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Are you throwing money down the Drain?

August 2nd, 2012 by steph

 

Millions of homes in the UK are now on a ‘metered water’ system, so in order to effectively cut down on water bill expenses it makes sense to look at how we can reduce the amount of water we use day-to-day. Over 60% of the water we use in our homes is used in the bathroom, so it’s safe to say this is a good place to start when looking for areas in which we could use a little less water!

Simple Changes

There are many quick and simple changes we can make to make our homes less wasteful when it comes to water bills, and it takes only a moment to realise exactly how effective these changes could be!

Many people live by the ‘taking shower uses less water’ rule, but few realise that this depends purely on how long you use a shower for; those who take an extra-long shower could be using more water that they would in a full bath! Reducing the amount of time you spend in the shower each day could save you a surprising amount when your water bill arrives! Cutting your shower time by just 1 or 2 minutes every day could save you wasting 6,000 litres of water every year, not to mention the energy it takes to heat the hot water.

By getting the whole family involved and ensuring everybody turns off the tap when brushing their teeth, you could reduce your water wastage massively once more. The average person takes between 2-3 minutes to brush their teeth, imagine how many times you could fill the sink with cold water during this time, then times it by how many people live in your home and then times it again by 365! (minus a holiday or two).

Fixing a leaking tap is one of those pesky jobs that we always put off, but the ‘do it tomorrow’ excuse could be costing you money every day! By simply replacing an eroded washer to stop that irritating drip, you could stop the wastage of over 5,500 litres of water every year.

Making these small changes to your habits can really give fantastic results! Take the challenge, change your water usage habits and see the fantastic effect it can have on your water bills!

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Tiling a Kitchen

July 9th, 2012 by steph

It’s no secret that kitchens can be very messy areas of the home from time to time; with so many delicious concoctions, soups and sauces being splashed around in various pans, pots and blenders, it can be difficult to keep the walls spotless. Modern fitted kitchens commonly incorporate an easy-wipe ‘splashback’ which is designed specifically to create wall space that can be situated next to cooking stations. These tiles walls can be a life-saver, so older kitchens that are due a facelift could really benefit from this.

In this quick, step-by-step guide we’ll be looking at the best way to begin tiling a kitchen; so without further delay, grab your overalls and let’s get started!

A Few Things worth Noting

Cutting tiles to fit around small corners or rounded edges can be more complicated than it may seem, so removing obstacles from your walls such as under-cupboard pelmets can prove to save a lot of time and effort. Pelmets are easily removed by simply unscrewing them from the base of the cupboard.

Measure the thickness of the tiles you have and compensate for this space by removing the equivalent at the ‘wall end’ of the pelmet. Plug sockets and fittings should also be removed, so also be sure to isolate the socket before any fittings are removed and wires are exposed.

Measure the width of the splashback area; be sure to find and mark the centre as this is where we will begin tiling from; taking a spirit level, mark a straight vertical line through the centre of the splashback area and straight to the bottom.

Be sure to get a ‘notched’ trowel before you begin, this will allow you to notch the adhesive quickly and properly.

Getting Started

Now the preliminary steps are taken care of, we can start to apply our adhesive; you needn’t use too much at once, applying it to a small area at a time allows you to take your time with each section. Be sure to apply the adhesive away from the edges of the splashback area; this will prevent you from having to use tile cuts (smaller pieces which have had to be cut to fit the small area that remains untiled). Once your area of adhesive is applied, you can begin to notch it (with the notched side of your trowel and place tile spacers at the base of the wall, keeping the tiles a suitable space from the bottom (which can be filled with sealant later).

When tiling a kitchen, each of the tiles applied to the wall must be spaced out with a tile spaced placed in the cross section located at the meeting point of 4 tiles. Tiling a kitchen requires lots of time and attention, you may find it beneficial to tackle one section at a time and leave each to set before returning to take on the next section.

Once the base has settled you can begin to move upward and outward, under cupboards and meeting the corners of the wall.

Finishing the Job

It is extremely likely that you will need to use cuts when tiling a kitchen, so be sure to accurately measure the space that remains to be filled as you begin to approach the end of the wall. Account for the space needed for filler (typically the width of the limbs on your tile spacer) on either side of the tile and then deduct this from the overall width or height of the tile.

So there we are; some preparation tips to ready you for the mammoth task that is tiling a kitchen!

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Cutting Down Electricity Usage in your Kitchen

July 5th, 2012 by steph

Energy consumption in an average UK home in lighting appliances alone has more than doubled in the last 40 years, and it’s no secret that the cost of electricity is on the up too. In this quick tips guide, the Tapshop321 are hoping to help you shine a light on more ways to turn down the power on those ever-expensive electricity bills.

Monitor Your Usage

A great place to start is to purchase a wireless electricity monitor. These fantastic devices literally show you exactly how much electricity your home is using and how much it is costing you; turn off a few devices around your property and you will see the numbers change. This can help making the challenge of energy consumption much more real and achievable for you and your family.

Energy Conscious Products

There are tons of fantastic new products out there to help us reduce our monthly energy usage, and there is no simpler or easier way to do that than using energy saving light bulbs. Lighting accounts for an enormous part of our electricity bills and by installing these efficient bulbs, you will see the energy usage drop dramatically. The technology within these bulbs has advanced very quickly; the ‘warm-up time’ is barely noticeable and the quality of light is fantastic. Compared to traditional light bulbs, these energy saving fittings can last up to ten years, saving you further expenditure on replacement bulbs.

