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A B R E A T H OF FRESH AIR
WE CARE MORE
DECEMBER 2021
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208-459-3388
HAVE A WORRY-FREE HOLIDAY! 3 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR HOLIDAY ADVENTURES
Happy holidays! For most people, the holiday season brings about travel opportunities, and while it’s always exciting to visit with family and friends, it’s common to worry about getting to your destination safely. With more people on the road, increased chances of ice and snow, and the potential threat of the pandemic, traveling during the holidays can feel perilous. However, this holiday season, before you hit the road to visit with your loved ones, I would encourage you to spend less time fretting about your trip and more time preparing your home! The worst possible time for your furnace to break or a pipe to burst is when you’re on vacation! With the added combination of cooler temperatures and snow, it’s vital that you spend a few moments preparing your home for your departure. Before you pack your bags, be sure to check the following tasks off your to-do list. 1. Shut your water off. This is two-fold. For starters, your outside faucets should already be turned off for the season, and your in- ground sprinklers should be blown out. If you haven’t done so and have yet to experience a pipe bursting, consider yourself lucky! Frozen water is extremely detrimental to your plumbing system. Then, when you leave for vacation, turn off the water in your home (if you don’t have a pet or house sitter). This will prevent flooding if a pipe should burst because water won’t continue to flow into the pipe. 2. Inspect your pipes and sump pump. Typically, your pipes will show signs of wear if they are about to leak or burst. So, before you
leave, check your pipes for strange coloring and damage, and listen carefully when you run water or flush the toilet. Any concerns should be reported to a trusted plumber for repair! (Our team can help!) Your sump pumps should also receive a thorough inspection. Since this device collects excess water, any failure within its system could be disastrous. Also, check the sump pump for unusual activity, noises, and colors. 3. Examine heat sources. Don’t leave your home without checking your furnace! Like with your pipes and sump pump, examine it for signs of wear or failure. This could include damage to the exterior of the device, loud noises when in operation, or uneven heating across your home. A technician should properly inspect your home’s heating system once each winter, so if you haven’t already done so, schedule an appointment with our experienced team for greater peace of mind and understanding of your home’s heating system. Additionally, your home’s furnace filter should be replaced before you travel to avoid unnecessary buildup and increased allergens. Finally, don’t forget to check the heating and water heater vents outside your home. Clear these areas of ice, snow, and debris for optimal use. Bonus: For peace of mind while on the road, consider two solutions. Ask a friend or neighbor to stop by your house periodically while you’re gone to ensure there are no heating disasters or water leaks. And we can install a Wi-Fi thermostat, which allows you to control your home’s heat and HVAC function wherever you are. It’s a great way to enjoy a worry-free vacation! This holiday season, I’m incredibly grateful for the continued support of our customers and the ways in which your patronage has allowed our team to grow. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year, but for now, I’m going to enjoy some family time. I hope you can do the
Protect your heating system, water heater, or plumbing today! Call us today at 763.515.6411 or use the QR code to schedule your service!
same — without worrying about your home’s heating and plumbing system.
Happy holidays!
ROLAIRREPAIR.COM
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PAPER VS. PLASTIC: WHICH BAG IS MORE
ECO-FRIENDLY? THE SUSTAINABLE SHOPPER’S GUIDE
It’s easy to forget that the air quality in our home isn’t just magically clean! Dust, contaminants, and allergens can easily circulate in your home. Luckily, your furnace filter is your first line of defense — but it won’t clean your home’s air if you don’t replace it often. A dirty filter can even cause expensive utility bills and damage your HVAC equipment. Understand the truth about furnace filters. Furnace filters are designed to trap airborne contaminants to prevent them from entering your heating and cooling system! So, when you forget to change your filter, the delicate components of your heating and cooling equipment suffer. For example, imagine your filter is dirty and clogged. Your HVAC system might continue to run, but air won’t circulate properly. Your system has to expend more energy to operate, and you’ll probably turn up the heat because it’s not working as efficiently. Your equipment is working twice as hard for half the result. Many other problems can occur when furnace filters aren’t changed, including “short-cycling” your HVAC equipment. Dust-heavy filters can cause your equipment to run at a higher temperature, and it might overheat and shut off. Even though it might cool down and start up again, the cycle will continue in the same short bursts, thus “short-cycling.” Change the filter regularly. This varies from home to home. With more people living in the house, especially those with allergies, and a few furry friends, you may want to consider replacing your filter more often. However, a great way to determine how often to change it is to look at what type of filter you have, categorized by thickness: Wait, Why Do I Need to Replace My Furnace Filter? Read This, and You Won’t Forget
For a long time, we’ve believed that paper bags are more eco- friendly than plastic bags, but multiple research papers have revealed the truth: It’s actually just the opposite. Here’s how paper and plastic bags compare to each other, according to recent research. Which is more biodegradable? You’d think paper would degrade much faster than plastic. While that’s technically true, it’s not significant overall. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that current research “demonstrates that paper in today’s landfills does not degrade or break down at a substantially faster rate than plastic does.” In fact, modern landfills don’t allow the degradation process to be completed — they lack “water, light, oxygen, and other important elements” that are necessary to do so. Some
plastic and paper are designed to be more compostable, but with fewer than 100 food and plastic composting facilities in the U.S., most of your compostable plastics and papers will never reach one of them. Which produces more waste? When it comes to waste, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, plastic is still easier on the planet. According to the ULS Report, plastic grocery bags consume 71% less energy during production than paper bags. Also, plastic bags generate 39% less greenhouse gas emissions than uncomposted paper bags,
and 68% less greenhouse gas emissions than composted paper bags (since composted materials, by definition, create carbon dioxide). Lastly, it takes over 1,004 gallons of water to produce 1,000 paper bags. It takes 58 gallons of water to produce 1,500 plastic bags. What’s the most effective way to use bags? Remember, the way bags are produced makes the most environmental impact, not necessarily how biodegradable the bags are. Plus, not all biodegradable plastic bags have been generated in an eco-conscious way, sometimes even causing increased greenhouse gas emissions. Because landfills are so unreliable at properly composting our waste, your best bet is to look out for reusable plastic bags. After four or more uses, reusable plastic bags become the most planet- friendly bags compared to all other types of disposable bags.
