By 1880, more than 4,000 washing devices had been patented. There were washing “machine” models that rubbed clothes together, or pummeled them up and down, or stomped on them, or dragged them through the water, or slammed them against the walls of the wooden tubs of the day. All powered by hand except one 12-shirt model that was run by 10 donkeys for a California gold miner who may have introduced the first “laundromat.”

An 1874 washing “machine” by corn planter manufacturer William Blackstone of Bluffton, Indiana had been inspired by his decision to build a birthday gift for his wife. Inside the wooden tub was a flat piece of wood with six wooden pegs, all together looking like a small milking stool. If you cranked a handle you could move a series of gears and the result would be that the clothes were caught on the pegs and swished around in the water.

Mr. Blackstone was also a merchant so be built some more washing “machines” and started selling them for $2.50 each. His company exists to this day.

Pretty soon came the competition, spawning hundreds of washing machine companies spewing out all manner of contraptions and inching up prices to around $10.00 apiece.

In 1861 came the wringer, an exciting new feature that did away with having to work so hard at squeezing the water out of the clothes.

The next big leap came when wooden tubs were replaced by metal tubs in about 1900. After that came washing machines that included drive belts, and this made it possible to add steam or gasoline engines. So now we were on our way from manual to automatic.

The first electric-powered washing machine was invented by Alva J. Fisher and unveiled in 1908 by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois. This launched the new era of electric washing machines. Some 1920s models included coal-fired heating from a fire grate beneath the washing drum. Oh, and any model with an electric motor under the metal tub was pretty sure to get wet and shock the user.

All during this period the great American washing machine companies of today were coming to life. Maytag by F.L. Maytag in 1893. Whirlpool in 1911. Bendix in the mid 1930s.

And in 1937, free at last. Look Ma, no hands. A subsidiary of Bendix Aviation ended the hassles of shoveling coal, messing with gasoline, cranking clothes wringers, being electrically shocked and all the rest, once and for all. They brought us the first automatic washing machine. John W. Chamberlain invented the device that washed, rinsed and extracted water from clothes all by itself. This machine was a sensation, even though the vibration was so extreme that it had to be bolted to the floor.

By 1953, spin-dry washing machines were outselling the wringer models, and the electric automatic washing machine entered the evolutionary path of those evermore convenient bells and whistles that make our lives so much easier today.

A portable air conditioner is a self contained unit, usually about 30 inches tall and about 80 pounds in weight. The best thing is that it doesn’t require any installation: it stands on the floor and you don’t have to fit it in your window or your wall. Most mobile A/C units have little wheels, so you can easily move them around.

Portable A/C pros:

- you can move your portable unit from room to room, so there is no need to buy a window-mounted air conditioner for each room
- you don’t have to block your window or make holes in your wall – a portable air conditioner is ready to use as soon as you unpack it
- using a mobile air conditioner to cool only one room instead of switching on a central system saves you a lot on energy bills

Portable air conditioner cons:

- a portable unit costs slightly more than a window air conditioner with a similar cooling capacity
- comparable to central air conditioning and mini-split systems (where the compressor is outside), portable A/C is loud. If noise is an issue, look at the reviews of several portable units and select the one that makes the least noise.

Is portable A/C effective in cooling large rooms?

That depends on the size of your unit. Small portable units with cooling capacities of about 8000 BTU are perfect for a 300 sq. foot room, while larger 24000 BTU air conditioners can effectively cool a 1000 sq. foot room. So, as you can see, a properly sized mobile air conditioner can do a good job even in a very large room. However, you should know that larger doesn’t necessarily mean better. An air conditioner that is too large will consume more energy and won’t cool your room effectively, because it will stop and start constantly.

Portable air conditioner energy efficiency.

Everybody knows that air conditioners chew a lot of energy, so energy efficiency is a big issue. However, recent developments in technology allow manufacturers to produce very efficient air conditioners. A few years ago an EER (energy efficiency ratio) of 6 or 7 was considered good. Now the standard is 12 or higher.

Modern portable air conditioners are as energy efficient as window or mini split units. To select the most efficient air conditioner, look at its EER – the higher, the better. Also choose a unit with an Energy Star. The Energy Star means that an air conditioner meets energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

How affordable is a mobile air conditioner?

You might be surprised to learn that portable A/C is not too expensive. The prices have gone down significantly, in recent years, and now you can buy a good unit from around $300. Of course, air conditioners with a larger cooling capacity cost more, and so do those with higher energy efficiency ratings. However, when it comes to paying more for a more efficient unit, you actually save money because your energy bill will be lower.

