If you have children, you know how easy it is for them to get into anything and everything. Whether it’s cupboards in the kitchen, or pens from the drawer, our little ones have a gift for creating messes. Your child may have even discovered the floor vents in your home. It may simply be a nuisance for you, like trying to fish your car keys or Legos out of the vent. But what about when it becomes a safety concern for the child? They could cut themselves on sharp edges or getting a leg stuck in the hole. Is there a better way to childproof your floor vents? Absolutely. Keep reading to find four ways to keep your kid and your keys safe.

Secure your registers

If your child likes to play peek-a-book with the inside of your floor vent it may be a good idea to secure the register. You can do this by screwing metal or nailing wooden register into the floor. Or you can try using double-sided tape or Velcro on the underside of your register to keep them down on the floor where they belong without putting holes in your register or floor.

Close it off

Obviously, we don’t mean closing off your floor vent completely. But there is a way to close it off and keep things from going down your vent while allowing air to continue to flow. Try using some window screen material and taping it down inside your floor vent to contain anything that is tossed inside. You could also try a dryer sheet or cheesecloth to close off the vent. This will make it much easier for you to collect toys from the vent and hopefully make it a little less appealing for your little one.

Cover it up

Hopefully the fascination with your floor vents is just a phase. Try to outlast your child by putting furniture over the vent that will still allow air to flow, but restricts their access to it. It may be a pain to move furniture, but it is a free way to childproof your floor vents until your child loses interest and moves on to another entertaining activity.

Use plastic

While this may not solve the issue of objects going down the floor vent you can easily avoid cuts and sharp edges by switching out metal registers for plastic ones. They are easy to find at your local hardware store and are a quick fix to avoid potential harm to your child.

The key with any of these solutions is to keep your child safe and keep the air in your home flowing, without compromising access to your vents (for adults, of course). Keeping your little one and their toys out of your floor vents can help you avoid airflow issues. And when it comes time to have your vents cleaned or you call Complete Heating and Air for any other services, you want to make sure their trained professionals have easy access to your entire HVAC system; floor vents included.

Unless you’ve done your research, smart thermostats can remain a bit of a mystery. What makes them better than a traditional thermostat and how are they “smart”? There are many benefits to a smart thermostat, but two of the biggest benefits to investing in one is the amount of money and time you will save.

Saves you money

Upfront a smart thermostat is going to cost more than a traditional or programmable thermostat. But investing in such a high-tech piece will save you money in the long run. How?

A smart thermostat really starts to save you money when you begin to take advantage of all of the information and technology available to you through a smart thermostat. First off a smart thermostat is, well, smart. It learns your behaviors and habits. Over time, it can predict what temperatures you prefer and when you prefer it.

Like a programmable thermostat, you can set your smart thermostat to specific temperatures at specific times of day. This will help you save on energy and your energy bills by avoiding wasteful heating or cooling when no one is around to enjoy it.

But one thing that sets the smart thermostat apart from a programmable one is that your smart thermostat will be able to tell you just how much energy you’re using before your bill arrives. If you really want to stick to a certain amount on your next bill, following the direct feedback from your smart thermostat will get you there.

Besides real-time energy consumption, your smart thermostat can inform you and self-adjust to unique circumstances. For example, excess humidity, or an extra heat in the kitchen if you’re baking. By making adjustments and corrections automatically you will have a more consistent temperature and be able to save more on your monthly bills. Don’t forget the ability to remotely access your thermostat from your smartphone!

Saves you time

Your smart thermostat will save you lots of time. Think of all the automatic adjustments your smart thermostat has the ability to make – and it makes them on its own! If you had a traditional thermostat or even a programmable one, you would still have to manually adjust the temperature for special circumstances like baking, humidity, changes in the weather, etc. It may only take a few seconds to make adjustments on your thermostat but it all adds up to time you’re spending pressing buttons!

One of the biggest ways your smart thermostat can save you time is by thinking for you. If your thermostat has the ability to calculate and predict energy usage, it means you don’t have to do any tracking or calculating yourself. You can leave the time you spend thinking about how and when to set your thermostat instead to your thermostat. This gives you the freedom to think about other things while giving you the most efficient and money-saving thermostat available.

If you’re interested in a smart thermostat call Complete Heating and Air. Locally owned and operated, Complete Heating and Air can give you the personalized attention to go over pros and cons of a smart theromstat so that you can make the best decision for your home

With summer just around the corner you may start to notice the changes in weather more and more around your home. You may have even started to feel it in your sleep. Have you been uncomfortable and unable to fall asleep? Do you wake up in the middle of the night sweating? Maybe you have no trouble falling asleep only to wake up again a few hours later. The problem might not be insomnia, but rather you may not have set your AC to the Ideal Sleeping Temperature.

It may seem too good to be true, but simply adjusting your thermostat could have you sleeping like a baby in no time. Today we’ll share with you the Ideal Sleeping Temperature. But before revealing the magic number, there are some things you should know about your body, sleep and temperature.

How It Works

Temperature plays an important role in a good night’s sleep. When you sleep, the temperature your brain tries to achieve decreases. Your body temperature drops to initiate sleep. So when the room temperature isn’t conducive to the temperature your body is trying to set for itself, you’re going to have a hard time falling and staying asleep.

Ideal Sleeping Temperature

So what is the perfect temperature? Most experts agree that 60-72 degrees is the ideal AC temperature for sleep. You may be curious why the range is so large. The truth is the Ideal Sleeping Temperature can vary drastically from person to person. A good idea is to start off in the 65-70 range and adjust from there. If you’re shivering, your room is probably too cold. A room that’s too cold with sheets that are too thin could also cause your body to lock in heat to stay warm, thus upping your core temperature and disturb your sleep. If you have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep or are sweating, your room might be too warm.

Other Sleeping Variables

Besides your body temperature and the room temperature, there are other factors you might not think about. For example, don’t forget to consider your sheets, pajamas and even your pillow. Your room might be 60 degrees, the fabric type and thickness could leave your body feeling much warmer than that.

Avoid memory foam pillows; while they are comfortable and conform to the shape of your head, it could easily make you too hot. If you share your bed with a spouse, the temperature balance becomes even more delicate. Not only will another body add extra heat, but each person will have different temperature preferences too.

Not Just The AC

Remember, not only is room temperature important for falling asleep but it also affects your quality of REM sleep. So do your best to choose the correct Ideal Sleeping Temperature for your body. You can also promote good sleep by keeping your room dark and quiet. Cold feet can be a surefire way of waking you up in the night, so why not add some socks! Warm feet will help dilate blood vessels faster helping your body reach its ideal internal thermostat setting.

Instead of keeping your house set at 60 degrees all summer long, why not call Sandy Heating & Air Conditioning to install a programmable thermostat. Then your home will automatically adjust to your ideal sleep temperature in the evenings, and conserve energy during the day.