Archive for October, 2009

Finally the hottest selection of money making business opportunities on the web today that will guide you step by step to success, even if you are a beginner. By .- http://www.ProfitableHomeBasedBusiness.com
Dear Entrepreneur,
If you’ve been on the net for a while or watched a few TV infomercials, by now you should know that most of today’s business opportunities are nothing but a bunch of “pipe dreams” that could hardly generate you any cash at all.
To be successful in today’s information age, you have to be selective in what you choose and focus on well defined and targeted business opportunities that get right down to the point in a clear and concise way.
Because Money TALKS and BS Walks ….
http://www.ProfitableHomeBasedBusiness.com is dedicated to all the realistic & pragmatic people that want to make more money every month regardless of where they live and where they come from or how much they actually know about anything in life.
We believe that any man and woman in this world of ours can make a “truck load” of cash by learning and using the proper strategies and tools.
Because as long as you know on WHAT TO FOCUS and HOW TO APPROACH IT, you will be much more closer to achieving success.
Inside http://www.ProfitableHomeBasedBusiness.com You will learn about a variety of online and offline business opportunities and money making methods classified according to Your preferences.
These business opportunities and profit generating strategies have proven track records that are a result of solid business plans and years of experience from their creators.
You are just a few seconds away from discovering the different kinds of profitable home based business opportunities that we cover such as:
1- Internet business opportunities, retail and wholesale operations, selling on ebay, import export, consulting, web marketing and more, inside the business opportunities section.
2- Stock market, day trading, option and world currency trading opportunities inside our stock market profits section
3- How to get free cash from the government or obtain great business loans and funding, as weel as how to maximize and repair your credit in our Loans & Credit Section.
4- Learn how to set your own hours and start making tons of money “Information Era” style in our Work at Home Section.
5- Discover creative strategies to make money investing in houses, apartment rentals, commercial property, foreclosures, tax liens and more in our Real Estate Riches section
Each reviewed link will take you to a different website from other companies where you will learn more about of each opportunity, evaluate it and ACT upon the ones you think deserve your attention.
We feel confident that you will discover realistic and practical ways to make a consistent and substantial amount of cash from your own home.
Feel free to visit and browse our website and come back frequently as we will be adding more realistic home based business opportunities in the future.
To Your Success
Log on to http://www.ProfitableHomeBasedBusiness.com Today
Copyright – 2004-2006 ProfitableHomeBasedBusiness.com . All rights reserved

About the Author
Profitable Home Based Business helps entrepreneurs from every country in the world take advantage of realistic & practical business opportunities and money making strategies at http://www.ProfitableHomeBasedBusiness.com

You’ve got a favorite photo from your last vacation, right?

Mine is of moi in Paris on the Champs Elysee. I’m posed at the edge of boredom. After all, I am an American in Paris, and can’t look too exited.

Looming large in the photo behind me is the famous Louis Vutton store. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. Gentlemen, if you don’t, you are better off not knowing. This knowledge will cost you.

The Louis store is a temple to designer excess, fashioned as a towering classic leather trunk bag. It has a Land of the Giants feel, and, “the little people” with deep pockets enter this palace of style, awed by its scale and grandeur. The French have built it, and people come. And people buy. Thousands of francs per day are spent there even in the face of a declining dollar by style conscious Americans in Paris like moi.

But I didn’t spend. Instead I had my picture snapped in front of the faux leather facade. Me, the queen of faux, I am standing tall in my digital photo in other people’s clothes.

You see, nearly everything I wear is lovingly broken in by someone before I buy it. So my favorite photo is me walking a mile on the celebrated French street of stylish dreams in someone else’s shoes. Literally. Thrift store or East side NY designer consignment, I’ve tried them all. But there is more to parlez-vous. I score big in Paris. And I don’t even go into the Louis store. My favorite photo chronicles me at an important moment. I am on the verge of the biggest fashion score of my consignment career. Unknowingly, I’m ready to hit the mother load. And those who are spending their Euros in the Palace of Vuton have a lesson to learn that I will soon teach on the streets of Paris: cheap can be so chic.

