How To Unblock A Drain In 5 Simple Steps
Blocked drains can be a real problem for homeowners – they are messy, smell and very inconvenient. Even worse they can cause long term damage to the structure of your home. This article aims to show you how to easily unblock your drains and avoid all of these problems.
1) Boiling Water
Armed with nothing but a kettle you can try our first simple tip. If your drain has been blocked by fat deposits or a build up of food then tipping a couple of pans off boiling water down the drain often sorts out the problem in minutes. 3 Pans of boiling water will normally dislodge things if the build up is not too severe.
2) A Plunger
Time to bring in the heavy artillery if the boiling water has not fixed the problem. A plunger is the next thing to try and you can buy these at all good home depot stores. They are cheap but very handy and all homeowners should have one in their toolkit. Simply apply the plunger and push up and down until you dislodge the item which is causing the blockage. It might take a while but it should work in the end.
3) Caustic Soda
If the plunger hasn’t worked and you are looking for a more drastic solution then try a dose of caustic soda. This is a corrosive material and so care needs to be taken when handling it – always wear gloves and google and make sure you never handle it directly. In addition to caustic soda there are various heavy duty drain cleaning fluids you can buy which are equally effective.
4) The Coat Hanger
This tip might sound a little low tech but it works well in a lot of cases. The wire needs to be stretched out and then fed down the drain and wiggled about until you find the source of the blockage. If it is a bit of food which is stuck then the coat hanger might just be able to dislodge it with any luck.
5) Call In The Experts
If you have tried all of the above tricks and tips and you still cannot unblock the drain then it might be time to gracefully admit defeat, hang up your coat hangar and plunger, and call in the experts. The plumbing companies have specialised equipment and do this on a daily basis so no blockage should be to big for them to dislodge. Always ask for referalls from friends before hiring a plumber as many of them are known to charge a fortune for small jobs.
I hope these tips have helped you to be able to unblcok your drain without too much fuss – it is a great feeling as you see the water start to drain away and realise you have averted disaster.
Corby has more plumbing tips at Pumbing Services London
Cosmetic Surgery – 5 Tips For Finding The Right Surgeon
With more and more people opting to “go under the knife” in our beauty concious world it is more important than ever to make sure you are armed with the right knowledge if you too are considering a spot of cosmetic surgery.
Rushing in to a decision which will alter the way you look for ever is not something to be taken lightly and avoiding some of the horror stories we here about on the news is easy if you know what to look out for.
Hopefully these 5 tips will help you come to the best decision you can for YOUR body.
1) Never let other people influence your decision to go for cosmetic surgery.
It is such an important decision with very real risks and ramifications that the decision to embark on surgery must come from you, and you alone. I have heard stories so many times of girls being pressured into feeling like they must have a procedure done because the models look so thin in the magazines, or their boyfriends think they need a breast enlargement or their friends tell them they need a nose job. If this is the case for you then I urge you to slow down and really think about whether surgery is in your best interests.
2) Find a cosmetic surgeon you can trust and feel confident with.
Not all clinics are regulated to the same standard but all cosmetic surgeons need to be qualified just like normal surgeons and they will have medical certificates to prove that they have passed the necessary exams. Ask to see the qualifications of your surgeon before even thinking about choosing them for such an important job.
3) Get referalls – your G.P. is very useful for this.
They will often be able to sit down with you and talk your options through and guide you towards a good plastic surgeon. If your G.P. has doubts about a certain clinic then it is very wise to heed this advice and steer well clear.
4) Cost is an important issue and should not be taken out of the equation.
Some surgeons will offer you an initial consultation but will charge you for this whether or not you go ahead with the cosmetic procedure. Some clinics have also been known to ask for deposits which turn out to be non refundable. All consultations should be a reasonable one of fee with no hard sales pressure to sign up then and there. If your cosmetic surgeon appears too pushy then take this as a red light – something this important should not be rushed and a reputable surgeon will not even try to rush you into anything.
5) Where will the surgery take place?
You may feel that you want to go to the best clinic regardless of location but for many people it is a sensible option to choose a good clinic within easy reach of their loved ones. It can make such a difference to how you feel after your operation if you are surrounded by those who care for you – you don’t want to feel as though you are all alone in a hospital after such a major piece of surgery. Planning the trip back home is important too. Many people don’t feel up to using public transport and so somewhere you can easily drive back home is a sensible option.
While the media portray the image that cosmetic surgery is a quick, painless and simple procedure this is not always the case. It should not be entered into lightly and I really hope that my top 5 tips have helped you to assess the best way to find a clinic which will meet your needs and make the whole journey a little more pleasant for you.
Corby Sanderson writes about cosmetic surgery and has more great tips on his Cosmetic Surgery Nottingham blog.
How To Make A Raggedy Andy Costume in 3 Easy Steps
Making your own Raggedy Andy costume is an inexpensive way to dress up as a great fun character for Halloween. Raggedy Andy is the brother of Raggedy Ann and was first brought to life in the Raggedy Andy stories 90 years ago. He is a very popular character to dress up for either parties or Halloween and his costume is an easy one to make.
Raggedy Andy is a rag doll with red hair and traditionally wears a sailor outfit and hat and so this is the effect we are going for. The stand out elements of the costume are the red hair, the clothes and the makeup on the face to recreate the rag doll effect. His trousers are blue and he often wears black shoes or boots which has the beneficial side effect of being easy to recreate..
So here are the 3 easy steps for creating an authentic looking costume:
1) To make a convincing Raggedy Andy costume we will need to recreate the red mop of hair and the easiest and cheapest way to do this is to visit your local joke shop and purchase a red wig. Another good alternate if to buy a mop and dye it red and then put this over you head as a homemade wig. Dying your hair is another alternative although this is messy and harder to remove.
