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Archive for 2013

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

Your computer is full of hazardous and dangerous materials which can harm the environment. For example, the older, bulky CRT screens contain cathode ray tubes, containing high levels of lead, while the circuit boards and batteries usually contain dangerous amounts of heavy metals and lead solder. If you just throw away your computer, you’ll be risking those heavy metals and dangerous materials leaking into the environment. Fortunately though, there are many safe ways to recycle your computer so that you don’t have to worry about damaging the environment when it’s time to purchase a new computer. Below is a list of where to recycle computers.

Reuse and Donations

The first place you should look for is one that can reuse your computer, as this is the most eco-friendly way to “dispose” of your computer. If your computer is still in good shape and usable, you should consider donating your computer for other people to use. Most such organizations will be local and city-based, so try to find the one closest to you through searching sites such as eCycling or Earth911.

Manufacturer Recycling

Most electronic manufacturers and retailers will have some sort of recycling program in place to reclaim your used and outdated equipment. Best Buy offers an electronics recycling program in all of their stores, allowing you to bring two pieces of electronic equipment per day. Likewise, Office Depot provides Tech Recycling Boxes (for a small fee) that you can fill up with as many electronic items as you can fit in them and drop off to any Office Depot store. Staples also has an EcoEasy recycling program where you can recycle your computer for $10 per item you bring in. Most businesses in your area will sponsor some form of electronics recycling, so just ask around and find one that suits you best!

Find A Computer Recycling Center Near You!

If you have any concerns about appropriately recycling your computer, you should talk with a garbage removal professional. TalkLocal can connect you with the highest quality garbage removal professionals in your area in just minutes, for free!

Posted in Garbage Removal | No Comments »

Plant Evergreen Trees

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

In the winter, when most plants die and trees lose their leaves, you may find yourself wishing your yard had more color. A lot of times, the creaky branches of the hibernating oak and maple trees can be depressing. One way to add some year-round color and flair to your yard is to plant evergreen trees.

Before you plant evergreen trees in your yard, you may want to know some facts about and benefits of evergreen trees.

– As evident by the name, evergreen trees remain green year round. This is why they are such a popular tree in winter scenes; they add color and beauty to an otherwise white, possibly dreary scene.

– The best time to plant evergreen trees is in the spring right after that last frost leaves the ground. This is because the cool weather and rain likely to come are good for the tree’s adjustment into the ground.

– If there is a late frost after you plant your tree, don’t worry about it. Evergreens are more durable and longer-lasting than other plants, which would be hindered by a late frost.

If you want to plant evergreens from seeds, you will have to take a few extra steps:

1.You will want to refrigerate the seeds for three weeks before you plant them. This mimics the natural cooling process after the last frost in spring, which helps the trees when planted.

2. After this, you should soak the seeds in some water over night, then put the wet seeds in a shallow dish sealed with plastic so they can germinate.

3. Evergreens can come in lots of shapes and sizes, although they typically look like a triangle. Although some can grow to be very large, you can also get Dwarf Evergreen trees if you want something that will always be smaller.

Find A Local Resource

Evergreen trees offer a permanent, year-long splash of color for your home or business. If you are interested in planting these beauties, or if you need more information about them or your landscaping needs, we at TalkLocal can connect you with the professionals in your area who can help.

Posted in Landscapers | No Comments »

Benefits Of Brick Flooring

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

Brick can beautify your home in a lot of ways with a lot of different looks. The benefits of brick flooring are overwhelming and make brick flooring a very attractive option for any homeowner.

Some of the biggest benefits of brick flooring include:

Great insulator: This is one of the primary benefits of brick floors — they can aid in the heating of your home. Bricks are unique in the fact that they take a while to heat up (whether from the sun or a heater), but when they do, they stay warm for a long time. If your brick flooring is exposed to the sun, it can keep your home warm long after the sun has gone down. Others opt to pair brick flooring with a heating mechanism underneath, because the bricks are so effective at maintaining that warmer temperature.

Durability: If you take care of it properly, your brick flooring can last decades. It’s incredibly durable and resistant to damage. With carpet tile, and even wood flooring, you may find yourself replacing or updating every few years. Brick flooring doesn’t need that.

Cost: Prices range depending on what type of brick flooring you want, but they remain pretty affordable. With the natural or rustic look they can provide your home, you can decorate a room with brick flooring with almost any style or taste. With tiles, wood and carpet, you usually have to spend more to get a specific look.

