Fire Safety Awareness Month is a reminder to us all of everything we need to do around our homes to help prevent a tragedy from happening. Here are some reminders:

• Test your smoke detectors monthly, replace if they are expired, swap out batteries every spring and fall, ensure you have one on every floor and in every bedroom.
• Don’t leave cooking or burning candles unattended.
• Keep flammables away from heat, such as cooking oil.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and ensure that members of your household know how to use it.
• Empty your dryer lint trap after every use and clean your dryer vent annually.
• Avoid plugging more than one appliance into each outlet (and make sure it's grounded).
• Don’t plug extension cords or power bars together; instead, plug them directly into a grounded outlet.
• Have heating systems, including chimneys, serviced and cleaned annually.
• Keep lighters and matches away from children.
• Keep potting soil moist, which can be highly flammable, especially when dry. Store it in a cool, dry place away from heat sources.
• Replace damaged electrical cords.

Even with all the preventative measures in place, tragedies can still happen, so it’s also important to have a fire escape plan in place and review it with members of your household twice a year. Keeping an escape ladder handy can also be a lifesaver if other exits are blocked by smoke or fire.

If you are yearning for a space that is more vibrant and emotionally uplifting and want to embrace a completely different look, dopamine décor may be for you. It essentially defies “what goes together” in favour of whatever makes you “feel good,” just as the neurotransmitter dopamine does. So, how can you get dopamine décor vibes in your home?

• While often associated with bright colours, you could also use a softer shade with funky patterned wallpaper, for example. Or if you are super in love with one colour, drench the whole room in it. Alternatively, have pops of colour with a neutral backdrop.
• Embrace textures, for example, by adding attractive accent pillows with the softness of faux fur to the rustic charm of burlap.
• Include eclectic shapes, particularly round ones. Research has shown that when we look at angular objects, the amygdala, the part of our brain associated with anxiety, lights up. But with round shapes, the amygdala stays silent.
• Choose furniture and lighting from a mix of different eras.
• Gallery walls with curated, meaningful art that makes you feel good.
• Have one or two focal points per room and keep the other elements simple. Think thoughtful curation over excessive stimulation.
• Include functionality. Pretty looking, but annoying, won’t provide a dopamine hit.
• Consider bold coloured or patterned tiles in your kitchen or bathroom.

If you think you might like dopamine décor, but are afraid of “messing up,” just start small by purchasing some nifty artwork, some funky accent pillows, or create a wallpapered accent wall and see if it makes you feel good — after all, that’s what dopamine décor is all about.

If you are like many people, you may have acquired tons of reusable shopping bags over time. Here are some tips on how to care for them to prevent illnesses.

Washing reusable grocery bags is another one of those things that may not be top of mind unless you have a habit of it. The importance of regularly washing them cannot be underestimated, however, as they can carry harmful bacteria, such as E. coli, listeria, and salmonella, which can linger on the bag and cross-contaminate unprotected foods. Also, thoroughly dry your bags before storing them to prevent mould and bacteria growth.

Besides washing your bags, separating groceries (e.g., meats, poultry, seafood, and produce) into different bags (for example, by colour or label) can help prevent bacteria from spreading. Also, wrap meats, seafood, and produce in a separate produce bag to help prevent juices from spreading and avoid contamination.

As for storage, it may seem most convenient to store reusable bags in your trunk, however, trunks can be breeding grounds for bacteria because they are often warm environments, and there may be other items in your trunk that can transfer harmful bacteria to your bags. Designating a spot for them by your front door might be a safer option.

So, throw those bags in with your weekly laundry to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Summer brings many familiar sights and experiences. One of them, unfortunately, can be the increased prevalence of pesky wasps. So, what is it that attracts wasps?

