Month: February 2007

Shopping at a Home Decor Store

Make no mistake about it, home decorating can be exciting and fun, but at times it can also be difficult and demanding. If you know what you are looking for, shopping at a home decor store can be a good place to start. A home decor store can be an overwhelming place in terms of selection, so try to go in knowing the theme and color schemes of the room you are shopping for. A list is a good idea, as well as a design of the room and the spaces that you are looking to fill.

Take an inventory of the belongings you already have to determine what to keep and what to move to another room. Magazines and books can give you a good idea of what you like, and help you to determine your personal style before you begin. Take the pictures with you when you go to a home decor store, and talk to the associates to see if they offer what you are looking for. Remember that color is important, so consider your chosen palette as you shop at a home decor store.

It is a good idea to compare the price of an item that you like by shopping at multiple home decor stores. Find out where to find the sales and bargains before you head out, to help you decide where to shop first. While you are shopping at a home decor store don t let the large selection take your focus away from the item you originally came in for. Instead, stick with your predetermined list to avoid ending up with a cluttered and mismatched room.

Online Home Decor Stores

Many people today simply don t have time to go from store to store to find the perfect accessory. This is why online shopping can be extremely beneficial. You have all the items and prices from different home decor stores at your fingertips, so you can search 100 home decor stores instead of just the few that are in your neighborhood.

When shopping from an online home decor store, don t forget to add on the cost of shipping. A great online deal may still be less expensive to buy it at a brick and mortar home decor store if the shipping costs are higher than the item itself. Look for coupons or savings from online sources to help offset the price of shipping.

Return policies can vary from store to store, so make sure you know a store s policy before you buy an item. Many retailers charge return fees for shipping and restocking if you send a purchase back to them. A candleholder that may look great in a picture may not be the right height or color once you get it home, so take measurements and do your research. Above all else, enjoy yourself. Shopping at a home decor store can be so much fun if you let it be.

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Fluorescent Lamp Runs Cooler And Cheaper

Light fixtures equipped with a fluorescent lamp are becoming more popular as a means of reducing energy costs as well as time and expense of changing light bulbs. They not only use less power to use, they generally last considerably longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs.

While the term fluorescent lamp may technically be a misnomer, it is used due to the inside fluorescent coating in the bulb which converts the ultraviolet light created by the bulb into visible light. Depending on the color and makeup of the fluorescent coating, the bulb may emit different colors and have different uses.

The bulb itself is generally filled with gas, argon or neon, and uses mercury vapor excited by electricity to produce the ultraviolet light. This light is what then causes the phosphorous coating to produce the visible light. A fluorescent lamp also requires a stabilized electrical source and typically uses what is called a ballast to achieve this. Initially made commercially available in the 1920 s, the fluorescent lamp is now used in a wide variety of applications.

Significant Savings Improves Popularity

While residential use of fluorescent lamp fixtures remains limited, commercial use continues to enjoy significant energy savings due to their use. Being able to achieve a level of lighting at least the same, if not more, than incandescent lighting with a 20 to 30 percent energy savings has businesses, schools and other commercial applications hooked on using fluorescent lamps. Their longer life, which also reduces the frequency of changing bulbs, also contributes to the savings.

However, there are some qualities of a fluorescent lamp that poses concerns in that they use mercury, which has been shown to cause health issues in pregnant women, infants and children. Many areas require special disposal methods for fluorescent lamps and in the even of a broken bulb, the white powder used as the fluorescence usually contains trace mercury, especially in older bulbs. These require special clean up techniques to help contain the mercury in the bulbs as well as that which has settled into the powder.

Most landfills treat commercial and residential waste differently, especially where fluorescent lamp bulbs are concerned. Many commercial users typically repackage their used bulbs and send them to a special facility for proper clean up and disposal. Broken glass and powder is usually cleaned up using a wet rag as opposed to a vacuum cleaner, which helps prevent the spread of the powder containing mercury.