Natural: Brick is made of natural materials like clay and shale. There are not any harmful chemicals that may loosen up and hurt you. Since these are naturally-occurring materials, brick also develops over time through wear and tear, giving it a homey, unique look.

Safe: One of the biggest benefits of brick flooring is that brick is fireproof. If ever there were a fire emergency in your home, this is one less thing to burn up.

Maintenance: Maintaining brick floors is pretty easy. Wiping up or cleaning brick is simple due to its smooth, hard surface. The naturally grainy look of brick also hides dust and crumbs that fall on it. That way, if you don’t have a chance to sweep before company comes over, no one will even notice.

Get Brick Flooring Installed In Your Home

Brick is both aesthetically pleasing and functional to heating and cooling your home. There are countless different designs, colors and textures to choose from. If you are interested in having brick installed or have more questions, TalkLocal can connect you with local companies or professionals that offer such services.

Tags: brick flooring, flooring
Posted in Heating and Cooling | No Comments »

How To Fix Chimney Leaks

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

While a chimney and a fireplace can bring a lot of warmth and coziness to a home, an improperly-maintained chimney can also bring a lot of water in the house. This could lead to extensive water damage or even mold growth, requiring expensive repairs and time spent removing mold. So what do you do if you’ve already spotted a water leak in your chimney? Read on for tips on how to fix chimney leaks so you can protect your home.

Search for the leak

You’ll first want to inspect the chimney to isolate the actual leak location. Check for wet and swollen drywall around the chimney area or other water-related markings on the materials around the chimney. Oftentimes, the simplest cause will be a faulty chimney cap, so you may want to go on the roof to look for cracks and holes in your chimney cap. Furthermore, inspect the flashing on the bottom of your chimney as that will prevent any water from leaking from where the chimney meets the roof.

If you chimney is brick or stone, you’ll also need to check that the mortar is still intact around all of the bricks. If you see any holes or extensive damage, you may have found your water leakage source.

Chimney Cap Leaks

If you’ve determined the source of the water leak to be a cracked chimney cap, you have two options: You can either replace the entire cap with a new, waterproof one, or you can have a copper cap fitted on top of the old cap. This will also need to be waterproof.

Brick Leaks

If the problem was found in the mortar or the bricks in your chimney, then the first thing you’ll want to do is plug up any cracks and holes with caulking. Then you’ll want to reapply a masonry, waterproofing coating on the brick to ensure that your chimney doesn’t leak again.

Flashing Leak

Poorly-installed or maintained flashing can also be a serious water leakage source. If you found the flashing to be the primary issue, you’ll most likely want to hire a professional roofer for this repair. Improperly installed flashing can lead to even more water leakage and disastrous results.

Find A Quality Roofer

Fixing that chimney leak quickly can really mitigate a lot of water damage and potential mold as well, so get the leak fixed as soon as possible. If you’re looking for a roofer, Talk Local can connect with up to three, high-quality, local, professional roofers in just minutes, for free!

Posted in Roofers | No Comments »

What Are Internet Cookies?

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

Cookies are not just a delicious treat. You may have heard this term thrown around on the Internet and asked yourself: What are Internet cookies?

In short, Internet cookies are implemented in an effort to make your experience on the web more customized and efficient. To do this, a web server stores bits of information on your computer so that it can later retrieve it. Cookies are incredibly common and have been around for the last decade or more. Many users that do not fully grasp the concept of cookies — or general detractors — argue that it is a violation of a user’s privacy. Keep in mind, though, cookies are far from spyware.

As you read on and explore more about Internet cookies, you can be the judge.

How Do Internet Cookies Work?

In order to answer: What are Internet cookies? You have to know how they work.

When you visit a website, the site assigns an ID and places a cookie on your computer. Your activity on the website is stored so that it can be used to make your browsing experience more user-friendly. The website can also use data from your computer to determine your location so that it can cater to you on a local level.

For example, if you are ordering something on the website and fill out an order form, that information will be stored in the site’s database so that if you ever ordered something again, you wouldn’t have to fill out another form. The information would already be there.

Are Cookies Harmful?

Cookies do not give anyone the opportunity to spy on what you are doing on your computer or retrieve personal information. These are only used to enhance your experience while browsing the Internet. Those that consider cookies a breach of privacy are simply off base.

Types of Cookies

There are two main types of Internet cookies:

Session cookies: These cookies only run while you are visiting a site. Once you close out, the cookie goes away.

