The top 10 things to make your home more comfortable

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[00:00:30] Now, there have been issues with them not working, and mine has had some of those same issues, and I went in and reset it, and now it's working fine. So I don't know what the. Issues are, but I tell you what, mine, uh, has got itself dialed in. It's working just like it was at New. When it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is a lot to know, but we've got you covered.

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[00:01:13] Uh, it's crazy seeing the blooms on the trees and the snow flying from the air, but, uh, hopefully we're gonna be into better weather shortly. Well, I wanted to say thanks to our brand new listeners on the radio for you, radio listeners out there. T R B San Francisco AM eight 60. The answer. San Francisco.

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[00:01:50] Just look for around the House Show or my television show around the house. Nw. And don't forget our close group on Facebook, which is around the House [00:02:00] nation where people send out their problems, their pictures, their whatever they're working on. Love to see those projects over there. So there is so much going on that we had some great people this last week, uh, sharing up some great projects with some questions.

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[00:02:36] The first one, number one, these are not in any particular order, so this is not like the number one thing, but uh, the first one on my list, prior outdoor hose bib that does hot and cold. That's spigot outside if you can plummet where you got hot and cold water. I tell you what, uh, this last weekend I was doing [00:03:00] some cleanup outside and I had, uh, some greasy stuff that I just needed to kind of get some light.

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[00:03:28] And, uh, boy, when it's 39 degrees and you can have some warm water on your hands when you're outside working, that is a big deal, especially if you're rinsing off the car. Do you want any projects outside? This is one great thing. This will actually change you. And guys, this will also help you as well. This will keep you from taking in that project inside of the kitchen when your significant other isn't looking and doing something in the kitchen sink as well.

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[00:04:22] I tell you what, that thing is really nice. And you'll see today on around the House Northwest Television Show where it's gonna air as part of that, uh, might perform like a pro segment right there, but having a frost-free hub in there with the, uh, with the hot and the cold, that is money. Now, if you wanna have the double handle or you've got the hold hot and cold mixing hydrant, that's cool too.

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[00:05:04] What is Overture? Overture one best interior product at the, uh, design and construction week down in Las Vegas. And so this is something really cool and I've been playing around with at my house. So Overture is, uh, of course made by Bro Newton. It is a first, fully automated, fresh air system that uses sophisticated sensor technology to monitor your home's indoor air quality when it detects a rise in indoor air.

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[00:05:56] Or mobile device. So that got best of i b s award [00:06:00] for indoor air product and it's really cool. Um, I love how this worked out. Let's dive a little more into how it works. So, you know, the air in your home, of course, gets dirty and like me, I've got pets and everything else. So it really tends to be a little dirtier than most just because, you know, we've got three dogs.

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[00:06:41] Maybe it's Thanksgiving or Easter Sunday and you've got people over and all of a sudden everybody's getting a little. So symptoms of breathing, elevated concentrations of CO2 or carbon dioxide is fatigue, headaches and Disney, dizziness, and of [00:07:00] course impaired work performance. Here's the thing, guys.

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[00:07:30] In our display. They kept opening up in the afternoons because it figured out that the CO2 was so high in the convention center, it was trying to open up and ventilate because it was registering the high co2, which doesn't help when you're on a convention floor, cuz guess what? You're in there walking around, you're trying to be alert, you're trying to help people.

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[00:08:09] Of course. That can hurt, hurt you with mold if you get over that 60%. And uh, that's where that really gets you. So places that create it, bath showers, you know, the dishwasher, cooking of the kitchen. Um, firewood can be one house, plants, and of course those basements and crawl spaces, those are big ones there.

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[00:08:55] You can always go through and look at the air quality index to tell you how clean your outdoor [00:09:00] air is. So just look for the A Q I index, which is the air quality index, that's gonna tell you how your air is outside, and then you can see what you're gonna be inside so many times. Um, that 2.5 pm 2.5 is a product of combustion, like cooking with natural gas fireplaces, nearby traffic, coal, gas fired plants.

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[00:09:46] Should I be loud? Be so.