To conclude, if you don’t have air conditioning and don’t feel like investing in a central system, a portable air conditioner can be a great alternative. And if you have a central A/C, it’s still a good idea to have a portable unit for cooling just the room you are in, instead of the entire house. It can significantly reduce your bills.

Whether you are planning to give finishing touches and decorate a new room or arrange for better comforts in a not so new room, the best way is to choose the most appropriate area rugs as these have an impact on the mood and character of a room. Therefore decide on your choice of colors and mood and measure the area of your room to find out the size of the area rug needed. Then considering the cost and the varieties of area rugs available buy the most appropriate one that suits your room.

In fact the suggestion given by interior designers is to start the selection of area rugs with the one best suited for the front door. The very idea is that you will naturally pay more attention as this rug is going to be the first impression to anyone entering your house. This decision will ultimately make it easy for you to select area rugs for other rooms.

Another thing that adds to the beauty of the house is flooring. Generally people prefer hardwood floors as the wood floors are durable and very beautiful. These hardwood floors are a boon to those suffering from allergies as these can be very easily cleaned so that they are free from pollen or other allergy causing substances. The hardwood floors once laid need not be replaced often. It is also very easy to clean hardwood floors. It is enough to wipe the floor with a damp cloth and a household cleaner. Compared to carpets these accumulate lesser dust and are easier to clean.

There are umpteen choices of wood for hardwood floors like cherry, birch, oak, pine etc. Another advantage with hardwood floors is that they are suitable for any type of decoration whether it is traditional or contemporary. Hardwood floors are very beneficial as the flooring is made of natural wood and if proper care is taken they will last for a lifetime.

Nothing keeps a room warm like wood. There are hundreds of colors and styles of wood floors available to suit the needs of buyers. Earlier hardwood floors were not advised in bathrooms and basement areas fearing that the wood might be damaged due to moisture. But now acrylic impregnated woods and wood laminates are available and these are laid to give natural look of wooden floors to bathrooms and kitchens. Sweeping these laminated floors everyday and mopping them with damp cloth occasionally is sufficient to keep these floors clean and neat.

The first, and possibly most important reason to have your carpets cleaned regularly, is the health of you and your family. Carpets tend to retain a large amount of particulate matter. This is the unhealthy tiny particles of dust and dirt which float around in the air of all residential dwellings. While it is true that regular vacuuming will help to control this problem, with time the build-up of this “indoor pollution” becomes increasingly more difficult for your vacuum cleaner to remove.

There is also the issue of dust mites. Dust mites are a common problem in most homes, and can be the cause of many allergy problems. As more dust, dirt, dust mites, and debris build up in the carpet fibers, a professional extraction is the only way to remove all of the contaminates which have accumulated over a period of time.

Many people purchase home steam cleaning machines. While these machines are effective for quick removal of spills and spots, they are not effective for whole room (wall to wall) carpet cleaning or removing contaminates. In fact, over time, these machines tend to do much more harm than good to both your carpets, and your indoor air quality.

The proper method of cleaning carpets is never fully explained to the homeowner. The lack of understanding the science of carpet cleaning leads to over wetting, and a build-up of residue on your carpets. The excess water can cause mold and mildew, and the residue tends to re-attract new dirt very quickly.

Because these machines are mass produced to be affordable to the homeowner, they are not capable of extracting all of the water which they release onto your carpets. This is what leads to over wetting, and possible mold and mildew issues.

In order for these manufacturers to make a home steam cleaning machine that works effectively, the end result would be a machine that costs the consumer well over $1,000! They probably would not sell many machines at that price.

In order to keep the end cost reasonable, these machines are essentially vacuum cleaners with liquid jet sprayers attached to them. They are only capable of extracting a small amount of the liquid which they release onto your carpets. This leads to two problems.

First, you are left with large amounts of water soaked into your padding. Second, this excess water takes a large percentage of the dirt and allergens deep down into the carpet with it. Over time your carpets start to become “dulled over” from the dirt build-up. We get many calls from homeowners who have experienced this problem.

Professional extraction equipment is very expensive, and is made to extract dirt and residues from deep within the carpet fibers, all the way to the backing of your carpet. We have had experiences where we literally pull up mud as a result of large amounts of dirt being pushed down through carpet. This is a direct result of repeated cleanings with a home steam machine.

The machines which you rent at your local grocery store are even worse for your carpets, and your health! They are not cleaned or maintained on a regular basis, and typically have more germs in them than a non-flushed toilet! We have found that people usually rent these machines when they want to clean something which they prefer not to clean with equipment that they own. You can use your imagination on that one!

You are also left with the residue problem, because, again, you are not given any instruction on the proper way to clean a carpet. The shampoo must be rinsed from the carpet fibers with a quality “acidic” rinse. Otherwise, you will most likely experience a rapid re-soiling problem from the leftover shampoo residue.

