Your House Sample

IDEAL HUMIDITY LEVEL The air quality in your home is affected by more than just the temperature. The humidity of the air plays into how comfortable you are as well. Ideally, a humidity level between 30 and 50 per cent should be maintained throughout your home. When your home is too humid, you’ll find mold and mildew can form as well as slight damage to finishings like wallpaper, furniture, flooring, etc. can occur. If it’s not humid enough in your home, you could experience some health issues like dry skin, nosebleeds and dry eyes and throat. If you don’t already have humidity control through your heating or cooling system, you can test the humidity in your home with a portable humidistat or hygrometer. They can be purchased online or at your local home improvement store. If your home tends to be too humid, you may want to look into a dehumidifier. Also be sure to use the exhaust fan in the bathroom when showering as well as the stovetop exhaust fan when cooking. When your home leans toward being too dry, obviously a humidifier can help. Also look to fill any cracks or gaps around doors, windows and pipes that can allow humid air to escape. CREATIVE STORAGE IDEAS When you spend most of your time in the house all winter, you tend to gather, and get annoyed by, excess clutter. Here are four neat ways to create functional storage in your home this winter. • Storage ottoman - this multipurpose piece can hide books, board games, blankets, seasonal decor and other trinkets while functioning as a place to rest your feet after a long day. • Updated tote - tired of those big blue totes that store so much but look so blah? Upholster one with batting and a cute fabric and then add casters to the bottom so you can wheel it from room to room. Great for toys and clothes and quick clean up. • Banquette bench - if your kitchen or even your entryway allows for it, bench seating complete with storage compartments is a great way to store seasonal clothes like winter boots in the summer or umbrellas in the winter. • Pet stairs - if you have a small pet that needs help to climb onto the bed or sofa, build a set of small stairs for them that allow for their toys, blankets and such to fit inside. With a little creativity and elbow grease, it's easy to add additional storage to your home to give home to any excess items you accumulate this winter.

CANADIAN WINTER FACTS

Do you find it cold this winter? Enjoying the snow? Here are some interesting records from winters past. • Canada's coldest recorded temperature was back in February 1947, in Snag, YT. A frigid -62.8˚C! • The coldest windchill ever recorded in Canada was -91˚C in January 1989 in Pelly Bay, NT when the ambient air temperature was -51˚C. • In February of 1999, a record amount of 145 cm of snow fell in one day covering the town of Tahtsa Lake, BC. That’s over 4.5 feet of snow in a day!