Is There A Mouse In Your House? Four Ways To Identify A Mouse Infestation

Mice can be pesky visitors in your home. They can cause damage to your walls and floors, and they can carry diseases. Knowing the signs that you have a mouse problem will help you to know when to call mice removal experts to deal with the issue. Here are some telltale signs that there may be mice in your home.


Mice have a distinctive musky odor that sets them apart from other rodents, such as rats and squirrels. If you have a mouse infestation, you may notice the odor emanating from your walls, attic or other areas that mice may choose to nest. You may also notice the smell of urine in your home if you have a significant mouse population. If you detect either of these odors, consider placing a call to your exterminator for an inspection to identify the problem.

Nocturnal Noises

Mice are nocturnal creatures, so you won’t likely notice any activity during the day. At night, however, you may hear scratches, squealing and scurrying throughout your home. These rodents can move quickly, so you may hear sounds of the mice zipping from one end of a room to the next. You’ll likely hear these noises overhead, coming from your home’s upper floors or attic. If you hear any of these sounds, consult with an extermination expert. These noises are characteristic of mice, but they may also indicate an issue with other types of rodents, such as squirrels.


Mouse nests have a distinctive appearance that make them easy to identify. Mice create nests with any fibrous materials they can find, such as shredded paper, insulation or plastic. They are shaped like round balls, which the mice sleep in during the day. The mice will typically build their nests in places that are relatively undisturbed, including an attic, basement or unused rooms in your home. You may find them in the back of a kitchen cabinet where they can find easy access to food.

Damage To Your Home

Mice will gnaw their way through walls to gain entrance to your home, and they can chew books, boxes and other materials in your home to build their nests. They may also chew through electrical wiring or electronic appliances, which can result in electrical shorts and damage to your home and appliances. Be sure to contact your exterminator at the first sign of damage to prevent significant costs for repairs and item replacement.

Mice removal experts have a variety of ways to remove the mice and other rodents from your home. Use this list to help you determine if you have an infestation, and seek help as soon as possible to remove these pesky visitors from your living space. Contact a business, such as Environmental Services Pest Control, for assistance.   

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Understanding Your Water Filter Options

If you want to treat the water for your home or business, then you have a couple of options to choose from. One such treatment method is the water deionization filter. Water deionization filters are very popular and you should consider their benefits so that you can make a more educated decision about your water supply.

What does a water deionization filter do?

Like most other filtration systems, deionization filters remove some unwanted components from the water. In the case of deionization, small charged molecules are filtered out of the water. The key thing to understand here is that the molecules in question are very small, and too small for most other methods to catch. Therefore, deionization filters work well in conjunction with other filters that target larger molecules. A combined filtration system can pretty much cover all the bases and keep your water safe, healthy, and tasty.

How does a water deionization filter work?

In simple terms, other filters may just run the water through a sheet of material that has holes small enough to let water through, yet too small to let large particulates through. Deionization filters work via a slightly different principle that is somewhat analogous to how magnets work. Small particles in water tend to have charges on them, either positive or negative. By exploiting the natural attraction between positive and negative charges, a system can be created that essentially magnetically pulls ions from the water.

Deionization filters run the water through several large groups of beads. Some groups of beads are positively charged, while other groups are negatively charged. The general idea is that the positively charged beads will pull negatively charged ions from the water, while negatively charged beads will do the same to positively charged ions.

After running through a gauntlet of such beads, the water should be mostly free of small, charged ions.

How do you know if your filter needs maintenance?

Deionization filters require maintenance fairly frequently, but it is also easy to tell if such maintenance is necessary. Many beads will actually change color after they have been spent, which will give you a clear warning sign that a replacement is in order.

You can also reduce the strain on your deionization filter by only running filtered water through it. In other words, you want to run your water through other filters that focus on large particulates before sending that water to be deionized.

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Grease From Human Waste And Sewer Cleaning: How Professional Plumbers Handle A Gross Job

Some of the fat that humans consume ends up in their waste. You can usually tell when your own diet is high in fat because the high fat and high grease content makes your feces float. When you flush all of that high-fat content waste down the sewer stack or into your septic tank, it begins to separate. The fat and grease collect, building up along the sewer pipe walls and on the sides of septic tanks like plaque in human arteries. It smells most foul, and can eventually choke off the flow of sewage completely. To perform a proper sewer cleaning, plumbers handle this gross job in one of the following ways.

Grinding and Scraping

Using rotary rooting tools, plumbers run the entire length of the plumbing lines out to the city sewer system or scrape the interior of your septic tank. They may spend several minutes grinding and scraping away from the hard deposits of fecal grease and fat before pulverizing it into smaller particles and flushing the system entirely. They wear a lot of protective equipment in the process, since the odors are so overwhelming that only a completely “nose-blind” person can do this job and not faint.