Killer style in Paris is not housed on runways or within the grand walls of the fashion giants, but shelved in small consignment stores in the side streets of the City of Lights. And it is style that takes you to scale new fashion heights…or in this case widths.

What I bought in Paris is a hat the size of Texas, Black. Le Chapeau Noir of any woman’s dreams, the hat that rivals Audrey Hepburns’s Ascot straw, designed by Edith Head for My Fair Lady. One of a kind, and one hell of a price. Now, think back to Louis Vuton where my “sistahs” are laying down thousands of dollars to carry a genuine French Louis purse. Me, I am opening my own Vuton knock off bag, a clutch Louis — direct from Canal Street NYC–spending 40 euros. And it buys someone else’s black shiny straw hat. Okay it’s bigger than a pizza. But Kate Winslet regally wore a similar the chapeau in the opening scene from Titanic. Why not me?

And did I need a hat that dramatic? Absolutement!. I was going to a wedding on the Siene the next day and I would meet the challenge of style suited to a Parisienne yacht wedding at dusk. And I would do it without forking over the equivalent of a mortgage payment. That alone created high drama.

As I carried my purchase to the taxi for the ride to the hotel, I had a feeling that the hat had changed everything for me on that trip.

My first clue that things were going to be different was simply getting in a taxi.

I love to walk in Paris, but my fabulous hat was presenting problems as I carried it along the Rue St. Honore. It was drawing sidelong looks from passersby and getting in the way of pedestrians as I navigated the twisting street, so for time and convenience sake, we took a cab. The hat rode in the front of the taxi while my husband and I shared the back seat. Little did we know that the hat was now in the driver seat for the rest of our stay.

Another indicator that the hat was exceeding its purchase value came later that evening. Upon returning to the room from dinner,I scolded my husband for moving the hat to the hotel’s window ledge risking the chance that it might fall to the courtyard below. He emphatically denied touching the bargain, thus giving way to the obvious: either the turn down maid had found the hat irresistible as moi and had tried on the chapeau, or the hat had taken it upon itself to travel.

The allure of the 40 Euro French chapeau continued. It inspired me.

The next evening, I wore the hat with a consigned, strapless cocktail dress, making me feel like some cross between Andy Mc Dowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Natasha in Rocky and Bullwinkle. I bought black lace stockings and had the overwhelming urge to don a pair of sleek black sunglasses to top off the effect.

So strong was my impression of a Parisian somebody as I stood across from the Louve, that the doorman of the Hotel pleaded with me to return to the lobby. He was trying to hail a cab to take us to the River Siene. The hat was stopping traffic. Horns blared and French curses filled the air. Even the most jaded Parisian seemed taken with the sight. A tour bus group of Japanese visitors nearby me, could not resist pointing their cameras,” Le Chapeau Noir” became the final stop on the tour. I found myself instinctively taking on the pose in the Louis photo, look bored. Look stylish.

The hat had was now in charge.

The rest of the evening was memorable for the Chapeau Noir. It was the hit of the yacht wedding, challenging the bride’s own tasteful beige tulle hat, and mocking it with its striking presence. And did women love it. The hat was passed around from guest to guest, photographed to the point of distraction. Women who did not smoke cigarettes lit up when wearing the hat. I suspected that my theory about the chambermaid was true. The hat was irresistible. It had to be experiencd.
It danced the night away on the heads of young and old and finished the evening at the Bastille where it was worn briefly by a charming French waiter who served up the last bottle of champagne at 5:00 in the morning in an all night caf?.

It was the last time I saw my treasure.

As much as I loved my chapeau noir, I felt it belonged to the world. And I also knew that I was boarding a flight back to the US in a few hours and barely able to get myself on the plane after an all nighter in Paris, I entrusted my hat to a friend who lived in NY City. She promised to bring the hat home at any cost. Yet, my other theory would hold true. The hat, set free from the consignment store, had its own plan…it wanted to travel.

