Top 3 New Year's Resolutions

What To Do With Fallen Leaves?

Autumn’s beautiful array of oranges, reds, yellows have given way to bare branches and tree limbs. Now that most of the leaves have fallen off the trees, it’s time to decide what you’re going to do with them. Here are a few things you can do now to insure you keep your lawn healthy through the coming winter months.

1. Get your leaves off the lawn. Even a light layer of leaves will compact under winter snows, depriving lawn grasses of light and air and encouraging the growth of snow mold and other turf diseases. You can use them now for mulch, add them to your compost or stockpile them for future use.

2. Make sure you clear all the leaves off your driveway and sidewalks. Leaves create slippery conditions for drivers and bike riders when it rains. Mounds of leaves can also clog local storm drains, creating dangerous high water conditions on roadways during a heavy downpour.

3. If you decide to use leaves for mulch, use your lawn mower to chop them into fine pieces and add them to your compost pile or flower beds. Leaves are nutrient-rich, which are perfect around newly installed plants to maintain soil warmth and permit better root growth. Spread leaves across bare soil areas to prevent erosion or apply them to established gardens after the ground has frozen to prevent frost heave and premature soil warming in early spring.

4. Participate in your local communities’ leaf service. Many cities offer a short-term service of delivering your leaves to a specific site at no charge. The site will compost the leaves for municipal use or sale to residents. This may be your best bet to keep your fall cleanup ecofriendly if the amount of leaves on your property overwhelms your ability to use them in your own landscape. Some cities offer a pick-up service, while others have a drop-off location. For information on this service in your community, visit the local government website for Lexington, Louisville, and Knoxville.

5. Use the leaves in your holiday decorations. Decorate your home with the Fall foliage by adding whole leaves to your table decorations or wall art. 

Prevent Busted Pipes This Season

Every winter season, the pipes in your home are at risk of damage from freezing conditions. Low temperatures can cause your water pipes to freeze, and in some cases burst. Protect your home by preventing broken pipes now before the cold weather sets in.

·         Make sure you disconnect any garden hoses and tighten the outside spigot to be sure the water is turned off for the winter. If you leave a garden hose attached, a small amount of water can stay lodged in the pipe by the spigot and will quickly freeze. This ice can damage your faucet and pipe, making for a costly repair down the road.

·         If you don’t remove the leaves and debris from your gutters now, they’ll become clogged with massive chunks of frozen debris. Clogged gutters can create ice dams, an overflow of ice that forms along the ridges of your roof and can cause warping, roof damage and mold growth.

·         Make sure pipes along an exterior wall have access to the heat in the house. For example, if the water pipe for your kitchen sink is along an exterior wall of your home, keep the cabinet door open so heat from the house can circulate and warm the pipes.

·         Identify the location of the main water valve and the valve on your water heater. Know how to turn it off, in case of emergency.

·         When temperatures drop below 20 degrees overnight, let a slow drip or trickle of water flow out of the faucet to keep the water moving. When both hot and cold lines serve a spigot, make sure each one contributes to the drip.

·         If you’re going on vacation or leaving the home for an extended period of time, don’t turn the heat completely off. Keep it from 55-60 degrees, and open all of the kitchen and bathroom cabinets, crawlspace doors, and make sure the basement also has access to the home’s heat.

Organizing Your Kitchen

After you’ve moved in to your new Ball home, make sure your kitchen remains organized and clutter-free with these quick tips!

• Organize your kitchen cabinets by placing items you’ll use the most on the lower shelves and the things you’ll use least on the higher shelves.
• Store small appliances like a coffee grinder, handheld electric mixer, and toaster, inside a cabinet on a large lazy Susan. You’ll be able to keep the large, bulky items hidden, but still within reach when you need them.
• Use your new glass-front cabinets to showcase your good china, antique bowls, or even canisters filled with pasta. 
• Create a cooking zone around the stove, storing pots and pans as close to the range as possible. Stow essential tools together within easy reach of your cooking zone for efficient food prep.
• Utilize your interior cabinet doors. Line a door with cut-to-fit sheets of cork to create a message center, or attach a magnetic board to the inside of a door.
• Set aside one drawer for junk. Most organization experts agree that you can and should have a junk drawer for all the little odds-and-ends things around the house. Use drawer dividers to keep it organized and make sure you go through it at least once every few months to throw away the things you really don’t use. 

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• Line the base of your cabinets with a waterproof mat. You’ll be able to easily wipe up spills, leaks, or crumbs while protecting your cabinets. 
  
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Fireplace Safety Tips

Nothing says Fall and Winter like snuggling up next to a warm, cozy fire in your Ball home. While it may be tempting to grab some firewood and make a fire the minute cooler weather sets in, it’s important to make sure your fireplace is fire-ready. 

According to the United States Fire Administration, heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Often these fires are due to creosote buildup in chimneys. Instead of making your home a part of these statistics, follow these steps to make sure your fireplace is ready for action.

Keep Your Fireplace Clean

Before you start up that first fire of the season, make sure your fireplace and chimney are cleaned by a licensed professional. Keep the area clear of any debris, decorations, or flammable materials.

Know How to Burn

If you have glass doors on your fireplace, keep them open when burning a fire. Leaving the doors open allows for enough air to reach the fire, and will also burn off any creosote buildup. Use the mesh screen to keep embers and debris from escaping out of the hearth.

Fuel the Fire

Use only seasoned hardwood for your fire starter. Do not use flammable liquids to start your fire.  Do not burn cardboard boxes, trash, or debris. Do not leave your fire unattended. Extinguish your fire before going to bed or leaving the house. Allow the ashes to cool before disposing of them. Place the ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep the ash container at least 10 feet away from your home.

Following these few simple fireplace safety tips will help you prepare your fireplace and safely operate a fire in your Ball home this season.