Using hot water (which melts the fats and liquefies the fecal grease) and a pressure washer, the plumber blasts the collected masses inside the pipes or septic system. He then washes out the septic system or flushes out the pipes, sending the deposits onward to the nearest water treatment facility. For this sewer cleaning technique, the plumber is usually dressed in head-to-toe gear to prevent against back splatters, odors and potential infectious diseases found in the fecal matter.

Power Flushing

Power flushing resorts to creating a vacuum and then flushing a lot of water into the created void. It creates enough water pressure to push any loose fecal grease and fats out of the pipes and/or the septic system. Anything that is left behind and still causing problems for sewer water flow or septic functioning is taken care of with either blasting or grinding and scraping techniques.

Attempting Your Own Sewer Cleaning at Home

It is not recommended, nay, highly discouraged for you to perform your own sewer cleanings. However, if you insist on doing the job, be sure to get lots of protective equipment, including goggles, a full disposable jumpsuit, gloves and shoe or boot covers. You are just as susceptible to bacteria, parasites  and viral infections as the professionals are. Additionally, you will need to rent a majority of these tools to keep the DIY costs down and complete the sewer cleaning successfully. 

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A Guide To Dealing With Hazardous Waste

If you are dealing with hazardous waste in your home or business, it is vitally important that you recognize the best ways to get rid of it. Doing this will reduce your exposure to harmful substances, while also preventing the environment from being harmed. In this regard, read the pieces of information in the following sections, so that your hazardous waste management efforts are up to par and beneficial. 

Find A Trustworthy Means Of Collection

Before you think about getting rid of the hazardous waste in your building, you need to figure out the best company to hand them over to. This can come in the form of regular pickups, similar to how you get rid of recycling and other forms of solid waste. Typically, the companies will provide you with containers and bags marked appropriately, so that you are better able to separate and get rid of the hazardous waste in your building. These businesses will typically collect for you on specific days, or allow you to drop off the hazardous waste on your own. There are also typically some hazardous waste satellite sites that you can reach out to in order to make sure your waste is properly cared for. 

Consider Some Storage Tips

One of the cardinal sins you should stay away from is putting hazardous waste inside of containers that are also used for food. This can have devastating results, which is why it is best to use clearly labeled accounts. Make sure to also never combine hazardous waste with any other forms of waste, because there may be materials that create combustible reactions that can create serious problems and put your entire building at risk. 

Learn The Classification Of Product You Are Dealing With

Depending on the type of hazardous waste you’re looking to store or dispose, there are some key ideas to keep in mind. For instance, hazardous products are typically either poisonous, flammable, toxic or otherwise dangerous to come in contact with. Prior to inviting these products into your building, look into non-hazardous, organic means of getting the same job done. In terms of electronics or batteries, you should touch base with the manufacturer or with a company that can help you out with the right means of disposal. Further, never dispose of any hazardous material down your toilet, sink or other drain, since it will adversely affect the environment and local water supply. 

Use this advice, so that your hazardous waste management efforts are productive. 

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Finders, Not Keepers: What To Do If You Happen Upon Medical Sharps Out In The Open

When you go for a walk in your neighborhood, it’s not uncommon to see the odd soda can or wadded up tissue lying around, waiting for a street sweeper. But what if you happen upon something more sinister, like a used needle? Your best bet is to contact a professional, be that a health care provider, local health department, police or fire station. Many communities even have special programs for turning in such items. They will be able to give you the best information about how to dispose of or turn in the item, especially if it’s a sharp (needle, razor, syringe, e.g.).

There’s always a chance, however, that you might find such an object out in the middle of nowhere where you either don’t have your phone or don’t have any cell phone reception. Here are some tips if you ever find yourself in this situation:

Pick-up Artist

DO NOT pick up the object in question with your bare hands. This may sound obvious, but in the heat of the moment a person might be willing to pick up an item so they can throw it away quickly or so that a child doesn’t pick it up first.

Instead, use a “barrier” item to pick up the needle. Wadded up tissues, paper towels, plastic bags — anything that puts a lot of space between your bare hands and the business end of what you found is a good thing. If you want to get more creative, pick up a couple of pencil-sized, sturdy sticks and practice your chopstick skills.

It’s in the Can

Once you have picked up the needle, you want to put it in a sturdy container, such as a small box or coffee can, something that can handle the plunger end as well as the needle. Don’t put it in a plastic bag or wrap it in tissue; the needle will only poke through. Then you need to hang onto it until you get back to civilization once more.

