News – Monica Groop

Say Goodbye to Clover in Your Lawn with These Tips

Even if you consider yourself to be the master of lawn care, there are going to be some weeds that you just can’t seem to get rid of. For many, that weed is clover.

Here in Australia, experienced landscapers will tell you white clover tends to be a perennial weed that rears its ugly head more often than not. Its stems can grow up to around 30cm long, and it can spread like wildfire. There are worse lawn weeds to encounter, but clover is undoubtedly one of the most persistent.

Just when you think you’ve killed it for good, it comes back with a vengeance. More often than not, killing the actual clover is the easy part, but stopping it from growing from seeds is a lot harder. Clover seeds thrive in high and low temperatures. They can even remain dormant for several years before deciding to grow where they aren’t wanted.

How to Get Rid of Clover

Now that you know what it is, the next step to get rid of it. Fortunately, there are several ways to go about it while carrying out your regular lawn care practices.

(more…)

Why Professionally Cleaned Carpets Can Help You Sell Your Home

Selling your home can be stressful, and one of the most significant stress points is fearing that you cannot sell your home; however, have you ever considered that something as simple as having professional carpet cleaners come to your home could make the difference?

Now, we will state right away that if you price your home at too high an asking price or your home is in poor condition, no amount of carpet cleaning, professional or otherwise, is likely to convince a seller to buy it. But, if you have priced sensibly, and your home is well-maintained, any buyer viewing who also sees that your carpets look almost like new thanks to them being professionally cleaned could be moved closer to a decision to buy your home.

So, let us look closely at why that might be and examine precisely why professionally cleaned carpets can help you sell your home.

Carpets Take Up A Large Proportion Of What Buyers See When They View

Small details can come into play when a potential buyer views a house. However, it will be the more significant element that they will pay the most attention to. For example, when they look at the cleanliness and condition of the carpets on almost every square inch of the floor, this will have a far more significant influence on their decision than the kitchen taps.

(more…)

Five Benefits of Installing an Alarm Monitoring System

Alarm monitoring systems are becoming increasingly common across Australia. They provide an added layer of security for your home or commercial premises and help prevent intruders from robbing you or vandalising your property.

There are numerous different types of alarm monitoring systems available, but they are all based on the same core concepts. To put it simply, those using a monitored alarm system will benefit from real-time notifications if an intruder does attempt to break-in or vandalise your property.

In this article, we’ve outlined five major benefits of using an alarm monitoring service. Remember, it’s always a good idea to speak with a security expert to determine what sort of system is best for your property.

You Will Be Notified Immediately if Something Is Wrong

The first, and one of the most notable benefits of installing an alarm monitoring system is that they will notify you as soon as your security system is breached. There are a few different options here.

First, you can opt to have security notifications delivered directly to your smartphone, either via an app or text messages/email. Alternatively, you can contract a security company to take care of things for you. They will be notified as soon as there’s a breach and will be able to respond accordingly.

(more…)

Defining A New Look For Your Contemporary Kitchen

Contemporary Design

While defining a contemporary kitchen, one must be clear about the contemporary styles. It means the design or interior planned or developed according to the present time. The contemporary style is not rigid but flexible. It is very dynamic in nature, as it is cannot be defined as one style but it keeps on updating with the passing time.

It also mixes various other small designs from the different era, which can help your kitchen look classier. The contemporary architecture that can be used in your kitchen design can be like embraced solid walls covered in a random manner, under a roof that will give you a boxy feel.

Currently, there is a trend of emerging in contemporary interiors, i.e. one can merge the kitchen with dining or the dining can also be merged with living but connected to the kitchen.

How to Decorate the Contemporary Kitchen?
(more…)

Moving Towards a Lavish Backyard – Tips & Tricks

There are so many options available these days, which can help you in converting your outdoor area from a piece of space to a pure piece of elegance. Whether you intend to undertake the work yourself and hire all the necessary equipment ie: plant hire, get a professional handyman to do it or hire a landscaping company – these days you will notice that homeowners are looking high and low for decorating tips and tricks for improving their backyard areas.

They will go for anything that can add grace to their living area. Moreover, you are also looking after improving and customizing your home so that it could look beautiful. The home always depicts your personality and living lifestyle, so it is always necessary to convert your house into a home.

Where you can search for better ideas?

Fortunately, you have to look simply close by for these basic needs like backyard landscaping ideas these days. You can find countless ideas on Magazines; TV shows as well as online that can provide you with a lavish backyard. There are a number of online sites that you can browse online for getting an idea. It is always recommended to choose among that idea that could satisfy your needs as well as can add a look to your area.

(more…)

How to Remove Stains from the Carpet

Spills happen in most households and if you have carpet, along with pets or toddlers it is highly likely that you will eventually get a spill of something on the carpet. Even adults can spill things such as wine or coffee. It only takes a moment of inattention and the deed it done. It is what happens afterwards that is important. Treating the spill properly will hopefully remove the stain. Simply blotting it will only remove moisture and leave the stain there, so when it is time to move and then when the removalists are gone you will be left with very hard to remove stains.

