CasaSugar

How-To: Stay Safe During a Wildfire

CasaSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:00:24 -0700

Since the breakout of the August wildfires north of Los Angeles, at least 53 buildings have been destroyed, and 4,300 people have been evacuated. As of this writing, more than 12,000 homes are under threat.

While some families have been reluctant to leave their homes, in the end, your home is just a house. It's the nonmaterial things you fill it with - namely your family, pets, and memories - that make it truly a home. This is why I urge readers to listen to firefighters' warnings, and to leave their homes if a mandatory evacuation is issued. Your life is much more important than any piece of property, no matter how much you love it.

Want to know how to protect your family and your home from a wildfire? Check out these smart pointers from the City of Napa, CA's fire safety page:

Maintain a "defensible" space around your home by clearing all flammable vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around all structures.
Clear dead leaves and branches to leave widely spaced ornamental shrubbery and trees.
Clean all needles and leaves from the roof, eaves, rain gutters, and yard.
Trim tree limbs within 10 feet of your chimney and trim all dead limbs hanging over your house or garage.
Cover your chimney outlet or flue with a spark arresting half-inch mesh screen.

To see the rest of the tips, read more.

Make sure your address is clearly visible for easy identification in an emergency.
Check to see if a fire hydrant is located near your home. If not, you should have a water storage supply of at least 2,500 gallons for use in an emergency situation.
Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from buildings, fences, and other combustible materials.
Clear all vegetation and other flammable materials from beneath your deck. Enclose undersides of elevated decks with fire-resistive materials.
Remove "ladder fuels." They link the grasses and the tree tops.
Create "fuel breaks" - these can be driveways, gravel walkways, or well-maintained lawns.
Maintain your irrigation system regularly.
Prune tree limbs so the lowest is between 6-10 feet from the ground.
Dispose of cuttings and debris promptly, according to local regulations.
Keep at least two means of escape (either a door or window) in each room.
Mark your driveway and access roads clearly.
Keep ample turnaround space near your house for fire equipment.
Prevent sparks from entering your house by covering vents with wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch.
When possible, use construction materials that are fire resistant or noncombustible.

Do You Ever Place Candles on Your Stairs or Floor?

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:30:26 -0700

I love how utterly romantic this image is. It's straight out of a romantic foreign film. Practically, though, I'd worry about fire hazards associated with having candles within kicking distance.

Source

Cool Idea: Fire Design Extinguishers

CasaSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:30:25 -0700

We build our homes - and fill them to the brim - through design. So, it only makes sense that we should save them, and salvage all of our beloved possessions, through good design as well. French company Fire Design has created a range of embellished fire extinguishers to make the most of a necessity that's long been hidden under the kitchen sink.Depending on your preferences, you can choose an extinguisher that will blend in with your decor, or one that will become a focal point - in a good way. Would you prefer stainless steel to match your new Viking kitchen appliances? A flower motif to lighten the mood? A cow pattern to give your guests a laugh? Or would a taxi-cab yellow I ♥ NY motif show your solidarity? It's up to you! Think of Fire Design as the SIGG bottle of the security apparatus industry. Get yours online here for $133.

How-To: Protect Your Family and Home From a Wildfire

CasaSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:30:12 -0700

As most of you probably know, California has been ravaged by fires this Summer. As I write this, one of my friends awaits evacuation notice at her Southern California home, and several others are keeping a close watch on fire patterns in their area. Fire scares me - it is erratic and unpredictable and frighteningly fast. And while I can understand why some homeowners are reluctant to leave their homes, in the end, your home is just a house. It's the nonmaterial things you fill it with - namely your family, pets, and memories - that make it truly a home. This is why I urge readers to listen to firefighters' warnings, and to leave their homes if a mandatory evacuation is issued. Your life is much more important than any piece of property, no matter how much you love it.

Here are some smart pointers from the City of Napa, California's fire safety page:

Maintain a "defensible" space around your home by clearing all flammable vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around all structures.
Clear dead leaves and branches to leave widely spaced ornamental shrubbery and trees.
Clean all needles and leaves from the roof, eaves, rain gutters, and yard.
Trim tree limbs within 10 feet of your chimney and trim all dead limbs hanging over your house or garage.
Cover your chimney outlet or flue with a spark arresting half-inch mesh screen.

To see the rest of the tips, read more.

Make sure your address is clearly visible for easy identification in an emergency.
Check to see if a fire hydrant is located near your home. If not, you should have a water storage supply of at least 2,500 gallons for use in an emergency situation.
Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from buildings, fences, and other combustible materials.
Clear all vegetation and other flammable materials from beneath your deck. Enclose undersides of elevated decks with fire-resistive materials.
Remove "ladder fuels." They link the grasses and the tree tops.
Create "fuel breaks - these can be driveways, gravel walkways, or well-maintained lawns.
Maintain your irrigation system regularly.
Prune tree limbs so the lowest is between 6-10 feet from the ground.
Dispose of cuttings and debris promptly, according to local regulations.
Keep at least two means of escape (either a door or window) in each room.
Mark your driveway and access roads clearly.
Keep ample turnaround space near your house for fire equipment.
Prevent sparks from entering your house by covering vents with wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch.
When possible, use construction materials that are fire resistant or noncombustible.

