ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Dealing With Pests in an Ethical Way

Dealing With Pests in an Ethical Way

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Chances are, at some point in your life, wildlife will come into contact with your home. When you’re houseproud and hygiene conscious, this can prove a significant problem. After all, you’re going to want to make sure you can relax and spend time in your home without constantly cleaning up after animals that probably shouldn’t be inside your property anyway. But what can you do to remove pests from your home in a fair and humane manner? At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that human housing has encroached on many animal’s natural habitats. Animals will generally avoid humans at all costs, as we’re deemed a threat to them. But they may be forced into your home in search of food and shelter, as your home has destroyed their natural spaces where they would usually have natural food sources and sources of shelter to spend their time in. These are sentient creatures that you may not want to live alongside, but do deserve the chance to live elsewhere freely. Here are a few steps that will help you to remove pests from your property in a fair way.

Knowing What You’re Dealing With

Before you jump straight onto the phone to a pest exterminator, you may want to take some time to determine what animals you’re dealing with. Often, different species look pretty similar, but actually have different habits and can be prevented and moved along easily if you know how to deal with them as a species. In fact, you may not have even seen the pests themselves, you may have just seen their droppings, chew marks or other indicators of their presence. This minor damage may be inconvenient, but it’s a key tool you can use to get to know what animals are in your home. Spend time researching their markings and determining what you’re dealing with. This will then lead you to guides on how to remove the animals safely. Knowing what animals you’re dealing with will also ensure that you don’t bother any protected species. You can find more information on what to do with protected species according to the specific species you’re dealing with.

Understanding What Attracts This Creature to Your Home

It’s important to remember that something is attracting animals to your home if they’re spending time in it. They won’t be there just for the fun of it. So, you need to start looking around your home and determining what exactly is bringing this animal in. If you have ants, take some time to follow them. See where they’re going. Chances are there’s an open packet of food somewhere. You can then take steps such as sealing all food properly and shutting cupboards properly to prevent the ants from accessing the food. They’ll soon leave your property, as there’s nothing benefiting them in it anymore. The same goes for other animals – chances are, if there are animals in your home, it’s because they have a good supply of food there. Often, simply making sure that animals can’t access any of your food supplies will make sure that they eventually leave.

Reconsider Feeding Garden Animals

You need to understand that you can’t pick and choose what animals frequent your property if you voluntarily leave food out with the hopes of attracting particular species. Sure, it may be nice seeing birds in your garden and you may want to feed them with seeds and nuts. But you also then need to accept that other animals will make their way to your garden to eat the same food you’re providing. You need to decide whether you want animals in your garden or not when leaving food out, rather than attempting to pick and choose which are welcome.

Read Up On Human Removal Methods

If the above step doesn’t seem to budge your visitors, you should start reading online guides on human removal methods for pest control. For example, mice can be caught in humane traps that allow you to take them away and release them. Just make sure to check traps regularly, as this will prevent mice from becoming startled or overly stressed, which can cause them to pass away. Whatever animal you’re dealing with, there’s likely to be some sort of method developed that helps to move them on without harming or killing them.

Sure, animals in your home may be unwanted. But try to practice compassion and have some empathy when it comes to dealing with them. You don’t want to harm anything unnecessarily – especially when there are often ways to get them to move on from your property hassle free! Hopefully, some of the above advice will help you to achieve this!

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

SEX & LIFE

3 Simple Ways To Boost Your Sex Life

3 Simple Ways To Boost Your Sex Life

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Do you feel like your sex life is a bit meh? You could be in a long-term relationship, and things aren’t what they used to be in the bedroom. The spark hasn’t just gone out; it’s completely non-existent. It’s not that you aren’t sexually attracted to one another, it’s just that something feels like it’s missing. You need to spice up your sex life and rejuvenate your relationship. By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll be all over each other once more!

Get confident being naked

It’s true for many people that your confidence evaporates as you get a bit older. You used to feel great naked, but now everything has dropped an inch or two, and you’ve put on a bit of weight. So, it’s time to get back your mojo and feel good naked. 

The easy way to do this is to identify your main issues. Do you feel self-conscious because your boobs are sagging? If so, you could always consider plastic surgery to make them perkier. There are many plastic surgery pros and cons, but the main advantage is that it massively boosts your confidence and mental wellbeing. If some added weight is your problem, think about following an exercise plan and getting fit. Deal with your issues, and you will feel way more confident with nothing on. This translates to a much more lively sex life!

Introduce some new ideas

If things feel stale, then mix them up a bit. Try new things and implement new ideas in the bedroom. You can get as crazy as you like, just be sure that both of you are comfortable. It adds some spice to proceedings as you’re not used to these new things. It brings back some of the excitement you used to feel!

You don’t have to go too crazy with your ideas; even some relatively mild introductions will do the trick. For example, maybe move things out of the bedroom and into the living room or kitchen. A change of scenery can really get the fires burning!

Try some role-play

You could include this in the previous point, but I think it deserves some solo attention. Role-playing is an excellent way of spicing up your sex life. Part of the reason that things have become so dull is that you’re too used to one another. There are no surprises anymore – things are always the same. 

With role-playing, you can pretend to be different people. Make up your own stories and turn it into a proper game. It can be really funny and help you feel detached from your own personas. This makes things a bit more thrilling and adds a touch of spice to the bedroom. 

