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Some of the most common indoor bugs we see all over the world are flies, spiders, fleas and beetles. Nobody likes to see a bug indoors, so most people will go to just about any extremes to eradicate these common indoor bugs. The less common indoor bugs may be woodlice, earwigs, scorpions and millipedes or centipedes, although they are no less wanted.

It does not matter where you are in the world, it can be very difficult to keep these common indoor bugs outside, unless you go to the extremes of keeping all your windows and doors shut at all times, which is quite impossible. I now live in Thailand and I know for certain that this is not an option.

So, just what can you do about it? Well, let’s sort out all the flying insects first, as of all the common indoor bugs, I find them the most obnoxious indoor bug. They are very annoying, buzzing around your head and mosquitoes and other flies can create painful sores and besides that, all flies carry disease. I hate to see them strutting about on food, knowing that they have probably just come off some dog’s muck somewhere and now they are spitting on my food to taste it with their stinking feet!

My first line of defence is fine-mesh door and widow screens. They are not dear and can be fitted retrospectively to any window. My window meshes slide, so they can protect only one half of a window at a any one time, but I do not find that a problem. You can still create cross-winds, by opening two or more windows at opposing sides of a room. I just love to see the flies on the mesh trying to get in by day and the mosquitoes doing the same by night. At night, it is wise to turn on as little light indoors as possible in order not to draw these common indoor bugs.

My second line of defence is natural predators - lizards, like Geckos (Jin Jok, in Thai). Some people don’t like them in the house much either and I can’t say that I’m all that keen on them indoors myself, but they are hard to keep outside and they do eat hundreds, if not thousands, of indoor bugs every day. I particularly like to see them lying in wait on the outside of the mesh, ready to jump on any bug trying to struggle its way through the wires.

My third line of defence is a handheld bug zapper. You know, the electric, handheld bug zapper that looks like a child’s tennis racquet. They are brilliant at trapping and annihilating any flying indoor bug. The inset literally explodes and vaporizes on contact with the fully-charged wires of the indoor bug zapper. If you haven’t tried using one, you really should. They are most gratifying. These three defences keep our house quite much free of flying insects.

The crawling common indoor bugs are not so much of a problem really. Door screens on self-closers will keep 99% of them out and the Geckos will help too. Spiders can get in pretty very easily, but then, I don’t mind them too much as long as they keep out of my way, as they consume other insects too. They are on our side really. However, for those who can not bear to catch them and throw them outside, the handheld indoor bug zapper works a treat on spiders too.

Fleas can sometimes be a problem, if you have cats or dogs, but then if you wash or dust the animal once a month, you should be able to keep these common indoor bugs under control fairly easily. However, there are two final methods that we employ. Every week, before we go out for the day, we spray every room with fly killer and every six-months we spray any rugs or carpets with an insect killer containing permethrin, which will survive washing and vacuuming for that long without losing its ability to kill common indoor bugs on contact. If you stick with these methods, you should be able to keep your home or office quite free of the most common indoor bugs and any less common indoor bug too.

Have you ever used an indoor bug zapper? If not, or if you are interested in getting an indoor bug zapper, just click one of the links to our website or blog.

It seems that there has been a decline in consumer faith in the building and construction industry of late. This may be because of the scams shown on television or the bribery and corruption endemic in the corporate sector, but it is almost definitely the same motivation why so many are now doing home improvements by themselves.

And why shouldn’t they? A little knowledge of the technical aspects combined with an eye for creativity is often enough to complete the home improvement on your own.

Why are people turning to DIY home improvements?

There are many people attempting to pass themselves off as construction workers, although they do not have a lot of experience in construction or home maintenance and they are literally are out there right now practising, learning their trades on homes like yours and mine across the country.

As a result, homeowners are finding that the jobs are not being finished to their liking. At times they are even pre-paying for services that do not get done or were not part of the arrangement.

You do not have to trust and pay someone to improve your home. Why not try to do it yourself?

You can augment your home?s existing concrete surfaces using acid stains, acrylic paints, epoxy paints, and scoring techniques.

If you are tired of looking at drab gray concrete, there are some easy projects if you are sincere about having a go at home improvement DIY, you can easily give your patio, driveway or garage a revitalizing new look.

Decorative concrete work costs about double that of standard concrete, which is why a lot of people cannot afford it.

However, there are inexpensive methods to beautify concrete after it has cured, without having to pay skilled tradesmen.

Acid-based concrete stains are becoming more and more popular for coloring concrete surfaces. They chemically react with the cement to create permanent color with a variegated or mottled appearance like that of marble. This results in a natural, elegant looking exterior.

Water-based concrete stains are an alternative to acid stains but are much more user friendly because they are so much less toxic. These stains do not chemically react with the concrete; they are absorbed into the porous surface and act like a colorant. The big advantage of water based stains is the wide range of colors on hand.

If you want to risk going beyond the basic staining of your concrete, think about using some scoring techniques to create patterns on the surface.

You can make your concrete resemble a tiled floor for instance. It is just up to your imagination. A mini angle grinder with a 4 inch grinding wheel is the ideal tool for this.

The key thing to remember when scoring is to draw the pattern on the concrete first and make sure you are happy with the way it looks because scoring is permanent.

Epoxy paints make an outstanding coating for garage floors and basement floors. Many commercial floors have epoxy coatings because of their durability and resilience to chemical spills as well as their appearance.

In recent years, however, it has become very popular for domestic use with the availability of an increasing number of different colors. This is not a difficult job, but the key to successful application is surface preparation.

Epoxy paints have also become available in a water based form making it safe for the DIY’er and perfect for indoor applications. They cost a little more than stains. For a 400 square foot area, you’ll pay out about $200 for the materials needed for this job.

So, you see? You do not have to spend big money to improve your home. You have the ability to do it yourself. With a few instructions and a little bit of work, anyone can turn dull concrete into a work of art of their own.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with Flowtron Bug Zapper devices. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Indoor Bug Zapper