Spring Cleaning Feature - Nov 1

| Mahurangimatters 1 November 201338

spring feverFEATURE

With the weather getting warmer, bugs are breeding and before you know it they’ll be getting under your skin.Brian Ellis of Brian’s Pest Control says webbing spiders are in full bloom right now and will soon be spread by the wind. The little critters weave webs that become more noticeable as dust passes through them. He says daddy longlegs are harder to kill off with his usual pyrethrum broad-spectrum spray as they have very small feet and don’t have much contact with the surface.White tail spiders are also common around Mahurangi and you can be bitten if you have the misfortune of disturbing one. “They use venom to kill their pray and it can be as bad as a wasp or bee sting,” Brian says.“You don’t know whether you’re allergic until you’ve been bitten. If you are, you might have to spend the night in hospital.”He says white tails can be transported around the country on trucks or in luggage. They hide in nooks and crannies and often go to the back of cupboards to eat daddy longlegs.Flies are also about to produce masses of babies. “We start out with large

It’s time to banish those annoying creepy crawlies

Brian Ellis of Brian’s Pest Control advises against getting rid of wasp nests DIY-style.

blowflies at the beginning of summer, then house flies and lesser house flies come through. It’s clear they like different temperatures.”Meanwhile, October is the month that wasps start building their nests.“The queen starts nesting solo – she has to feed and lay all the eggs. After 28 days they turn into adults and start flying around in January.”After that the queen stays on the nest permanently, laying up to 200 eggs a day. “The nest quickly becomes

huge,” Brian says. He doesn’t advise trying to get rid of a wasp nest DIY-style – instead recommending an expert like himself who wears a bee suit and sticks pyrethrum powder deep within the nest.German and Asian cockroaches need temperatures of more than 30 degrees to breed – they have to be baited and possibly sprayed, while the Australasian or Gisborne cockroach prefers damp conditions.

Brian says most ants in the area are just a nuisance, but some imports like the Argentinian ants can cause a nasty bite.“Depending on whether they’re sugar feeders or protein feeders they may need spraying or bait. Some have single queens or multiple queens. If you do the wrong thing you can multiply the nests. When you divide them up they automatically assume the queen closest to them and they become two colonies instead of one.”

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Spiders top the list as being one of the most prevalent household pests.

Mahurangimatters 1 November 2013 | 39

spring fever

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It is so cathartic dispatching unused items out of your life.So says local designer Gill Warren, who has been on a mission since January 1 to declutter her life.“I have been quitting at least one item per day that I no longer need. Things range from kitchenware, or phone contacts who never ring me, plastic garden pots in the garden shed that I ‘might’ use one day, vegetable seeds or packaged food past their use-by date. I give it away, sell it on Trade Me or dump the excess baggage – what doesn’t sell on Trade Me for $1 reserve, goes out either via donate.org.nz or friends or rubbish collection.”Enticing family to do likewise may only happen if they can see the results of your actions, says Gill.Encourage children to put away some toys for bringing back another time, maybe in winter when they are indoors more often, she says. Or perhaps the toys could go to hospital-bound kids.She suggests that husbands sometimes need help in their shed or garage – an inexpensive set of drawers from Hospice’s Wednesday morning furniture sales could prove ideal to help store bottles of nails, screws, glues.Out-of-season clothes and shoes can be stored in clear plastic boxes (so you can see what it is) for storage in a spare

Interior designer Gill Warren says clutter can weigh you down.

How to declutter your home

room; those awkward bathroom items such as ear buds can be stacked in storage caddies with drawers and clear plastic bags with hooks are useful for hanging items in cupboards.Art or photos on the wall fade and may need refreshing – or a new item could be put in an existing frame.Often, the hardest part is starting, says Gill. She suggests taking photos of your entire property, starting from the gate and taking images right to the back fence, then printing them out so you can see your site more objectively.You can then see which areas are less than attractive, particularly to visitors. Even simple things like tidying away hoses, smartening up the garage, and tidying up inside can make a big difference, she says.

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Many Mahurangi residents have outdoor pools or ponds and now is a good time to clean them. We spoke to the team at Splash Water Specialists in Warkworth and the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture for advice.

