Top Reasons Why You Should Hire A Skip When Moving House

Moving is well-known for being a highly stressful and time-consuming experience. It's also a period when people become aware of how much clutter they have in their homes. Unwanted stuff is sure to gather after you have lived in one place for numerous years — who knows what you'll find when you eventually clean out the entirety of your home.

So, once you start throwing stuff away, you'll quickly realize that the mountains of stuff your home generates won't all fit in the outside bin.

At this point you might be thinking to yourself, "should I hire a skip?". Here are a few reasons why "yes" is the correct answer.

But what exactly are skip bins?

Skip bins, also known as Skips in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, or Dumpsters in the United States and Canada, are metallic open containers often encountered on building and renovation projects.

They are filled with construction waste, trash and rubbish, and then collected at a certain time and/or date. The skip will be picked once it is full and replaced with an empty one if needed. The filled container is then transported to a disposal facility, where it is separated into recyclable items and properly disposed of materials.

As a result, Skip Bins are essential while working on a construction, cleanup, or remodelling project since they may save time and labor while ensuring appropriate garbage disposal.

Here are a few more reasons why a professional waste removal service might come in handy when moving home:

It Makes It Easier for You To Move

Moving is clearly not a pleasurable experience. You have to remove your belongings from your previous location, transport them to the new site, and then unpack them. That, however, is the simple part of the procedure. Cleaning up the old place is arguably the most challenging task.

You'll need to clear up any rubbish that was under your furniture or pick up discarded appliances that you stashed away in a cupboard. This means that you'll probably gather up a lot of things that belong in the garbage.

By hiring a skip bin or dumpster, you will save a lot of time and effort. Cleaning out your previous place usually takes a long time. The conventional method requires you to transport garbage to the landfill on your own, which is about as awful as cleaning.

Filling many individual garbage bags and throwing them away in your personal garbage can, is the traditional method of cleaning up. This, unfortunately, is a time-consuming and inefficient procedure. Consider how much time you'd save if you just toss your trash in the trash can instead of filling up individual bags!

When you order a skip, professionals will first come to your location and place the skip bin at your desired location and will return to remove the trash you've accumulated. You want to keep your property as clean as possible as you work rather than having a massive mess at the end. Skip bin rental takes care of these issues before they become major headaches.

Moving is difficult enough on its own. It takes a lot of effort to pack up your things from your previous home and unpack them in your new one. By hiring a skip bin, you can make the entire procedure easier for yourself.

It Actually Saves You Money

Moving makes us realise how much useless trash we've amassed over the years. The idea of packing everything up and relocating it somewhere else seems completely futile. If done right, moving is an excellent opportunity to get rid of all the items you don't need.

There's no denying that moving costs a lot of money. The advance payments involved with a move are considerable, whether it's security deposits for rentals or closing costs on a mortgage. There are also the additional fees of transferring your furniture and possessions.

In the end, skip bin rental will save money because you don't have to pay for individual bags or dispose of them.

The natural impulse when people rent a skip bin is to toss away more unwanted items. When you're in the mood to relocate, you can elect to toss something in the trash rather than relocate it. This not only saves you money on relocating goods you don't want, but it also helps you simplify your belongings.

You can save money on your move by getting rid of many of the possessions you no longer need. You'll make fewer trips or be able to rent a smaller vehicle if you transfer your items yourself.

When you hire movers, their fees are calculated based on the number of objects you need to be moved. It's unsurprising that if you bring less stuff, they'll charge you less. For a variety of reasons, using a move to minimize your stuff is a wise idea.

Environmentally Friendly

These days, everyone strives to be more eco-friendly. The typical approach of discarding stuff whether you put them in garbage bags or take them to the trash, isn't the right way to dispose of unwanted or unusable objects.

With skip hire, you can rest assured that they will know how to dispose of trash properly. This way you won't be worried about what can and can't be thrown out. The containers can be used to place household things, rubbish, furniture, and even construction trash. 

Experts in skip rental know what can and can’t be thrown away and what can be recycled. Simply having a specialist on your side to take care of these details gives you that little bit of extra peace of mind.

Consider relocation as an opportunity for a new beginning and a fresh start. You can, therefore, use this time to assess everything you own. You may discover that many of your possessions are no longer useful. Using skip bins to dispose of them throughout the move might make your new home more comfortable and cleaner.

