Decor: 5 Steps to Successfully Decorate Your Living room

1. How to choose your sofa?

The centerpiece of the living room, the sofa must be carefully chosen. First, set yourself a budget and note the maximum dimensions that a sofa can reach in order to fit into the room. You can then define the style and level of comfort that corresponds to your expectations and needs (presence of young children? Animal? Duration and frequency of use?). So you can opt for a leather or textile sofa, corner or fixed ... Once selected, the important thing is to install it correctly and in the right place. Often placed against a wall to gain space, the sofa can also be placed across the room if it is large enough. Finally, it can also materialize the separation between two rooms, like the living room and the dining room.

2. What provision for your furniture?

The furniture in your living room must be chosen to take into account, among other things, their strength as well as their dimensions. The layout, it is made according to your tastes, your lifestyle and your needs, including storage. And for a bright living room, it is better to avoid dark or dark curtains and privilege light curtains that give the room of clarity and an impression of vastness.

3. Lighting, more than just a detail!

Multifunction, the living room must meet different lighting requirements, depending on the activities in the room. For example, to read, watch a movie or have lunch with the family, the needs are not at all the same. To overcome this, there are solutions adapted to all activities (wall-mounted reading light, suspended luminaire, chandelier ...). Multiplying lighting sources (direct, mixed or indirect) can also be a solution to gain brightness. For the spotlight, choose suspensions and spotlights, while LED light, table lamp, and digital wall clock are ideal for decorating the space with bright spots and thus personalize the whole.

4. The importance of floor

As a rule, the living room is an important place of passage. This implies that the floor of the room must combine comfort and robustness. As such, tiling is an often preferred option, especially since it comes in many finishes, including imitation wood with a grain more true than nature! PVC and lino floors are also good solutions. Practical and economical, they exist in several colors and finishes. Another possibility: the massive parquet floor. But be careful, although it offers a unique charm inside the room, it requires meticulous maintenance and remains to be avoided if the home has young children.

5. For decoration, a motto: creativity

When designing your living room, well-being must remain at the center of your concerns. So do not hesitate to decorate it in a personalized way to make you feel comfortable. You can particularly inspire blogs and magazines dedicated to decorating where tips are not lacking! To control your budget, flea markets and troc-chips are ideal places to look and enjoy yourself at a mini price ... You will find your happiness! Finally, with a little patience and know-how, you can give a second life to old furniture or even make your own decorative objects!

How to Clean Your Solar Garden Light?

Solar garden lights ensure that your garden stays on at night at no charge at all. As they operate on solar energy, they are one of the best environmentally friendly solutions for outdoor lighting. Keeping them clean and well maintained will prevent additional expenses.

Step 1 - Preparations

The first thing you have to do is to use your solar light instructions so that you can disassemble your lights. By this way, you can be able to access the solar panels inside. Remember to be very careful when removing the solar garden lights because they can be fragile.

Step 2 - Cleaning the solar battery

Once you have disassembled your lights you should be able to locate the solar battery. It is important to take it out of the luminaire in order to clean it properly. First of all, you need to check if there is any oxidation (compound with a whitish ash color) where the contact is making plastic and packing the cell. If the batteries have oxidized, clean them with a small soft brush: this should be easy because the oxidation will be dry and brush easily. Also be sure to clean the areas of contact with the fixture. If your solar battery has been in use for more than a year and has not been working properly for a while, you should consider replacing it, especially if it keeps malfunctioning after removing the oxidation from it.

Step 3 - Clean the solar panel

It is important to keep the solar panel clean especially since this is the only source of energy your lights have. Try to clean it at least once a month. When you do this, you should use a moist lint-free cloth and wipe gently on the collector panel. Be sure to remove any dust, dirt, or dirt that can accumulate over time. Keep in mind that these solar garden lights are placed outside, so that dirt, dust, and insects will be easily dropped on top of the panel. It is very important to keep the solar panel clean and it is even more important to wipe gently. Do not brush the panel down because it is a very delicate piece. Once you have cleaned the panel you can wipe it off with a dry cloth.

Step 4 - Finish the installation

After cleaning the panel, you can turn your attention to the outer casing of the solar garden lights that you have disassembled your first step. You can wipe them with a damp cloth or wash them in a sink if they are made of glass or plastic. Be sure to dry them thoroughly before refitting the lights. Once the lights are cleaned upside down, you can use the solar garden light instructions to re-assemble your fixture as it was before the cleaning job.

This is one of the best ways to clean your solar garden lights. Remember that it is very important to clean them regularly so that sunlight is not obstructed from reaching the collector panel, especially since that is the only source of energy these lights have.

Xiaomi Mijia Honeywell Fire Alarm

The Xiaomi Mijia Honeywell fire alarm will greatly increase the level of fire safety in your household. Being easy to install and attach, this smoke detector can be used virtually anywhere. It can be used independently as a regular smoke detector or as a smart fire alarm when synchronized with the Xiaomi multifunctional gateway. It is powered by a CR123A 3V battery (not included) that will bring a year of waiting. In addition, your smoke alarm gives occasional inspection reminders. As a result, it will always be in good condition to protect your family from potential fire hazards.

When used individually, this Xiaomi smart fire alarm will emit a loud alarm of 80 dB. To take full advantage of its potential, you can synchronize it with the Xiaomi Gateway. When this is done, it provides you with remote alerts on your phone whenever smoke is detected. Thanks to this, you will always be informed of the state of your property even if you are not there.

