Are you thinking upping your home technology game? If you’re a movie buff, sports fan or video game expert, having a home theater system can give the experience of being in a large movie theater without having to leave your home. You can stream your favorite movie without the hassle of waiting in line for tickets or having to sit in a crowded theater. Your home theater can be as comfortable as you want for those weekends of binge watching a new TV show or playing that video game you per-ordered. Check out these three benefits of home theater systems:

If you’ve been planning a Star Wars marathon with your family or friends, having a home theater will take you to a galaxy far, far away and immerse you into the epic space battles that will make you feel like a kid again. You can drastically change your movie-watching experience from a typical hangout in the living room to a movie night experience. After a long week of work or school, your family can unwind together by selecting your favorite film and relaxing in your pajamas.

Owning a home theater system is a must for sports enthusiasts. You can invite your friends over every Sunday and watch the game on a huge screen with surround sound. Rather than watching the game on a regular TV in the living room, you could be lying in front of a high definition television that will make you feel like you are inside the stadium.

Playing your favorite video games on the big screen can enhance your game-play experience. You can journey with Link throughout Hyrule and immerse yourself in the vast expanse of landscapes that video games create. Beautiful imagery and the surround sound effects that are a part of a home theater can completely change how you play your video games. Single-player video games are all about immersion, and there is no better way to get into the game than with a high-quality home theater system.

Crystal chandeliers have come a long way from the days as traditional, stately pieces only enjoyed in the most formal of spaces and positioned to impress guests in the dining room or the foyer. Crystal’s are found in various lighting applications of all shapes and sizes and their sparkling, elegant affect is energizing areas of the home from powder room and office to kitchen and bath.

More crystal means more cleaning, but it does not have to be too taxing. A few simple guidelines will help to keep your crystal chandeliers looking their best.

How to clean it

If you do not wish to remove the crystal components from the piece, you can use a spray. After the piece is sprayed, wipe off the solution with white cotton gloves. Crystal chandelier manufacturer Schonbek recommends a solution of one part isopropyl alcohol to three parts distilled water, while Waterford’’s chief lighting designer Billy Canning says hot soapy water will do the trick. Both agree that special cleaning formulas aren’’t needed.

“A real no-no in the area of cleaning chandeliers: …If the chandelier is adorned with a traditional polished gold finish or polished silver finish but it i’s not stainless steel, people will use these sprays that you can buy,” says Eileen Schonbek Beer, Creative Director for Schonbek Worldwide Lighting. “Basically, what the manufacturers say is you spray the chandelier and let the stuff drip off, that cleans the crystal. But in fact what it does is ruin the frames of the chandelier.”

If more aggressive cleaning is needed, the crystal parts will need to be removed from the frame. The crystals can then be hand-washed in soapy water, rinsed clean and dried with a cloth. Schonbek provides trim diagrams that detail reassembly of the chandelier.

For dusting between cleanings, Schonbek recommends using a feather duster, lambswool duster or a make-up brush.

How often to clean it

In general, crystal should be cleaned every two to six months. The frequency of cleaning required depends on where it is used and how easy it is to get to the piece.  According to Canning, extremely large pieces like 20-foot chandeliers can get away with being cleaned only once a year.

Since crystal lighting is being featured in virtually every room of the house these days, some pieces may need more frequent cleanings based on their location. Chandeliers used in kitchens will need more detailed cleaning due to oil and grease buildup, as well as dust sticking to the components due to moisture from sinks and stoves.

“The beauty of crystal, of course, is the prismatic refraction of the light passing through the crystal ornament,” says Beer. “So the minute it’s got any kind of residue of dust or even moisture — like in moist climates in Florida — the humidity will cause dust to adhere to the crystal and the salt in the air will kind of make it cloudy. So you actually have to clean crystal pretty regularly.”

Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule for crystal will always keep it sparkling. Yet if a piece is neglected, all it takes is a little extra effort with the methods listed above to make it shine like new.

“In my personal experience, I have been asked by many auction houses to identify Waterford products many times,” says Canning. “In most cases the difficulty with identification would have been that the chandelier was allowed to get dirty and the crystal would appear dull. But in all cases, when properly cleaned, they can look as good as the day they were bought.”