Checklist For Skip Hire

There are a few other things to think about before you hire your skip:

• It's critical to plan ahead. Although it's tough to predict how much garbage your home will generate, try to make an educated guess and estimate the size of skip you'll need; it's usually best to overestimate and obtain a bigger skip, so you don't have to get another one if it gets too full.

• Choose whether the skip will be placed on your property or a public road. If you choose the latter option, you'll need a permit, which your skip rental company will file for on your behalf.

• Organize yourself. Permit-required skips can only be stationed for a set amount of time, so plan ahead of time how long you'll need them. 

How to Get Your Garden Summer-Ready

Are you ready for your garden to look spectacular this summer? We all dream of having a beautiful garden to entertain in. After colder months, though, your garden probably needs a little love in order to look summer-ready.

To have a lush, awe-inspiring garden during the warm summer months, you’ll need to do a little preparation first. The good news is that it doesn't all have to be done at once.

By planning out what you’ll need to do to get your garden ready, you can break up the tasks and do your gardening whenever you have some spare time.

Read on to learn what you need to do to prepare your garden for summer.

Make Sure Your Tools Are in Good Condition

Most of us don’t use our gardening tools in the colder months. Before you set out to get your garden ready for summer, check that you have all the tools you need and that they’re in working condition.

Make sure any electric tools are working properly and their cables look okay. Clean off and sharpen blades of the tools that need it, too.

Get rid of anything damaged. If it can’t be fixed easily, it’s better to replace old tools than to try to use them if they could pose safety risks. Make a list of anything you need to shop for before you start cleaning up your garden.

Clean Up Your Garden Beds

A great first step is doing a general clean-up of your garden beds. Take some time to pull out any weeds as soon as you see them popping up. It’s always easier to weed before roots grow too long and sturdy. You’ll also want to try to catch them before they start to spread.

Weeds can compete with your other plants for nutrients from your soil. Pulling weeds out as early as possible will let the rest of your plants grow better.

As part of your seasonal clean-up, prune any shrubs that need some neatening up, too. Check if anything was damaged during the winter, and remove dead foliage from last year to make room for new growth this summer. Check any trees in your garden for damage, too.

The last step of garden clean-up is to rake up any dead leaves from your garden beds and edge them, if you’d like to.

Once your garden is cleaned up, you can take a step back and see where you have room to plant new things this season.

Prepare Your Garden for New Growth

Once your gardens are cleaned up, you can get to work on enriching your soil for the best possible growth this summer. Whether you’re growing a vegetable or flower garden, it all starts with great soil.

You can buy soil to refresh your gardens, or you might even want to create your own soil. Creating your own soil will give you a great base for any new raised garden beds you’d like to start, and it’s perfect for seasonal potted plants.

The same goes for fertilizer. While a store-bought option may seem easier, you can also inexpensively make your own fertilizer. Fertilizing your garden will give your plants the extra nutrients they need to really take off. In no time you’ll be surrounded by beautiful flowers or be harvesting tons of fruits and veggies.

If you have pets, you should double-check that any of the products you use in your gardens are pet-friendly, too.

Start Planting

Most people would agree that the best part of preparing a garden for summer is choosing new plants. With so many options, though, how can you decide what to get?

When you look at your garden, do you see a lot of colors? If not, you may want to look for flowers that will add depth and pops of color.

Think about when each plant will bloom throughout the summer months. Getting flowers that bloom at different times will keep your garden colorful all summer long.

You may also want to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bumblebees to your garden. Do some research on what plants will attract these creatures. You’ll have to consider how much sun or shade your garden gets, too. Your plants won’t be able to thrive and bring in pretty hummingbirds and butterflies if they aren’t given the right amount of sunlight.

Succulents are a popular choice for sprucing up a summer garden, too. Succulents can be very easy to care for because they don’t need too much upkeep. As long as they’re getting plenty of sun, they’ll add a fun touch to any outdoor garden space.

Growing the Perfect Summer Garden

Having a cleaned-up, fertilized, and well-thought-out garden will ensure you have a great outdoor space to entertain. All that’s left to do is hose off the garden furniture!

Now you can enjoy relaxing with a good book or spending time with family and friends in your colorful, gorgeous summer garden.

