HomeXpert 4C Winter 2011 by Hudson Ink

Inside This Issue:

Yawner Alert: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Keeping Remodeling Costs Under Control

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Homexpert

Smart and simple ways to enrich your home living

Winter 2011 $3.00

MyWord

Illuminate the Darker Winter Days Ahead

he new standards have been in the works for a while. Light bulbs were the subject of Congressional attention back in 2007, and the energy act that President Bush signed into law then has some elements coming to fruition now. The result is that common light bulbs sold in the U.S. will be using about 25% to 80% less energy.

learn a new word as you do: lumens. Lumens measure how much light you are getting from a bulb. More lumens means it’s a brighter light; fewer lumens means it’s a dimmer light. To shift from looking for watts to lumens, here’s what the DOE recommends: • To

replace a 100-watt incandescent bulb, look for a bulb that gives you about 1600 lumens.

The upside is that the newer bulbs save energy dollars, and many of them will last much longer than traditional light bulbs. The first thing to go will be the traditional 100-watt incandescent bulbs. They won’t meet the standards, effective January 1, 2012. New standards will also be phased in for the traditional 75-watt incandescent bulbs, effective January 1, 2013, and for the traditional 40and 60-watt incandescent bulbs, effective January 1, 2014. You’ll have options for replacing these bulbs, but you’ll want to

• Replace a 75-watt bulb with an energysaving bulb that gives you about 1100 lumens. •

Replace a 60-watt bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 800 lumens.

•

Replace a 40-watt bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 450 lumens.

Shouldn’t be too hard, but if any of this talk of “lighting changes” has you thinking about changing your lighting fixtures, give us a call and let’s talk. Your Quick Call Comfort Hotline:

By <Name> Dear Friends,

OPTIONAL: YOUR PHOTO HERE

I trust this season finds you well and enjoying life. You could think of this as a time when a lot of people are living by the motto: “Do your best with what you have.” You can see that, in a sense, with the increase in remodeling projects across the country. It seems that many homeowners are opting to make improvements to where they are living now, instead of putting their home on the market. So if you’ve been looking around your home and wondering what you can do to add comfort and value, we’d be glad to talk with you about ways we can help. Even if you’re planning to tackle many of these projects on your own, for the sake of your safety, working with your electrical wiring should always be done by a trained professional. continued on page 4

HealthWise Yawner Alert: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

leep, for many people, is so natural and desired that you’d almost wonder why anybody needed tips on how to do it better. Yet the quality of your sleep matters. Sound sleep takes us through many stages that will enable our bodies to feel rested and energetic. If we skip some of those stages, we don’t wake rested. Quantity also counts. Adults tend to need 7 to 8 hours. Preschool children could need 11 to 12 hours. Skimping on the amounts our bodies require makes it tough to focus and slows response time.

at the same time each day – even weekends.

indigestion from that full feeling, and drinking beverages late can prompt late-night bathroom breaks.

• Don’t exercise late in the day – no later than 2–3 hours before your bedtime. • Don’t take naps after 3 p.m. – it’s harder to fall asleep later. • If possible, avoid medicines that disrupt sleep. • Unwind before bed with a relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music. Or take a hot bath.

• Avoid caffeine and nicotine. These are stimulants, and they affect sleep.

So how can you sleep better? The National Institutes for Health offers several tips, including:

• Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed. Though they can make you sleepy, it’s a lighter sleep that doesn’t produce best quality.

• Stick to a sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up

• Avoid large meals and beverages late at night. You can get

• Don’t lie in bed awake. If you’re still awake after 20 minutes, get up and do a relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. • If you consistently have trouble sleeping, or are consistently tired and not well rested during the day despite a good sleep schedule, see a doctor or sleep specialist. You could have a sleep disorder.

homefront Keeping Remodeling Costs Under Control

hen making plans to remodel your home, your eyes can get as big as a kid in a candy store when you see all the stunning home improvement options. How do you create more home value while sticking to a budget? The National Kitchen and Bath Association offers simple guidelines for keeping costs under control: • Differentiate between “need” and “want.” What are your must-have items? What can you

do without? Start with major appliances. That’s the biggest cost. • Make a top ten list. Use that to determine what needs to be replaced now, and what can be taken care of later. • Resist temptation. Know what you need, research the prices on your list, and keep away from the temptation of spending outside your range. • Get a quote. It should involve a full survey of the

project in your home, and make sure it’s thorough to avoid misunderstandings. • Double-check the products for quality. In a showroom or the home of a friend or acquaintance, get a first-hand look at the products you’re planning to install. • Keep track of payments. Get a clearly defined payment schedule, preferably with installations. You don’t want to pay in full until delivery.

homewise Has Your Home Been Collecting Strange Smells?

f your home has been closed up for a few months to keep warm air in and cold air out, you may have accumulated a number of smells. They’ll usually have logical causes, as long as you follow the scent. Open the windows, if weather permits. Keep things clean as best you can. And there are other ways to freshen the air.