Energy conscious ‘intelligent sockets’ can save you an absolute fortune in energy costs; when you switch off the main gadget that is plugged into the master socket, any associated gadgets (such as a printer or monitor for example) that are plugged into the ‘slave sockets’ are automatically switched off too.

Spare a Thought

Some of the biggest contributors to the rise in energy consumption have to be the huge amount household gadgetry and appliances we have running 24/7. Just by turning off televisions and home computers at the wall, you could save you and average of £37 a year! Other gadgets such as mobile phones take up too much energy too; around 90% of the energy used when charging the phone is wasted as the charger is often left in long after the charge is complete.

A great way to reduce energy wastage when charging phones, laptops and other portable devices is to create a household ‘charging station’; long multi-sockets are available which feature a power switch for each socket on the device. This allows the user/s to reduce the power supply being fed to the multi socket once one device is fully charged.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to reduce the energy usage in your home; why not take the challenge and see exactly how much money and energy you can save over the coming year!

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How Taps Can Display Personality, Not Just Functionality

June 13th, 2012 by steph

In today’s world of contemporary design at home a huge factor in choosing a potential design and style for the rooms in your house can be down to your personality or the personality which you wish to imbue upon the room itself.

In terms of bathroom design there are a number of standard ideas which most often crop up when it comes to design, but often people do not stop to think about how their choices might be evocative of a particular personality or tone for the room. Most choices which are made when designing or redesigning a bathroom can have a huge impact on overall feel of the bathroom. From the colour on the walls to the finish on the floor everything speaks volumes about the room. But there is one choice which most commonly escapes the home owner’s eye when it comes down to stylistic choices, the bathroom taps.

At first taps hardly seem like the most obvious item in a small visually focused room, obviously most people will make a stylistic choice when it comes to the new fittings in their bathroom. Whether they are simply choosing to replace their fittings or performing an entire remodel for their bathroom most people will concentrate on making a good choice of taps for their bath and sink. Unfortunately some people do not consider what how the style of their fittings speaks volumes about personality alone, and how they might affect their bathroom’s chosen tone and personality.

For example a singular tap fitting for your sink with both a hot and cold setting and an activation lever instantly gives the impression of space consciousness and minimalism; where as a pair of hot and cold taps with a turning cross head to run it on suggests elegance and high class. Both also say individual things about how long you spend in the bathroom push and pull levers tend to suggest you don’t often spend time in your bathroom, whereas a turning cross head suggests you’re often relaxing and soaking in the tub.

There are other styles which can also instantly change the personality of your bathroom, for example the shape of the spout and the handles. Some modern taps now come in a very angular and block like style which again is ideal for modern, minimalistic or cubism inspired styles. The contrast to this is the more traditional and retro designs which tend to be more rounded with curved angles and a long curved spout, these styles are more reminiscent of luxury and elegance. They fit in well with a retro style which is more reminiscent of much older eras of design.

Whatever the personality you are trying to apply to your bathroom through its design make sure that your choice of taps is made in relation to this style. By making choices which are based on your new fittings aesthetics alone, and without comparing their style to that which you wish to achieve you could easily end up with a confused and contrasting look to your bathroom.

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Kitchen TLC: Easy Kitchen Cleaning Tips

June 8th, 2012 by steph

Of all the rooms in the house, the kitchen is easily the most important and stubborn when it comes to cleanliness; as the kitchen is without a doubt the most commonly used food preparation area, it is imperative that it is kept as hygienic and sanitary as possible. A clean, tidy kitchen also does wonders for the room’s appearance too; sleek stylish kitchen suites covered in a mass of clutter and mess is sure to ruin the effect of the room, so regularly cleaning your kitchen has visual benefits too.

Tackling a messy kitchen can seem like a real task, but as always, there are plenty of ways to make things easier. With the Tapshop321 quick tips guide, you kitchen can be spotless in the blink of an eye! So let’s get started.

Greasy Crockery

We’ve heard it a million times before; “Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink”. But often young ones and sleepy eyed teenagers never learn. Instead of tackling a sink full of greasy dishes, fill the basin with hot water and add 3 or 4 tablespoons of white vinegar alongside your usual dishwashing liquid. The natural acidity of the vinegar will strip the grease from the dishes, leaving a lot less work to deal with!

Dirty Tiles

Many homes feature ceramic tiles behind the oven or hob area, which can often get splashed with a variety of sauces and liquids leading to hardened stains which can be hard to clean. To remove these stains effectively and remove any bacteria along with them, rub the wall down with a cloth dampened in rubbing alcohol. This will effectively remove the stains any kill any bacteria too.

Wood Surfaces

Wood surfaces are particularly well-known for the ability to absorb and harbour bacteria; wooden chopping boards and dining tables are perfect examples here. When looking to clean and deodorise wooden surfaces, mix ½ a cup of baking soda with a quart or warm water a run into the wood with a sponge. Rinse with plain water and dab dry with a towel afterwards.

Oven

Ovens can become filthy in a matter of days if you are a particularly ‘hard-core’ home chef; baking cakes, and large family meals can often lead to spillage and dried stains on the inside of the oven. Place salt on any spillages as soon as they occur (being sure to wear an oven glove to avoid burns) and then wait for the oven to cool; then simply wipe up the mess with the greatest of ease!

So there we are, some simple tips and tricks to help you take care of those pesky kitchen troubles.

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