**Under no circumstances should you try to break or bend the needle to render it safe. You are far more likely to injure yourself and expose yourself to bacterial or viral infections.

Passing the Torch

Okay, so you’re headed home and have reached the outskirts of town. The first thing you come across is a garbage can or dumpster. Should you chuck your little treasure? No. Sharps should never be disposed of in a public dumpster or regular garbage can, since they pose a health threat to anyone who has to manually handle the garbage later. Your better bet is to call your local health or police department and find out where the nearest drop-off location is. That way you can be sure the needle will be properly disposed of by professionals.

Needles and, for that matter, any medical waste in general should be treated with the utmost respect. Follow the guidelines above, and you will greatly reduce your risk of exposure. For more information, contact a company like TransChem Environmental.

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Getting Home Electricity From A Solar Panel System: Why It Is A Worthy Investment

Have you ever considered becoming independent with your electricity source? Investing in a solar panel system will give you the opportunity to enjoy electricity without paying for it, which means fewer expenses to run your household. Below, learn all you need to know about a solar panel system to determine if it is right for you.

What Makes a Solar Panel System a Worthy Investment?

A solar panel system is worthy because it runs off nothing more than sunlight after getting installed. Basically, your roof will be covered in panels that contain photovoltaic cells. The cells are a vital aspect of the solar panel system because they are able to produce electricity from the photons coming from sunlight. Electrons and atoms are separated when photons make contact with the solar panels, which leads to the electrons providing your home with electricity. The panels will have to be wired to your home before it will work.

Connecting the solar panels to the wiring in your house is done via the metal conductive plates. Wiring the panels to the interior of your house will allow you to receive a steady flow of electricity, just as if you were getting it from an electric company. The electrons captured in the panels go from the panels directly to the interior of your house.

If you don’t want your roof covered in solar panels because it detracts from the beauty, you can also get a ground mounted system. The ground mounted system consists of a big panel to power your home. You can keep the panel hidden in an area that is not easy to see. Just make sure it has direct contact with the sun.

How Much Does a Solar Panel System Cost on Average?

The price for your solar panel system will depend on how efficient you want it to be. If you want electrical independence, you will need a system that has enough watts to power up everything in your home. Total dependency on solar panels for your electrical needs will cost around $35,000 plus, which is for a 5 kW system. A low efficiency system can cost $10,000 plus.

Getting your electricity from nature is great because you won’t have to pay another electric bill after the solar panels are in place. Get in touch with a solar panel expert to get the installation procedure started! For more information, contact a company like DFW Solar Electric.

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Why Should You Recycle Glass?

Recycling is essential to maintaining the Earth’s natural resources and helping keep the landfills clear, but it can sometimes be difficult knowing exactly why certain materials should be recycled. One of the lesser known benefits is why glass should be recycled.

Here are some of the major benefits to recycling glass items you plan to throw away:

Glass is Sustainable

Glass containers are not only recyclable, but they can be recycled over and over again. This repeat process makes them a sustainable item. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 90 percent of recycled glass is used for making new containers. That means that most of the glass containers you use every day have been recycled already. This is a great benefit for recycling glass.

It Saves Natural Resources

Earth’s natural resources are not only saved when recycling paper and conserving water, but recycling glass as well. Glass is made from soda ash, limestone, sand, and various other natural resources. By recycling your glass, manufacturers of glass containers and items don’t need to use more of the Earth’s resources to make these items. This lets the raw materials get conserved and used only when absolutely necessary.

A Lot of Items Are Made From Glass

Still not convinced? Consider how many items can be made of glass. Not only are a lot of beverage containers made from glass, but pickle jars, mayonnaise jars, and a lot of other food containers also contain glass. There are also many other items made from glass, including decorative tiles, home decor items like vases and bowls, dishes, windows, and even landscaping materials.

Recycling is Simple

Inconvenience should never be the reason you don’t recycle glass, since so many options are available. If your local waste management company provides a recycling bin, you can put all types of recyclable items in the bin, including your glass items. Most recycling centers also accept all different types of glass items, so you can bring them along with your paper, plastic, and aluminum.

You can even get money for your glass items at certain recycling centers. Additionally, some recycling centers have pick-up programs, where they will pick up all your recyclables for you so you don’t need to worry about it. This is great if your waste management company doesn’t offer recycling bins or if you have too much to fit in the bin.

Everyone uses glass items regularly, and will throw them away. It only takes a minute to put the glass in a separate container to be recycled and there are many benefits in doing so. To learn more, contact a company like Quantum Resource Recovery with any questions you have.

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