Since then, the Chapeau noir has journeyed through Switzerland, Italy, Britain and France. It graces the heads of women, friends and friends of friends who are taken by its chic, cheap charm. It has smoked endless cigarettes, drunk countless glasses of wine and has, I suspect, even witnessed trysts It is lent, borrowed and returned, over and over. And its power to make drama wherever it goes makes it killer style. It is the subject of emails that have flown back and forth from the USA to the UK to Paris.

And like a child that has a special place in your heart, that you’ve set free, it is missed. You want it to come home.

In short, fini. I want my chapeau back.

So sometime soon I will board a plane to Paris and bring my summer treasure home. Adding it to my collection of clothes that other people wear, I will use free air miles and stay with friends when I collect it, keeping the cost of owning the cheap 40 Euro hat from breaking me as I claim it for myself again. And this time, I plan to return to the Louis Vuton store on the Champs Elysee and take a new travel photo. Moi, in my beloved chapeau noir, not outside the temple of style, but inside the extravagant interior. I will pose for this photo beside the Louis Vutton bags wearing a million dollar smile and a 40 Euro hat, that, if it could talk, would render it priceless.

Quelle photo…An American in Paris, not looking bored, but looking tres stylish in a chapeau noir that travels, taking all who wear it to fabulous heights of glamour.

About the Author

Trish Rubin is a devoted Vintage Shopper and a Consultant in New York City for The EdVenturesgroup.

Iron and Dementia
In the US iron deficiency has been found to be a major problem in people of all ages. Everyone knows the lack of iron causes anemia. Iron is the center of our red blood cells, which allow oxygen to be carried throughout your body and into your brain. Your brain uses over 20% of the oxygen available in the blood. Lack of oxygen has a major impact on your brain’s health and in the formation of dementia.
When a person is deficient in iron, they may have difficulty in keeping a conversation or in keeping a good attention span.
The actual ability to absorb iron into your body is dependent on the amount of acid you have in your stomach. If you have acid reflux or heartburn and are using drugs or antacids to get relief, you are affecting your ability to absorb iron.
To absorb iron, the pH in your stomach has to be normal, 1 – 2 pH. Under these conditions, iron in your stomach chemically reacts with other chemicals and is prepared for absorption in the small intestine.
When you take drugs to reduce the acid in your stomach, the iron does not chemically react and change for proper absorption in the intestine. The result is iron deficiency.
Here are some of the best foods that have iron.
Fired liver, fried kidney, fired chicken liver, wheat bran, ovaltine, coco powder, spinach, parsley, radishes, peas, leeks, carob bar, sesame seeds, pistachio nuts, dried coconut, cashew nuts, muesli, cornflakes, oatmeal, brown rice, total cereal, baked potato.
Use 25 to 50 mg of iron supplement daily. If you take iron supplements check with your doctor to see if you really need them. Take excessive iron can result in poisoning. Keep iron supplements away from children
B-Vitamin
The B-vitamin folic acid and B12 have also been a major problem in the US. B12 has been consistently found deficient in people with Alzheimer’s. Folic acid and B12 have been found to improve mental health in people who were in metal institutions.
Folic acid and B12 work to produce neurotransmitters and replace nerve cells. The lack of neurotransmitters is responsible for loss of a good memory.
To make sure B vitamins work for you in keeping your mental capacities in tack start making sure you are getting them in your diet or taking them as a supplement. If supplementing, use the B50 or B100 complex.
It appears that after a certain age B12 will not help in alleviating mental changes or problems.
Here are some the best foods that have B vitamins.
* fish and seafood
* whole grains breads, cereals, oats, and barley
* chicken, beef, eggs
* most leafy green vegetables, avocados
* cheese, milk and yogurt
* beans and peas
* oranges, lemons, grapefruits
* various nuts
It is always best to get your minerals and vitamins in food. In food, minerals and vitamins are combined with other chemicals that allow your body to absorb them better than supplements.About the Author: Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. To learn more about the other nutrients you need to hold off signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s go to http://www.for–you.com/dementiaremedies

Bluetooth technology got its name from the Viking King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, who was famous during his time for his excellent mediation skills. He connected with a lot of people and was admired by his men for this talent. Hence, when the technology was invented, the name stuck.

