Month: April 2015

Spring Cleaning: Your Car

Our spring cleaning series now travels to your car! Yes, that vehicle you have neglected all winter because you figured it will just keep getting worse with every snow storm. This weekend will be a great time to really scrub your car to sparkly clean. Best tip: always clean from the top down, both inside and outside of the car. Follow these steps to get your car ready for the spring and summer:

washing a carRemove all the clutter.Get a bag and throw out the trash. Then clean out all the stuff that doesn’t need to be in there, extra winter hats, gloves, snow removers, etc. Don’t forget the trunk!

Clean the inside windows with special car window cleaner. Some window cleaners with ammonia make your car windows more foggy, so getting the special car window cleaner is worth it.

Wipe down front dash with cleaners made for car interiors.

Take your car mats out and power wash them. This is an easy task for rubber winter mats, but can also be done with carpet mats, just make sure you let them completely dry before putting them back in your car.

Use a heavy duty vacuum (like the ones at the car wash) to completely vacuum the interior.
Change your tires if you put on snow tires. If you didn’t change your tires, check your tire pressure and treads.

Check the fluid levels to make sure everything is adequate.

Wash the outside of your car from the top down. Getting an undercarriage wash at the car wash is also a good idea, to really get at any of the left over salt under your car.

Now you are all set to hit the open road! Drive safely this spring and summer!

Air Quality Awareness Week

This week is Air Quality Awareness Week. Everyone is trying to take good care of themselves…eat right, exercise, maintain healthy relationships. What about monitoring the air that you breathe? Seems very important, right? Why aren’t we paying more attention to it then? Start this week!

vacuum

Let’s start with your indoor air quality. Check to see if you or someone you live with is at a higher risk of having complications with poor air quality.

Do you need your air ducts cleaned to provide a healthier environment inside your home? Find out the facts.

Even if it is not necessary for you to clean the air ducts, changing the filter at least every 6 months is absolutely necessary. It is also important to make sure you are using a HEPA filter vacuum along with an air purifier if you have individuals in your household that are sensitive to air quality.

When going outside there are many air pollutants. The most common are ozone and particle pollution. If you or ones you know are in a higher risk category for sensitivity to poor air quality, then you should be mindful of the Air Quality Index (AQI) daily, especially in the summer months. Here is an explanation of what the AQI is and how to know if you should stay indoors or alter your plans:

Take these steps to insure that you are taking care of yourself and others around you. Stay healthy!

Distracted Driving

testing while drivingApril is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. We all try to multi-task, especially while driving…one of the worst places to do it! On your way home from work, rushing to think of dinner plans, you decide ordering take-out is easiest. While driving you are searching your phone for the number or asking Siri to find it for you, not fully paying attention to the road. A car stops short in front of you and you end up rear-ending them. If you are lucky and everyone is ok, this is still an at fault accident that will give you a surcharge on your car insurance, just because you were trying to multi-task. Don’t. One call/text could ruin everything while driving. The statistics are there: you are 4x more likely to get in a car crash while using a cell phone or hand held device. Don’t assume that since you have a hand held device it is risk free.

1. Hands-free features in dashboards actually increase mental distraction

2. Using voice-to-text is more distracting than typing texts while driving

3. Drivers who text with their hands or voice (using speech-to-text systems) keep their eyes on the road less often and have reaction times twice as slow

The truth is using your cell phone in any form, is making you a distracted driver. Please don’t make a statistic out of yourself and take the focused driver challenge. There are many ways we can be distracted while driving, but using a cell phone is the number one distraction. So if you try to limit your phone use to while you are stopped or when you get to your destination, you will be a lot safer and so will the other people on the road.

* statistics from The National Safety Council

Spring Cleaning: The Oprah Experiment

Over the next few weeks of spring we will give some excellent spring cleaning tips. Spring is a time to start anew! Why not give your house a new life? A favorite spring cleaning task is the Oprah Closet Experiment. Oprah didn’t invent it, but she made it famous.

closet

Here are the steps to take to clean out your closet and get rid of the clothes you don’t wear:

Turn all your hangers around backwards
Every time you wear an item, turn the hanger around
Do this over a period of 6 months or so (long enough to go through seasons)
Everything that is still on a backwards facing hanger, donate
This closet cleaning technique does not render immediate results, but spring is a good time to start. Your closet will become uncluttered and look more organized. Happy Spring Cleaning!

How to Prevent Slip and Fall Homeowners Claims

We often think of slip and fall insurance claims coming from businesses, but many claims are through homeowners policies. There are people almost every day coming on to your property: friends, relatives, neighbors, FedEx employees, plumber, etc. It is important that you keep your house as safe as possible, for both your family and visitors (invited or not). railing

Here are a few simple steps to help prevent slip and fall accidents:

  • Install railings on you stairs (with most insurance companies this is a must or you will not be covered)
  • Properly shovel and use a non-slip ice melt after storms
  • Use non-slip pads under all of your area rugs
  • Clean up spills immediately…kids are pretty tricky with where they drop things, so be mindful of all the places they are
  • Keep cords close to the wall out of the way
  • Properly light outside walkways
  • Fix all broken steps: outside and inside (make sure stair rugs are properly secured)
  • Use doormats both inside and outside of your house
  • Use non-slip mats both inside and outside the bath/shower

It is always a good idea to have an umbrella policy also. Our motto: You don’t need to be a millionaire to be sued for a million dollars! A $1M umbrella policy is an inexpensive way to give you that extra protection in case you have a slip and fall accident on your property and are sued. Call us for details www.mancuso-nowak.com