To be honest, all of these ideas can apply to anybody in any stage of their relationships. Even if you’re single, and your sex life is a bit dull, try implementing these ideas. Relationships don’t depend on sex, but it is a big part of what makes your relationship unique. Otherwise, you’re just two close friends that spend a lot of time together.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

BEAUTY, FOR THE GUYS

How to Grow and Keep a Great Looking Beard

How to Grow and Keep a Great Looking Beard

So, you’re a guy that’s decided to grow a beard? You’ll be the envy of all of the guys that secretly wish that they could sport a handsome beard and you’ll no doubt turn a few heads from those that admire beards on guys. 

But where do you start when it comes to growing a beard? How do you make sure that your beard looks dapper and not a complete mess? 

Here are some beard care tips for the guys out there that want to grow their mane. Read on for more. 

Know Which Beard Shape Will Suit Your Face

When it comes to beard gains, you need to know which style of beard is going to best suit your face. 

Generally, you should let the beard soften any extremities in your features and pull everything closer to the centre of your face. For instance, if you have a long face, you wouldn’t want a beard that is long, and that will accentuate this fact. You’ll want a beard that widens your face so plan to grow a beard that has wider sides and is kept short at the chin. If you have a square face, think about softening up your jaw and having a larger patch of hair under your chin. 

A Good Beard Takes Time 

When it comes to growing a great beard, it will take time. You shouldn’t expect to see your beard appearing within days or even weeks. A good beard could take months or even longer to cultivate. 

Be patient with your beard. It will grow eventually. 

Shave the Perimeter 

There is a difference between a beard that is left to grow wild and a well-kept beard, and that is that the perimeter is always kept neat and tidy on a well-kept beard. 

This means shaving your cheeks and your neckline to keep your beard in check. 

Know How and When To Trim Your Beard

If you want a great looking beard, you need to know when and how you should trim your beard. Trim too early or too short, and you’ll be left with a weak-looking beard. 

Invest in a good quality trimmer. If you are not confident that you’ll do a good job, find a barber that is experienced at trimming beards. A good rule of thumb when looking for a barber for your beard is to see if they have a beard themselves. They will understand the plight of perfecting the perfect mane. 

Wash Your Beard Often 

Just like the hairs on your head, you need to wash your beard often. Think about getting a good beard wash that will not only clean your beard but the skin underneath it too. Dead skin under your beard hairs can be a problem, so you may want to clean your beard with an antidandruff shampoo. 

Then, once you have washed your beard, gently pat it dry. Never use a hairdryer or aggressively towel dry it as this could cause damage to your hairs.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME

Is Your Home As Energy Efficient As You Think?

Is Your Home As Energy Efficient As You Think?

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We all like to think that our homes are energy efficient. Nobody will actively admit that they don’t have an energy-efficient home as it’s an admission that you don’t care for the environment. 

Nevertheless, your property could have a larger carbon footprint than you think. It’s not technically through any fault of your own; it’s just a case of being unaware of how much energy you use. So, how do you find out if your home is energy-efficient or not? Here are a few questions you can answer that will indicate if you’re saving energy or using too much:

What type of heating system do you have?

Do you use a typical radiator heating system throughout your property? If so, your house is not as energy efficient as it could be. Believe it or not, but underfloor heating has a much smaller carbon footprint. Hardly anyone is aware that the average cost of underfloor heating is less than radiator heating over your lifetime. True, the installation will cost more, but it costs less to run due to energy efficiency. Without getting too detailed, it stems from the way underfloor heating heats up your home. It distributes the heat a lot better than radiators, meaning you don’t need it to be turned on as often – or at as high a temperature. 

How thick are your windows?

There’s almost no excuse to have single-glazed windows in this day and age. It’s simply an outdated product that provides zero benefits. Single glazing is very thin, which means it costs less than double or triple glazing. That’s about the only reason you may have for keeping it! Realistically, it’s a very inefficient product for your property. The thicker the windows, the more energy you keep inside your home. Therefore, you can turn your heating system down a few degrees as your windows provide better insulation. This reduces your energy usage and makes you more energy efficient. As a bonus, thicker windows also make your property safer by preventing breaches. Anyone can smash a single-glazed window with ease, but a double-glazed one requires more effort. 

Do you have a smart thermostat?

Smart thermostats are revolutionary devices in the age of energy efficiency. Basically, they provide full details of your energy usage by showing you some precise figures. You see how much money you spend, and also what’s using up the most energy. From here, you can actively look to reduce your energy usage by following what’s on your smart thermostat. For example, it may tell you that your lights are using up loads of energy and shooting your bill through the roof. Now that you’re aware of this, you can switch to energy-saving bulbs or be more conscious of turning them off. Without a smart thermostat, you will never be energy efficient as you lack the knowledge to see what you’re doing wrong. Don’t just take my word for it; recent research suggests you can save up to 23% on your energy bills with a smart thermostat. In essence, this means you use 23% less energy!

Answer these questions to figure out how energy efficient your home really is. In an ideal world, you’ll use underfloor heating, have thick windows, and call upon a smart thermostat. If everyone followed this advice, the world would be in a much better place.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

Everyday Tips from Tia