This wire free technology enables a broad selection of devices to be able to exchange information with the help of 2.4 GHz short-wave radio signals within a range of up to 120 feet. Devices like video game consoles, mobile phones, PCs, laptops, PDAs, MP3 players, stereo headsets and printers all can be connected to each other through Bluetooth.

Technology has made our lives so much easier and Bluetooth is one such invention. The best thing about Bluetooth is that you can connect any two devices without using any wires. The wiring of the computer with various other devices like the fax machine, printer, Internet server can sometimes be a nuisance.

Thanks to Bluetooth technology, pesky wires are no longer required. This technology can connect laptops, headphones, PDAs, cell phones and printers. And now, you can set up your own PAN (Personal Area Network) where you can be linked to other laptops, cell phones, printers, etc. as long as the other devices used are also Bluetooth enabled.

The Bluetooth keyboard and mouse are some of the best applications of this technology, as it makes it easy for people to use their computers. With Bluetooth technology you can have hands free communication; you can now take your phone calls while driving, cooking, jogging, etc. and you can listen to your favorite tunes within the house without that cumbersome cord getting in your way.

Even if the appliances and devices that you already have at home do not have in-built Bluetooth technology, you can upgrade them with the help of a USB Bluetooth adapter, commonly known as the Bluetooth dongle. Bluetooth technology is excellent for multiple users sharing a common device. For example, a good number of computers can use the same printer without having to be connected to it with wires.

The Bluetooth technology products are also very reasonably priced and everybody can afford them. Because 2.4 GHz, the radio band where Bluetooth operates in, is an unlicensed industrial, scientific, medical (ISM) radio band, there is no cost for the use of Bluetooth technology. You pay for your device and it is definitely worth every penny.

Bluetooth is tomorrow’s technology, available today. Discover more about the freedom of Bluetooth, such as the Bluetooth headset at http://WirelessRevealed.com.

Football teasers are popular, profitable bets amongst sports bettors when used right. First we are going to explain what teasers are and then we will go over the odds that reputable bookmakers offer their sports betting clients.



A teaser is a two team or more proposition bet in which the player selects multiple teams and is given a specific amount of bonus points to add to the final score of each of the games he picks. To win a bet, the better must be correct on each of the teams picked. If any of the games lose or tie, the bettor than loses the teaser.



When deal with two team teasers, the bookmaker makes a player 11-10 for the benefit of adding an extra six points to each of the teams he picks. But note the odds are not 12-10 which shady bookmakers will make their clients lay. If your bookmaker offers odds 11-10, don’t’ fall for it, just avoid the bet all together.



If you have a bookmaker that has 11-10 odds on two teams, 6 point teasers – then there are two conditions to include in your bet. First, pick only the team that you love without the six extra points. Next and equally as important is to pick teams where the six points will capture the key numbers.



In the NFL, specific numbers end up being the final margin of victory more so than other numbers. For example the number 3 is by far the most common number with 7 coming in second. Teasers are advantageous when you can use the extra points to capture these key numbers.



Don’t fall into the trap of picking games that allow you to capture key numbers that you don’t like at the initial number. If you follow the simple advice above you can achieve great success and profits by betting easers.
About the Author

Jarred writes about NFL Football Betting, NFL Football Gambling and
College Football Picks at Maddux Sports

For people who are fluent, it is hard to comprehend what it must be like to have a stutter. This article describes some of the tasks that can prove difficult and stressful for the person who has a stutter, tasks which fluent people simply take for granted.

My name is Stephen Hill and I am somebody who has managed to overcome a stutter which had affected my life for eighteen years. When I was at school, I would dread the time when I would have to read out aloud in class out of a book. I would count down to which paragraph I would have to read and then I would look through to see which words I was going to have to say. I was hoping that there would not be many words beginning with b,d,v, or g, as I found these words especially hard to say. When speaking in a conversation I would always try to avoid these words or would think of an alternative word to say. When reading though, you have to read what is written. I had many unpleasant days attempting to read and I am now very happy those days are over.

