Fresh is always best, right? And that’s especially true of something special and valuable in your home — fresh, cut flowers.

Flowers make a great gift and everyone enjoys them. What’s frustrating is how quickly they begin to wilt and look tired and… then they look more like weeds than flowers.

There are a lot of tips and tricks you can try to keep flowers fresh longer. No scientific evidence, but easy things you can try at home.

You know those little packets of powder that comes with fresh cut flowers? The little packet your florist includes for free? It’s basically sugar – so if you don’t have some of those packets, just dump in a tablespoon or so of white sugar. The powdered sugar variety might be best since it will dissolve easier in water. Even cut flowers need a little nourishment, and who doesn’t like sugar?

Keeping the water acidic is also a tip some pros endorse. Acidity is vital to plant growth, so adding an ounce or two of white vinegar might make those flowers look their best longer.

The Clorox company recommends ¼ teaspoon of bleach for each vase of flowers, saying the bleach disinfects and keeps the water clear and free of that smelly slime we all experience after a few days on the counter.

Another way to make flowers look better longer is kind of cheating. Some florists say to use hairspray on the underside of the petals and leaves. Obviously, this keeps them from drooping too much.

No matter which tip, trick or urban legend you use for your flowers, the best advice is simple: Change the water in the vase daily, and enjoy those fresh, cut flowers as long as you can!

A friendly message from your local Carpet cleaners. All Points Carpet Care

DID YOU KNOW that a nice vacation is one of the most desired, relaxing events you can experience? That’s right… a relaxing time in a beautiful location, enjoying time with family and friends… it can’t be beat.

But that nice vacation becomes a catastrophe with all kinds of regrets if the family arrives home to a house saturated with water!

It is one of the absolute worst events in life. You didn’t want to come home. You wanted to extend your vacation, but you know you have to go to work on Monday. So you arrive home late Sunday night, and when you walk in the door, instead of nice, plush carpet awaiting your footsteps, you discover a squishy experience, and the first thing you hear is the sound of a pipe spewing water all over the place in another room.

Oh, if only you had been home when that pipe broke! If you had been home, you could have quickly shut off the main water supply and cleaned up the small mess. But Murphy’s Law says that if the worst can happen, it will. Pipes seem to break when no one is home. Sump pumps seem to fail when no one is home. The list goes on and on and it always happens when none is home.

So how can you prevent this from happening?

Here are some tips homeowners can use to ensure water damage does not occur:

1.    Secure all windows and doors. Remember that a storm can drive water into your home if there is any type of opening, even a small one at a window.

2.    Don’t turn off the heat! Keep the thermostat set at a level that ensures nothing inside will freeze. In winter months, you never know how cold it may get when you are on vacation.

3.    Some hot water heaters have a vacation setting. Play it safe and take advantage of it.

4.    This one is really important! Shut off all water supply sources to anything that might leak, like the washing machine. Even better? If appropriate, shut off the main water supply to the home, but leave instructions if anyone is going to visit or stay at your home while you are away.

5.    Make sure your sump pump is in good working order. A failed sump pump means ground water is going to intrude and create damage in your home.

So enjoy your next vacation, but don’t let coming home be a disaster. Follow these tips to make sure you don’t suffer from a water damage disaster.

(But if you do, give us a call we are experts at bailing people out of this tragedies).