Exterior House Painting Prep

There’s nothing like a fresh coat of exterior paint to boost curb appeal and add elegance & durability to the exteriors of your home.  Painting your home is a wise investment in time and money. When it comes to exterior house painting prep, the key is indeed in the attention to detail.  Painting the exterior of a house yourself or DIY isn’t difficult if you use the right equipment and follow the right steps. 

Though the process can be time-consuming depending on your house’s size, the task is still achievable for the DIYer who has the time to dedicate to the project. 

Why Exterior House Paint Prep is Important

There are many necessary steps to take before even beginning an exterior painting job. Do you know what the most important step is when painting the exterior of your home? Surprisingly, it’s not the painting itself. It’s actually the proper pre-preparation of the surface you are painting. 

Yes, preparation is the most important part of the job.  If a surface is not adequately prepared, the paint may not adhere, and obviously, this can be a big problem.

Proper preparation (or not taking the time to do these important steps) primarily determines the outcome. Keep in mind that your home’s exterior paint job is about much more than aesthetics; a proper exterior paint job provides a protective barrier against damaging elements. 

After deciding to have the exterior of your home painted, the next step is to make sure that your home is properly prepared for exterior painting. Preparing the exterior of your home for a new coat of paint will save you time and money. 

Many people skip the preparation step because they mistakenly think a new coat of paint will seal and cover the old paint’s imperfections. Just painting over the old coat can cause bubbles and cracks in your new coat of paint due to loose paint layers, dirt, and chemical reactions. This lets moisture in and can lead to several costly home repairs, including mold remediation and dry rot repair.

Here are the Most Common Steps for

How to Prep to Paint the Exterior of a House

Wear the Right Clothing & Safety Gear

Exterior painting preparation is a dirty, damp job, so wear clothes that you don’t mind dirtying or getting wet. Protective goggles are a must for safety reasons, especially during the scraping process. Chipped-off paint and other materials could easily fly into your eyes. Work gloves are also important for protecting your hands during the prep process.

Remove Contaminants

Although lead paint has been outlawed since 1978, many homes still have lead paint on their walls. If you suspect lead, don’t try to scrape or sand it off, and don’t wash. A contractor who’s certified to handle lead abatement must handle the paint’s removal before you get started. Test the paint before you proceed with any further exterior painting prep.

Comprehensive Cleaning for the Exterior Surfaces of Your House

Help the new paint adhere by getting the house’s exterior surfaces as clean as possible before you paint. If the house has existing paint, some opt to speed up this part of the process by power washing the entire house. Pressure washing is also an option for stained walls, although you may want to use gentler options depending on the exterior surfaces’ condition.

If the house has softwood siding, avoid power washing as it can damage the wood. Softwoods such as redwood or cedar, especially if they’re older and weathered, need to be cleaned by hand scrubbing with detergent and water.

If you are going to forgo using a power wash or pressure wash, you can use a hose with a strong water flow to clean the exterior surfaces. To step the cleaning power up a notch, use a special brush attachment for the hose along with liquid soap.  However, if you go this route, take extra caution to make sure you rinse off all soap afterward. 

Mold & Mildew

A common contaminant, especially in humid areas, is mold or mildew. Look for black, green, or brown stains that may have a fuzzy appearance. If you’re unsure whether a given stain is mold or mildew or just dirt, apply common bleach to it. If it bleaches away, you’ve just killed some mold or mildew.

Use bleach or another EPA-registered micro biocide or fungicide to remove mold and mildew. While bleach alone can work in a 3:1 solution mixed with water, more effective, highly concentrated products are available. Look for cleaners and degreasers that do double duty, removing not only mold and mildew but also grime, grease, and oil.

Exterior House Paint Prep & Preparing Your Home’s Exterior to Ensure Proper Paint Adhesion

The key to getting paint to blend in and adhere is to prepare the surfaces correctly. There are no easy shortcuts to this significant step.  When it comes to exterior house painting prep, it’s going to take some elbow grease and patience, but this step is well worth the improvement in the results it produces.

Remove Old & Peeling Paint

You’ve got a couple of different options for removing the old paint. The options are labor, but necessary if you want to do the job right.

• Scraping Off Old & Peeling Paint

This can be done with a putty knife for tiny areas or with a paint scraper, of which there are several types available. Look for one that’s comfortable in your hand, which has reversible blades for more blade life. The ends of the blades should be rounded to dig into the siding and gouge it.  Make sure to put your goggles on before you scrape any loose paint. Also, be sure to wear a dust mask or even a respirator and work gloves while working with peeling paint.

• Heat Gun

For stubborn paint or for scraping multi-layered paint, consider using a heat gun or rotary paint remover. A heat gun looks like a hairdryer and reaches scorching temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to wear work gloves to protect your hands and keep the heat gun away from all fresh paint, paint fumes, paint cans, or paint thinner/cleaner to avoid fire hazards. 

• Rotary Paint Remover

A rotary paint remover, which can be attached to an electric drill. The stiff wire tines on the rotary quickly remove large areas of paint. Please take caution when using this tool, as it should never come into close contact with your body parts. It’s a good idea to test and practice using the tool with a test surface like a wood piece before taking it to your exterior. 

• ​Sanding

Sanding your home’s exterior surfaces is necessary to provide a real mechanical bond between paint coats. If you don’t rough up the surfaces sufficiently, your paint job may look good for a time, but the paint can start to show imperfections in just a few years. 

This can be done with a hand sanding block or with an electric sander. Use open coat sandpaper, which won’t clog up as quickly with paint particles. As you sand off the loose paint and get back into solid material, be sure to feather the solid paint edges so that your patched areas won’t be visible.

There are also special disc tool attachments specifically for removing paint. These are more aggressive than sanding alone and work well in combination with conventional sanding methods if you need the extra power.

Caulking, Sealing & Repair

Caulking is specifically designed to seal cracks, fill holes, gaps, and joints in surfaces.  Caulk is important to seal & insulate, blend in patched areas, and extend your paint job’s life.