Trying to meet girls and to get a girlfriend proved very difficult and not because I am ugly. My negative brain would always be talking to me stating that a particular girl that I was interested in would not want to go out with someone who has a stutter. If I did manage to date a girl, I would then have the horror of meeting her family and friends. Socialising when you have a stutter is not easy.

Other areas of life which proved difficult for me were:

Ordering food or drink at a bar

Trying to obtain employment

Speaking on the telephone

Answering peoples questions

Introducing people

Introducing myself to a group of people, for example at the start of a course at work. As you can tell, it is quite difficult having a stutter at times.
About the Author: Stephen Hill has a number of websites including: http://www.stammering-stuttering.co.uk http://www.coach-life-london.co.uk http://www.best-way-to-quit-smoking.com/blog

If you decide to finance your new or used car, be aware that the financing obtained by the dealer, even if the dealer contacts lenders on your behalf, may not be the best deal you can get. Contact lenders directly. Compare the financing they offer you with the financing the dealer offers you. Because offers vary, shop around for the best deal, comparing the annual percentage rate (APR) and the length of the loan. When negotiating to finance a car, be wary of focusing only on the monthly payment. The total amount you will pay depends on the price of the car you negotiate, the APR, and the length of the loan.

Sometimes, dealers offer very low financing rates for specific cars or models, but may not be willing to negotiate on the price of these cars. To qualify for the special rates, you may be required to make a large down payment. With these conditions, you may find that its sometimes more affordable to pay higher financing charges on a car that is lower in price or to buy a car that requires a smaller down payment.

Before you sign a contract to purchase or finance the car, consider the terms of the financing and evaluate whether it is affordable.

Some dealers and lenders may ask you to buy credit insurance to pay off your loan if you should die or become disabled. Before you buy credit insurance, consider the cost, and whether its worthwhile. Check your existing policies to avoid duplicating benefits

Most people do not realise that they have capital locked up in their property which could be used for buying that special car of their dreams.

Release the capital tied up in your home with a home owner loan. The loan can be used for any purpose, and is available to anyone who owns their home. Home loans can be used for any purpose such as, new car, home improvements, pay of store card or credit card debt and debt consolidation.

Home owner loans are available for practically any reason. One of the most common types of home owner loans on offer are debt consolidation loans where the objective is to reduce monthly outgoings to a more manageable amount.

A UK Home Owner Loan is great if you want to raise a large amount; are having problems getting an unsecured loan; or have a poor credit history. Many lenders look more favourably on people who are home owners as this demonstrates a commitment to repay a large amount of money over a long period.

A UK Home Owner Loan is a cheap, low cost, loan secured on your UK home. It frees up the equity in your home for you to use on whatever you want.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

Getting Started: Creating a Business Plan
By Pradeep Aggarwal
You’re excited. You have a great idea for a profitable
online business. Maybe it is an original idea that has
not been marketed online before. Maybe you have come
up with a new spin on the ordinary. Whatever it is
that has influenced you to start your online business,
be sure that you have a plan before you begin. This is
not the time to “pick it up as you go”. These are some
basic things that should be included in your business
plan.
The business summary should give a brief description
of the entire business and is an integral part of the
overall business plan. After you have completed the
business summary you should begin to list the
objectives or the goals that you want to accomplish
through the business. Next and perhaps most
importantly, you should develop your marketing plan.
The marketing plan will address all the specifics of
the business. When developing the marketing strategy
you should consider the following:
The target market. The target market is the customers
that you expect to see visiting your site. For example
will your product be more appealing to college
students or those who are in retirement?
Consider the competition for your product when
determining the marketing strategy. Choose a product
that will be seen as unique and useful. Visit sites
that are offering the same or similar products. Find
out the cost, and how they are marketing their
product. Finds out the pros and cons of their business
and try to improve your product based on their flaws.
Research the various methods for advertising online.
You should become educated about search engines and
how they work since each one is different. Also be
sure that you know how to submit your site to search
engines. You should be prepared to spend a small
amount of money on advertising, but the profits that
you will gain from the advertisements will prove to be
money well spent.
Think about pricing. Again, look at the competition
and see what similar products are selling for. Pricing
can play a big role in the success of your product
since selling a product well below the average price
may lead customer to think that there is a problem
with the product or that it is not of the best
quality. However, pricing items too high could also
detour customers.
Determine the shipping method. Be sure that you know
how products will be shipped so that you can have
shipping details clearly posted on your site. If you
are shipping things of great value, you should
consider providing shipping insurance. Also think
about shipping outside the country that you live in.
Think about the different methods of payment that you
will accept. If your business does not accept credit
cards, you should be ready to give up half if not more
of your sales. If you decide to accept credit cards
will you use a merchant account or will you use a
third party credit card processing center? Both will
help you get started and the third party processing
center will handle all of the business so you don”t
have to. You should decide which you will use and also
if you will accept checks or money orders. It is
essential to have a secure server when taking credit
cards.
These few things will help your online business to
become a great success and also provide you with peace
of mind knowing that you have thoroughly thought about
and planned for the opening of your online business.
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About the Author
Not long ago,I didn’t know ANYTHING about Internet Marketing… However, within just 2 weeks, I launched my own Website AND learned how to profit from an opt-in list, pull in sales with ezines, make money with Google Adwords, and setup my own BLOG!Here’s how: www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-11320
Note: You have full permission to reprint this Article within your website or Newsletter as long as you leave the Article fully intact and includ