For 1–2-inch filters , replace them every 1–3 months.
For 3–4-inch filters , replace them every 6–9 months.
For 5–6-inch filters , replace them every 9–12 months.
If you need more help, try calling your local HVAC professional and get their opinion! They may even give you further information and insights about keeping your home’s air quality healthy.
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5 EASY DIY TIPS FOR A LOVELY HOLIDAY TABLE
No. 3: Fresh Cranberries for a Unique Centerpiece If you found fresh cranberries at the farmers market, why not spend a few dollars extra for another bag or two, rather than an $80 flower arrangement? Fresh cranberries have beautiful greenery that can be easily arranged using mason jars, Epsom salts, and tea lights! Best of all, you can eat or cook with them after the party’s over. No. 4: Snowy Salt Shakers Alongside your table salt and pepper, get another clear salt shaker (or a couple) and put a mini plastic, snowy evergreen tree into it, and bam! You have an adorable, festive touch to any holiday table. It’s so simple and creative, it’ll be a surefire conversation starter. No. 5: A Mistletoe-Topped Party Favor Creating small wrapped party favors? Instead of a bow, tie a sprig of mistletoe to the gift! It’s a fun holiday touch and easy to find around the holidays at big box and home improvement stores. You can also visit a local tree farm for cuttings! These ideas are super easy, but we know it might not always feel easy to pull off a beautiful holiday party on a dime. However, it’s definitely worth it and can be a lot of fun! We hope you enjoy giving these ideas a try.
It’s been a crazy year, so if you’re hosting, you might feel tempted to go all out and make your home as beautiful and cozy as possible. But there’s no need to make your decoration receipts any longer — make your holiday table setting even fancier without spending a ton of money. No. 1: Painted Ornaments as Seating Labels Who needs boring cardstock seating labels when you can make them out of festive decorations? These days, you can find affordable ornaments anywhere. Use some paint to decorate your ornaments with an elegant white or pearl background, then green and red tinsel and leaves beside your guest’s name or initials. It’ll be a perfect, elegant touch and one they’ll take home to hang on their tree! No. 2: Napkins With Mini Bells You don’t have to be an expert seamstress to buy a packet of small mini bells and attach them to the ends of a colorful cloth napkin! It’ll add a magical, musical touch to any meal.
TAKE A BREAK
CELTIC YULE CUPCAKES
Inspired by RecipesForAPaganSoul.weebly.com
Directions
• 2 eggs • 1/2 cup butter Ingredients
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, butter, vanilla, orange zest, and sugar. 3. Add the flour and baking powder, then fold in the milk and raisins. 4. Grease a cupcake tin before pouring the batter into it. 5. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool. 6. In a small bowl, blend the hot water and powdered sugar to create the icing. 7. Ice your cupcakes and serve!
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract • Orange zest, to taste • 2/3 cup sugar • 1 1/4 cups flour • 3/4 tsp baking powder • 1 tbsp milk
• 1 1/3 cups raisins • 2 tbsp hot water • 2 cups powdered sugar
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WE CARE MORE
INSIDE
1
3 Ways to Ensure You Have Worry-Free Holiday Adventures
2
Why You Need to Replace Your Furnace Filter
Paper vs. Plastic Bags: The Winner May Surprise You
3
A Festive DIY Table Setting
Celtic Yule Cupcakes
4
Tips for Picking Artwork for Your Space
HOW TO CURATE YOUR ARTWORK COLLECTION IN STYLE
It’s easy to get lost while watching period dramas and think, “Wow, I wish I had a drawing room full of oil paintings for my guests to admire.” But the truth is that you can achieve the same effect in modern style! By placing artwork, you’re creating a new point of interest. Do you want people’s eyes directed at your fireplace or at your hallway upon entry? If you want to put artwork against both, remember that colors are a way of controlling the eye’s attention. You’ll likely want to pick artwork that will make your space’s accent colors, patterns, and details really stand out. Choose artwork in all shapes and sizes, but try to avoid picking artwork that will fade too far into the background. However, there are no hard rules. Your art doesn’t have to always be at eye level — it can be over a doorway or hung asymmetrically. Be rebellious and leave your art unframed if you want to. It’s your wall, your canvas.
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