Look over the house closely for damage and peeling paint. You may have to fill holes & caulk surfaces.  Be sure to fill all nail holes with spackling compound and caulk all gaps between the siding and trim boards.

Caulk any cracks you have: caulk cracks and small gaps (1/8″ or smaller) using a paint-able exterior grade caulk. When caulking, only fill the cracks and use a wet rag to wipe the excess caulk off the wall.

In any area where you have removed paint, you may also need sand edges to help the new paint cover and hide the edge. Caulk any cracks, seams, or gaps, placing extra care near the doors and windows so that your paint will stick properly in these tricky areas.

Prime the Exterior Surfaces to be Painted

An important step in exterior house painting prep is using a quality primer.  Primer is an undercoat that you paint onto the wall before painting it with color. If you’re changing your wall’s color from very dark to very light, priming it first will make it easier to cover with the lighter color and could save you from applying a second or even third coat of paint.

An exterior primer is as important as any of the topcoats which go on after it. That’s because the best exterior primer provides a stable foundation for the layers of paint applied after and prepared the painted surface in numerous ways.

Whatever surface you are working with, the outside of your house needs a quality exterior primer to protect the surface from the elements. 

Priming also helps new paint stick to previously painted surfaces. It would be best if you primed any areas where old paint has been peeled off to create a cohesive paint job. 

On most unpainted exterior surfaces, the standard procedure calls for a primer coat followed by two topcoats of paint. Hardboard siding may also require a primer. 

Exterior primer formulations can include a range of additives, such as stain blockers, mildewcides, and UV inhibitors. The best product for your house depends on the materials you’re painting and the exterior surfaces’ general condition. Given the importance of exterior primer, it’s key to take the time and do the research to find the best one for your intended application.

What To Look For In An Exterior Primer

So how do you find the best primer for your home?  The main idea is to find a primer that will adhere to the specific surface you’ll be painting. 

• Acrylic Primer: An Acrylic primer or latex primer is water-based and most commonly used for wood siding, trim, and galvanized metal. 

• Alkyd Primer: An Alkyd or oil-based primer is commonly used on steel or wrought iron as they can come in formulations that are rust inhibiting.

• Masonry Primers:  These are specifically formulated for brick, concrete, stucco, and other masonry surfaces.  These have more permeable properties, which allow any moisture within the masonry to escape without damaging the paint.

• Specialty Primer Formulated for Specific Concerns: Many primers are specially formulated for specific issues.  Mildewcide, UV blockers to prevent fading, and stain blockers are a few examples of these specialty products.

Tape, Cover & Protect

This is the final step before getting into the actual painting. You will need to use painter’s tape to protect windows, doors, trim, vents, and anything else that is not going to be painted. Be sure to cover your windows with plastic before painting to keep overspray from getting on them. You may also want to cover any landscaping that is close to your home’s exterior with plastic as well. 

Place drop cloths anywhere you do not want to paint dripping, including porches, railings & concrete. Landscaping such as plants, shrubs, bushes, & rocks in the vicinity of your exterior walls should be covered as well.

These are the general steps one should undertake exterior house painting prep. There is a lot of work involved, but doing the prep work with the proper attention to detail is very much worth it. You will be rewarded with a more durable and professional-looking exterior paint job in the end.

The Article Exterior House Painting Prep First Appeared ON
: https://gqcentral.co.uk

A “dropped domain” is an internet marketer’s technical term. But, what is a Dropped Domain? In this article, we explain all about expired or so-called “dropped” domains. We discuss the subject of those domain names that reach expired status and are not renewed, and how they provide an opportunity to make money. There are a huge number of them, especially now with many “hobby website” owners suffering financially and abandoning their sites every day. This is a major issue right now, due to covid related cash problems. So, dropped domain names have never been more plentiful, and are a great way to expand your domain investing portfolio. Hundreds of thousands of domain names expire on a daily basis, making it easy to start a high-authority website, relaunch your brand with a domain name, or simply flip it for a profit. Interested in learning more about dropped domain names? If so, read on!

What is a dropped domain?

A dropped domain means that it has expired. The owner hasn’t renewed the licence with their domain registrar. In most instances, the registrar can open bidding for that domain, and after 7 days it goes to the highest bidder.

Domain drop catching, also known as domain sniping, is the practice of registering a domain name once registration has lapsed, immediately after expiry.

Domains can expire or drop for all sorts of reasons. Dropped domains might occur if a company goes out of business, or it might be because someone forgot to renew their domain name. For whatever reason, there is certainly an abundance of high-quality domain names available out there.

With more and more businesses building an online presence, a useful original domain name may be difficult to find. However, dropped domains may be the perfect opportunity for you to begin building your business’s online identity.

Sometimes people purchase domains that they plan to build a website on or sell in the future, but it just doesn’t end up happening. If an individual decides that it is no longer worth the yearly investment of keeping the domain in their account, they may choose to let it expire. Or, as we have already said, someone might just have forgotten to renew the domain before the expiration date. If this happens, it’s a great chance for other domain investors to score rare domain names that are pending deletion.

Domain drop catching

When the website owner does not extend payment for their domain registration, the domain gets expired; the domain host renders it inactive, which makes such domains dropped, or deleted. As a rule, website owners get a notice that their domain names are going to get expired soon. There is a redemption grace period when the domain owner has the right to make a renewal for the expired domain. Over this period, the domain name becomes available for stakes at auctions that sell domain names.

Flippa is one of the biggest names in the industry to buy working websites, apps and domains. Flippa is the place for the premium sellers. If you are looking for a quality premium domain name for your business, Flippa is your one-stop destination. They have daily deals, best of the drops and top categories to make everything easy for you while buying a dropped or expired domain.

The terms ‘expired domains’ and ‘dropped domains’ are very common in online marketing. These are website addresses that have been registered, but then not extended or terminated after the contractual period ended. The domain is then re-released for registration. In most cases, website operators secure their domains for longer than the minimum period of a year by remaining registered with a hosting provider for a longer time.

