Drinking Water Cooler Maintenance

Proper maintenance of water cooler equipment increases the chances that the water will remain fresh and sanitary. Cleaning and care of a cooler is relatively easy.

Cleaning Frequency

Clean the cooler every six weeks, or each time you change the bottle. If the bottle is changed sooner than six weeks, clean the cooler then. Regular cleanings help to prevent bacterial contamination.

Cleaning Solution

Use a bleach solution to clean the water cooler. Fill a sink or a bucket with a gallon of water. Add one tablespoon of bleach to the water. Allow the bleach to mix thoroughly with the water before you begin to clean the cooler. If you decide to prepare enough solution to last for several days, make sure that you use the solution or pour it out after 30 days. It is important that you use a fresh solution to clean the water cooler with every 30 days or less.

Water Dispenser

Before you start to clean the water dispenser, unplug the cooler from the electrical outlet. Wear a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands while you work with the bleach solution. You can use a sponge or wash rag to scrub the dispenser. After you clean crumbs and stains from the dispenser, drop the equipment inside the bleach solution. Let the dispenser soak for two to five minutes. Rinse the dispenser and the reservoir thoroughly. A good way to do this is to run cool sink water over the dispenser for several seconds. Clean the reservoir by pouring four glasses of clean sink water into the reservoir. Use a bucket to catch the water as it comes out of the reservoir.

Dip Tray

Clean the dip try with a mild detergent. Feel free to use your dish detergent to clean the tray after you remove it from the cooler. Rinse the tray thoroughly before you reattach it to the water cooler.

Bottle Replacement

Wash and rinse your hands before you handle a new water bottle. Wipe the neck of the new bottle with a paper towel before you place it in the cooler. Ensure that the expiration date on the bottle has not elapsed. It is also important that you are comfortably strong enough to lift the bottle to avoid personal injury. Remove the cap off of the mouth of the bottle and place the mouth in the cooler. Avoid touching the cooler spigot with your hands or other objects, to prevent bacterial growth.

Storing Bottles

Water bottles should be stored in clean, well-ventilated areas. Bottles should not be stored near paint, other chemicals or in small bathroom or janitorial closets. To keep the water fresh, avoid storing bottles in direct sunlight.

How to Adjust Spring Tension

Most recently built homes have automatic garage door openers that mechanically raise and lower the doors, but whether your garage doors are opened manually or mechanically, they require springs to do the work. Springs decrease the workload on the machine and extend the lifespan of your door system. Over time, the springs on these doors wear out, and it can make putting the door up or down harder. But before you go out and buy a new set of springs, consider adjusting them to the brackets they are hooked on. This will adjust the tension of the spring and get more use out of them.

Instructions

1

Locate the springs. Most garage doors have at least two, and the springs are usually near the sides.

2

Close the garage door. Adjusting springs while the door is up could cause it to slam shut.

3

Find the bracket each spring is hooked into. These brackets will have multiple notches. Unhook each spring from its notch and place it in the next one down if the springs are too loose, or one higher if it is too tight.

4

Open the door. It should open and close without too much force.

5

Try different notches on the bracket to find the setting that works best if your first attempt failed. On some doors you can even move the brackets to get the optimum tension.

Ideas for Designing a Room

Designing a room involves implementing a variety of ideas from style to function. Planning and implementing a design budget is one of the first steps, followed by choosing style, color and accessories. Homeowners can decorate rooms themselves or hire professional interior designers for assistance.

Budget

Considering how much money will go into the design of a room is essential. A budget can determine price points for a variety of room elements such as flooring, furniture and light fixtures. Make a budget by first figuring out how much money is available for the entire project. Then determine what are necessities, as well as items that would be nice to include but are not essential. Decide what items that are currently in the room can stay in the new design scheme. Determine whether any items can be refurbished by upholstering or painting.

Style

Choose a style for the new room. Contemporary or modern design elements have clean, minimal lines and geometric shapes. Old World and French country decorating elements combine a rustic appeal with a mix of European antiquity. The 1950s can be seen through retro designs that implement vintage advertising pieces. Thumb through magazines to view different style ideas.

Functionality

Determine how the room will be used. A room that will be occupied by pets and children may require furniture and carpeting that can handle additional wear. Consider scrubbable or washable paints in high-traffic areas. Find what key pieces are necessary to make the room most functional. For example, a home office may need additional outlets for computer access and setup, as well as additional task lighting.

Color Palette

The psychology of color can set the mood in a room. Warm, golden colors such as reds, yellows and oranges cause stimulation and increased appetites and are commonly found in kitchens. Cool palettes of blues and violet hues promote relaxation. Dark colors can make a large room feel smaller and cozier, while pastel colors evoke a feeling of open space. Accent walls can be painted a different color to add additional color to a room.

Accessories

Accessories are the finishing touches to a room. Adding coordinating accessories like light fixtures, rugs and throw pillows pull style, color and functionality together. When shopping locally, always ask what the return policy is. Many times an item may look great in the store but not fit as imagined when placed in a room.

How to Cut Kitchen Worktops

If you're building a new home or remodeling your kitchen, you must cut kitchen worktops for appliances such as stoves, surface units and sinks. There are several methods you may use to do this. A skill saw or a jig saw are the two best options. You may use a router in some cases.

Instructions

1

Cut kitchen worktops by first measuring your sink size. If your sink is a standard double-bowl, it's normally 33 by 22 inches. This is the overall width of the sink. So, your cut-out must be 32 by 21 inches. This gives you adequate area for your sink to set on top of your counter worktop. You must cut small radiuses on the four corners.