Persistent cookies: These cookies remain on your machine for future visits to a website.

Need Computer Help?

Whether you want to further explore the question: What are Internet cookies? Or need technical help, TalkLocal has you covered. We can connect you with computer repair technicians right in your local area for free. Try us out.

Posted in Computer Repair | No Comments »

Items To Store In A Storage Facility

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

When you are trying to clean up the clutter around your home, you could get rid of a lot of the junk by stowing it away in a storage unit. Objects that you don’t use on a weekly basis might be perfect items to store in a storage facility.

Storage facilities are a great alternative when you can’t bear to part with your things by tossing or selling them. Storage units are pretty affordable, they come in different shapes and sizes, and you can store various things in them securely.

Some of the most popular items to store in a storage facility include :

Furniture

If you have a couch, chair, a kitchen table, or even a bed that doesn’t fit comfortably in your home, you don’t have to throw it away. Furniture is kept safe from the weather and climate change while in a storage facility. Keeping your furniture in storage until you move again or find another place to keep it is a great alternative to throwing away a perfectly good item.

Tools

Oftentimes when you buy new tools, your old ones are not ready to kick the bucket. If you work with tools often, though, you probably have so many that keeping two of everything becomes a hassle. Storing tools in a storage unit is easy and offers a quick pick-up should you need to use your old tools again.

Electronics

As long as your electronics are properly cared for, putting them in a storage unit is totally fine. You might not want to store heavily damaged electronics in the storage unit, though; instead, you might consider recycling them.

Miscellaneous Clutter

If you have books, clothes, toys, gadgets, kitchenware, décor, etc., you can store it all in a storage unit. Just box it up accordingly, toss a label on the box to help you find things when you revisit the unit, and keep them there and out of your way.

Price Storage Units Or Get More Information

Of course, not all items have a place in a storage unit. You want to avoid storing perishable goods, weapons, combustible or toxic items, harsh chemicals, broken or unregistered vehicles, or anything living. If you need help finding a storage unit near you, TalkLocal can connect you with people who can help.

Posted in Moving and Storage | No Comments »

Insurance For Car Towing

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

There are a lot of different options when it comes to coverage from your car insurance company. Different types of car insurance may not cover all types of vehicles. If you are towing any kind of heavy load with your car, such as an RV, a boat, or a transport trailer, you will want to seriously consider adding insurance for car towing.

Finding Insurance For Car Towing

When choosing a car insurance company, make a list of the coverage that you want so that you can compare the list against other insurance companies. This way, you can choose the car insurance that best suits our needs. If you already have an insurance company, talk to your representative to see if they offer insurance for towing. Many car insurance companies do offer it as an addition to your current policy for a nominal fee.

Why Should You Get Insurance For Car Towing?

Driving while towing something behind your car is not the same as just driving a car. There are extra precautions you need to take, such as giving yourself more room to slow down, turning properly, and being aware of the cars behind you, especially when merging lanes. Even while taking the proper precautions, accidents can happen. This will make the proper insurance for car towing very important.

Hire A Professional Towing Service

Towing something behind your car is not dangerous, but there is no downside to getting insurance for car towing. If you do not want to pay more for your insurance, or you would rather have a professional help you, hire a professional towing service. If you need to find a tow company you can use TalkLocal. We will connect you with up to three towing services in your area, getting you the help you need fast and free!

Posted in Towing | No Comments »

Get Rid Of Ant Nests In Trees

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Much like most insects, ants are true pests, and often they will set up a home in your trees. If you notice large nests forming in the tree branches with ants congregating around it, your tree has been infiltrated by an ant nest. It’s important to get rid of ant nests in trees, but you must do it in such a way that you do not harm the tree.

If you slather on harmful pesticides, it could damage, or even kill, the tree. Or, just think if your tree grows fruit; these harmful chemicals could work their way into food that you and your family eat.

The following are some natural and safe ways to get rid of ant nests in trees.

Natural Pesticides Or Insecticidal Soap

Neither of these will harm your tree, but are potent enough to kill off the ants and get rid of the nest. Natural pesticides, as their namesake suggests, come from natural resources, and are available in some specialty stores. Insecticidal soap is similar — you’ll likely have to search for such a product before you find it. If you do not want to spend the time and money, you can dilute normal dish soap into water and spray that generously on the nest. Spraying the nest with only water will not do the trick, but the soap makes it effective.