Domain name drop list

SERP studying allows marketers in this business type to detect dropped domains that haven’t been dropped out of the search yet and sites that may become free in the nearest future. You need to export all domains from the top (top 10, top 20. Top-100, everyone defines for himself) articles and then using the “Who-is domain check” the date the lease ends. One request within a niche is not enough because even a slightly modified keyword will return different search results.

“Everything You Need To Know About Expired Domains And Their Managing”

When a domain name expires and is dropped, what it leaves behind can make them appealing to re-register and while resurrecting dead domains can be done for nefarious purposes, by itself, re-registering dead domains is not necessarily a dark art. There are three categories of re-registered domain names. Domains re-registered in “pre-release” are those that change owners before the registrar deletes the domain. “drop-catch” is a type of domain re-registration that takes place immediately after (or sometimes even before) domains are dropped by the registry.

With dropped domain discovery software you can search and filter the highest quality available, containing the keywords you want, and check all the information you need about them. The best dropped-domain research apps are updated daily, to provide lists of all the most recently dropped domains available.

Once someone purchases the listed domain/s on these lists they fairly obviously will not be available to register! At least not until the paid-for initial registration period runs out of time.

Expired Domains Search: How to Find Drops And Identify Potential Drops

Are you looking for free expired domains lists online to buy the best domains you can use for various things? If you answered yes you are on the right website. Abbas Ravji runs a business that offers a “domain finder search” for daily dropped good domains and lists them on the website for people to register the domains at their websites.

It’s easy to find a domain that only has been dropped for a few days. But, how would you assess the value of:

• buying a dropped domain,
• setting it up with real content, and
• adding links to your target domain, vs. Just buying it and adding 301 redirects to your target domain?

To put it another way: Imagine you were trying to improve your rankings for mydomain.com.  I think most SEO’s use this technique to find that the domain is available, and has some valuable backlinks leading to it.

You can use either GQCentral.com/ Your Website or a drop domain statement to drop a domain. Only a user with dba authority or the user who created a domain can drop it. In addition, since a domain cannot be dropped, if any variable or column in the database uses the domain, you need to first drop any columns or variables of that type before.

Beginner’s Guide to Dropped Domains

Not all domains are the same. There is no one size fits all in this industry. Saying domains with no drop history always perform while dropped domains are bad is really not the way to tackle the industry of aftermarket SEO domains. This mainly derives from people’s lack of understanding of the life-cycle of a domain properly.

Years ago, when domain names expired they would be said to “drop”, or become available for hand registration by anyone. Whoever was the quickest to register a dropped domain would be the new registrant. That is how many of the largest domainers, like Frank Shilling, built their enormous portfolios. Today, the story is different. Domain name registrars realized that they could auction expired domain names to the highest bidder and generate additional revenue.

Because they have access to all data for expiring domains, they know what goes where and if they can catch it. There are different business models in this but one is your main enemy – auctions. Getting auction domains below market price is time-consuming and impossible to scale. It doesn’t matter if the auctions are pre-drop auctions like GoDaddy or after the domain is dropped like Dropcatch.

Thousands of domain names get expired every day. So there are great opportunities for you to get benefited by buying expired domain names. The domain names get expired when the webmaster fails to renew the domain name, even after the 30-day extension period. Once the domain name slips out of the owner’s control, it’ll be declared as expired/dropped.

How do I find a dropped domain?

One of many methods to fond a dropped domain is to use the service provided at dotcomagain. With dotcomagain you can search through recently dropped. Com. Org, Net, Biz, Cc, and. Tv domains. I check the. Com. Net. Org. Biz domains daily, to make sure they are free. The .Tv and .Cc are not checked currently, due to technical reasons. The nice thing about dropped domains is, that many have been bought with a business in mind. So, not only are these domains publically available for purchase, but most are also spelt correctly and “make sense”.

An event that is rarely considered by technical users and laymen alike is that of a domain name expiration. The massive growth in the registration of domain names is matched by massive numbers of domain expirations, after which domains are made available for registration again. While the vast majority of expiring domains are of no value, among the hundreds of thousands of daily expirations, there exist domains that are clearly valuable, either because of their lexical composition or because of their residual trust.

If you spend a little extra time searching domain names, you will get all the best expired and dropped domains that tend to rank well in search engines. The top websites highlighted below will help you find the best domains ranging from $20 to over $2000 or even more. The domain score provided by the best SEO tools is a very rough guide to the value of each domain. The SEO score on Majestic Moz, SEMrush, HRefs etc will mainly be dependent upon the trustworthiness of it (DA, PA, domain age, backlinks etc). This varies from niche to niche (from marketing to entertainment to technology).

A good domain is hard to find – or you may just happen upon one! So, if you’ve spent hours trying to come up with a good name, only to find that someone else has newly registered it, you might be tempted to blow your whole budget on the domain. But that could be a very expensive mistake. If you have the budget for it, and your marketing team is giving you the go-ahead, then go for it but in general, you would do better to use that same name but buy it in a lesser well-known extension such as .net, .org etc. Some people buy expired domains from similar businesses simply to help with their SEO and google rankings.

How Can I buy an expired domain?

Expired domains only work when you renew or re-register them so how can you buy an expired domain? It’s as easy as buying any domain once the “grace period” allowed for the original owner to realise he wants to renew the domain and to do so. Simply log-in to the website of your chosen Domain Names seller, which is often also the website of your hosting provider, and buy your dropped expired domain.

When you purchase an expired domain, they can still hold most of the trust and authority developed before the original website was dropped. This is especially true if you buy one as soon as the Domain Registrant’s grace period has expired. Those websites that link to another website can take months to be removed.

“Dropped Domains: Here’s How To Snatch The Perfect Expired Domain”

Once a domain has been bought and a website set-up on it, any inbound links accumulated over the time the site was live can be provided with a similar page to the previous one. This usually preserves them as anyone on the source website that checks their links will not notice that there has been any change. The link checkers usually don’t remove their links if they see a very relevant looking page.

