7 Easy Ways to Make Your Home Look More Expensive
Who wouldn’t like to make their home look more plush and upscale, right? Only problem is we’d like to do it without having to spending a lot of money. Here are seven ways to have a luxurious living space without the usual cost.
Put plants all over the place
Plants instantly transform the atmosphere of any room they’re put in, lending it a calming and refreshing vibe that speaks of comfort. (Even fake plants will do the trick.) Succulents and cacti are trendy today (and has the advantage of needing little care), but other plants like peace lily, bird’s nest fern, and snake plant have the additional benefit of improving air quality.
Update your light fixtures
One of the best way to modernize your home is by upgrading your lights by installing dimmer switches, which you can buy cheap at most hardware stores. For an additional touch of opulence, use modish pendant lamps (or even a refurbished chandelier) as lighting centerpieces for your living room and dining area.
Add antique pieces
Antique furniture and accessories give a sense heritage and pedigree to any room you put them in. Antique doesn’t always equate to something expensive: anything that you find in garage sales that are in good working (or displaying) condition is good enough. Your antique could be a divan or an accent chair, or small items like lamps and mirrors.
Use stylish throw pillows
For your living room, having colorful, artsy throw pillows will create a bon vivant vibe (even if you actually live a quiet and thrifty lifestyle). Placement doesn’t have to be limited to the couch: you can prop them on chairs, or place them at the center of the room in lieu of a coffee table.
Minimize clutter
Clutter makes your home look disorganized and, worse, shabby. So get rid of anything and everything that you don’t use and put items that you seldom use in a place where they won’t be seen – make exceptions of course for beautiful decorative items (but even then only display a few). Go all-out Marie Kondo on your home if you want to get the maximum effect of an expensive-looking home.
Have contrasting elements
A mix of texture and style lends your home a sophisticated energy. If you have a no-nonsense modern style décor, for example, enrich it with a choice traditional painting. Add a Turkish rug to a plain floor, use different fabrics for your throw pillows, use lighting to create light and shaded areas in every room.
Show an appreciation for art
Nothing speaks of culture and an erudite disposition like the ability to appreciate art. Now, you don’t need to display a piece by a master painter, even replicas and thrift store finds will already say that you have a rich taste and improve the look of your home. You can go for a single large statement piece or a series of smaller artworks.
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How to Care for Peace Lily Plant
Whether grown outdoors or indoors, the peace lily is a popular houseplant because of its simple but elegant blooms. They are also a popular ornament in minimalist-themed homes because of the white lily and green foliage. If you are planning to grow a peace lily, here are important things to keep in mind.
Choose the right size for your home. Indoor peace lily should be about 16 inches tall, but if you want to grow one outdoors you can find a variety that can grow up to 6 feet. They are perfect for the tropics and require minimal care, so you only need to worry about the moisture and how much sunlight it gets.
Use a peat-based mix. You need to re-pot the peace lily after you purchase it to a peat mixed with perlite. Alternatively, you can use other peat-based mixes. You can also divide the plant to grow several peace lilies.
Fertilize every two weeks. If the plant looks like it is thriving, it will not need regular fertilizing. But if you just re-potted it, fertilize the peace lily once every two weeks with a diluted liquid plant food. Then, fertilize only after every six weeks if it looks healthy.
Do not place in a cold room. Keep the temperature above 16°C all the time because they are not cold tolerant. Do not place directly in front of the air conditioner or sources of draught.
Avoid direct sunlight. Although the peace lily plant needs sunlight, remember that in its natural habitat it grows on the forest floor where it is exposed only to dappled sunlight. Direct sunlight can damage the leaves causing it to turn yellow, so place it near a window where it can still get some sunlight but is shaded from intense heat especially during the hottest times of the day.
Water frequently. The peace lily plant needs a lot of moisture but do not drown it in water. Wait for the top inch of the soil to dry slightly before watering again to keep the moisture. You can also keep the leaves moist by misting regularly to improve the humidity. Use filtered water if possible because the chemicals in tap water can cause browned leaves.
Peace lily does not need pruning. Pruning is only necessary if you want to reduce the size of the plant. Just cut the flowers and leaves that do not look healthy, but you should probably just leave it as it is.
Watch out for pests. The peace lily might have brown leaf tips if you are over-watering or over-fertilizing it. Yellowed leaves can be caused by either under-watering or overwatering. It is also prone to mealybugs and scale infestation if not cared for. Use insecticidal soap or soapy water if you see signs of pests.
Do not handle the plant unnecessarily. All the parts of the peace lily are poisonous so do not handle them when unnecessary. Keep them away from children and pets, too.
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How to Grow and Care for Air Plants for Your Home
Indoor gardens are a great way to spruce up your home and keep fresh air circulating in your HDB flat or condo unit all day long. However, maintaining an indoor garden can take some practice, skill, and most importantly, patience.
So when you don’t have the time, or if you simply don’t have the green thumb for keeping indoor plants growing and healthy, air plants are the best option for you.