If your carpet is under warranty, your warranty specifically states that you must have your carpets cleaned within a certain time frame, usually 12 to 24 months. This must be done by an IICRC certified company, using the hot water extraction method.

If you are having your carpets cleaned for warranty reasons, make sure that the company you choose is certified by the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning, and Repair Certification (IICRC), and that they use the hot water extraction method. It is important for you to know “do-it-yourself” cleanings, and dry cleaning methods will not uphold your warranty! This could end up being a very costly mistake.
So remember, it is very important to have your carpets cleaned on a regular basis by a professional, certified company that uses the hot water extraction method of cleaning. It is well worth the few extra dollars it will cost, as opposed to doing it yourself. Do not take a chance on voiding your warranty and ruining your carpets.

You need to have deep, hot water extraction with professional equipment, by a certified company. This will greatly reduce the risk of mold, mildew, and rapid re-soiling. This will also keep your warranty in tact, should you ever need to use it!

May be some of you asking why get a buffet in the first place. I think it’s a great thing having a buffet spread at the ready when your guests come to call is a very warm and welcoming gesture. You can show to your guests that you value entertainment and want to do it by utilizing a piece of buffet furniture. You will make your guests feel comfortable at home with a nice buffet food spread. There are various type of buffet that you choose to have a buffet cabinet if you have more storage space or buffet hutch. Buffet server should be perfect if you needs furniture with limited floor space.

You are going to find that buffet server will also seamlessly upgrade your decoration in dining room. Just make sure you pick the right style to really set off with your room. For some family who don’t get their buffet furniture at the same time they get the dining room table they still can get a buffet that will perfectly matches with the existing table. If they don’t they still can opt for a design that complements with the table just like an antique wood buffet table will match with antique wood dining room. You need to know that the wood finishes don’t need to match exactly and look great together since the antique interior design allows for flexibility. For people who have a rustic wood, traditional or contemporary decor in their home, buffet tables in all sizes and finishes should work with these styles.

Buffet server should be your perfect choice if you want to entertain and do it with warmth and flair. That should be nudge your dining room from adequate to fantastic look. You can get both function and beauty with only little floor space. It can be as handy tabletop to serve to serve you with extra food entrees or become as dessert table. On internet there are a few online furniture store where you can get all of your needs from loveseats to buffet server. Make sure you find one that will serve you with high quality products.

On internet, just like what you will find at regular Christmas store, online stores offers trees in a wide range of tree styles, sizes with or without pre-hung lights. These products were made to look real enough to fool people into believing that they are in fact live trees. You will find that the needles are colored in such a way that they are not solid, just as it’s in nature the color is lighter toward the tip and darker toward the branch. This is why artificial Christmas trees are incredibly beautiful and it’s hard to be distinguished with real trees.  The popularity of artificial Christmas tree can’t be rivaled by real Christmas tree.  With artificial Christmas trees you don’t need to spin it and hide the bad side that usually found in real Christmas tree. Artificial Christmas tree can be purchased and delivered  directly to your home without scratching your car or picking up needles from its carpet. Besides that, there are another advantages by using artificial trees like it can be tucked nicely back into its bag for easy storage so you can reuse it after the new year.

1. Know The Area

A garden or yard as mentioned earlier vary according to the size of the home By identifying the places where one can best appreciate the garden , one will not have a hard time buying the right bench for that particular location. The size of the area where the bench will be placed is also very important since this will determine the number of benches one may one to put this after these have been purchased.

2. Know The Kinds Of Benches Available

Parks usually have benches made out of wood or marble. Rest areas along the interstate or even in the zoo use those made out of wood. After identifying the locations, one can easily check out what is available in the market then see which models are suitable for the garden. Some benches have an arm and backrest. Others have a table that go with it so one can enjoy a family barbecue in the back yard. These are some examples of what are available in the market and all it takes is for one to visit the neighborhood furniture store or do some research by the Internet. There are a lot of retailers who offer the same items online and the prices of these are quite competitive. Once the person finds a good bargain, one will just have order it then wait a few days for the delivery to arrive.

3. High Or Low Maintenance?

Benches like an automobile require some maintenance. If a bench is made of plastic and it gets dirty, one can simply wash off the dirt and wipe it making it good as new. Wood on the other hand requires high maintenance. To keep the varnish intact and sparkling, one would have to buy a spray and cloth to keep it in good condition.Benches made out stone or marble don’t require that much maintenance. They do not rust like benches made out of steel or aluminum though these do chip off.

