Cobbs Site: Home improvement, Money matters and other random stuff — A site for me to share, a site to inspire others

Helpful sites and numbers in Singapore

September 22, 2014 by cobbs2

I realize that one of the bad thing about the internet is that there is too much information yet too little organization. What do i mean by that?

Well u can probably find just about any information you would need using google search but when you need to contact several related say government agencies regarding an issue, you would need to do several searches in order to get it done. This is why i am compiling this page which hopefully i can update every once in awhile when i am free.

Listed below are my list of helpful sites that you might just need one of this days. Basically they are some of the major banks here and other services which you will probably need to get hold of one of this days.

Money Related:
1. Singapore Credit Bureau
2. DBS
3. UOB
4. Monetary Authority of Singapore
5. CPF

Home Related issues:

1. singapore.craigslist.com.sg/hss/
2. http://singapore.gumtree.sg/
3. www.singaporeexpats.com
4. locksmithsingapore24hour.com
5. www.24hrsingaporeplumber.com
6. http://sg.theasianparent.com/useful_singapore_emergency_numbers/

Child cares:

1. www.etonhouse.com.sg
2. https://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/

5 Secrets of People Who Always Seem to Have a Tidy Kitchen

July 17, 2017 by cobbs2 Leave a Comment

Our kitchen is the most used and busiest area of our home and we cannot avoid it when it becomes messy. And sometimes it’s become tiring to clean up all those mess. However, we can also keep up with the messiness of our kitchen by taking these secret tips. I tried some of the tips, some works for me, some are not.

There are some folks who seem to have immaculately clean kitchens at all times. Whether you’re over for a party or you swing by unannounced for a quick cup of coffee, their kitchens are always spotless — with gleaming countertops, floors you could eat off of, and everything in its place. How do these people manage to keep things so neat and tidy? They know to do these five things.

1. They clean continuously.

This isn’t as overwhelming as it sounds — and in the long run, it will actually make your life much easier. Just think about which is less work: Quickly wiping down your counter after cooking a meal or having to give the surface a deep clean because it hasn’t been scrubbed for weeks. The neatest homeowners know that a little bit of daily sprucing up goes a long way.

Make an effort to do the small things every day, like returning items to the pantry, taking out the recycling, sweeping the floors, and cleaning up spills as they happen. Stay on top of things and you’ll eliminate any need for an all-out cleaning day on Sunday.

2. They keep an empty sink.

Never go to bed angry — or with dishes in the sink. If you’re wiped or just feeling a little lazy, you may be tempted to toss a dirty pan into the sink to soak and call it a night. But don’t! Because before you know it, one pan turns into five and you’re stuck dedicating a half hour to dish duty. The same goes for your dishwasher — either load it up and start a cycle before bed or, if you’ve got clean dishes on your hand, return them to the cabinets before calling it a night.

20 Round Area Rugs in the Bedroom

July 17, 2017 by cobbs2 Leave a Comment

Are you tired of the same lines and square angles of your interior design? Then go for round area rugs. They are the perfect floor furnishing alternative that can considerably enhance your bedroom decor. With so many different styles, shapes, and sizes available, it isn’t hard to find a rug to fit your room.

Carpet or rugs are beautiful things that we can add in our spaces either for decorative purposes or for the function of it. It could be that we do not want to walk cold, so we add carpet for the entire house or we want to hide noise (like in offices) that is why we actually use carpets. For today though, we have created a list that will show us how each bedroom utilizes the round area rugs for decorative purposes – at least for the most part.

Below are 20 Beautiful Round Area Rugs in the Bedroom that will showcase lovely bedrooms that uses round area rugs – some of them come in small sizes, while others are really large, it almost covers the entire flooring. The designs below are really nice, I think you’d want to get one or more for your own bedroom! Check it out!

1. 3 Bayswater Rd

This bedroom sure looks it had minimal space so, they added a smaller bed; but look at how cute the things inside this bedroom are! The bed is joined by a lovely night stand and has furry poufs at its foot! Even the added round area rug created a contrast with the floor, its beautiful!