This is because air plants are epiphytes, meaning that they don’t need soil to grow, and attach themselves instead to trees and rocks. And because they’re also native to tropical climates, which means they’re right at home with Singapore’s humid climate.
Taking Care of Air Plants
Even though they’re relatively low-maintenance, air plants still need to be taken care of at least once a week. Here’s what you need to do to keep your air plants growing healthily:
• Watch for thirst – To know whether your plants are thirsty, look for the curvature of their leaves. If they’re a little too dry, they will start to curl. It’s usually best to fully submerge them once a week in a large container, and let them soak overnight.
• Air dry – Allow the air plants to dry out fully by shaking out excess water and placing in a well-lit area for about four hours. However, be sure to take the plants indoors after this, as any longer will cause them to wilt.
• Filter the light – Air plants have adapted to hanging from trees underneath thick canopies, so they tend to do best with only a few hours of bright, indirect sunlight in a day. Even with indirect sunlight, they shouldn’t be baking all day.
• Mind the climate – Air conditioners aren’t good for air plants, either – if it’s too cold, they’ll start to wilt. Try opening your windows instead or using an electric fan if you want to keep cool.
• Add in fertilizer – While air plants don’t require as much moisture to grow, it certainly doesn’t hurt to add a little bit of liquid fertilizer when you’re soaking in water once a week. Be careful not to apply too much – only a few drops will do.
On Styling Your Air Plants
Because they are naturally suited to attaching their roots, air plants look great suspended as architectural elements or inside their own dedicated terrariums.
You can even attach them to all kinds of things, such as large rocks, or pieces of driftwood, as long as air is circulating through their leaves regularly. When you do choose to place your air plants in a glass jar or container, choose one with as wide an opening as possible.
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How to Cool Down Your Air-Con Bill in 5 Easy Steps
Singapore is humid year-round, but while keeping cool in the middle of a hot day is amazing, the electric bill can start piling quite high the more you use your air conditioner. And when you start to include your other utilities, it can be very expensive indeed.
But the good news is that there’s no need to worry too much. You can still stay chilled out while chilling out the electric bill for your air conditioner by keeping the following tips in mind:
1. Close your windows.
Your aircon might be working overtime to cool your home if your windows are open, so the first step to decreasing your electricity bill is naturally to minimize these sources of heat. You can simply use heavier curtains to do this.
However, if you need to use the natural light, you can use larger house plants or a lighter curtain instead.
2. Clean your vents regularly.
The vents are just one of the many parts of your air con that can get clogged up easily, and this can drive up your electricity bill when you least expect it. But with regular maintenance, you can keep your bills down while still keeping cool.
The same thing can be said for your filters and condenser coils. Even if your aircon unit looks clean on the outside, there may be grime, dust, and cobwebs that have stuck to the internal mechanisms, which can also cause problems later on if you’re not careful.
3. Turn it off when the room is cool.
It’s best to use your air conditioner only during the hottest times of the day. During the afternoon, when it’s cooler outside, you can shut off the air conditioning and open the windows instead to let the air in.
By keeping the number of hours your aircon operates to a minimum, you keep your electricity bills down.
4. Don’t skimp out on your air conditioning in the first place.
While you may think that buying an obscure brand or foregoing the warranties are a great way to cut costs in the short term, you’ll find that your electric bills and repair costs will pile up faster with a lesser-known brand.
Like many things, treat your air conditioner as an investment. The initial expense will be worth it if your unit will last you for a long time.
5. Consider regular aircon servicing.
Part of regular maintenance is servicing. Be sure to call an aircon servicing company especially if your aircon unit is several years old, and is starting to have problems that can’t be solved by regular cleaning.
(Disclaimer: this list is compiled in no particular order.)
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Should You Solve Electrical Problems at Home Yourself?
A lot of electrical works problems at home are actually minor cases that you can solve yourself by turning off the main circuit breakers and either applying electrical tape, replacing the wire, or adding or replacing other fixtures that could pose a hazard, such as faulty power outlets and light sockets.
Home Repair and Safety
When fixing these things yourself, safety is the most important factor to consider. Before working with the problematic power/light socket/exposed wire, be sure to turn off the main power switches, which is usually located at the circuit breaker.
Make sure to secure each exposed wire with proper insulation (i.e., electrical tape). For light sockets and power outlets, make sure that these are all in good condition before screwing in place and turning the main power switches back on.
However, there are certain instances when you should contact an electrician or an electrical services company to help you out. This article will help you get started on the different things you need to know when it comes to hiring an electrical service company.
What is An Electrician? (And Why Do You Need One?)
An electrician is the person maintains and installs electrical and power systems for both residential and industrial areas, as well as different types of electrical equipment and machines. They may specialize in either construction or maintenance, though they usually are able to handle both.
For electricians specializing in construction, they are in charge of installing wiring systems into factories, buildings, and homes. Electricians that specialize in maintenance, meanwhile, repair and/or upgrade existing electrical systems and equipment.