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[00:10:08] Welcome back to The Round The House Show. This is where we help you get the most outta your home through information. Education. Hey, make sure you check out our YouTube videos that we've been posting up. Uh, if you wanna find those, just look for the KP t v Fox 12. Page over on YouTube, and that's pretty easy to find.

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[00:10:48] And, uh, that's gonna grow each and every week. So I'm looking forward to, uh, adding more to that. Well, we've been talking today about really my top 10 products that can make your house feel more [00:11:00] comfortable. We are talking about Overture Brian, bro Newton, before we went up, out to break. And there's a couple things with that I wanted to just kind of finish up on.

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[00:11:32] You can have liver, kidney, central, nervous system damage. Um, you know, and some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. And so paints, paint, scrapers, chemicals, fabrics, furniture, carpet. Laminate flooring, cabinetry, those handy wipes that you have that, uh, uh, that you put underneath the sink that you're wiping down the counters with, all those are very high in that the scented deodorizers, um, cleaning sprays, cosmetics, [00:12:00] hairsprays perfumes are also really bad.

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[00:12:31] And so really when I look at my tv, ocs, mine are really. In most cases, when is it not really low? When Julie's in there putting on makeup and doing her stuff, and she doesn't have the bath fan on, if she doesn't put the, put the bath fan on, that gets up into the very high category. It is almost, eh, about three and a half, which is very high for the TVCs.

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[00:13:18] That can do that. And you know, I've got a, a, a, a Great Bath fan in there and I wanted to see what it did without the Bath fan. So we'll keep testing it and see if I have the Bath fan on in there that Scott could get anywhere. So, uh, stay tuned as I test that around the house. Cause I'm curious to see kind of how that relates to my air quality in there now, as far as my PM 2.5, I'm shocked how well that's been doing.

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[00:13:59] So [00:14:00] I'll give you a further report here in a few weeks after I get some more data on that. But, uh, that's the exciting, fun stuff. So, next up on this is something that, uh, you know, I did a story on, uh, last week in my around the House show, but, uh, on the TV show, but heated floor. Or something. I tell you what, there is nothing more comfortable than heated floors like that because I tell you what, for me, walking around in the bathroom, Having a nice heated floor is great.

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[00:14:51] Uh, they have a really good system over at Gold Heat, and uh, they're a local manufacturer to. What was really cool with that is they went through and, [00:15:00] uh, what they did was kind of trick. They have a couple different systems there. They have their black gold, which is a film style, so it goes under, you know, hardwood floors.

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[00:15:31] It's kinda like heated seats. Once you don't have that, Uh, you're missing out, so do it while you're doing it and, uh, make sure you're, you're doing it well. Now, next up here is, uh, an important one. It's something that, um, can really expand your home without spending a ton of money for an addition, and that is outdoor living.

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[00:16:25] All of those things work really well. Creating that outdoor living is the least expensive addition you can do to your home, and I think we realized that with Covid out there. But I tell you what, I created a space this last year, and I'm gonna be expanding it in a future episode of Around the House because I am just looking forward to.

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[00:17:09] So we're gonna expand that outdoor living, but creating that outdoor kitchen, uh, uh, uh, space to live outside. You can put a TV out there. You can get an outdoor TV if you wanna go out or just enjoy the outdoors. It is a great place to create a wonderful place where you can spend time with you, yourself, your spouse.

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[00:17:45] Maybe it's just cleaning up. Um, And adding on to that or putting over a covered area. These are all things that, uh, check your local building codes, but that outdoor area is key that could add some more comfort to your life. Well, coming up [00:18:00] here, we got so many more things to talk about here. Hey, if you wanna be a part of the show and if you've got a home improvement question or anything like that, The best place to get a hold of me is over on social media and, uh, look for my TV thing.

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[00:18:28] We'd love to hear your questions. We'll be right back after these important messages. Don't kill.[00:19:00]

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[00:19:27] And that smart thermostat can really help you watch a couple things. It'll watch your humidity, it'll watch your temperature, and you can control that so much better. Now let's have a little debate about smart thermostats here. And, uh, this is a controversial topic with this in some areas. Your local utility, you can give them for a reduced rate for your electricity.