Imagine a perfect SEO world with traffic coming non-stop to a newly created e-commerce website or a related blog, with the backlinks placed right where you need them, relevant keywords carefully selected for your business and even with its name and the domain name known among the target audience. Making this work really is possible with the domains, that were previously used by someone else, but their shelf life has expired.

If you buy an expired domain that was owned by someone who was seriously looking to rank high, chances are, that domain already has a backlink profile with authority links. Even the best SEOs know that finding and building high-quality links can take forever. A marketer’s hard work goes from content creation to promotion. Other leverage paid strategies are often used to streamline results.

Just because you can buy an expired domain, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Just because a domain name has expired, that doesn’t mean it’s squeaky clean. In fact, the past legacy of an expired domain can do damage to your search engine ranking.

Never buy an expired domain just because it seems like you got a good deal. Not all expired domains are equal; some will make for a terrible purchasing decision. Before you buy an expired domain, do some research into it. Following are some of the top things to look for. Note that all of these things can be checked with free tools, which you can find through a simple google search.

Domain Flipping

Domain flipping is the process of buying a domain name and selling (flipping) it for a profit. You can either buy and flip plain domain names, or entire websites. The crux of this strategy relies upon finding a domain or site that isn’t reaching it’s potential. Let’s say a domain hunter finds an expired website that’s getting traffic but isn’t being monetized fully, you can buy it, improve it, and sell it again.

An expired domain is a great asset to do many interesting things. Before moving further to learn about how to buy an expired domain and what to be aware of before buying, let’s understand how we can use these domains.

The concept behind expired domain buying is pretty simple. Wait for a domain to expire or find existing expired domains for sale. Identify if these domains suit your needs and have existing links and traffic. Buy them and leverage them to send that traffic and those links to your site, where they can benefit you. Strive to convert the traffic into readers and customers, filter the links for as much value as possible, and repeat the process with other domains.

Deciding on which domain drop-catching platform to use is a challenge and of vital importance relating to which one you should invest time in using. Hopefully, I’ve helped you out by listing excellent platforms that you can check out today.

How can I tell if a domain has expired quality?

Before spending money on expired domains for your e-commerce website, there are a few things you must first do:

• check the domain authority and page authority
• what you want are high-quality expired domains, and there are specific metrics you can use to pinpoint them.
• The domain authority (DA) and page authority (PA) are metrics affecting the rankings on search engine results pages or SERPs.

Some of these probably depend upon the purpose you have in mind, but here are a few things I like to see on an expired or expiring domain but please keep in mind that these aren’t discrete defining features of a quality domain; they are simply a couple of signs that the domain might be a good one to use.

So, before I show you some ways you can leverage expired domains, I need to answer an important question: why are expired domains even worth using?
well, the truth is that an expired domain unto itself has no value. These domains become valuable when a) they have a quality link profile (with unoptimized anchor text), b) they were relevant to your website, and c) they weren’t previously used for spam.

Best Ways to Use Expired Domains

Google accepts that the use of dropped domains isn’t out of the ordinary and in most cases is simply a reasonable thing to do for many website creators. A previous spokesperson for Google, Mueller, has confirmed that their algorithms attempt to detect what an expired domain is being used for. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of doing so because of the fact that re-registered expired domains are used in ways that are completely innocent and legitimate. Mueller: “our systems try to understand what to do here and for the most part i think we get this right.

Domain names registries play a central role on the internet by enabling users to interact with services and people, as the world becomes more connected and more complex. Registries list, identify and localize internet resources and cross-reference them with their owners.

They help individuals, companies and organizations to keep track of more information and people, not just from within an organization but, increasingly, among organizations over the internet. Since the most relevant and profitable domain names are becoming rare and investors are starting to see the value in the accumulation of a domain name portfolio, several markets have started gaining momentum as a means for investors to make a profit from their domains.

So, we conclude from this that, the use of expired domains which are often known as dropped domains can be for any legitimate legal use of the internet to which the new owner wishes to put them. There is no one “best” way. Each domain name will be suitable for a different purpose due to its name. So, go ahead, buy, use and trade in dropped domains.

As long as you are out to inform people and add value, your activity is simply a part of the efficient functioning of the internet community. A lot of people make money legitimately form buying and selling dropped domains as part of their activities as “domainers”, and more people are joining the all the time. It is all a part of an internet marketer’s activities as explained with many other money-making activities for marketers on our blog here https://ippts.net

How to Buy a Dropped Domain

We have already mentioned Flippa and it is probably the best-known platform for selling domains, whether dropped or from first-time owners. There are others as well.

Freshdrop is an expired domain marketplace that many people recommend. It lets you easily research and buy expired or dropped domain names. You can filter the domains based on “buy it now” offers, auction, backorder, bargains, etc. There are various filters you can apply like search term, domain authority, backlinks, google indexed, geography, and other filters.

Snapnames is another one of the industry leaders that allows you to buy expired domain names of your own choice. They currently have over 30 million domain names that meet any budget. You can search, bid or buy any dropped domain name you might want to buy. They also have a section where you can have access to the hand-pick domain names by experts where you will get high quality and search relevant domain names.

Buying dropped domains is slightly different from buying new domains, but it’s not that much more difficult. Here’s what you need to know:

• Domains have a “grace period” after the registration period has lapsed.
• Most registrars give registrants up to thirty days to renew their registration. So, if you want to buy the domain within this period, you’ll have to contact the person who most recently owned it. (this is not advised unless you have a massive budget!).

After the redemption period, if the domain name has not been auctioned off and acquired by another party, it is dropped and made available for re-registration by the general public. Anyone who wants to buy the domain name after that must contact the new registrant.

The Article What is a Dropped Domain? Expired Domain Questions Explained First Appeared ON
: https://gqcentral.co.uk

A high quality InSinkErator garbage disposal system can really make a huge difference in your cooking area. So much so, that many new Insinkerator owners usually wonder just how they actually went without one!