Their work with the blueprints, which are technical diagrams that show where the circuits, outlets, load centers, and other equipment are located. Once they know where the different wires and components go, they will be able to make the necessary installations and/or repairs, if necessary.
Whether it’s industrial or for domestic applications at any place in Singapore, a good electrician like power max in Singapore who is well-equipped with both the necessary knowledge, experience, and tools will be more than able to help you get the job done.
Electrical Faults
An “electrical fault” is what is described when voltages and charges deviate from their supposed values on the meter. Under normal conditions, power systems equipment carry nominal currents that allow the entire system to operate safely.
When a fault occurs, excessively high currents can flow into and overload all kinds of equipment and devices, which can damage them permanently. Having an early detection device is necessary in order to prevent this from happening.
There are two main categories of electrical faults:
1. Symmetrical
Also called “balanced faults”, these types of faults have quite severe effects on power systems. The two types of balanced faults are, namely, line-to-line-to-ground (or LLLG), and line-to-line-to-line (LLL).
This type of electrical fault rarely occurs, making up as much as 2 to 5 percent of all system faults. Analysing these faults is usually easy and is carried out on a per-phase basis. When it comes to selecting set-phase relays and rupturing capacity and switchgear evaluation, a three-phase fault analysis is usually required.
2. Unsymmetrical
Unsymmetrical faults are more likely to happen to your power system, though they have a lesser impact. The three types of unsymmetrical faults are line-to-ground (LG), which is the most common, line-to-line (LL), and double line-to-ground (LLG).
LG faults occur then active line makes contact with the ground. LL faults occur when an active, exposed line touches another, and LLG faults happen when two active, exposed lines make contact with the ground.
These faults are also often called “imbalanced” faults, as they can cause an imbalance to the system. While analyzing unsymmetrical faults are also carried out on a per-phase basis, they are more difficult to analyze compared to symmetrical faults.
These faults can either be caused by equipment failures, such as a malfunctioning circuit breaker or a switching device, or by other factors, such as bad weather conditions (typhoons, tropical storms, etc.), smoke and fire, or by human error.
When left unmitigated, these faults can result in not just current overflow, but also to loss of equipment and a potential electrical and/or fire hazard to nearby operating personnel. The job of an electrician services company, then, is to make the necessary repairs in these instances and install measures and devices to prevent accidents from happening.
Types of Services Offered
Electrician services are often different for both industrial and domestic areas, and these services may vary depending on the quality service that a good electrician service in Singapore would be able to provide. Here are some of the many services that electrical works companies offer for both industrial and domestic:
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• Power failure analysis – A licensed electrician employed by the company will be sent over to your building in order to inspect your power systems and find the cause of your power failure.
• Short circuit repairs – A short circuit can occur when an active wire and an inactive wire touch each other. A lot of current then flows from the active wire to the inactive one, resulting in either a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker.
• Circuit breaker replacement – A tripped circuit breaker can either be the result of a short circuit or a ground fault, which in turn could result in a temporary power outage for that particular line as a safety measure to avoid overloading.
• Upgraded wiring/Rewiring – Wires can deteriorate under harsh conditions or be stripped of their insulation, which can cause a potential electrical or fire hazard.
Microwave’s Dilemma: To Put or Not to Put?
You implore the help of many household appliances to make your lives easier and more convenient. There is nothing wrong if you rely on household appliances but sometimes, you have to realize that there are limitations. In the case of microwave, it is super-handy but it cannot possibly handle everything.
Many Singaporeans consider microwave because of its use. You only need to wait for few seconds or minute to make something edible – that is truly remarkable. With this, you want your microwave to live a long life but will it? It will not if you continue to abuse it and be ignorant about it. You have to remember that it cannot handle everything. There are some things that you cannot just put in there.
Here are some things that you should not put in the microwave:
- Dry sponges: Sponges can harbour germs and bacteria. To kill germs and bacteria, we zap it in the microwave thinking that sponges can stand its heat. This somehow makes sense but it is not good for the microwave. You have to know that the sponges will catch fire if you let it sit inside the microwave. To avoid fire, why not buy new sponges instead?
- Metal food containers: You have to remember that if metal food containers are microwaved, it can also catch fire. The best practice is to look for microwaveable plates instead of metal food containers.
- Eggs with shell: There is nothing wrong if you cook eggs in the microwave provided that egg shells are not in the mix. Attempting a hard-boil egg in the microwave can create problems. If you let this happen, the egg will explode.
- Plastic containers: Sometimes you just put anything directly at the microwave without thinking of its property. There is a tendency that ordinary plastic containers will melt if heated in the microwave. Unless it is labelled “microwave safe”, you have to spare it from the heat.
- Foil: You believe that foils cannot do harm to your microwave. You should avoid using foil when microwaving because it can lead to sparks. However, there are specific microwaves that can tolerate foils. Reading the manual first won’t do you harm.
If you follow this, your microwave will last probably a lifetime. If you think that there is something wrong with it, you should consult your technician or service provider right away before misfortunes happen. There are many technicians spread across Singapore than can help you.