2

Use a skill saw to cut kitchen worktops. Cut from the bottom of your worktop. Cut your straight cuts with your skill saw. After you make your straight cuts, use two nails and nail one on each end of your sink cut-out. This holds up your sink cut-out so it won't chip your plastic when you finish your cut-out. Now, use a jig saw to finish your small radius cuts on all four corners.

3

Make a kitchen sink cut-out from the top of the counter once you've set your counters in place. Use masking tape to lay out your sink hole. On some worktops, you can't see your mark. Masking tape also helps prevent chips and damage to the plastic of your worktops.

4

Choose a jig saw for this cut if you're not comfortable using a skill saw. Drill a pilot hole on the inside of your mark so that you may start your cut with your jig saw. Make sure you stay on the inside of your line, keeping pressure down on your jig saw as you make your sink cut-out when you cut kitchen worktops.

How to Lighten Cherry Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Cherry wood darkens with exposure to light, so the kitchen cabinets that you loved when you installed them, may end up being too dark for your taste after a few years. Replacing the cabinets is not only expensive, but a huge messy project, so consider lightening your cherry wood kitchen cabinets instead.

Instructions

1

Clean your cabinets thoroughly. Often times, grease and dirt residue, especially in the kitchen, make cabinets appear darker. A good scrubbing may be all you need to lighten your cherry wood cabinets.

2

Bleach your cabinets using "A/B" bleaches sold in most paint and hardware stores. The process involves applying sodium hydroxide (A) followed by hydrogen peroxide (B). Apply B quickly, as the sodium hydroxide can actually darken the cabinets if left on too long. Read the directions on the package and test it out before putting it on your cabinets.

3

Strip off the finish on your cabinets. Chances are your cabinets are not stained if they are actually made out of cherry. But, some oil based finishes can darken the wood. Purchase a stripping solution at your local paint or hardware store. Once the finish is off, coat with a clear finish to seal and protect the cabinets.

4

Paint your cabinets to lighten them up. Some people would gasp at the idea of painting beautiful cherry wood cabinets, but if you are truly unhappy with them and don't want to do the work to strip them, paint over them.

5

Consider painting the kitchen a lighter color, adding more lights or adding a skylight or window. Often, a lighter shade of paint in the kitchen will change the look of the room and brighten it enough to offset the dark cherry cabinets. You may find that just lightening the room does the trick without actually touching the cabinets.

How to Build Wood Countertops

Wood countertops give kitchens a solid, beautiful look that lasts for generations. Building your own wood countertops can be a unique project that requires you to carefully cut your wood to precisely fit the area in which you're installing it. You can choose a variety of wood types, depending on your particular likes and the style of your kitchen. It's best, however, to choose a hardwood such as oak, cherry, maple, walnut, teak, red beech or mahogany.

Instructions

1

Measure the counter space in your kitchen. This is important to know when you are choosing a design and also shopping for wood. Measure your current counters several times in order to be absolutely positive you are planning well. Careful planning, a seasoned woodworker will tell you, is the key to successful building.

2

Choose a wood that will stand up to the abuse and use that a kitchen counter is apt to see. Avoid soft woods such as pine which will leave dings and marks when anything dropped or hit against the surface. A hard surface like oak or maple will not give in to your daily abuse and will maintain its integrity for years.

3

Cut your wood based on the plans. Measure your wood cuts several times before making your incisions. Most likely, you have invested a great deal of money in your supplies and do not want to waste any to carelessness.

4

Remove all of your old counter surface. Clean the area. You rarely get to look at this area and take care of it. If you see dust or debris remove the bottom area of your countertop.

5

Set the new countertop on the countertop area. Adjust it so it sits straight and how you want it.

6

Attach the new wood by using either epoxy or nails, depending on what your plans call for. It is important to have your wood securely fastened to the top to avoid costly repairs in the future.

7

Apply a waterproof finish for your countertop. This will prevent the wood from warping and suffering damage while preparing meals.

How to Build Bamboo Cabinets

With new people constantly seeking greener building choices there has been a recent growth in people looking for ways to build bamboo cabinets. Bamboo is a quick growing plant that is quickly replenished in nature making it a renewable and very earth friendly resource as a building material. Keep reading to discover how to use this earth-friendly building material for your cabinets.

Instructions

1

Decide on a plan for your kitchen cabinets. This is one thing that you do not want to build on the fly. You need to either draft a plan or purchase a set of plans that are appropriate for your overall goals when you build bamboo cabinets for your kitchen. Plans can generally be found quite inexpensively and are worth every penny for the time they will save over 'winging it' with almost any building project.

2

Recruit help. Not only is building the cabinets in the first place a two-person job but also installing them. You will need help for a project of this scope and it's great to have an extra set of eyes in addition to the extra pair of hands.

3

Select the materials you will be using. It may be a no-brainer that you will be using bamboo when you build bamboo cabinets but there are various grades of bamboo and you want material that is appropriate and adequate to serve as cabinetry. Take your time when selecting this material as you are likely to be seeing it day after day for many years to come.

4

Gather tools. It is a good idea to move all the tools that you will be using for this project into one central location. This allows you to quickly and easily gain access to them all, saves time on the overall project, and clues you in quickly to any items that may be missing or inadequate to build bamboo walls.

5

Put the plan into action. You have purchased your plans, sorted your materials, and all that is left is to actually build bamboo cabinets. If you have chosen the plans wisely and according to your skill level and comfort zone you should have few problems completing the project with beautiful bamboo cabinets as your final result.