2. Bayside Dune

So, this bedroom sure looks shared amongst three beds! I think this a great way to allow siblings to actually bond among themselves and have more story times with each other too! Since this house has a stunning view of the sea, it’s actually safe to say that the users are beach bums!

How to Drain a Waterbed

July 17, 2017 by cobbs2 Leave a Comment

Got waterbed? If you have one, one of the essential things to consider is how you can drain it. Considered that you may need to drain it? Check out this simple step-by-step instructions that you can do also.

You must drain a waterbed before you can move it, whether across the room, to a new home or to put up for sale. While the draining process involves many steps and parts, it is not difficult.

Step 1 – Heater

Switch off and disconnect the heater from the power source.

Step 2 – Use a Drain Pump

Obtain a Pump– You can hire a suitable water pump or buy one. The easiest and cheapest to buy is a simple pump that will attach to your hand power drill.
Remove Temperature Control Unit – When you remove the temperature control unit the valve will pop up and you can insert the input pipe from the pump.
Connect to Drain – Use a hose pipe to connect the outlet pipe of the pump to a convenient drain positioned at a lower level than the waterbed.
Turn on the Pump – Depending on the speed of the pump it can take up to an hour to drain the bed properly.

Dos and Donts in Maintaining for Your Tiles

July 16, 2017 by cobbs2 Leave a Comment

Regular home upkeep is necessary in each and every house. It’s a tool for maintaining things shiny and looks new for a very long time. The Do’s and Don’ts to tilling can assist you go a long way with your tiling practices.

Do’s

Thoroughly clean all of particles and dust, prior to flooring arrangements.
Test out the scouring powders and the sealants on a small surface prior to actually applying it to the total area.
As soon as the tile is cleaned, grout joints has to be treated with a silicone sealer.
Make use of clear water to wash the whole surface, therefore cleaning up entire solution residue.
For just about any damages and broken parts, seek the assistance of a professional contractors to get it done the right way..

Don’ts

In regard to maintenance and cleaning, don’t combine ammonia and house bleaches.
Sealants, wax based cleaners and oil-based detergents to help keep the tiles are things that you should not use.
Steel wool pads and scouring pads containing metal should not at all be used as cleaning aids.
Colored cleaning agents could only cause you further trouble.

Cleaning Solutions

A variety of tiling solutions need varied cleaning solutions. Clean glazed products, those are home-based and non-oily while also being a grout-joint-cleaning-compatible solution. For daily cleaning solutions, it is possible to always use a spray based cleaning solution. Spills, oil and grease should be cleaned with fairly neutral tile cleaners which are PH safe for regular use.

Tile Care

Clean up tile with mild detergent and clean water, by using a rag or chamois-type mop rather than sponge mop. The latter shoves dirty water into grout lines and makes them tougher to clean up. Don’t forget to change the water often while cleaning; dirty water implies a cloudy floor. Do this not less than once a week.

Prevention

Marks, wears and various other problems can be avoided by having floor mats in place. It lessens the deterioration and scratching from soil and grit. Utilization of mats in front of vanities, stoves and drain is also required, as these are parts of regular tension. These accumulate and trap all substances that are corrosive such as sand, dirt, grit, asphalt, and oil and driveway sealer.

And the other method to protect the tile is to use protective pads on the edges of your furniture or the furniture legs to help you minimize the rust, discolorations and scratches over time.

These quick and easy guidelines may help you have shining tiles throughout the time.

Basics of Chimney Cleaning

July 16, 2017 by cobbs2 Leave a Comment

A chimney is a structure constructed mostly for venting out smoke or hot gases. Chimneys are available in residential homes, buildings, ships, and steam locomotives. In countries where there is wintertime, people utilize fireplaces and chimneys to keep them warm in their houses. Yet, to make certain satisfactory functioning of their chimneys, it is preferable they accomplish regular chimney cleaning one or more times a year.

