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Dream Home Digest DON’T GIVE MOLD A CHANCE SMART PREVENTION TIPS FOR EVERY HOMEOWNER
Stonewood WATKINSVILLE, GA Summerville ATHENS, GA Yellowstone Farm CUMMING, GA
One of the biggest concerns any homeowner can face is the appearance of mold. If you’ve ever lived in a home or visited someone who lets mildew run rampant in their bathtub or has moldy food splattered on the backsplash in their kitchen, you know just how off-putting it can be. However, mold is more than just a visual disturbance; it can cause serious health problems and severe damage to your home.
prevent leftover moisture from clinging to the walls and ceiling, which can eventually lead to mold. Make sure you wash the items in your bathroom regularly. Towels, washcloths, and shower curtains get damp and become a hotbed for mold growth. Wash them at least once a week. Double-check your bathroom sink, bathtub, and toilet for leaks. Ignoring or delaying repairs to leaks will only lead to worse problems. Clean often! Use a squeegee and mold-killing products for the best protection.
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Mold appears in areas with abundant moisture and a steady supply of suitable nutrients that support its growth. In your home, you’re most likely to see mold in the bathroom, kitchen, attic, or basement. While it might seem like nothing too serious at first, if left untreated, mold can cause breathing problems, allergy symptoms, and, in severe cases, lead to lung or sinus inflammation. Further, mold can produce foul odors, cause rot in important structures around the house, and degrade indoor air quality. The good news is that mold is entirely preventable, especially when you move into a brand-new home. Here are a few strategies to prevent mold from appearing in your home.
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THE KITCHEN The kitchen is where we eat and spend a lot of time, so it’s one of the last places we want to see mold. But it’s often one of the most common places where mold develops. Here are three quick tips to prevent mold from forming in your kitchen.
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Check for leaks or water damage. Just like your bathroom, your kitchen has ample opportunities for leaks. Check under the sink, around the refrigerator, behind the dishwasher, and by the sink faucet. Clean regularly and don’t forget about the appliances and walls. All surfaces should be cleaned regularly, and spend a day each week inspecting the fridge. Clear out old food and give it a quick wipe-down, inside and out. Also, it may be time to toss the kitchen sponge. Stop putting wet dishes in the cabinets. Sometimes, items will come out of the dishwasher still wet. Instead of wiping them down, some people just throw them in the cabinet, but this can create mold.
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THE BATHROOM Bathrooms are usually the wettest rooms in our homes, and that constant moisture creates the perfect environment for mold to flourish. Nearly everyone has seen mildew in a bathtub or around a bathroom sink. If you want to keep the mold and mildew at bay, you’re going to have to deploy some strict strategies. Here are four things you can do right now to prevent mold in the bathroom.
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Mold is a serious problem you should never take lightly. It won’t go away on its own, and clearing it once it’s developed can be problematic. That’s why prevention is the best path forward. –The SR Homes Team
678-252-2525 SRHomes.com February 2026
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Install an exhaust fan and use it properly. Most people turn the fan on whenever they are in the shower or bath, but it actually needs to run for about 30 minutes after you’ve finished. Doing so will
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Create a Wood Slat Wall That Wows
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Vertical wood slat walls are a popular decorative accent for living rooms and other areas of the home, but the cost of hiring a contractor to create a wood slat feature can be steep. Despite this, a wood slat wall is among the easiest beginner projects for a
wannabe home remodeler. Check out the easy steps to create your own DIY accent wall!
painting supplies, including paint, painter’s tape, a drop cloth, and paint rollers or brushes.
WHAT YOU NEED At a lumber store, buy 1-by-2-inch slats of pine or poplar wood cut to a length that fits the height of your wall. Select slats that are straight, not warped, and save scraps for later use. If you are using pine, sand the slats with fine-grit sandpaper and stain them to the wood tone that best suits your decor. Although poplar slats cost more than pine, they offer a more high-end look. Additionally, they don’t require staining or sanding, as they’re beautiful in their natural state. For either type of wood, add a layer of polyurethane as a sealant. Assemble your supplies, including the slats, a nail gun, and wood conditioner, plus wood stain if desired. Remove any baseboards from your accent wall. We recommend painting the wall behind the slats a dark color to accent the natural beauty of the slats. For this, you need the usual
ATTACH THE SLATS To help you envision the final look, use painter’s tape to position the slats at different distances. If your slats are 1 inch wide, experiment with spacing them 1/4–7/8 inch apart. (Any farther apart, and you risk creating a zebra-stripe effect.) Use a scrap piece as a spacer between slats. Then, attach the slats to the wall using the nail gun, inserting one nail each in the top, middle, and bottom. When nailing slats to an area without a stud behind the wall, use two nails, driving one downward and a second upward, creating an X behind the slat to hold it firmly in place. Use the spacer as you drive a nail into each piece, ensuring your slats are vertically straight.
Once your slat wall is finished, relax and enjoy the warmth of the wood tones and the visual interest you’ve created! You’ve transformed an ordinary wall into a highlight of your home. Cold Outside, Stuffy Inside
EASY WAYS TO REFRESH YOUR HOME’S AIR
AIR PURIFIERS AND HUMIDIFIERS Homes can be a haven for pollutants, irritants, and allergens, something you’ll surely notice as you spend more time inside during winter. To combat these air irritants, you should invest in an air purifier. Many air purifiers automatically turn on when air quality worsens, keeping your house breathable year-round. If dryness causes discomfort, consider humidifiers. These raise the moisture level in your home, making you more comfortable while helping your house stay warm.