Chalk

You probably didn’t know this, but ants want nothing to do with chalk. See for yourself — they will not cross a line of chalk. You can outline the base of your tree with chalk to stop ants from coming and going. Some stores even offer chalk laced with insecticide for additional help.

Boiling Water

If the ants have set up shop on the ground at the base of the tree, killing them off is as simple as pouring boiling water down into the ant hill.

Breaking It Does Not Work

Taking a blunt or sharp object and busting the ant nest open will achieve little. Unfortunately, you have to also get rid of the ants, otherwise, they will simply regroup and go to work constructing another nest.

Call Pest Control In To Get Rid Of Ant Nest In Trees

It never hurts to call in pest control experts to take care of pest issues. The only problem is that it is tough to find a reliable, cost-effective professional in your local area! Not anymore.

With TalkLocal, you can connect with companies in the pest control industry in a matter of minutes. No more leafing endlessly through the phone book!

Posted in Pest Control | No Comments »

What Is Agent Protection?

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Buying and selling a home generally requires you to work alongside a qualified real estate agent. He or she may have discussed with you the various terms and clauses of which you will need to be aware when working with a realtor.

Some of these are for the agent’s protection. What is agent protection? There are a couple different forms of protection that real estate agents use to ensure their financial and legal well-being when dealing with real estate.

Hold Harmless Clause

On occasion, a buyer will close on a house, move in, and find that everything is not as they were told.

For example, although the seller claimed the basement was sealed and watertight, the basement may flood, and evidence shows no water-proofing measures were taken. The Hold Harmless Clause protects the agent from liability when he or she was unaware of the problem.

If the seller neglected to tell the agent of this problem, he or she is not held responsible in cases of law suits.

Period of Protection

When listing your house with an agent, the listing will generally have an expiration date. When you agree to hire a realtor, you will likely agree to a period of protection after the listing expires.

Let’s say your listing will expire in one week, and an individual decides to personally make an offer on your home. The period of protection prevents you from waiting until the listing expires to sell the home and forgo any commission you are responsible to pay to the realtor.

This protects the agent from losing money that he or she deserves.

Solve The Endless List Of Real Estate Jargon

In order to fully understand all the jargon that goes along with real estate, just ask an expert. Your agent will happily explain all of the terms and conditions of your contract, listing, etc. TalkLocal can find a qualified real estate agent in your area so that you won’t have to ask simple questions, like: What is agent protection? Try our easy service today.

Posted in Real Estate | No Comments »

Web Pages Load Slowly

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Don’t you hate spending half of your time online waiting for web pages to load? There could be a variety of reasons why your web pages load slowly. To diagnose the issue, try booting your computer in safe mode with networking. Open any web page. You can also check the web page loading time using different web browsers. If the loading time doesn’t improve when in safe mode, then there is probably a problem with your Internet connection. If the loading time is faster than usual, then there is a problem is with your computer. If your computer is the problem, try the following methods to speed up web page loading.

1. Reboot Your Modem

2. Turn off your computer.

3. Unplug the modem. Leave it unplugged for one minute.

4. Plug in the modem.

Restart your computer after the modem lights flash and remain steady.

Limit Multimedia On The Web Page

The more content there is on a web page, the slower it will load. If you limit the amount of multimedia that your computer must process, then the web page will load faster. To customize these settings for Windows:

1. Click Start > Control Panel.

2. Double click Internet Options.

3. Click Settings.

4. Under the Multimedia heading, uncheck the settings you would like to disable.

5. Click OK.

Use Antivirus Correctly

Antivirus software must store many files and logs when it performs a scan. This information is not overwhelming, but unnecessary or duplicate files can affect the response time of your web pages. Scan your computer with a program like Free Window Registry Repair to find out the condition of your registry.

Maintain Background Programs

Along with antivirus software, other processes run constantly and can often slow down your connection. Programs may be silently updating in the background while you are browsing the Internet, which results in a lag. To maintain your background programs in Windows:

1. Click the Start button >> Run.

2. Type “msconfig.exe” in the command screen.

3. Click Service or Startup in the System Configuration Utility.

4. Uncheck the programs you want to stop running.

5. Click OK.

Further Assistance

If the above methods fail to improve your browsing experience, you can always have your computer examined by a professional. TalkLocal can connect you with up to three computer technicians in your area within minutes. Our service is fast and free!

Posted in Computer Repair | No Comments »

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