How to Make Your Kitchen Sparkle and Shine With a Few Repairs

One of the highest areas of foot-traffic is the kitchen and it's easy to see why - it is the hub of the household; the area we prep, cook and eat our meals; where we sit down to pay the utility bills or gather around the table to do a puzzle as a family. Because of how frequently it is used, the kitchen goes through a lot of wear and tear over the years. If you're wanting to make your kitchen feel new again without having to go through expensive full-kitchen remodels that can take weeks or even months to finish, you might want to consider doing a few smaller repairs that will make a big impact.

Countertop Repair

Our countertops take a beating, setting groceries on top of them, using them as cutting boards, sliding items across the surfaces and putting hot pans or sharp objects directly on them can all take their toll on your surfaces. A wrecked countertop is a hard thing to cover up and isn't unsanitary to continue living with, as dirt and bacteria can hide on surfaces if they aren't easily able to be sanitized and cleaned. It's worth it to ask around for quotes on countertop repair if yours has sustained damage over the years of use. You can repair all types of countertops, from laminate to stone and other solid surfaces. Getting your countertops repaired helps keep your kitchen looking new and fresh and gives you more surface area to work with.

Fresh Coat of Paint

One of the easiest ways to brighten up a room is to hit it with a fresh coat of paint. Get 2-4 paint samples and paint swatches on the wall before deciding on which color. The color in the store will look very different in your own household due to the color temperature of your light bulbs, your indirect/direct sunlight, and the colors of the furniture and decor around it. Once you've picked a color, tape off your outlets and baseboards and roll on a fresh coat or two, and voila. Bright, shiny new space in under $100.

New Cabinet Hardware

Another quick way to revamp your kitchen and add more sparkle is to install kitchen hardware (drawer pulls and door knobs) or if you already have them, swap them out for a more updated, modern style. There are plenty of how-to's online, and most hardware stores sell a handy plastic guide you use to mark where to drill the hole for the screw to mount the handle or drawer pull.

You don't need to move to a new house to have that new kitchen feel, all it takes is a few repairs and upgrades and your house will be looking good as new all over again.

Why Is Sound-absorbing Flooring So Important?

Foot traffic is a major source of noise indoors. This auditory distraction can lower one’s productivity if they’re trying to work and disturb those who are trying to get some rest.

The problem with sound-based distractions is that it travels between barriers, which means that you may even be distracted by the footsteps in the adjacent room. It’s not uncommon for one to create a silent home office only to be distracted by the footsteps from the hallway in front of it.

The importance of proper flooring

What if we’re talking about a flooring option for a home with multiple floors? Wouldn’t a low sound absorption make spending quiet time in the rooms on the first floor nearly impossible? How would this constant banging noise from above affect your mental health in the long run? Overall, this is the scenario in which soundproofing the area is an even greater priority.

So, how does one fight this menace?

The simplest solution is to install sound-absorbing flooring. There are several ways you can get there, and here are some of them.

Impact Insulation Class (IIC) 

The first thing you need to do is develop an in-depth understanding of floor acoustics and industry averages (with metrics). Some floor types have a naturally higher sound absorption quality than others. This is something worth considering for all those who plan to build a house rather than buy it.

In order to understand this, it’s crucial that we mention that the unit for measuring the sound rating of the flooring option is the IIC (impact insulation class). Here’s a brief example of what we’re talking about.

• IIC 50: This is a particularly low sound absorption level. For instance, a stone floor would be classified in this category. It is something that you can go to in a ground floor room but would be best to use outdoors or in areas in which keeping it quiet isn’t that important.

• IIC 60: This is the mid-level category. Generally speaking, the best examples of this would probably be wood, laminate, and vinyl. In other words, materials that are generally soft but not designed with the intention of being sound-absorbent.

• IIC 65: This is the pinnacle of noise-reduction. These types of flooring offer high-impact absorption and can transmit the noise through their fibers. Two flooring types that naturally fall into this category are cork and carpet.

Still, just because the flooring you have in your home or room doesn’t match some of these requirements, this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do about it. As we’ve mentioned, carpets have the sound absorption quality of IIC 65, and they can be added atop the majority of other flooring options. Even area rugs can make a difference.