For the Chore-Challenged

For customers who aren’t ready to get into the nitty gritty of cleaning their crystal by hand, suggest the Da Vinci chandelier from the Geometrix collection by Schonbek. The crystals stay attached to a stainless steel frame that can be placed directly in the dishwasher. The Da Vinci is available in a 10-inch or 36-inch diameter. The only Da Vinci that will not make it to the dishwasher is the dramatic 5-foot model.

If you want to keep your home from becoming one of the many homes each year that catch fire due to faulty wiring, then you should consider home rewiring in Manassas. Having working electricity is one thing, but you need reliable wiring to go along with it or else you risk putting the safety of everyone in your household on the line. All too often homeowners will allow their wiring to worsen and worsen until it’s much too late and they’re wondering why exactly their home is bombarded with electrical problems.

Home rewiring in Manassas is a crucial step in ensuring you have the safest and most effective electricity in your home, but you may be wondering when the time is right to make the call. Please observe these 5 common signs that the time for rewiring is imminent:

Without proper lighting, the details in your furniture and artwork at first sight go unnoticed. Careful lighting design gives dimension and texture, revealing the articulacy of your home décor. Creating the proper lighting setup lies in finding the correct spacing, fixtures and functions for each room. Every lighting technique brings you closer to customization and works together to establish a healthy balance between posh and practicality.

Consider adding toe kick lighting under the counters of your kitchen or bathroom to balance light between the ceiling and floor. It’s subtle yet useful, and provides an extra cushion of safety. Toe kick lighting arrangements also bring depth to unlikely spaces.

Don’t neglect the nooks and crannies of your home; light them up. Take advantage of layering through the use of key, task and accent lighting. Key lighting will provide basic light function overhead. If used alone, it will provide flat, uninteresting light.

Reading lamps are the perfect approach to task lighting and can be placed on your bedside table or next to your favorite lounge chair. And, accent lighting gives the finishing touch. It highlights details that slip under the radar if left in the dark. Add accent lights to illuminate intricate artwork, plants, cabinet silhouettes and wall textures.

We are giving away 1 ceiling fan to a lucky winner!  Best of all, it comes with installation!  To be eligible to win you must:  Like our page and share this post.  That is it!  Winner will be drawn October 30th, 2016.  *

Fall is fast approaching.  For many its there favorite time of year.  Mild days and cool nights make it a great opportunity to open up some windows and let some fresh air in!  Ceiling fans are a great solution to move some air around.  Many modern day home layouts don’t allow for much cross ventilation depending on the window alignment.  With a ceiling fan installed it easy to get that air moving again.  A ceiling fan can even reduce your energy consumption by up to 30%!  Who wouldn’t want to save 30% on there energy cost?

A chemical free deterrent to bugs and mosquitoes can be as simple as turning on your ceiling fan.  It is a known fact that the wind reduces the amount of air born insects around you.   Also the wind dilutes and blows away the carbon dioxide you exhale.  Similar to why airplanes have trouble landing in high wind so do bugs?  They often seek protection during high winds or try to avoid them all together.

A ceiling fan should only be properly installed by a trained electrician.  We often find ceiling fans installed on plastic boxes or boxes with the wrong size screws.  Can you imagine a ceiling fan rotating at high speeds and weighting 30 to 50 pounds falling from your ceiling?  We have seen ceiling fans that have even fell on a child’s bed due to improper installation.  Thank goodness no one was hurt in that case!

A under sized ceiling fan wont be as effect as a properly sized ceiling fan.  Also, ceiling fans should be installed at a minimum of 7′ off the floor, 20-30 inches from walls and 10-18 inches from ceiling to increase there effectiveness.  Also consider features of the ceiling fan such as the light quality, remote option, and number of speeds.  As the old saying goes ” you get what you pay for” this is also true when it comes to ceiling fans.  Cheap fans are usually more wobbly, nosier, and don’t last as long.  Spend what you can afford but try not to buy the cheapest fan possible.  Search for name brands such as Casablanca, Emerson, Minka and other high quality fans.  Unless your truly a handy individual and know the electrical code when it comes to proper ceiling fan installation you should have a professional install your ceiling fan.  Contact us today to have one of our trained, trusted, and background checked electricians install your fan and put the cool back in that room!

*To be eligible for ceiling fan giveaway you must live within 20 miles of the 50325 zip code.  For installation you must currently have a ceiling fan or light fixture installed and location installation of choice.  Box supporting existing light fixture or ceiling fan must be rated for a ceiling fan.

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