell nice, come in practical packaging that fits nicely in any drawer and can be sealed well. Still, when you keep the baggies in the drawer, your dog’s food will stay fresh for longer and you won’t notice any smells in your kitchen.

Owners who use an elevated feeder can designate space under the bowl for storing the food in a nice and stylish way. When doing the feeding, make sure to place the bowl on a special feeding mat that will prevent the bowl from sliding around and catch any spills.

Handle bathing supplies

Dogs might not be thrilled about baths, but these are necessary for their health and the cleanliness of your home. It might not be the most hygienic to give your pup baths in your family bathroom, so it’s a great idea to create a separate bath in the laundry room or mud room. A simple elevated bath with a shower is super practical and will leave your home free of bath-time mess. Above the bath, put up a simple floating shelf where you can keep all the brushes, trimmers, shampoos, detangling sprays and doggy colognes. Both laundry rooms and mud rooms are usually covered in tiles, so they are easy to clean, making them a perfect location for bathing your dog and storing bathing necessities.

Prevent toy mess

It’s hard to resist getting your dog a new toy whenever you go to your local pet center, so your pup most likely has dozens of plushies, chew toys and enrichment toys. And while it’s fun to watch your dog play with their fun entertainment, they never pick up their mess. Because you have to go after your pup when cleaning up, at least make sure to provide yourself with easy pickup and seamless storing. If your dog can roam around the house freely, put one little box in every room, so you can quickly store toys lying on the floor. It’s best to get a box without a lid, so the puppy can dig around and help themselves to their toys. With this system, you’ll easily get to see which toys are the most popular in your household. Those at the top are the favorites and those at the bottom are rarely used and can be donated to your local animal shelter.

Don’t forget about the medication

Unfortunately, our pets sometimes get sick, no matter how much we try to keep them healthy and fit. When that happens, dogs get prescription medication that needs to be taken throughout the day. Many of these meds need to be kept in a cool and dark place and away from the reach of kids, so keeping them on the kitchen counter is out of the question. The best thing you can do is dedicate one drawer in your bathroom or kitchen to store all the pet medication. This is also a great spot for your pet’s paperwork. If your drawer has an insert for easy organizing, use the space under it to keep all the paperwork together and in a safe and dry place.

It’s amazing just how many things our pets require. It’s easy for dog supplies to take over your house, so make sure to follow these organizing tips and keep all the puppy stuff under control. 

Reward your furry friend with their favorite freshly made dog food. Making sure their bellies are filled enough can help them stay off the furniture, not beg at the table, or not get into the trash. It can also be a helpful tool to redirect their attention away from something they shouldn't be doing, like chewing on a shoe or digging in the dirt. Choose a high-quality, nutritious meal that aligns with your dog's specific dietary needs.