Having said that, similar to any kind of device with moving components, things can go wrong. Within this guide, I ‘d like to reveal to you the big difference between realistic garbage disposal issues and common old myths!

Ridiculous, misguided myths about garbage disposals can hinder you from making the decision that has a highly effective, positive effect. Through more than 80 years in the market, the friendly folks at Insinkerator have seen and heard them all! Keeping that in mind, here’s a number of myth busting truths to serve to help you make better educated choices.

Myth – Garbage Disposals Are a Waste of Water and Energy…

Usually, the electricity used to run a garbage disposal comes out to lower than $0.60 a year. A number of reviews have determined that water use for a food waste garbage disposal averages out to just over a gallon each per day. In case that seems a lot, even the most efficient toilets use a lot more than a gallon of water every single time they are flushed.

Myth – Using a Garbage Disposal Hurts the Sewer System…

In excess of two dozen examinations from throughout the world have judged that even wide-spread adoption of garbage disposals does not in a negative way influence local sewer systems. Countless cities are stressed about the build-up of fats, grease and oils, however with or without a garbage disposal, cooking oil or leftover grease should not ever be dumped down the sink.
The majority of the food scraps sent down garbage disposals are fruits, vegetables and grains with little or no fat. Even extensive use of garbage disposals brings about only a small boost in the comprehensive solid waste in local sewers.

InSinkErator Garbage Disposal Problems vs Myths – pdf download

Myth – Sewage systems Are for Water, Not Waste…

Sewer systems are made to handle waste: debris from street runoff, toilet tissue, etc. Popular adoption of garbage disposals only marginally increases the amount of rubbish handled by sewer systems. Unlike many of these things, food scraps are primarily water, which means they deteriorate faster. In addition, cutting down the amount of rubbish that needs to be collected saves municipalities money on pickup and garbage disposal costs.

Myth – I Can’t Use an Insinkerator Garbage Disposal Because I Have a Septic System…

This is a popular one – and nevertheless, it’s still just not true!

Garbage disposals grind up food scraps into a slurry that can quite easily be taken care of by your septic system. Food scraps decompose more quickly than other waste sent into the tank, and because food scraps are 75% to 90% water, they add very little to the solids that sit at the bottom.

Research studies present that septic systems connected to a garbage disposal don’t need more frequent pumping than those that aren’t. Most Insinkerators are septic system friendly. To put your mind at ease even further however, we even have a specialized model – the Insinkerator Evolution Septic Assist – created solely for septic systems.

Myth – I Don’t Need a Garbage Disposal Because I Compost…

An Insinkerator Garbage disposal is a year-round solution and can serve to help composters manage a few of the obstacles and disadvantages of composting. InSinkErator disposal units are strong enough to grind un-compostable meat, bones, dairy and eggs, as well as things like citrus peels, onions and garlic that can hinder useful bugs, worms and bacteria from your compost pile. If uneaten bread and pasta are appealing to undesirable pests, grinding those scraps can also help keep pests off of your compost pile.

Myth – There’s No Way I Can Grind That!

Many people feel that scraps which include chicken bones, eggshells and potato skins can’t or should not be put down a garbage disposal. Even if this might possibly be true for many competitor’s products,  an InSinkErator garbage disposal can absolutely handle several items others just cannot. InSinkErator frequently takes garbage disposals off the production line and puts them through thorough testing that involves grinding up a selection of fruit and vegetable scraps and also frozen beef bones and wooden blocks.

The “I can’t grind that” myth follow the mindset that an Insinkerator garbage disposal work like a blender, with spinning blades that may be dulled or clogged by stringy vegetables. The average consumer isn’t informed that the best Insinkerator kitchen disposals don’t possess blades – they have lugs mounted on a rotating plate that continually forces food waste against a static grind ring.

What Real Insinkerator Problems Should You Expect?

Machines are susceptible to breakdown, and garbage disposals are no exception. Here are a number of the ways in which your disposal could give you trouble:

What’s that Racket?!

Your noisy disposal might just seem okay initially, but once you’ve noticed what quieter food waste disposers can do, the noise might possibly start to bother you.
1/3 and 1/2 HP units are probably the most likely to bother your ears. They are constructed to be reasonably priced, which typically indicates they do not have the sound insulation found in higher-end models
It what seems backwards to some, the bigger and more powerful the Insinkerator, the quieter it is! Because of the increased performance, workmanship, design, and extra features, when it comes to Insinkerator sound levels, you truly do get what you pay for!

Insinkerator Jams

Gradually, it’s possible that these implements could possibly get jammed. Even top-tier units constructed to be jam-free can nonetheless sometimes break down. Therefore, you can envision what might happen with the low or medium priced units.
The good news is, taking care of a jammed waste disposal is not overly challenging. And if you comply with the user’s manual comprehensively and refrain from reckless usage of your disposal, there should not be too much trouble.

Insinkerator Clogs

Garbage disposals are part of the kitchen sink drain pipes. And every now and then, the sink clogs.
Clogs are often in the drain pipes, as opposed to in the disposal itself, making the problem more difficult to fix than your typical jam. However, before you call for help, there are a number of additional steps to try on your own.

Garbage Disposal Instructions And Suggestions From Manufacturers

Garbage disposals are built to coordinate with running cold water. Don’t ever forget that. H2o helps lubricate the plate and impellers, making sure the ground food passes straight through the chamber and the pipes.

Normally, starting the cold water is the first step in using your disposal. Afterwards, you run your disposal, put the food waste gradually into the machine, and turn off the disposal when grinding is finished. Make certain to run the water for a handful of additional seconds to flush the drain line.

To always keep your disposal functional, avoid pouring fat or grease down the disposal. You should in addition beware to run only cold water when the device is in use. Do your best to stay away from grinding eggshells, bones, and fibrous materials except if you’re sure your machine can manage it.