Got sour milk? Keep an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to reduce odor. Check your refrigerator for outdated, moldy, sour, or just plain gross items. And don’t forget to take out the trash! No telling what’s in that can.

What’s cooking? Cooking aromas may be delightful as the pots are being stirred. But when it’s done and the dishes are cleared away – not so much. For potent aromas, like cabbage or fish, fill small bowls of white vinegar and place them near the stove. Or, you could place a pan of vinegar on the stove and let it simmer. Vinegar is a wonder substance for the household, and one of its perks is that it absorbs odor. If you’ve been slicing or chopping garlic and onion with stainless utensils, you can wipe them with lemon juice – and your hands, too!

flaps. You can also drop lemon rinds for the disposal to churn, then flush with hot tap water.

Contain bathroom culprits. Good news: vinegar is useful for the toilet too. Just pour a cup in the bowl, let it stand for a few minutes, then scrub and flush. You could also light a candle. Or light a match and let it burn for a second or two. Also, keep the drain clear and running freely – any debris that collects in your drain can collect odor too.

Is there something more serious at work? Run hot water. To reduce kitchen drain odors, run hot tap water down the drain daily. Every week, sprinkle with baking soda first – or pour a cup of vinegar and let it stand for a half hour – then rinse with hot water. For the disposal, use a household cleaner and scrub the

If you’ve got a musty, stale smell in your house, that could be the scent of a plumbing leak and mold growth. While most of the smells we’ve mentioned are merely unpleasant, you should respond immediately to the smell of danger, including gas leaks and smoke, by leaving the home and calling for help.

Did You Know?

• In 30 minutes, the average body gives off enough heat (combined) to bring a half gallon of water to boil.

This space can be used for trivia, recipes or for anything special you’d like to furnish.

• There are no ants in Iceland, Antarctica, and Greenland.

• You Because heatuse expands the metal, theaEiffel Towerand always leans away from the to sun. can also this space to put QR Code direct your customers a web portal

Ink can create andstretches host. This host an online-only article, informational • Hudson, The University of Alaska overportal 4 timecan zones.

video, answers to trivia questions, online coupons and links to your website to build web traffic and help your SEO.

• There was once an undersea post office in the Bahamas.

• There is more real lemon juice in Lemon Pledge furniture polish than in Country Time Lemonade.

<SIGNATURE> <NAME> P.S. Please use the coupons in this newsletter for helpful savings for yourself – or share them with a friend!

Good for Nothing That’s what many things you get in the mail are worth, but not this…

Just present this ad with your next repair bill, and we’ll give you $25 dollars off. Why? Because when you need a repair on your electrical system, you’re already not having a good day. We understand and would like to make things a little easier on your wallet. Of course, the best benefit is that our repair professionals can get your system up and running as soon as possible. And that’s good for a lot. Call <COMPANY> at <PHONE>. ©2011

Dim Lighting Isn’t Always Romantic se fo th r a is pa ad, ck on ag e e of of y ot ou he r o rs w am n, o pl r c e a ad ll s. us

Sincerely,

So pass our name along to the people you care about – we care about their comfort as much as you do. And to say thanks, we’ll gladly take $20 off your next service for each referral you send our way. Just call <Company> at <phone> and let us know you’re sending another friendly face our way.

Especially when it turns into a full blackout. Stumbling, tripping, worrying about food in the refrigerator – there isn’t anything convenient about the power going out. Of course, with a backup plan there’s no need for an interruption to your busy schedule. A home generator gives you security and peace of mind no matter what’s going on with the electrical grid. So call us at <Phone> to get the generator solution that’s right for you. U

Look forward to seeing you soon.

se fo th r a is pa ad, ck on ag e e of of y ot ou he r o rs w am n, o pl r c e a ad ll s. us

HomePoints Chilly days have meant Switching one many days incandescent for a CFL saves $35 in indoors, but energy costs over the we’re always projected 10-year life glad to get of the bulb. out and see friends! So don’t hesitate to let us hear from you. In fact, you can think of us as living by the motto: “We want to do our best for the people we serve.” Whatever the need is, you’ll get our best value and our best service.

Now what kind of question is that? You’d think I wasn’t raised properly. But the truth of the matter is that all of us at <Company> enjoy providing superior service and value to our customers (that’s you!). And we’d like to offer the same expertise to your friends and family. U

Hopefully your electrical system is keeping up with your family’s demands this season. But if you have any problems at all, just give us a call, and we’ll get someone out to see you right away.

Could I Borrow Several of Your Friends?

se fo th r a is pa ad, ck on ag e e of of y ot ou he r o rs w am n, o pl r c e a ad ll s. us

continued from page 1

MyWord

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