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[00:20:16] And so there is a, um, huge debate on that. And, uh, many of these you can control. But here's the thing, and this is something that I see out there that I just want you to be fully understanding what you're signing up For. Many times you can get a smart thermostat from your local electrical utility, and many times I'll give it to you for free depending on where you're at in the country, of course.

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[00:21:07] And, uh, before you go by it, before you dive into this, it's an easy DIY swap out, but make sure that you take a picture of the lines there. Jump on the website. I think every one of these smart thermostats have a way to make sure that your wiring is correct or it even can be installed. Like for instance, my old furnace that I had, it was so old from the nineties, it didn't.

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[00:21:47] The newer ones, they almost come up with that as it is anyway. But, uh, if you're thinking about Adom, there's a great way to do it without having to go buy. Now you can go in and check with your utility to see what kind of rebates, discounts, that kind of [00:22:00] stuff, because nonetheless, it's gonna make for a comfortable home and you can set it so it's at a different time and you can set it with your phone or, uh, what I've done, especially when I'm traveling, I can cool it down or heat it up depending on what to save a little energy while I'm gone, uh, for days on end.

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[00:22:31] And if you've got a vacation house or a rental home or something like that, it's even better cuz you can see what's going on there as well. So, smart thermostat is a good one. Now here's one that, uh, is a debate for many people as well, but I'm just gonna throw it out there. A bide day, toilet or toilet. Is so comfortable, and I know there's a lot of people out there that are in our audience out there going, yuck.

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[00:23:18] But that heated seat is great. But for the other one, if you like the Bday feature, it is something that will save you a ton of money on toilet paper and our toilet paper shortage. You don't have to worry about it. And, uh, you can really limit the use of toilet paper in your home. And, and if you're patient, you don't use it at all.

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[00:23:59] Totos [00:24:00] kind of the king of 'em. They've been making 'em for so long. Uh, they're kind of the OG in my book, but. You can go and get a good one out there and have something that works really well. I mean, I've, I've seen some good deals on the Toyota once at Costco and, uh, they've got some special buys there and that changes everything.

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[00:24:49] A little bit interesting. My LG ice maker with craft ice, so my LG refrigerator has the craft ice, which is the round [00:25:00] balls of ice that are about the size of a golf ball. Now there have been issues with them not working and mine has had some of those same issues and I went in and reset it and now it's working fine.

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[00:25:30] But I tell you what, that. Having those when you have friends over for cocktails and uh, I tell you what, it is great for making a beautiful drink, for having something at home. And if you don't drink alcohol, um, you know, no worries. Just making an adult. Beverage that doesn't have alcohol in it. It is something that looks just really pretty and it just elevates that experience.

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[00:26:12] So that was great. That's another one of those that's really. So next up here, this is gonna take us through the next segment, but I want to start on this, a luxury shower. Now, when you're talking a luxury shower, this is one of those things that can be really cool and you can design it as you want to design it.

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[00:27:00] And that's something that's really cool. So just changing out that shower head can give you that much more. You. Luxurious experience. Now you can take it a step further and add some body sprays when you remodel that shower or have two shower heads where you've got maybe the rain shower head that's up there.

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[00:27:44] You know, shaving legs. Trying to wash your hair, that kind of stuff. Uh, that works really well and I tell you what, having that steam shower has been something that I have absolutely enjoyed. It is something that, uh, is a game [00:28:00] changer as far as how it goes and living in my house when I am sick or I have covid or I'm outside and it's cold and I want to come in and warm up and take a.

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[00:28:28] Uh, that is another way to do it. I have some friends that are enjoying that as well. We come back, let's finish up my top 10 products. Make your home more comfortable just as soon as around the house returns.[00:29:00]

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[00:29:21] You can find us here on the radio or the podcast where you're listening. Uh, our website is around the house online.com. And then social media you'll either find around the House show or for my television show. You'll find around the House Northwest and you can find all those things and, uh, you'll find some great stuff out there that might help you with an up and coming project.