Insinkerator Maintenance Instructions

After a few months, food fragments may develop in the chamber of your garbage disposal and cause a repulsive odor. In case you identify an undesirable smell from the drain, it’s time to clean the disposal’s interior.

It’s a good rule of thumb to use the cleaning solutions encouraged by the manufacturer. However, water and baking soda is normally an effective cleansing agent. To use this method, fill the sink halfway with warm water and mix in 1/4 cup of baking soda. Then, turn the disposer on and take out the stopper at the same time.

Occasionally, you can try scouring the disposal’s grinding chamber by grinding hard materials such as small bones or ice. Doing so will displace any potential remains from the grind ring and impellers. Plus, ice helps solidify specific substances, which makes it much easier to flush them out with water.

It’s Time to Buy an Insinkerator!

You know you really wanted a shiny new Insinkerator garbage disposal unit …

You got scared by a few goofy myths about these units …

And now you’ve sorted all that stress out!

Only thing left to do is decide on the best Insinkerator garbage disposal model that fits you best! Choose a proven performer such as an InSinkerator Essential Evolution or the slightly smaller but still powerful InSinkErator Evolution Compact and start grinding up that kitchen waste!

The Article InSinkErator Garbage Disposal Problems vs Myths First Appeared ON
: https://gqcentral.co.uk

He wasn’t an Arsenal fan, but he was at the 1971 FA Cup final. I wasn’t born yet (I didn’t arrive until September of that double winning year), but he saw Charlie George score that winner and lie flat on his back on the Wembley turf to celebrate.

Like so many of his generation, he came to England from Ireland to find work in the late 1950s, and I’m sure my love of football came from him. There was always a ball, always a kick-around in the garden, or on the front lawn of the castle we lived in for a while (honestly, it was a castle).

Back then you could just go to a football match. Rock up on a Saturday, and pay your way into the ground depending on who was at home. He lived and worked in West London, and nominally he was a Fulham fan. He loved Johnny Haynes, but he was a huge admirer of Jimmy Greaves too. He liked players who could do things with both feet, and he went to matches all over the city, just because he could.

Some of my earliest memories are of him playing football. He started life as a forward (like my brother), but by the time I came along and he was togging out for the village team in Bishopthorpe (near York), he’d moved back to centre-half (where I played my whole life). I’d stand on the sidelines with my mam. I don’t remember the games or the performances, just the fact that I was there and so was he.

..

He was pretty strict when we were young. I think it was because he had very clear ideas about what young men should and shouldn’t do. They should look smart, for example, and definitely not wear jeans. They really shouldn’t watch Grange Hill, because those children were basically juvenile delinquents and didn’t respect figures of authority sufficiently.

He worked a lot though, so it was often drive-by stuff. He spent most his working life in the hospitality industry – bars, restaurants, hotels. Long hours, late nights.

Once, in the back garden, I was winding my brother up, as big brothers do. He reached breaking point and unleashed a wave of expletives that would have made a sailor blush. Dad, probably trying to get a bit of rest upstairs, heard everything, stuck his head out the bedroom window and it was the most trouble any little boy has ever been in before or since. I felt bad, and I bought Tim some Cadbury’s Creme Eggs to say sorry.

..

In 1996 he was away on a golf trip in Spain and fell ill. Cardiomyopathy. The prognosis was not good. He needed a heart transplant. In the mists of time it feels like it happened quickly, but it didn’t. He spent months and months gravely unwell, in and out of hospital, but in the end they took his actual heart out and put someone else’s in.

It’s basically a miracle, isn’t it?

When you think about it, it’s absolutely crazy, but as I said at his eulogy, it changed his life and it saved his life. He became a fierce advocate for organ donation. He helped found the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association, and he went onto to chair the European Heart and Lung Transplant Federation. He wanted to ensure as many people as possible could benefit from the incredible medical advancements, and the work carried out by doctors and transplant teams.

As you might imagine, that kind of thing gives you a new perspective on life. He was certainly mellower post-transplant, but it coincided with us reaching a stage of adult life where your relationship with your parents changes anyway. We did a lot of stuff together. Golf, pints, dinners, holidays, even the Arsenal.

I don’t know if the trip we took to London was specifically to see a game, or if it coincided with something else, but he came with me to the Emirates to see us play in the Champions League. We played PSV and a late goal from on-loan Chelsea defender Alex saw us crash out. Not exactly a stellar night on the pitch, but it was still a good one off it. We had post-game pints in The Tollington, he met many of the Arseblog crew, and he often talked about how much he enjoyed it.

He loved Arseblog and what it became. He’d read most days. He’d say ‘Some of those chaps on the Arses are a bit fruity, aren’t they?!’.  He even listened to a podcast, impressed and somewhat astonished with how often, and with such variation, Ian Wright said my name.

..

He hadn’t been well for a couple of weeks. I took him to the doctors on February 1st. She told me she was worried about his kidneys. Years of anti-rejection and immuno-suppressant drugs take their toll. Blood test results came back that afternoon. He needed to be in hospital.

I remember him waving to us from the ambulance before it pulled away, his big overcoat pulled tightly around him on a cold evening. Over the next couple of weeks he was treated for the infection, he was getting there, but slowly.

On Monday February 15th I got a phone call from a doctor. He’d been unwell, so they ran more tests. One of them was for Covid-19. It came back positive. We spent a year doing everything we could to keep him safe during the pandemic, and somehow he picked it up in the Coronary Care Unit of a hospital.

Yet over the next week, he didn’t really develop any of the major symptoms. On Monday February 22nd he called from his bed, we spoke about him coming home. He couldn’t wait to get back to his chair, in front of the fire, to watch golf and CNN. We wondered how strong he’d be, what care he might need. How we might have to adapt the house. Downstairs bedroom, stairlift, that kind of thing.

Then … day 10. Covid hit.

Did you ever get winded? It’s scary, isn’t it? Those few seconds where you can’t catch your breath. Imagine that all the time. He needed oxygen, then more oxygen, then all the oxygen it’s possible to give someone.