Time to clean those swimming pools and ponds

Swimming pools

Ponds

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y Circulate the water – Pool water must be circulated for the chemicals to work properly and to avoid bacteria and algae taking hold. Circulate for at least 12 hours each day during the swimming season. During the off-season, filter for at least six hours each day. The best time to circulate the water is during the day.

y Clean the filter – The filter is one of your most important pieces of equipment. It removes both visible debris and most microscopic matter. When material gets trapped on or in the filter, remove it by backwashing (check your manufacturer’s guidelines on backwashing). Filters also need to be chemically cleaned regularly to remove oils, scale and deeply embedded debris.

y Brush and vacuum – All swimming pools have areas with little or no circulation. To prevent algae and bacteria from growing, the walls and floor should be brushed and vacuumed at least once a week. Brushing is a must, even if you use an automatic pool cleaner or a regular service person.

y Test the water – The amount of people using your pool, the weather and product application can all affect the balance of your water. Test your water two to three times per week.

y Use the right products – Apply the right products to your pool water at the right time. It will help provide a healthy pool and protect your equipment and pool surfaces.

y Discourage green water algae by shading the surface with floating plants and water lilies. As a rule of thumb you should be aiming for leaf coverage of about 75 percent.

y Algaecides will clear your water and are okay to use with fish, but you need to use the correct dosage.

y If you want to guarantee clear water, use a UV clarifier. Water passes through a sleeve that contains a UV bulb that kills off the algae.

y Scoop up blanketweed, dead leaves and plant

leaves regularly. About 30 percent of your pond’s water should be removed every six to 10 weeks.

y Fish are good at controlling bugs and pests. Every now and then give your pond plants a blast with the hose so the bugs drop in the water for the fish to eat.

y Mosquitoes hate moving water so if you use a waterfall or fountain you won’t have a problem. If you don’t have moving water, add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to the water. It stops them from breathing but it can also suffocate fish.

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Parents who ignore their child’s hayfever symptoms run the risk of them developing facial changes, including black marks under the eyes and a fold under the nose from rubbing.

How to deal with allergies

The nasty side effects occur from the swelling of the adenoids and are known as “adenoid facies” – you can Google it to see it for yourself.Wellsford Medical Centre GP David Hassan says around 15 of every 100 of his patients suffer an allergy and symptoms are exacerbated at this time of the year.“Most people have a genetic succession so allergies tend to run in the family.”He explains allergies can be divided between those that are airborne and those that relate to food. “Food allergies include reactions to things like milk, eggs, nuts and seafood. They are worse in childhood and can result in lips bloating and require emergency treatment, while airborne allergies like hayfever and eczema aren’t as chronic.”He says grasses and pollens that fly around at springtime trigger hayfever and eczema so it’s a good idea not to go outside on a windy day or mow the lawns at the moment if you have them.“Parents often minimise allergies like hayfever,” he says. “They don’t think it’s that important, but things can get serious. Rashes can turn into

infections, coughs turn into asthma and it can affect the child’s learning ability and growth.”Dr Hassan says as well as constant sneezing, hayfever can cause trouble sleeping and loud snoring. “It leads to tired children and orthodontic problems that change the face.”He says 20 years ago, if a child had a reaction to, say, eggs, experts would say: “stay away from eggs then try them in two years’ time”. But now they prefer to characterise reactions.“Now we quantify how serious the reaction was and get a better idea of whether they’ve lost it.”Treatment could be carried out via a food challenge or desensitisation therapy.“If a child has a permanent allergy you could go down the pathway of treatment by giving them adrenalin if they have a serious reaction. After two years they could get a blood test to see if the allergy has worsened. If it hasn’t they could go to a controlled environment in a hospital where drugs are available and given a food challenge — peanut butter sandwiches, for example — and monitored.”

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Roadsides and riverbanks around the district are looking a lot cleaner thanks to the efforts of some hardworking community groups.Cleanups have been held recently at Leigh, Whangateau and along the riverbank in Warkworth.Warkworth Rotary Club did their annual riverbank clean-up ahead of the Kowhai Festival. Trees, bottles and plastics were removed, with some difficulty at times, particularly a large tree in the river near the Jane Gifford. Residents & Ratepayers at Whangateau conducted their twice-yearly clean-up, amassing bags of bottles, disposable coffee cups, convenience food wrappers and plastic bags. At Leigh, a group comprising “school age to third age” locals took two hours to gather 26 bags of rubbish and recyclables from roadsides between Tramcar Bay and Pakiri Hill, and down to Goat Island Marine Reserve.There were some unusual items collected, including a lone ugg boot, old shoes, a bottle of perfume and an unopened bottle of beer. There were also lots of cans, bottles and plastic.A family group pass, donated by the Marine Discovery Centre at Goat Island, was won by Kathy James and her grandsons. Dedicated clean-up volunteer Bill Dellow won a Leigh Coastal Walk t-shirt for being the first to arrive to help. Thanks were extended to sponsors Masons Contractors, The Village Bookshop in Matakana, Leigh Business community, Auckland Council’s Environmental and Waste Minimisation team and the Leigh Fire Brigade.

Fines for littering start at $100 and can go as high as $400 for repeat offenders, but that doesn’t stop lazy motorists and their passengers firing rubbish out their vehicle windows.

