A man in Oxford died when he slipped off the large tub of mayonnaise he was standing on and stabbed himself in the chest withthe electric drill he was using.
The tragic event happened when Araz Saleh who was 23 years old, was trying to fix metal panels to a friends fast food kiosk. He was using the bucket of mayo and a table to balance on whilst drilling but lost his footing and as he fell the drill which he was holding was pushed into his chest.
Paramedics were called but Mr Saleh died the following day in hospital. The freak accident highlights the dangers of DIYing without proper safety measures – always take care when working at heights, however low, and use proper equipment, do not make do with whatever is around. Stay safe, stay alive.
With more snow forecast across the UK, we thought it would be a good idea to have a look at rock salt and why it is used to ‘grit’ roads and paths when the weather turns icy and snowy.
Rock salt, or it’s proper name of Halite, is the mineral form of sodium chloride (NaCI). When it is mixed with water it creates brine which lowers the freezing point of water, therefore if it is put down before it snows or freezes, it will help prevent ice forming and reduce the build up of snow. It will not melt a heap of snow, but if you can shovel the worst of the snow and then put the rock salt down, it will be able to do it’s work.
The rock salt we use in this country is mined in the UK, and apparently there are over 140 miles of rock salt mine tunnels here! Blimey!
If you do stock up on some salt over this cold spell, just remember to keep it stored somewhere dry to stop it deteriorating.
An article we saw from New Zealand this week has highlighted a very real danger which is easily overlooked in the home.
It was found that a house fire in South Auckland had started due to the spontaneous combustion of a cloth which had been used to oil some doors during some home renovating. The cloth had been discarded and not dealt with in the appropriate way.
What happens when a cloth has been used for applying oils such as linseed oil is that a chemical reaction occurs between the oil and cloth creating such heat that the cloth can then ignite. Bottles often warn of the danger of spontaneous combustion but many people ignore this, so it is worth knowing that the safe way to deal with a cloth which has been used to apply natural oil to wood is to wash it and dry it to remove as much oil as possible, and then try to keep it stored somewhere cool or you should be safe to put it in the rubbish bin as once the cloth has ‘cured’ or dried out completely and gone stiff it is no longer a danger.
DIY Week have announced the four gold winners of their sponsored product awards at the Totally DIY show which has been on at the NEC for the last three days.
They are a hand cream called O’Keeffe’s ‘Working Hands’ from Gorilla Glue, the Eco Star range of tap aerators and shower hose restrictors from Oracstar, the Sticky Dirt Bag from 100 Whats? which sticks to the wall and catches any debris whilst drilling, and the Karcher Window Vac which combines window cleaner and vacuum to leave a clean dry window.
Simpler new regulations have been introduced in Scotland making it easier for people to make changes to their homes.
This now means it will be easier to do certain home improvements such as build garages, extensions, decking and sheds, without needing to apply for planning permission. This should remove approximately 4,000 applications out of the system per year, and will affect any projects starting on site from today. There will still be restrictions covering conservation areas and listed buildings though.
Derek Mackay, planning minister for Scotland, says “These changes allow people to improve their homes more easily and save them money, while creating jobs for building companies and trades people.
“Planning has an important role to play in increasing sustainable economic growth, and these changes, removing in certain cases the need for householders to get planning permission, are a good example of this. They will also enable planning authorities to focus their attention on processing applications for larger developments.”
Natural floorboards shrink and expand with the seasons. This means the best time to fill the emerging floorboard gaps are when they are at their largest.
Through the past months central heating systems may have caused traditional floorboards to shrink opening up wide gaps. These gaps can let cold draughts intrude into rooms making them cold and uncomfortable as well as increasing heating bills.
Now, when the gaps are at their largest is the best time to fill them. DIY gap fillers like papier mache and glue are not able to withstand the movement of the wood and will eventually drop through the gaps. As DraughtEx is very flexible it will expand and contract within the floorboard gap leaving you with peace of mind for years to come.
The same flexible properties also allow an easy installation in a wide range of gaps. Old Victorian houses often have wooden floorboards with strongly varying gaps. Our three different versions of DraughtEx will allow you to cover a gap range of 1-11mm width. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to receive more information or visit our website www.draughtex.co.uk
To celebrate the opening of their 200th store, Screwfix challenged shoppers at their new Heathrow Industrial Estate store to test their skill by drilling 30 screws into a block in under 60 seconds, with the fastest getting their name into the Guiness Book of Records.
A challenge that is easier said than done, but speediest driller on the day was Adam Smith, so he is now a Guiness World Record holder! Congratulations and well done!
With the news this week that water bills are rising by up to 8.8% in England and Wales from April, with an average rise of 5.7%, we can all take a look at what we can do to reduce our water usage and keep our bills down.
Here are some tips on easy things you can do in the home:
Fix all drips from all taps in the house – this could save more than 5,500 litres of water in a year
Turn off taps when not using them – especially when you are doing things like brushing your teeth, as a running tap wastes over 6 litres of water a minute!
Fit a water efficient shower head
Install a dual flush toilet
Put a ‘Hippo’ in your loo!
Install water butts in your garden and use watering cans – see our simple DIY project on installing a water butt
Look into whether having a water meter fitted would be better for you – it doesn’t cost you anything to have one installed. If you have more bedrooms than people in you home, you may well be better off with a meter.
You could also look into installing a grey water recycling system to enable you to re-use waste water from baths, sinks and washing machines, to flush toilets and water the garden.
Take a look at the chart below to see how the water bill rises in England and Wales may affect you in your area from April 2012. The figures are from www.ofwat.gov.uk