4. Usage – The Most Important Factor!

- Read a book
- Chat with the other members of the family
- Enjoy the garden
- Watch a sunset
- Eat outdoors
- Barbecue in style

5. An Addition To Your Home – Not Just A Bench

The best of way of buying the right bench for the yard or garden is to figure out the best possible bench money can buy. This does not mean the most expensive but the one that is there for a purpose and not for aesthetic purposes only. The other way if getting the ideal bench will be to build one. If the person were crafty, it would be no problem to build one after buying the right materials. Some pieces of wood, a bunch of nails, and a good hammer and saw. When in doubt how to begin, one can always purchase from the local bookstore an instruction manual or book since there have been several authors who have written about woodwork that show the various designs on how to do it.

The important thing to be considered while buying bar stools is whether you want the stools to be stationary or swivel. You should also decide whether you want the bar stools to be made of wood or metal, and also whether you want ones with or without back support.

Barstools can also be a part of the family room, the dining room or even the billiard room of the house. Therefore, while shopping for bar stools for your home, you can select elegant bar stools such as stools with scrolled arms or bar stools with decorative casts and beautiful rope work. Bar stools with padded seats and backs for better comfort are also available. These bar stools are usually more expensive but can certainly make a difference if guests have to sit down for a substantial amount of time.

Many unique and stylish bar stools are obviously available. There are stools made of bamboo, wrought iron, and even modern plastic materials. Bar stools are the most cost effective and easy way of decorating your entertainment room. Bar stools are an excellent way of redecorating your home bar, dressing up the kitchen and living space.

Another enjoyable household decoration project is furnishing the kitchen furniture and fixtures. Unlike old days when women alone were using the kitchen and where the kitchen was meant exclusively for preparation and storage of food, more activities today are taking place in the kitchen. The person who is cooking is now able to take part in the living room or family room activities. Selecting the proper kitchen furniture should involve a lot of thought regarding who will use the kitchen, the amount of time normally spent in the kitchen, and based on the answer to this questions, select the myriad of options available for kitchen chairs, tables, storage spaces, racks etc.

Kitchens are now spacious and can easily accommodate home bars. Therefore furnishing a kitchen with kitchen furniture and fixtures is not as challenging as it used to. Kitchen furniture includes cabinets of standard sizes that can be easily installed to re-design a kitchen. Different types of kitchen furniture like bar stools, racks, chairs can be easily purchased online or can be carefully purchased in flea markets or antique shops. Another way to get the best and most suitable kitchen furniture is to have it custom made. However, this can be a costly exercise, but gives you the option to select the design, materials, sizes, and a lot of other things.

Kitchen islands also are one of the most useful and versatile kitchen furniture available. They can either be fixed to the floor or can be bought with wheels. The counter top space can be used either as a table for a quick meal or for cutting vegetables, preparing dough, pizzas or pastas. They also come with a lot of drawers and storage space. Some even contain refrigeration units, burners or grills to prepare a quick meal.

1. If you need to cool only one room, don’t use your central air conditioning. Invest in a portable air conditioner, instead. Modern portable units have a very high energy efficiency rating, so it will cool your room effectively and save you a lot.

2. Install mini-blinds or white window shades. Mini-blinds can be very effective and can reduce heat gain from direct sunlight by 40-50 percent. You can also hang bamboo shades or tightly woven screens outside your windows. This will stop up to 80 percent of the sun’s heat from getting through your windows.

3. Keep all windows closed during the day. At night you can open them for ventilation and switch on a fan instead of an air conditioner.

4. If you are using a mini split air conditioner, make sure that the outside compressor is well shaded. However, trees and shrubs shouldn’t be planted right next to it; it needs some room for air flow.

5. It is best to clean your air conditioner filter at least once a month. Dust build-ups can significantly reduce air flow.

6. When buying an air conditioner unit, make sure that it is the right size for your room. A unit that is too small will not cool your room effectively, and an A/C that is too large will consume much more energy than necessary. See recommendations for proper air conditioner sizes for your room.

7. If you use central air conditioning, seal all A/C ducts. Insulate ducts that run through rooms that don’t need cooling, like the basement or the attic.

8. If your air conditioner is old, consider replacing it with a modern high efficiency unit. Older A/C systems have a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) of only 6 or 7, while the best air conditioners on the market today offer SEER as high as 13. That means that it will consume almost 50% less energy.

9. Cooking, drying cloth or dishwashing generates a lot of heat. Try to delay these activities until the evening, when it gets cooler.

Most people just switch their air conditioners on and set the desired temperature. This will cool your room, of course, but it will cost you, too. Furthermore, excessive energy consumption is not environmentally friendly, so by following our simple advice you could not only save on your bills, but you could also help to reduce pollution in your area.