National Football League Fans are a breed apart. Every Sunday in the fall is their Sabbath, NFL stadiums around the country are their altars. Sure, there are other sports like baseball and basketballs but there are just mistresses to their true love, Sunday afternoon (and sometimes Monday night) NFL football.

You would think buying a gift for a man like this would be easy, there are tough decisions to be made. While there is no greater gift for these gentlemen than something emblazoned with the logo of their favorite team, the tricky part is deciding what the gift itself will be. There are all kinds of items out there like New York Giants plastic key chains and Dallas Cowboys pillow covers that might seem to fit the bill, you may want to stick with something that’s a little higher in quality and that these tough guys might actually get some use out of.

How about a stainless steel flask with a pewter logo of your recipients favorite team. What better way to keep him warm on those cold December Sundays than to equip him with 8 ounces of his favorite liquor. All of his fellow tailgater will be duly impressed to see their team logo on a cool flask. Make it even cooler by emblazoning his initials right on the face of it. Just be sure to equip him with a designated driver too!

Not a big drinker? How about an NFL barbeque set. These handy pieces of equipment carry everything he’ll need to be the master of the grill at his next tailgate or in his backyard. From a spatula to a grill brush, from a two pronged long fork to tongs, its all here. To top it off, right on the face of the stainless steel carrying case that all these goodies come in, is the logo of his favorite team.

Concerned about your man getting home on time from the big game? Take away all his excuses with a handsome NFL pocket watch that features his favorite teams logo. This is something that he can carry every day as well as on game day. They feature quartz movement and they have a convenient belt loop so he won’t lose it.

Know a smoker out there that’s also a big NFL fan? How about a cool looking NFL themed Zippo lighter? These are an all time classic with a lifetime guarantee with the Zippo Manufacturing Company. They feature your logo of choice on the front and have a flint ignition. These are perfect for groomsmen gifts and birthday gifts because they can be personalized with a name, a date, or a short message. They’re also fairly inexpensive without looking the part.

One of the newest items on the market in NFL gifts is a NFL logo leather money clip wallet. They feature a full color NFL logo in addition to a slew of useful features. These handsome cash clip wallet combos feature three slots for credit cards on the front and a magnetic money clip on the back to hold all your bills. Any man will be happy to whip this out while paying for his sausage and peppers at any NFL stadium across the country!

NFL fanatics are a unique bunch. They are usually die hard fans who live and die by the success or failure of their team. As such, they are very easy to shop for, they’ll appreciate anything with their team’s logo on it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shop carefully. He won’t be as happy with his gift when its sitting in his closet or when its broken and thrown out. Be sure to use the advice above to shop carefully and buy him something special.

Simon Brady is a freelance writer, New York Giants fanatic and the head of content for http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com They specialize in personalized men’s gifts like NFL leather money clip wallets, cufflinks and leather portfolios. They offer full customization and quick turnaround time.

