Row.co.uk Blog

How to Prevent and Get Rid of a Vermin Infestation

Posted on May 23, 2017

Vermin infestation is any home owner’s worst nightmare. One can’t find any rest knowing that some pests are lurking about the house right under your nose. The ladies of the house would scream while the kids would cry, and your own disgust would bother you to no ends. You would ask yourself “What went wrong?’ Was the house not clean enough?  And the worst of all is the expenses which have to be paid for getting rid of them. It’s normal to have some sort of pest come up at some point in time, but with a few tips and your house can be pest free in no time, and that too forever. Your home emergency insurance might cover the expenses so fret not! If you don't have insurance, or even if you do, there are solutions to this problem which you can explore if you find yourself in this awful situation.

If you are living on rent then you don’t have to worry at all because this is something which your landlord has to cover (unless you signed a contract which says otherwise), or the local pest clearing authorities.

First let’s determine what are pests and vermin

  • These include rodents (rats and mice), cockroaches, mites, fleas, bedbugs and ants.
  • Who should bear the responsibility for clearing them out?
  • As mentioned previously, it depends on your tenancy agreement
  • If the problem occurred before you moved in
  • If the problem was caused by disrepair
  • If something you have or have not done which has caused this problem

Causes:

It’s not always easy to determine the cause, but the local environmental health officer or pest control authority can figure it out.

Kinds of pests and what they are attracted to:

  • Cockroaches—they love warm temperatures therefore the kitchen is the go to place for them. You will most likely find them hiding in the cabinets, cracks and crevices under the cooker
  • Ants—they have a sweet tooth so you will find them near sugary and sticky food items such honey, candy and even sugar jars. Ants make colonies pretty quickly so it’s best to nip them in the bud.
  • Mice—again, warm temperature is what they love. You will most likely find them in storage rooms or attics where they sneak easily and hide under various things. You can even see them lurking about where there is food.
  • Rats need some sort of a water source and food so you will also see them near the kitchen and even in the garden area if you have fruits or vegetables.

Tips to prevent infestation

  • Keep your rubbish bins covered at all times, and make sure they are always emptied on a regular basis. Bins attract these pests like bees to honey.
  • Always clean up any crumbs or spills in the kitchen counter or on the floor.
  • Keep food in sealed containers in the fridge and never outside.
  • Keep all your windows closed and install a net, this way you will still get fresh air without letting any pest or vermin inside.
  • Always inspect the area for any holes, ant trails, cracks, and crevices and seal the area if you see any.


*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

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6 kitchen cleaning hacks you need to know

Row.co.uk Blog

6 kitchen cleaning hacks you need to know

Posted on April 1, 2019

Keeping your kitchen clean is more than just a case of keeping up appearances. A clean kitchen is far less likely to harbour harmful germs. But our kitchens are used for all kinds of different activities, and keeping them clean can feel like a never-ending chore.


Fortunately, we’ve got some kitchen cleaning hacks to make an unpleasant job much easier.


Image result for clean kitchen

Washing Up Liquid is Your Friend

In the kitchen, few products can rival simple dish detergent for both economy and cleaning power. It can cut through hard, baked-on grease with ease when paired with hot water.


For example, you can use washing up liquid to get gunk off your hob; just pour hot water on and use a microfibre cloth to apply washing up liquid. Leave for around 20 minutes to soak, and you should find that the detergent lifts the grime away without the need to scrub.


Baking Soda Boosts Cleaning Power


Baking soda is a handy additive that makes cleaning cheap and simple. Try it when you next clean your oven trays. Just work a generous amount in with some water until you get a gloopy paste, then smear it onto your oven trays and leave it for an hour.


You can use the same simple mixture on your oven glass and metal racks. For the glass, just open the door and smear it on, then leave it to dissolve the brown marks for half an hour. You may be left with a soft sludge; if so, a ‘magic eraser’ sponge will wipe off the remaining marks.


Once you start using baking soda to clean, you’ll find dozens of uses for it. We recommend buying bulk bags of baking soda online, rather than using the small catering packs -- they can be expensive.


Lemon Juice - a Natural Cleaner


Lemon juice is a great cleaner that adds zingy freshness to stale areas of the kitchen. You can use lemon juice to soften and remove cooked-on microwave stains; just add fresh lemons to a bowl of water and microwave until just before the water boils over.


Lemon is also great for cleaning surfaces that you don’t want to saturate with soap. If you use wooden chopping boards, a slice of lemon will freshen them nicely. Add baking soda if you need to remove tough marks.


Do Away With Packaging for Hygienic Storage


Storing food can be tricky in cramped kitchens, or small freezers. But if you remove packaging, you could fit in much more while making it easier to organise and clean. For example, meat, fish, or frozen foods can be organised much more neatly when wrapped in labelled bags rather than the oversized boxes they are delivered in. Just be sure to mark each one with the use by date.


The same trick works well with breakfast cereals that tend to take up a lot more space than they really should. For items that require a seal, an inexpensive vacuum sealer machine will allow you to shrink your food down to the minimum size for clean, hygienic storage.


Invest in Stacking Boxes for a Cleaner Fridge


When did you last clean your fridge? Removing shelves and washing trays is a chore none of us enjoy. So consider investing in stacking fridge boxes instead. Keeping food contained is the best way to prevent contamination and spillages. As a bonus, it also ensures that everything in the fridge is easy to find when you need it.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

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3 Things We'd Struggle To Do Without Mobile Phones

Row.co.uk Blog

3 Things We'd Struggle To Do Without Mobile Phones

Posted on December 11, 2013
10 years ago (maybe less) we would find it hard to believe how incredibly reliant we’d become on the simple mobile phone. The days when a text message was no more than 40 or 50 characters long and upon opening it slowly crawled across the tiny screen for what seemed like an eternity.

Now, the idea of a standard text message seems positively archaic when we have a multitude of instant messaging applications with the capabilities of sending symbols, pictures and videos, as well as the actual words themselves.

But what else do we heavily rely on when it comes to our smartphones?

The Internet

Of course without our access to the world wide web, many of us would simply be lost, and to be able to have it on the go is sheer technological genius. We can catch up on the latest news stories, check our emails and share our thoughts and images via social media platforms in the blink of an eye.

The Camera

In the rise of digital photography came the inspirational notion that a camera and a phone could be combined. For quick snaps on holidays or nights out, having your high mega-pixel camera with its excellent flash and plethora of editing programs to hand is nothing short of essential in today’s society.

GPS

Location is everything. People are now able to track (to the precise position) where they are at the click of a button and also follow where their friends and family are via fabulous smartphone technology, which works like a satellite navigation system.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

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