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[00:30:10] A smart thermostat, a bday toilet or bidet toilet. The LG ice maker with craft ice and now we've been talking about a luxury shower system. And what are the last things outside of the, the steam shower and mine can do aromatherapy, chromotherapy, everything else, which is great. Um, I usually, The steam is the thing that I use the most, but one thing that I added is the Aada system, and that is the self drying system to that shower.

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[00:30:57] Well, the next one here is a great [00:31:00] mattress. I tell you what, there is nothing more luxurious. Luxurious as a nice night's sleep. Just getting a good night's sleep can change your world, and I know it did mine. So take a look out there at the kind of mattresses you're looking at. You know, there's different kinds out there.

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[00:31:42] So you know, you see the sleep number beds or whatever out there. And then the other one you've got is you've got, uh, kind of some of the hybrids out there as well. You've got some hybrid mattresses where they have that foam and the coils. And then of course you've got the full latex, which is, uh, again, the.[00:32:00]

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[00:32:22] And the more stuff I was doing, I'm getting old. I'm 52 years old, but, uh, treated my body hard. Early in life. Well, I would wake up in the middle of the night and my, from my mid wrist all the way up to my hands on the side I was laying on was numb either side. So I would sit there and I've been to the doctor, been to the specialist.

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[00:33:09] And I said, you know, I don't have time. I got the TV show coming out and all this. I don't have time to deal with dual elbow surgeries. That's gonna really cramp my style. I'm gonna live with it. Well, a few months later, I changed out my mattress. You know, you've heard the ads here in the show. Um, if you're in the Portland area on my podcast, but I swapped out and had a custom made mattress made.

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[00:34:05] But a properly working mattress fixed that, and I have been getting. So much better sleep since then, I'm very happy to say that, that it has been, uh, a really good thing for me. So I'm very excited to be having a, uh, a a something's going well. I mean, my, my elbows are doing great and, uh, that mattress saved that for me.

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[00:34:47] Having that smart lighting is another comfortable thing. And there are lights now that will adjust with the light outside, so they'll keep a constant. Enjoyable [00:35:00] lighting in your home. And so if it's light out dark, it will adjust that light so you have a constant light. In a consistent light. You can have 'em where they come on when you enter the room, you can have 'em where they adjust, uh, a little more to your circadian rhythm, where that, uh, it's gonna be brighter in the morning and, uh, a little lower in the afternoon and evening, and so it'll adjust to your sleep that.

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[00:35:44] Turns off all the lights, goodnight. Turns off every light that I want to have off. Turns on every light that I want to have on. It locks the doors. It makes sure my garage door is shut. Everything is golden. Everything's locked up how I want it to be. So having [00:36:00] that smart lighting could be pretty, pretty easy to do too.

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[00:36:21] Love to see it. Post up. What is your comfort piece that you did in your home over and around the House Nation? I'd love to see you over there on our Facebook close group, show up what's comfortable. We'd love to see what you're talking about over there and, uh, be part of the community. We'd just love to sit there and chat back and forth.

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[00:36:54] We always appreciate that. Now there are a couple honorable mentions that really aren't [00:37:00] on the list but are obvious ones, but not as sexy as some of those top tens over there. First off, make sure your house is insulated. Well, insulation can obviously make you more comfortable, less drafty if you've got a good, um, you know, weather.

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[00:37:32] Other things like rugs on a, on a cold floor like that, rugs can be a, you know, a throw rug can be really cool. That is really nice. And, uh, of course adding plants and things like that outs, you know, around your house can make it more comfortable. But there are a lot of little things you can do, like sheets and bedding, weighted blankets.

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[00:38:21] Just like any of the other air fresheners out there. So those things can add a lot to your TVCs, those total VOCs. You don't need to be breathing that stuff. It's not good and it's not good for you. So, uh, you know, finding some microfibers and stuff, it's one thing, but, uh, don't end up trying to make yourself more comfortable.

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[00:39:03] All right, everybody that wraps it up for this hour more information head over to around the house online.com where you can track us down there. And we do really appreciate you tuning in. We've got some great shows coming up ahead you don't wanna miss, including some safety tips in the next episode.

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