We were lucky in that we were allowed in to see him. We got to talk to him. That will always be a comfort, but seeing your dad on his own in a six bed ward, surrounded by and attached to machines, struggling to breathe is brutal. You want to help somehow, but you can’t.

We were clad in so much PPE, gown, masks, goggles, gloves, that he thought we were doctors at first. Maybe that’s why he told ‘them’ he didn’t want to die in hospital.

He died in hospital … in the early hours of March 2nd.

He’d been through so much. The heart transplant, he beat a lung cancer situation, he had an ongoing prostate cancer situation, but he couldn’t beat this. He was 84 and he’d lived a good life, but it doesn’t make it any easier to see someone you love die like that.

I’m not going to preach to anyone, but I can only urge you to be cautious. I know we’re all fed up with restrictions and life being the way it is. I know there is light at the end of the tunnel as vaccines are being rolled out, but this virus is still out there and it’s still dangerous. The most vulnerable among us are still loved and cherished family members and friends. Please don’t lose sight of that amid frustration, we all have a responsibility to each other. Someone’s age or their underlying condition doesn’t make them expendable.

Be careful. Look after each other. Each one of those statistics released daily is a real person, with many more left behind. Wash your hands. Wear a mask – at worst it’s a mild inconvenience, at best it saves lives, maybe even your own. Get the vaccine when you can.

My daughter, who I haven’t seen in person for over a year now, couldn’t get home for her grandad’s funeral. The funeral at which only ten people were allowed. That’s not how we do things in Ireland. There was no wake, no telling of stories about the one just gone. The laughs you have at events like that seem incongruous to the situation, but they’re a big part of how get through it.

Like so many other families over this last 12 months, we were apart at a time when we needed to be together. Just a couple of weeks previously my big cousin Adrian, a Gooner and only a few years older than I am, was taken by Covid too. He wasn’t elderly, he wasn’t high risk. I had to ring my dad in hospital and tell him, and while the staff in there were so lovely, he had nobody to share that grief with in person.

The support mechanisms we have in place to cope with things like this aren’t there any more. There are very obvious impacts of Covid on our lives, but there are malingering ones which I don’t think we’ll come to understand for some time yet.

..

Whatever nurses are paid, they deserve twice that, and more. They are amazing. They don’t need to be clapped, they need to be paid properly. You might not need them now, so perhaps they don’t register, but there will come a time when you will, and they will be amazing for you and your family too.

They shouldn’t have to fight for the compensation they deserve. We should be fighting for them. We should be angry on their behalf. Fight for healthcare.

Pay them properly.

..

My dad was an amazing man. Really funny, kind, generous, a good person who was the linchpin of our family, and we’re going to miss him terribly. He was well cool too, I mean, look at that 1960s shades/rollneck action he had going on.

I’m experiencing a lot of emotions right now, and it’s going to take some time to process, as they say. Today though, I just want to remember him in a positive way. A man who had a huge influence on who am I, someone who – when I think of him – makes me smile.

It’s absolutely shit he’s not going to be around anymore, and the circumstances of his passing were deeply unpleasant. It’s been a really rough few weeks, to be honest. However, he gave me the strength to get through this, and on this Arsenal blog I’m gonna take the owner’s privilege and set myself up with a tap-in to finish.

Love you Dad, and as a wise man once said, you were f*ckin’ excellent.

The post The Blogfather appeared first on Arseblog … an Arsenal blog.

The Article The Blogfather First Appeared ON
: https://arsenalweb.co.uk

The Article The Blogfather First Appeared ON
: https://gqcentral.co.uk

The Article Polls open for presidential election at troubled Barcelona First Appeared ON
: https://gqcentral.co.uk

Have you heard of data visualization? Even if you don’t know the term, you’ve probably seen some examples.

Data visualization refers to graphical images that represent and explain data trends or other numerical information, such as charts, maps, scatter plots, or graphs.

You can use data visualization in articles or on web pages to make numbers and data easily digestible to the reader. Especially when you are trying to distill down complex topics to convert more readers, data can add value and help you make your case.

The Benefits of Data Visualization

Visuals are a powerful addition to your articles and presentations.

Our brains process images at a rapid pace, according to an MIT study. Including visuals in your article not only breaks up the text and gives your reader something else to look at, but also may help them process the information more quickly.

Think about it: we’ve been communicating visually from the cave painting days. Data visualization just takes image communication to the next level, integrating stats and data into compelling visuals that your brain can absorb faster than just scanning numbers.

Plus, it’s more than just laying out the numbers. Data visualization is about presenting data in a very specific way to back up your claims or illustrate your point. It’s more than just a table of statistics the reader has to work through to figure out for themselves.

Numbers can often be the “proof” you need to convince your reader to take the next step or to make a purchase, but many people don’t want to take the time to read through all the data.

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, people don’t read word-for-word online, going back to the internet’s earliest days. Instead, they scan, looking for stand-out headlines and images that grab them. Data visualization gives you that opportunity to capture their interest and get important stats in front of their eyes.

Examples of Data Visualization

Are you inspired to start creating data visualization images for your content, or are you still needing some examples? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

1. USA Today Housing Bubble Graphic

Using an interactive map, USA Today created this graphic to help readers understand the data behind current housing sales trends. The simple color palette makes it visually appealing, and the ability to scroll over each state to learn more means readers may spend more time on the page, interacting with the data.

2. CNBC Job Change Graph

This visual from CNBC is an example of using a bar graph in a visually compelling way. At a quick glance, you can see what’s growing and decreasing. As you look closer, you can check out more detail about the numbers and specifics.

3. NY Times Nutrition Scatter Plot

Scatter plots can get complex, which is why this graphic from the NY Times uses images to help make the point. It also explains the XY axes, so readers understand what they’re looking at.

Types of Data Visualization

When it comes to creating unique images, the only limit is your imagination, but here are a few common types to get you started.

Bar Graphs

Bar graphs are a simple option. Think back to your school days and science projects. Bar graphs can be vertical or horizontal, with each bar representing the values of each category.