To treat a stain on the carpet it is important to know what caused the stain and what type of carpet you have. The first is usually easier to identify than the second, especially if you are renting. However, no matter what type of carpet you have, it is important to mop up that spill as soon as possible. Mopping it up properly will prevent it from spreading and may even stop it from penetrating to the under-felt, which will make the job done by Carpet Cleaning Scarborough easier later on.

How to remove the moisture

First up, blot the stain with paper towelling or a white towel. Do not scrub or rub the area as this will damage the carpet fibres and spread the stain. Even when blotting, surround the edges of the spill with the paper towel and press towards the centre to keep it contained. Continue to press with clean sheets of paper until most the moisture has come out. There will still be a stain, especially if what spilled has deep colour, like wine or coffee.

(more…)

How to Ensure Scaffolding Safety at the Building Site

One thing every company that uses scaffolding should be concerned about is safety at the building site. When employees are using scaffolding, their risks increase due to the working conditions being more dangerous. They are usually up high, so any fall is more likely to have disastrous consequences. The working space is limited which restricts their movements to some extent and this can also contribute to injuries or falls. So how do you ensure scaffolding safety at the building site?

- Make sure all employees have proper training for working on scaffolding. This training should be ongoing, not done once and never again. People forget things and situations change. Training should be done so staff can keep up with the latest safety developments.
- Never allow an untrained person to go up on scaffolding. It is quite easy to forget who has had training and who hasn’t. Keeping on top of details like this will ensure a better quality of safety for all concerned.

(more…)

What Type of Carpet Should You Choose?

Many people choose carpet by the cost, but while this should certainly be considered, there are other important criteria to use to ensure you get the best value as well as a carpet you can live with. It is a good idea to consider these points before choosing a carpet.

What the fibre is made from

There are several choices, and these need to be considered especially in regard to carpet cleaning whether you plan to do it yourself or hire a professional – from wool to synthetics such as nylon, acrylic, polyester and olefin. In many cases, a blend of wool and nylon or another synthetic is favoured because while wool is durable, adding a synthetic makes it even more hardwearing. Usually, blends contain 80% wool and 20% nylon.

The depth of pile you like

The depth of pile is an important factor because it has an effect on the look and wear of the carpet. Long, even pile shows footprints and even vacuum trails, but it is very soft, elegant and luxurious underfoot. It may not be the best choice for heavy traffic areas.

Shorter pile does not feel as soft, but it is harder wearing and ideal for heavy traffic areas. You can also get a combination of short and long which can add visual interest with a self-pattern and texture.

(more…)

A Guide To Making An All-New Green Kitchen

With changing times, changes our responsibilities as well. Cooking is no more just about manufacture and consumption of food; rather, cooking is one of the most necessary components for survival and should be performed accordingly. What is a home without a kitchen? The answer is incomplete. Therefore, in order to make your home a place you feel most comfortable in, it is important to take care in designing of your kitchen.

With increasing workload, the cacophony of an industrial work life seems to get onto our nerves at certain times; and during these times what we crave for the most is a little bit of nature, a little bit of green, a little bit of pure organic life, that would give you the comfort of a mother, unadulterated.

As responsible and conscious human beings, it is not just enough to survive; it is important to ensure a healthy survival of the generations to come. To be precise, sustainability is essential, and it requires us to live in a more environment-friendly manner so that we do not affect the plants/animals/atmosphere around us adversely.

Why should I have a Green kitchen?

An environment-friendly kitchen is a kitchen that cooks eco-friendly manner so that balance is retained between our lifestyle and the outer environment we are living in. In respect to that, an eco-friendly kitchen deserves proper cleaning in a manner that would not disturb the ecological balance of our nature.

(more…)

4 Ways To Ensure Your Landscaped Garden’s Pavers Look Good For Longer

One of the most common requests landscaping companies receive when discussing a landscape design with their residential clients is for paving. Whilst the local climate is such that the risks of continuous rain making lawns unsuitable for walking on are minimal, there is still a huge demand for paving stones and slabs to be included in landscaped gardens.

The two main reasons for the demand for paving are the practical use of them for walking safely and comfortably through a garden, and the aesthetic value the paving brings to a landscape design. One important point we must alert you to from the outset is that no matter what type, size, quantity, and design of the paving you have in your garden, there is a need to maintain them so that they retain their appearance for longer.

If this is not done, then the risk is that a combination of them being walked on frequently, plus the heat and sunshine can cause pavers to diminish in terms of their appearance. Thankfully, there are ways you can prevent this from happening such as the four we have outlined below.

Ensure Paving Is Laid Correctly

One of the main causes of pavers losing their appearance, or worse, becoming unsafe, is that they were not laid properly in the first place. The issues created by paving stones not being laid properly include them sinking, loosening, or cracking, all of which have the potential to make them unsafe for those walking on them and to make your paving look less than appealing.

(more…)