Cleaning starts with gathering the mandatory materials and tools. A few of the tools required for an efficient chimney sweep include gloves, a chimney brush, a ladder, dust mask, a rope, flash light and protective goggles. Before buying a chimney brush, you should look at the inner section of a chimney liner to ensure you pick the correct size.

‘Top-To-Bottom’ strategy with flexible rod is most preferred method for professional chimney cleaning. In this method the debris, soot and creosote all are cleaned without allowing them to get over the floor and furniture in the house. By the help of ladder, sweeper must reach the top of the roof and open the chimney cap. The right sized chimney brush is attached to the flexible rod and put from the top of the chimney to scrub the chimney liner from top to down and dragging the brush back to the top by means of flexible rod till the chimney is cleaned and verified by flashlight or mirror or both.

Weight method is also a top to bottom like method of chimney cleaning in which, the activity is performed from the top of the chimney with usage of a weight attached to the rope which also connects to the chimney brush. The weight should be a lot more than 20lb for quality chimney cleaning. The chimney brush is pumped up and down with the help of rope in the chimney. This technique is repeated till the liners of the chimney are cleaned out properly.

The other method involving utilisation of the rod is whereby a chimney brush linked to a rod is inserted from the bottom as opposed to the roof. This may however not be effective because it’s not possible to seal the kitchen area. Soot will consequently spread all around the area.

There is also a method known as the two-person cleaning method. Chimney brushes are tied to the two ends of a rod, after which ropes are extended. A person positions one end from the rooftop while another supports the rod from the bottom plus they alternately pull the rope so your brushes move back and forth.

Wood plays a major part in chimney cleaning, as the type of wood you use to burn determines on how much cleaning must be done. Green, wet wood are normally the one that produces more soot if compared to dry ones. Therefore, with regards to decreasing smoke emitted make use of dryer wood

Again, you can actually do this chore yourself, and this can actually save you cash — but for the most part, chimney sweepers can greatly help you keep up with the aesthetic beauty, plus the practical use, of your chimney.

Plumbing Fixture Improvements

July 10, 2017 by cobbs2 Leave a Comment

Are the fixtures of your residence plumbing turns into a little boring or uninteresting anymore? Concord house owners have an range of selections if they’re thinking about transforming the appearance of their present plumbing fixtures. It can be a surprise just how a small alternation in plumbing fixtures can revamp that kitchen or bathroom and even the basement. The following are some things to consider if you are making plans to do a minimal plumbing upgrade.

A. Make a Plumbing Fixture Style

To begin things of, look into the 3 standard kinds of plumbing. Concord consumers can choose from contemporary, traditional or formal. By which each type gives distinct look on your plumbing. Example are the designs that comes with simple line that gives a room a a lot more professional and clean appearance. For the more traditional appearance you can actually upgrade to something which includes fluting. Actually, there are plenty of faucet handles that anyone can choose from.

B. Surface Texture

With regards to plumbing, brass is generally used base metal for most faucets. Home owners may actually enhance the looks by utilizing selection of surface textures. For a less expensive option, chrome can be used for bathrooms and kitchens. Colored enamel finishes also can alter the appearance of the chrome look Nickel finish can be another great option because you can choose from both a brushed finish look and a polished finished look. Stainless steel may also be an alternative to nickel if you are not happy with it. It is simply because that it also offers a brushed or polished finish just like nickel.

C. Plumbing Use

The biggest thing that a house owner or a business to consider in plumbing upgrade is its function or features. The design and style or the finish are just second priorities. The appearance or its design is not going to rationalize its purpose or its purpose.

For example, when choosing a sink for your kitchen plumbing, Concord residents need to ensure that it is able to handle the lifestyle they have got. In other words, when you’ve got a huge family, and prepare a lot of food at home, your kitchen sink needs to be sufficient enough and deep enough to accommodate whatever you have to do to prepare your meal.

Finally, appearance are not adequate – you would like your new plumbing fixtures to become both useful and presentable, so that you could be happy with your Concord plumbing improvement.