When it comes to adding those final touches to your bathroom plans, don?t forget to consider your bathroom accessories. Bathroom mirrors, lighting, toilet tissue holders and other accessories can transform any bathroom into a spa paradise. Not sure what options to choose? Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to select the best bathroom accessories for your needs.

1. Learn About Your Accessory Options

Grab Bars

Add beauty and safety to your bathroom. As the demand for Universal Design rises, so does the range of grab bar options. Stick to sleek simplicity for a contemporary look, or choose ornate curves for a traditional appearance.

Toilet Tissue Holders

These come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Metallic toilet tissue rods integrate seamlessly with most bathroom styles. Consider also a toilet tissue holder with a glass shelf for sophistication and storage.

Bathroom Mirrors

Simplify the appearance of a small bathroom and adorn the walls of a large bathroom. Bathroom mirror styles range from rounded to rectangular, simple to ornamental, and large to small.

Medicine Cabinets

These serve as a handy storage space for medicine and grooming materials. Some of today?s medicine cabinets also present advanced features, such as built-in TVs, night lights and electrical outlets.

Cabinet Hardware

Give your bathroom a new look with a little change. Bronze and pewter knobs dress up a traditional vanity, while steel, nickel and chrome pulls enhance a contemporary vanity.

Soap Dishes/Liquid Soap Dispensers

Streamline your bathroom design and prevent spills. Select a metallic soap dish or liquid soap dispenser for optimal ease and sturdiness.

Towel Holders

This is a stylish way to keep your towels organized. Towel bars, towel rings, and towel racks are the three different types of towel holders. If morning showers leave you cold, consider a towel holder with a built-in towel warmer.

Hooks

Make sure that your hooks are able to bear the weight of your bathrobe. Select a metallic hook for enhanced durability and elegance.

Lighting

Dramatically impact the appearance of your bathroom with lighting. Wall-mounted, track and accent lighting fixtures illuminate certain areas, whereas ceiling and recessed light fixtures light up the entire bathroom.

2. Assess Your Needs

Once you know what your accessory options are, it?s time to address your needs. Consider how you?d like to use your bathroom. What bathroom accessories are priorities for you and your family?

If you live in a multi-generational household, you may prioritize safety features, such as grab bars and bright lighting. If you?re constantly on-the-go,a ayou may prioritize convenient storage options, such as multi-functional medicine cabinets and heated towel holders. Making a list of your household needs will help you narrow down your bathroom accessory choices.

3. Decide Upon a Style and Finish

A breathtaking bathroom goes beyond coordinated plumbing fixtures. Don?t let bathroom accessory styling become an afterthought in the design process.

Whether you?re going for a traditional, contemporary, transitional, modern or eclectic look, it?s helpful to keep a few general rules of thumb in mind. For cohesive dΘcor, match your bathroom accessories to your showerhead and faucet?s style and finish. If you?re planning to keep your bathroom the same style for a while, neutral accessories hold up better against the test of time.

4. Visit a Showroom

So, you?ve already assessed your needs and your stylistic intentions. You may need some assistance in narrowing down your final choices, or perhaps you want to view your chosen bathroom accessories in person. Visiting a Bath Showroom is the best way to ensure that the items you?re considering will look and feel the way you want them to.

For those in Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, visit a Crawford Supply Group showroom to view your bathroom accessory options. You can also set up a free Showroom Consultation with one of our knowledgeable team members.

Bergen County, NJ, is in an old part of the country, and our communities have been around for a long time. That means old houses and old plumbing networks, which often convinces some plumbing companies that they can still get by with a set of wrenches and a little elbow grease. To some extent, plumbing never changes, and you still need the same skills that plumbers did 100 years ago to do the job. But we?re not living in those days anymore, and just as other fields have taken advantage of new technology, so too does plumbing have the benefit of some amazing new devices to make fixing your problem easier and more effective than ever. Most of them require formal training to use, but a plumber armed with them can make short work of your trouble. Here?s a quick breakdown of some of the more prominent ones.

BioSmart Drain Cleaning

Cleaning drains offers a bit of a predicament for plumbers and homeowners alike. Either risk using a harsh chemical cleanser that could damage your pipes (not to mention your hands), or rely on half measures that don?t always get the job done. BioSmart is an excellent way to get the best of both worlds: safe, non-toxic and incredibly effective at destroying food clogs, hair clogs and other biological materials that can stop up your drain. Best of all, BioSmart lingers for weeks to continue its cleaning process, and is environmentally sound so you need not worry about the damage it?s doing to Mother Nature.