• Dead or untrimmed vegetation 
• Unharvested fruit and vegetables
• Sugary, fruity drinks or food, and grilled meat. Put food away promptly after consumption.
• Garbage that is not tightly sealed
• Compost — when flipping the pile, be careful about disturbing a wasp nest that may be hidden.
• Pine sap
• Bird feeders containing sugary concoctions

And if wasps are already a nuisance for you, here are some ways to wage war on them:

• Make a trap with an empty 2-litre bottle filled with banana peel, apple cider vinegar, and sugar, or spray wasps with 2 tablespoons of dish soap and water. 
• Hang wasp traps
• If a nest isn’t bothering you, leave it be. But if it’s necessary to remove it, do so when it’s late at night or in the early morning when wasps are least active by spraying a hose 15 to 20 feet away at the nest or using a commercial wasp spray. Wear protective clothing to minimize the chance of being stung. After it’s removed, check for signs of the nest being rebuilt in the same spot, which is not uncommon. 

If you don’t want to risk being stung when removing a wasp nest yourself, are allergic, or if wasps are inside your home, hire a professional to remove it.

Smart assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant have become everyday staples in many homes thanks to their convenience. However, if you aren’t cautious, voice assistants may end up listening to conversations unintended for them. So, how can you prevent this from happening?

• Understand how the assistant is programmed to turn on (e.g., wake words like “Alexa, Ok Siri”) and how it’s turned off. Recordings are usually sent to the manufacturer’s servers, and employees may listen to them when managing quality assurance. It’s wise to check the settings on your device and opt out or limit the data sharing.
• Delete old recordings or check if there’s an auto-delete option.
• Read privacy policy updates. 
• Have separate password-protected accounts for each person in your home if possible. Set a passcode for your email if you can, and for online shopping, turn off voice ordering when you are done.
• Create strong passwords (longer is better, as well as a mix of upper and lower case letters, symbols, and numbers). Another layer of protection is to use multi-factor authentication. 
• Research how to better secure your router, such as by setting up a VPN.

Striking the balance between convenience and privacy requires using all the layers of protection you can. You can still have anomalies, so it’s wise to be mindful of sensitive conversations around voice assistants.

Sometimes, uninvited guests show up in your garden, leaving your plants fighting to survive. For some chemical-free ways of fighting off these pests, let’s dig in.

Healthy soil precedes healthy plants, so mix in organic compost to fertilize your plants so they can better withstand pests. 

Choose plants based on the amount of sunlight exposure to your garden, so they don’t weaken and become more vulnerable to pests. Plant strong-scented plants that repel pests such as marigolds, chives, thyme, mint, and lavender. These plants also attract pollinators which help to fertilize your garden. Plant a variety of plants so pests don’t concentrate in one area (e.g., alternate vegetable rows with pest-repelling plants). Another tip is to rotate your vegetable crops annually to confuse pests and keep the soil healthy. 

If you detect pests early enough, remove the leaves of the infected plants. If the whole plant is infested, remove it from the garden to prevent the infestation from spreading. You can also include plants that attract the predators of the pests attacking your garden. 

Another defence against pests is row covers, which let water and sunlight in, but keep pests out. Just be sure to lift them off for a few hours every morning to allow pollinators in.

Good luck, and may the pests avoid your garden!

If you are looking at your walls and are thinking that they need a fresh coat of paint or just want to switch things up with a new color, read on for some tips to make your paint job a smooth one.

• Paint samples onto paper and hang them on the wall. Look at the colors in different lighting to see if it’s really the color you desire.
• Determine which kind of primer you need, if any (e.g., wood, drywall, masonry, or a paint and primer in one). If the walls are in good condition or the colours are not a drastic change, you may not need a primer.
• Choose a sheen suitable for its use (e.g., satin enamel works well for rooms with moisture, like kitchens and bathrooms).
• Cover furniture and flooring with plastic sheeting.
• Fill small holes or cracks with filler or spackle, let it dry, and then sand it. Then wipe down the area you will be painting with a mild soap solution to remove any dust, which would affect the paint’s adherence. 
• Next, tape off the room by applying paint tape to the boundaries you are painting around.
• Paint the ceiling first, then the walls, and end with the trim.
• Let the first coat fully dry to prevent cracks and peeling. After the second coat, decide if you want a third coat.

Happy painting!