Throughout the winter months, many people in our area stay within the confines of their homes, only leaving to go to work, a restaurant, or the grocery store. The rest of the time, we read, watch TV, or participate in some of our favorite indoor hobbies. As the days pass, you may notice your air quality diminishing. When you can’t step outside comfortably for a breath of fresh air, it becomes even more apparent, which makes you wonder how to freshen up your home and clear the air. Here are a couple of easy-to-implement ideas. FURNACE UPKEEP AND MAINTENANCE Your heating system has to work harder in winter to keep your home as warm as possible. When your furnace does not get regular upkeep, it has to work harder, burning more energy, raising electricity costs, and kicking more irritants into your home’s air. Ideally, a professional inspected your furnace before the cold set in to ensure it was in peak condition, but if not, you can still take action now. The best place to start is the furnace filter. Replacing it will immediately improve your home’s air quality, and it will also serve as a warning sign if maintenance, repairs, or replacement are necessary. If it’s only been a month or two since you replaced it, and you notice extreme buildup or a bad smell, you may want to call for HVAC service.
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We’re all trying to keep a little more money in our pockets these days, but it always feels like something pulls at our wallets to take away our hard-earned cash. Weekly grocery trips, surprise expenses, and monthly bills add up quickly, leaving little funds for other necessities or fun activities. In a time when people are picking up multiple jobs or starting side gigs to afford daily expenses, wouldn’t it be better if there were an easier option? BEFORE YOU PICK UP A SIDE HUSTLE Try These Money-Saving Habits
TURN OFF OR UNPLUG THINGS YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY USING. When you leave your house for work, what can you do before walking out the door? As part of your routine, do you ever check your thermostat? You don’t need to leave your heat or air conditioning running at full blast when nobody is in the house. Turn it down or off whenever you’re not home. Similarly, make sure the lights in your house that you’re not actively using are off. Whenever you leave a room, turn off the lights. You may also want to consider items that remain in rest or standby mode that you don’t regularly use, like video game consoles, small appliances, and phone chargers.
Here are two things you can do around the house to lower your bills and save more money.
BECOME WATER CONSCIOUS. Most people overuse water without even realizing it. It’s a necessity for many daily activities and weekly chores, but you can still reduce your water consumption and lower your water bill. Don’t leave the water running when you’re brushing your teeth, doing dishes by hand, or putting shampoo or conditioner in your hair. When you do laundry or run a load of dishes in the dishwasher, make sure the appliances are full before starting. When possible, use cold water for your laundry. These may seem like minor adjustments, but they will make a difference in your water and electricity bills.
It might not seem like much, but even small changes can have a big impact on your monthly bills.
Love Yourself Like You Mean It
YOUR VALENTINE’S DAY SELF-CARE GUIDE
For many Americans, Valentine’s Day is synonymous with romance. We get reservations weeks or months in advance, shower our partners in love and affection, and enjoy an extravagant date night. It’s a day filled with high expectations, and with that comes stress and pressure. If you feel like you’re always going above and beyond to impress on Valentine’s Day without getting the same effort in return, it may be time to show yourself some extra love. Everyone deserves a happy and fulfilling life, but it can be hard to achieve when work, relationships, and other pressures weigh us down. Most of us rarely take time for ourselves, so as the pressure builds, we start to experience episodes of burnout, depression, and anxiety. This Valentine’s Day or sometime close to it, take time for yourself and practice self-care. It will help you feel rejuvenated while removing any negative thoughts that have been lingering around.
How you approach self-care is entirely up to you, but it almost always involves engaging in relaxing and enjoyable activities. Think about the things you love to do the most. When was the last
time you played a round of golf, went on a walk through nature, or enjoyed your favorite movie uninterrupted? Whatever your favorite activity may be, find a way to incorporate it into your self-care day. In addition to your favorite activities, take some time to pamper yourself. Get a massage, buy something for yourself that you really want, or take a long, relaxing bath. These actions will help you feel good inside and out! To ensure your self-care day is a success, consider turning off your phone and other devices for the duration of the day. Scrolling through social media will not help you feel any better; in fact, it will likely make you feel worse. This is a time to focus on yourself and ensure you get the attention and love you deserve. If you waste the whole day scrolling through TikTok or X, you’ll focus on everything but yourself.
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Inside This Issue 1 How to Stop Mold Before It Starts
Facebook.com/SRHomesGA Instagram.com/SRHomes
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Bring Bold Beauty With Brilliant Boards!
Don’t Let Stale Winter Air Take Over Your Home
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Simple Ways to Cut Monthly Bills
Reclaiming Valentine’s Day for Yourself
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Eye-Catching Curtain Designs to Love
Draped in Elegance: Hot Design Trends for 2026
Choosing curtains for your home or apartment can be an adventure in self- expression. If adding drapes is on your to-do list, this is the guide for you! The top 2026 curtain design trends include eco-friendly fabrics, such as recycled or organic cotton, and intense, moody colors, like deep earth tones. Styles range from minimalist cotton or linen panels in neutral tones to farmhouse-inspired cafe curtains. For a cozy farmhouse feel, hang tie-top or cafe-style panels to rustic wooden rods. Formal draperies are popular, too, featuring box or goblet pleats in velvet
or brocade. For a lighter, breezier feel, consider floor-to-ceiling Scandinavian sheers in white or pale blue. And if your curtains need to double as room darkeners, consider boho-chic styles in global or floral prints layered over blackout panels. Whatever your needs or style preferences, today’s flexible curtain designs offer just the right look for your home!
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