Solutions for Home Office

Keeping your home office quiet will probably affect the productivity within the room. Now, some people may wonder why this is so important. If you’re working, you cannot walk across the room at the same time, right? Well, not necessarily. 

A lot of modern couples telecommute together and have a shared home office. So, it’s not inconceivable to imagine one of them being distracted by the footsteps of the other. In that scenario, it’s paramount that you cover the flooring with acoustic sound absorbing materials.

Strategic placement

We’ve already mentioned the fact that the footsteps outside of the home office may be problematic, as well. Here, you have two solutions to the problem. You could either soundproof the room so that you block out all the noise from the outside (including the foot traffic). Another solution is to consider spreading a runner rug in the hallway in front of the office.

Lastly, what if your home office is on the first floor and you have your housemates/family running above you? First of all, the strategic placement of your home office is essential. If you have a choice, keep it on the second floor. Second, make sure that you avoid placing a high-intensity foot traffic area (like a children's room) above your home office. Then again, soundproofing a floor by using a number of methods could make a difference.

Effective Methods

There are several great methods you can use to reduce foot traffic noise. For instance, it is estimated that carpets can reduce noise by 35%, which is a fairly impressive feat. Keep in mind that this depends on the material of the carpet, which is why a woolen carpet can lower the noise by 46%.

Now, keep in mind that this is just the carpet without an underlay. For those who do decide to go for an underlay, the reduction can go up to anywhere between 50% and 70%. Once again, your choice for the underlay material should probably be wool. So, you should stack woolen carpet on top of a woolen underlay for maximum effect.

Sometimes, the methods used to increase the sound-absorbing properties of the floor depending on the type of flooring used. For instance, hardwood floor is one of the most commonly used flooring options for those who aim for elegance. If the floor is glued-down or nailed-down, there are several solutions that can help. Some of these are:

• Rubberized membrane

• Reinforced fabric on the face

• Siliconized release sheet (on the adhesive side)

Keep in mind that the quality of the installation makes a difference, as well. Cracks and squeaking noises are a result of poor insulation, and they can make the situation a lot worse.

The underlayment is not just a product designed with hardwood in mind. Some materials are specifically engineered as a thin-set mortar that can be applied beneath stone or tiles. This way, even the sound-absorbing properties of flooring choices we previously mentioned as IIC 50 can be improved.

Airborne Sound

Previously, we’ve mostly focused on the noise caused by foot traffic, but this is not necessarily the only point of concern here. You see, airborne sound is just as big of an issue.

If you don’t have just one living partner, people are going to talk even while you’re working or trying to focus. The sound of other people’s conversations can be quite distracting. In-home offices, office spaces, studios, etc., this could become a massive problem. Keep in mind that these noises:

• Bounce off the floor areas

• Are transmitted through the floor if the rooms are one on top of the other

This is why sound-absorbing flooring could help keep the noise in surrounding rooms to a minimum. Naturally, if the airborne sound is a major issue, you should combine your floor soundproofing with other soundproofing methods.

Rubber Flooring

The reason why we thought that rubber flooring deserves its own section is fairly simple – production facilities and workshops. This flooring type is both sound-absorbent and slip-resistant.

You will use sharp, heavy, metallic tools and sturdy raw materials in production facilities and workshops. This means that slipping is a considerable hazard, and by choosing slip-resistance flooring, you will drastically improve safety.

From the standpoint of sound absorption, dropping some of these items would cause quite a bit of ruckus. Just imagine the noise of a claw hammer dropping onto a concrete/hardwood and compare it to the noise of it dropping onto a rubber surface.

One more thing that makes rubber flooring so impressive is the fact that it’s more durable than cork or carpet. Dropping a hammer could dent cork (which is definitely one of the softest flooring options that you could pick). There’s even a risk that your carpet would be dented or damaged (even cut) this way. In other words, when it comes to workshop/industrial scenarios, rubber is the way to go.

In Conclusion

Foot traffic is never a desired effect in one’s home, and improving the acoustic properties of the place is bound to increase the quality of life in your household. Moreover, it will also increase the resale value of your property. 

Keep in mind that unless you’re building the place from the bottom up, this probably won’t be an easy thing. Still, by choosing the right flooring options and applying some of the above-listed techniques, a lot can be achieved.