Bar graphs can represent any set of numbers you need to compare side-by-side, and you can use colors to reflect different categories. For example, you could compare salaries for different jobs, prices for different products, or populations of different groups.

Pie Charts

Pie charts consist of circles representing 100% of something, broken into “slices” of ratios or percentages.

They are a great way to illustrate how various categories compare to their larger context. For instance, you can show how many people of a certain group have different behaviors, habits, or preferences.

Tables

While not always the most visually compelling, tables can allow you to provide multiple data points or categories to help people understand the relationships among items.

On a table, you can lay out in rows the main categories you’re comparing. Along each column, you can include as many different topics as you need to.

Tables are simple and useful but can easily get cluttered. Make sure to highlight the sections that need your attention and use colors to make things stand out. Keep everything lined up and clear to make it easily scannable for your readers.

Infographics

A power horse of online images, infographics can mean almost anything. However, an infographic typically acts as a curated collection of charts, graphs, icons, and short text to share high-level information about a topic or tell a narrative.

They are usually vertically designed, with strong headlines and numbers. Its power comes in combining various elements to tell a story. Infographics are great for an overview, such as a brief history behind a topic or a quick lesson.

GIFs

What’s more visual than a GIF? Functioning as a quick video, a GIF can allow you to show growth, movement, regression, or progress. GIFs often involve an animated graph or chart that shows demographics or change over time.

Maps

When the information you present is demographically or locally focused, maps can help tell that story visually. You can connect readers with information relating to specific areas or groups of people in those locations.

Color-coding different areas of your maps can give your readers a quick visual of exactly which areas relate to which topics in your content. For instance, you can shade areas red or blue depending on how that region voted on a particular topic or election.

Heat Maps

A heat map can show areas of concentration or intensity. You can use this for actual temperatures, such as climate or record temperatures in certain areas, or you could use it for proverbial heat, showing intensity or even popularity.

Sometimes heat maps illustrate population density, for instance, or the behavior of users on a website, such as how often they interact with a certain area.

Scatter Plots

A scatter plot is a type of graph that shows the correlation or relationship between two topics on a horizontal and vertical axis, with dots scattered throughout to represent examples of that relationship.

You can draw a line through the area where the dots are concentrated to see trends. Your reader can see that as one factor changes, such as increases or heats up, the other factor tends to respond in some way.

Pair Up Simple Data Visualization Types

The above are just a few of the simple elements you can use to illustrate your data. The options are almost innumerable. Just about any kind of chart, graph, or map can be employed.

However, some of the best data visualizations integrate multiple types or pair up more than one element. For instance, you can use a series of pie charts to show how trends have changed over time.

Sometimes, matching up multiple elements can illustrate your point more fully or allow you to describe various points of your narrative better. You could even use a chart within a chart or lay them out in an infographic style to tell a story.

Make Data Visualizations Interactive

To make your data visualization work hard for you, you may want to consider interactive options.

Interactivity allows readers to scroll over or click on various parts of your charts or graphics to learn more about each section. Maybe each bar on your graph or each area on your map has more specific information that your viewers can read.

This not only provides more powerful data points to your image, but it also allows it to be a more relevant and customizable experience for more users.

Data Visualization Tools

You can create data visualization images for your content from scratch using design software or an online option like Canva. However, data visualization tools can give you a leg up by allowing you to create truly stand-out projects.

These tools can take the guesswork out of the process and let you focus on plugging in the data and cranking out designs that reflect your brand and convey your message.

The great thing about these tools is that they are made for the casual creator. You don’t need to be a developer or coder to get into making great charts or graphs. Here are a few of the plug-and-play options that can get your idea off the ground.

Flourish

Flourish advertises an easy option for creating and sharing data visualization. You can upload spreadsheets directly to the platform or create your images from scratch. It has a number of animated or interactive templates, which you can update with your brand graphics and elements.

Flourish has a free option that allows you to explore and create public data visualization. If you want to interact with your team or create private projects, it offers a few levels of paid options.

Datawrapper

Datawrapper promises to be easy to use, with no coding experience required. It provides several intuitive options, with tools such as a color-blind check that remind you of colors that are color-blind friendly.

With a variety of defaults in its templates, Datawrapper brings the details of each data visualization that newbies may not have thought through.

Infogram

This tool allows you to create charts and graphs that have the animation and customization you need to wow your audience. You can also use Infogram’s drag-and-drop feature to drag the images around and combine elements into a single, highly-effective visual.

Tracking the Success of Your Data Visualization Elements

The time and effort it takes to create data visualization and work it into your content can pay off if it helps drive people to your goals, like increasing readerships or leads. However, you’ll only know if they’re successful if you track the metrics.

Consider the Big Picture

As you start incorporating data visualization into your content, one of the easiest ways to track their success is to see how well your content is doing. The most basic questions to ask are: is the content with data visualization more popular? Do those pieces get more readers and more shares?

Dive Into the Data

One way to get a little geeky with your data is to set up a heat map tool, such as Hotjar. This can give you more data about how people behave on your page, such as how and where they scroll or click. This is especially useful for a landing page where you’re trying to convert people to sales.

Help Them Act

The only way to know if your data visualization is actually converting is to give readers a way to be converted. Once they have been convinced by the data you are sharing, what do you want them to do next? Make sure you keep clear CTAs near the data visualization. Clicks or email sign-ups can help you track the effectiveness of that image.

Conclusion

Data visualization can help you drive readership and more leads by engaging with them from the start. People come back to your online hub when they find quality content there. They’re also more likely to share your content with others when they find it interesting and engaging.

Data visualization can help you take complex or dry concepts and make them more compelling, helping drive home your point and increase sales along the way.

If it feels daunting to create and manage your data visualization elements, we are here to help out. We also offer services like SEO, content marketing, and paid media.

What kind of data visualization are you going to use in your content?

The post How to Use Data Visualization in Your Content to Increase Readers and Leads appeared first on Neil Patel.