Source

How-To: Make Your Fireplace More Efficient

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:00:45 -0800

With energy costs going through the roof these days, many of us will be resorting to our fireplaces to keep us warm, in addition to offering up ambient lighting. But unfortunately, it's very likely that your fireplace hasn't been honest with you. In addition to radiating heat while it's burning, it has also been seeing someone else: generating a current that can send conditioned air out the chimney, and effectively out of your room. And, when those logs aren't burning, your fireplace's damper should block inside air from heading outside, and vice versa. Unfortunately, modern technology has not worked in favor of the damper, and it's actually quite inefficient. So, you'll need to follow a few tips to maximize your fireplace's efficiency . . . otherwise you'll be turning up that thermostat. And we all know that's not budget beautiful. To hear my fireplace efficiency tips, read more.

Ditch the throat damper on your fireplace in favor of a top sealing damper. It'll keep indoor air from escaping and outdoor air from entering, year-round.
Although the look of fireplace glass doors is not everyone's style, they really maximize your fireplace's efficiency. By creating a barrier between the chimney and your room, they will cut back the amount of area that your furnace has to heat. They also create a safety barrier between yourselves (especially children and pets) and the flames.
Install a fireback on the back of your fireplace. It absorbs the fire's heat and sends it back into the room, and it prevents the back wall from damage from the fire.
Pick up a fireplace heater, which will heat the room's fresh air by pulling it in and sending it through a fire-heated chamber, without creating smoke.

Hope that helps keep you warm this season!
Source

Cool Idea: Instant Photo Frame

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:00:51 -0700

Sherwood Forlee is the New York-based design engineer who created the HomeHero Fire Extinguisher, the winner of the 2007 IDSA Gold Award and a much blogged about home-safety item. But, Forlee's forté isn't only in saving lives, he also rescues photos. With framing costs high and limited space in our homes, many of our photos get thrown by the way side, never seeing the light of frame. With his Instant Photo Frame though, Forlee has made it possible to frame every photograph we take. By downloading this frame for free, cutting out its interior, and placing it in front of your camera before you take your photo, you'll have an instant (and free) frame for every photo you snap. To see how it works, read more.

Source

How-To: Multitasking With Baking Soda

CasaSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:00:46 -0700

Baking soda doesn't just keep your fridge smelling fresh. It has oodles of uses around your house. You might know some of them already, but I bet you don't know all of them. Check out my top 10 favorite uses for baking soda below.

Safety first! Keep a box of baking soda by the stove. If you have a grease or electrical fire, toss handfuls of baking soda on it to extinguish.
Do you have marble-topped tables or furniture? Then clean it with baking soda. Mix three tablespoons in a quart of warm water, wipe it on the marble, let stand, and then rinse.
To get your laundry sparkling clean, add 1/2 cup baking soda to your washing machine load.
Get your garbage cans smelling fresh by washing them with baking soda.

Curious about the rest? Then read more.

Do you have Formica counter tops in your kitchen? Wipe them down with baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge.
To get odors and stains out of your coffee maker, run it through its cycle with a baking soda solution. Rinse.
Encourage free-flowing kitchen and bathroom drains by running four tablespoons of baking soda through them once a week. Just drop in the baking soda, then follow it with hot water.
Are you a pup person? Get that doggy smell out of your carpets or rugs with baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, let it sit for half an hour or more, and then vacuum it up.
You can also get your whole house smelling fresh by adding baking soda to your vacuum cleaner bag.
Scrub down all of your bathroom fixtures with baking soda on a damp sponge. It acts as a mild abrasive, and gets fixtures shiny.

Source

How To: Make a Last-Minute Outdoor Fireplace

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:15:33 -0800

One fun aspect to Winter house parties is adding an outdoor element to the festivities. For instance, at a party we threw last weekend, we realized that most of the guests would probably want to spend some time outside. Given that the temperatures were dipping into the high 30s, though, we knew they'd also want to have some source of heat. Lacking a chiminea and unwilling to purchase one without thoroughly researching it first, we decided to DIY a last-minute solution.

To find out how we did it, just read more.

We were able to purchase a steel wash tub for well under $40. With that and some kindling, we were able to keep our guests cozy and happy under a blanket of winter stars. A cheap, easy solution indeed!

Remember though, for safety's sake, to mount your tub on either concrete blocks or bricks and to keep it within a safe distance from any structure. This thing cranks the heat, so make sure tipsy guests don't get too close and burn themselves. Also, keep either a bag of sand or a generous supply of water on hand. Fires are festive, but don't let the festivity get out of control!