Video Pipe Inspections

Video cameras are small enough to fit on your phone, so why shouldn?t you be able to send them into your pipes. With video pipe inspection, plumbers get an unprecedented look at the problem from the inside of your system, enabling us to device the most accurate and effective solution without having to guess.

Contact BZ Dependable today for the best plumbers in the area!

With World Water Day & World Plumbing Day just around the corner, we can?t help but think of the effects our world has on the integrity of water supplies and sanitation systems. While you may assume that the water coming out of your faucet is always the healthiest and freshest water you can find, there are still environmental factors that can change that, but plumbing fixtures that can help as well.

Emerging Diseases
With increased international travel, increasing populations and growing population densities emerging airborne and waterborne diseases are certainly a concern. Especially if your plumbing is improperly designed or installed, such diseases can be easily transmitted.

Climate Change
Droughts like the current one we face in California call for water conservation efforts that can sometimes increase public health risk. In fact, recent news even suggests that the California Drought could cause an increase in this years West Nile Virus spread. Here?s how ╗

New Technology
Fortunately with water filtration and water softener systems, you can rest assured that you are receiving the softest, healthiest, best tasting water in your home. Whole house water filtration systems are easy to install and are available for both residential and commercial customers. All you have to do is call!

Barker and Sons installs water filtration systems and water softeners in Orange County and the surrounding area. Call us today at 714.630.8766 or visit our website for more information.

For many, Christmas is a great time to turn a familiar-looking home into a magical winter wonderland. In fact, Americans spentamore than $6 billion on Christmas decorations in 2011. And can you blame them? A home bedecked with festive tinsel, an impressive tree and strings of twinkling lights is a truly beautiful thing. It's important, though, to keep the Christmas lights safety tips in mind that will put your family's health first.

Unfortunately, electrical fires caused by decorative lighting are responsible for $9 million worth of property damage and nine deaths per year. We want you to have a happy and healthy holiday season. To keep your home safe, follow these 16 tips.

16 Christmas Lights Safety Tips

a

Before You Hang Your HolidayaLights

1. Choose an artificial tree over a real one, and make sure that the tree is certified as fire resistant.

2.aChoose epoxy-lensed LED lights. These lights are cool to the touch and more durable than their glass counterparts.

3. Check all your lights for exposed wires, damaged plugs and other defects before you start decorating.

4. Check that all your lights are certified as safe for the location you want to use them in (i.e. internally or externally).

5. Dispose of any older electrical Christmas decorationsa,as these might not meet modern safety standards.

While You're Decking the Halls

6. Make sure your ladder is safe and secureawith all four legs on the ground.

7. Double check all fastenings when hanging lights on the exterior of your house to prevent any dangers associated with the lights falling.

8. Don?t hang any Christmas lights over anything which could cause a fire hazard, like a lampshade, an existing light or over the fireplace.

9. Don?t use candles. Of course, they look nice but the fire risk they pose cannot be underestimated.

10. Always use a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet. This acts as a circuit breaker and will prevent harmful and potentially lethal electric shocks in wet conditions.

11. Use insulated hooks to hang wires and lights on internal walls as metal screws and tacks can become electrified.

While Enjoying Your Christmas Lights

12. Always turn off all Christmas lights when you go to bed or when you leave your property. Even LED lights have the potential to cause a fire if left unattended.

13. Don?t let small children or pets pull at or play with your Christmas lights. Always keep an eye on your little ones.

14. Never ?daisy chain? electrical extension cords by attaching multiple cords together. This can cause the extensions to overheat. Instead, simply invest in a longer extension cord.

15. Never plug more than three sets of Christmas lights into a single extension cord, as this can also cause problems with overheating.

16. Take extra care when packing your Christmas lights away. This means that you can use them safely and efficiently in years to come.

If you're worried you home has electrical issues, don't think twice. Give the experts at John C. Flood a call.

We would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at John C. Flood. Don?t forget to share our Christmas lights safety tips with your family and friends!

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn

Are you suspicious of a possible leak after all of the cold weather we?ve experienced in Houston? Call Santhoff Plumbing today and have our experienced, master plumbers visit your home to perform hydrostatic testing. Hydrostatic testing consists of professional leak detection, by plumbers that know how to read the test. This type of test can help the plumber find the exact location of the leak.

With the extreme temperature fluctuations Houston has experienced of late, copper pipe connections as well as pvc connections, have all had the opportunity to contract more than usual. When temperatures fluctuate from 20 one day, to 60 that afternoon, this contraction and expansion happens too fast.

If you suspect a leak, and need help with leak detection, call the friendly, master plumbers at Santhoff Plumbing Companya Welcome ? Houston Residential and Commercial Plumber!