2) Once we have the red hair in place we need to recreate the sailor suit. This can be done easily by using a loose fitting, baggy white shirt and pairing it up with stockings with red and white horizontal stripes. Blue jeans go well but you can also wear shorts held up with braces. Finish off the clothing with black shoes. Most people should have these items of clothing lying around the house so there is often no need to go out and buy specialist clothing for this costume.
3) Finish the costume off by painting your nose red with some make up and apply round spots of red makeup on your cheeks as well. This will really apply the finishing touches and ensure your costume is as authentic as possible.
This is all you will need for an authentic Raggedy Andy costume for Halloween this year and you will have saved money as well as had a lot of fun in the process. It will also ensure you have the most original costume on the whole street.
This guide showed you how to create a simple, yet effective, Raggedy Andy costume using simple materials you have around the house and an inexpensive wig – I hope you have fun this Halloween and really enjoy making your costume.
Visit Raggedy Andy costume for more great advice on Halloween costumes this year.
The Easy Way To Make A Lightning McQueen Costume For Halloween
Making your own Lightning McQueen costume can be fun and really save you a ton of money. The only trouble is deciding exactly what materials you will need and then assembling them into a finished costume. This is where this article will help you. It will list the materials and give you full instructions on making the costume.
Overview of Lightning McQueen Costume
Lightning McQueen is the hero of the Disney animated movie Cars and is a firm favourite of children the world over. He is a red Porsche with attitude who eventually comes to understand the importance of friendship and helping out others. So how do you dress up your son as a Porsche? This is not as hard as you might think so keep reading for full instructions…
Materials:
1) A large cardboard box
2) Poster paint (red, black, yellow and white)
3) A red baseball cap
4) String or Ribbon
5) Staple Gun / Glue
Assembly
1) Start with preparing the cardboard box. This will fit around your son’s waist and will represent the car. Therefore you will need to paint it mainly red. It should also have flames painted on each side in yellow (any image on the internet or videos will show you how the flames should look).
2) Once the box has been painted you will need to cut out the bottom (so that your son can step into it and pull it up to waist height). You should then staple the ribbons or string to the box so that form straps which go over the shoulder and keep the box at the correct and comfortable height.
3) The front of the box should also have a mouth and eyes drawn on and once again, referring to a picture of Lightning McQueen will really help to get the authentic look right.
4) Using the bottom of the box you have just cut out, cut out a further two large circles which we will use for the tyres. These should be black and can then be stuck onto the side of the cardboard box with either glue or stapled on with the staple gun.
5) The Lightning McQueen Costume is almost ready but there are a couple of further touches which will really improve the look. Lightning McQueen’s racing number is 95 and this can be painted onto another cardboard disc and attached to the front of your son’s shirt.
6) Also dress him in a red baseball cap to finish off the effect of a racing car driver.
This Lightning McQueen costume will be fun to make and even more fun for your son to wear this Halloween. The materials are easy to come by and the assembly is fairly straightforward. My biggest tip would be to get a good size image of Lightning McQueen and keep referring to this as you are painting the details on the box.
I really hope you enjoyed this costume tutorial and have a great Halloween.
My Lightning McQueen Costume blog gives additional costume ideas for busy mums and dads when looking for Halloween costumes.
5 Tips To Help You Find The Best Curious George Costume This Halloween
Curious George is a firm favourite for children of all ages and even adults. He is a friendly littl monkey who is always going on fun adventures and getting into all sorts of trouble. It is an ideal costume for your own little monkey.
If you are looking for the best costume for Halloween or themed birthday party then you should consider looking for a costume online this year.
Many of the largest costume websites stock Curious George costumes but finding the right one can be a bit tricky.
I have compiled a list of handy tips to make sure you can save some time this Halloween by knowing what to look out for.
Tip 1: Look for comfort:
If your little one is going to be wearing the Curious George Costume all night while trick or treating then comfort is very important. Keep in mind the warmth factor too, an all in one monkey suit is the best option here, warm and snuggly but also nice and light.
Tip 2: The Mask:
Does the costume come with a pull off mask or is it integrated into the design of the costume? Many of the better costumes will have an attached Curious George headpiece made of the same material as the main costume and this has the advantage of leaving your child’s face visible so they have got better all round vision than with a traditional style mask. This will help keep them safe this Halloween.
Tip 3: Research
Researching the best place to buy your costume is important if you don’t want to be disappointed. Most good online costume sites will have pictures of the costume as well as customer reviews from people who bought and used the costume in previous years. This is the best way of assessing whether the costume is really any good. If people have written positive reviews then you can have confidence that the costume will be good quality. Also look out for comments regarding the online delivery – steer clear of any costume site which scores negative reviews in this area. You don’t want to risk not getting your Curious George costume delivered in time for Halloween.
Tip 4: Find the best Online Deals:
Halloween is a competitive time for most costume stores and many will be running special offers to entice you to buy from them. Look at the popular costume stores and see which are offering the best discounts this year. This tip alone might save you a bundle for Halloween.
Tip 5: Order In Time
Order early to avoid disappointment. Nothing would be worse than having a little one who was looking forward to dressing in a Curious George Costume to be disappointed this year if the costume came a day late. Avoid this by ordering as soon as possible and everyone will be happy.
This article has highlighted some areas for you to consider when purchasing a Curious George Costume online and will hopefully leave you with some good ideas for shopping online this year. There are some great costumes out there and some even better bargains so fire up your computer and get looking. Happy Halloween!
Corby’s blog, Curious george Costume provides more great costume info