Community clean-ups help rid roads of rubbish

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y Wash your blinds – Once or twice a year, wipe wooden blinds with a few drops of gentle wood cleaner on a nearly dry sponge. Aluminium blinds can be washed outdoors. Place them on an old sheet on a slanted surface, and scrub with water and a non-corrosive cleaner. Use a hose to rinse well, and then dry the blinds thoroughly with a towel to prevent rust.

y Update bed linens – Replace your bedding for a quick makeover. For an easy custom duvet cover, use two flat sheets. Place sheets back to back, and sew around the perimeter, allowing for a 2cm seam; leave an opening at the bottom. To close, sew twill-tape ties or Velcro tape to the inside edges.

y Protect wooden floors – Guard against scratches on wooden floors. Make sure there are surface protectors on the undersides of furniture legs, and replace any that are dirty or worn. Use thick, padded self-adhesive discs; they come in different diameters and can be found at home stores.

y Clean out the fridge – This task is a daunting undertaking; make it more manageable by breaking it down. The first step is to wipe up spills immediately so surfaces won’t become stained. Make it a habit to

throw out old food once a week. Every few months, wash the interior with a solution of two tablespoons of baking soda for every litre of warm water. Twice a year, vacuum or brush dust from the condenser coils to keep the system from overheating.

y Deep-clean carpets and rugs – For synthetic carpeting, rent or buy a shampooer/extractor — a machine that cleans the fibres and removes traces of soap using hot water. Open windows and let air flow to help carpets dry. If you have wool carpets or rugs, or any that are valuable or delicate, contact a professional for cleaning.

y Clean your curtains – Vacuum and steam-clean curtains or have them dry-cleaned. If you’ll be replacing heavy curtains with lighter ones as the weather gets warmer, it is especially important to remove dust and dirt before putting the curtains away for storage.

y Replace batteries – You should replace the batteries in your smoke detectors every six months. Use the day you set your clocks back as a reminder, and you’ll be unlikely to forget. Change the batteries again in spring, when you set your clocks ahead.

Source: marthastewart.com

Top tips for springcleaning

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Spring is a good time to get out the paintbrush and give your house a new coat.Manager of Resene in Warkworth, Raewyn Saggers, says if you’ve never painted anything before, you need to learn what types of paint to use.“Ask yourself, is it for the interior or exterior? Has it been painted or stained before and what types of products have been used in the past?”She says the most common paint people use nowadays is acrylic – but some oil products are preferred on ceilings, window frames and doors because they’re better at hiding stains. “Acrylic enamel has replaced most enamels. It has a similar look but a longer curing time. It’s more user friendly and washes out in water.”Raewyn says some stains are like a film of paint, while others are clear and show the wood grain underneath. “If you’re painting a deck you need to give it a waterblast first, but make sure the pressure isn’t too high as it can leave lines and fur the timber up.”When painting the exterior, it’s also important to give your house a wash to start with. “It should be done at least once a year,” Raewyn says.“It stops any contaminants breaking through the surface like mould or

Resene Warkworth manager Raewen Saggers says houses should be washed once a year.

Preparation the key to sprucing up your walls

grease. If mosses and mould are present, we recommend a special killer because it gets rid of the spores. If they aren’t killed, the fungus will grow back through the surface.”After washing, she recommends sanding and filling in defects with products like No More Gaps.Roofs also need a wash to remove

chalkiness, before getting a primer coat that treats white or red rust. This should be followed with two coats of acrylic.“If you’re painting the interior, and the surface is greasy, clean with sugar soap, and if it’s clean, give a primer coat and two more coats and you’re done.”If you’ve got old paint and you want to get rid of it, Resene in Warkworth can

recycle it for you, but there’s a charge if it hasn’t been bought from Resene. It’s sent to Wellington and turned into a product called “Paint Crete” which is used for community projects and to paint concrete.

Pick your finishFirst, consider the finish you want. Flat is most commonly used on walls; however, some people prefer satin or eggshell finishes. Semigloss is primarily used on trim. Shinier paints are ideal for kitchens and bathrooms because they are easy to clean, but they’re also more apt to show imperfections on the wall. With any finish, allow enough time to complete your project; the average room takes about four days, including drying time.

Rolling on paintPour paint into the reservoir of your roller tray. Dip in one edge of the roller, then move it back and forth on the tray bed until it’s saturated but not dripping. Paint a 2-foot wide V on the wall, and, without lifting the roller, fill it in with tight vertical strokes — this will ensure even coverage. Repeat, working from top to bottom, until you’ve completed the wall. - Tips from Marthastewart.com

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Spring Cleaning Feature - Nov 1