One of the first things home owners think of when embarking on a home
improvement project is pulling up that dusty, stained and frayed old carpet. The
next step is deciding what to put in its place – new carpet or some other type
of flooring.

A trendy new craze sweeping the country is to replace existing carpet with
environmentally friendly flooring such as reclaimed wood, linoleum, cork or
bamboo. Such types of flooring are not only helpful to the environment, but are
also coveted for their exquisite beauty, texture and form.

People are fast realizing the dangers of using products for the home that can
be detrimental to the environment and to the residents who live in the home.
Jumping on the bandwagon, architects, builders and decorators are suggesting
flooring products that protect the environment and the people who live and work
in the buildings.

Advantages of Choosing Environment-Friendly Flooring Over Carpeting

If you’ve ever pulled up used carpeting in a home or other heavily-trafficked
area, you’ve probably been aghast at the debris and filth hidden in the carpet
and padding. The truth is that no matter how fanatical you are about vacuuming
and shampooing your carpet, residue, mold and mildew will accumulate in the
fibers beneath. The carpet then becomes an allergen magnet, hording germs that
can affect humans and pets who come in contact with it.

Besides the advantage of avoiding allergens, the durability and beauty of
wood or other environmentally correct floorings remains undisputed. It is easily
cleaned and comes in a wide variety of patterns and colors to fit any d?cor.

Linoleum is resilient and is made from renewable substances of the earth or
recycled remnants, but linoleum itself cannot be recycled because of the glue
used to install it. Still, the long life gained from using linoleum has made it
a popular choice for homes and offices.

The use of “reclaimed” wood found in old buildings such as barns,
hotels or railroad cars is an emerging trend across the country. While the
obvious character and patina of these woods are lovely and desirable, the cost
can be somewhat prohibitive at around $30 per square foot. Furthermore, shoppers
need to be careful to ensure they buy from a trusted source. There is also the
danger of running out of wood before the project is completed if you aren’t sure
to measure correctly and buy the right amount of materials.

Newer products, such as cork and bamboo are excellent choices to use in
buildings that have energy savers such as radiant heat. Besides saving on energy
costs, cork and bamboo can be bought for much less than wood and still have the
“green tag” of being friendly to the environment.

Transform Your Home or Office with Cork or Bamboo Flooring

The rapid disappearances of our forests and rainforests have led to the
research and development of new products in flooring and the reemergence of some
old favorites. Cork and bamboo are forerunners in this endeavor.

Cork flooring has been popular in
the United States since the 1950s. The avocado and gold colored carpet of the
70s temporarily replaced its prominence in the flooring market, but cork has now
found new acceptance in environmentally conscious homes.

Anti-microbial and cushiony soft, cork is an ideal choice for parents who
want to keep their homes free of allergens and also enjoy a tranquil existence
by diminishing noise.

Bamboo flooring is both resilient
and beautiful. Its colors, ranging from natural to amber, create an excellent
background for any style of furniture or accessories. The durability of bamboo
makes it a superior choice, and because of its rapid growth, bamboo usage helps
to preserve our forests.

While bamboo is lightweight, it is as hard as oak, maple or redwood and has
the added advantages of expanding and contracting less. It comes in tongue and
groove planks for ease of installation. What’s more, bamboo’s natural
imperfections lend an air of exclusivity to its look.

Jump On the “Build Green” Bandwagon When You Build or Renovate

Almost every decorating or architectural magazine that you see on the stands
contains at least one article about being environmentally conscious when you
build or renovate.

Indeed, there are many types of flooring that you can select to conserve
energy and preserve our forests and other resources while avoiding excessive
costs or future problems. Choosing the appropriate flooring for your home or
office is a major decision – one that you will probably live with for a long
time.

Choose wisely and “build green” whenever you can. It’s a great way
to show that you care about our earth and its future.
About the Author

William Thomas is the proprietor of Bamboo Flooring Biz and
Cork Flooring Biz,
independent consumer guides to environmentally friendly floor coverings.