With its photoelectric smoke sensor, this fire alarm is able to detect smaller amounts of smoke. With this high-quality equipment, your property is always protected. From now on, you can leave with confidence. The Xiaomi smart Fire Alarm will keep you informed and will inform you of any potential risks even when you are away from home.

This smoke detector comes with a 12-month warranty from leading electronics and electronic gadgets.

Functionalities

Manufacturer Specifications

General

Material: plastic

Wireless: ZigBee

A sound level of the alarm: 80dB or higher

Battery: CR123A 3V

Standby time: about 1 year

Name of the APP: Mi Home

Working temperature: -10 to 55 degrees Celsius

Remote alarm

Supported Android and iOS versions: Android 4.4 / iOS 8.0 or higher

Note: This device can be used standalone, an additional function must match the Xiaomi Gateway (CVAII-I549)

Dimensions

Main product dimensions: 90x 90x 35mm (L x W x D)

Main product weight: 89 g

The weight/size is for the main item of this canned product, to help you compare product sizes before buying: do not base your shipping calculations on this price. Shipping prices depend on the contents of your shopping cart, shipping destination, and shipping method: use Checkout to select options and preview the shipping price for your total order.

Product Notes

Note: This device can be used standalone, an additional function must match the Xiaomi Gateway (CVAII-I549)

Package contents

Detector

Drums

Gummed paper

Screws

Enjoy the following benefits:

Orders and shipments within 1 business day

12 months warranty

QC internally

Discounts for members

Award-winning customer support

Quantity order reductions

International delivery

Certification: CE, FCC, RoHS

Which Thermostat to Choose? Basic Guide to Thermostat Types

Lately, one of the terms that are most in vogue is the thermostat. At this time, the terms related to air conditioning begin to become more relevant and appear more frequently in the media. There are many options that are presented to us in the market but, do we really know what they sell us?

With this post, we try to help you to know this world a little better. Thus, you will know how to differentiate with criteria between the different denominations and models.

WHAT IS A THERMOSTAT?

The conventional thermostat is basically a device that allows to increase or decrease the temperature of a space or zone.

The first models that began to be commercialized were analog versions. They usually had a wheel that was used to regulate the temperature. Later, the digital versions arrived. The wheel disappeared and a digital screen was incorporated in which the degrees were displayed, which were raised or lowered through buttons or keys.

WHAT IS A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT?

Programmable thermostats, also known as chronothermostats, represented the next step in the evolution of air conditioning controllers. They allow presenting a certain temperature for a specific time or moment. This functionality makes it possible for us to establish daily, weekly or seasonal schedules so that they adapt to the rhythm of life of the users of the installation.

Over a long period of time, these types of interfaces almost completely covered the topicality of air conditioning controllers.

WHAT IS A SMART THERMOSTAT?

The smart thermostat is the last evolutionary step in the development of thermostats. These devices are based on different algorithms of comfort, efficiency or temperature, among others, to "understand" the habits of the user, promote a more rational use of energy and take a detailed control of the temperature. The main thermostats can present, depending on the model, some of the following advantages:

The ability to know exactly how much you are spending at each moment

Remote temperature control through mobile devices

Know the price of energy

Help you optimize savings

Know the weather conditions

Set time schedules and modify them when the user wants

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A SMART THERMOSTAT?

Smart thermostats can help us achieve great savings on the electricity bill. Taking into account that the cost of air conditioning can represent up to 40% of the total energy consumption of a home, any small detail can make a big difference. The more factors that are controlled, the easier it will be to carry out a logical use of the air conditioning system.

The control through the smartphone or tablet is indispensable today since it opens the door to an absolute control of all the conditions at any time. Enjoy the possibility that your favorite device is transformed into a WiFi thermostat through which you can customize all the factors that are part of the savings and no additional external details such as the price of energy in real time represent a more than noticeable plus use. A very exclusive option.

However, what is perhaps one of the most important aspects is to know if the thermostat can be integrated and properly control our installation. The units or air conditioning machines have different technologies that may not be compatible with the thermostat. It may even be that several technologies or types of machine coexist in the same house, which makes the possibilities of compatibility even more difficult.

In this sense, Xiaomi thermostat is postulated as one of the ideal options. it combines the possibility of integrating into any type of installation and offers a user experience according to the current needs, in addition to presenting an attractive and modern aesthetic. Another added advantage of its control interface is that it can help you achieve energy savings that translates into economic savings thanks, among other factors, to the energy efficiency algorithms that we will discuss in future posts.

CONCLUSIONS

In short, it follows a defined criterion. We recommend focusing on three factors:

1. Guide yourself to your needs and choose an option that fits what you need.

2. Look for the aesthetic-functionality tandem. Many manufacturers offer exclusive design and have great shortcomings in the technical part, which is what really affects your home and your comfort and savings.

3. Choose a brand that offers a guarantee. Look for prestigious companies in this sector that offer coverage when you need it. Experience is a degree.

Outdoor Camera: a Wireless Surveillance Camera

An outdoor surveillance camera aims to avoid intrusions, day or night, thanks to its infrared night vision. The outdoor camera can work wireless (via wifi or IP) and detects any suspicious movement. It is also possible to have external remote surveillance video with your smartphone or to recover the flow of the camera on the cloud.

What are the types of outdoor camera?

Two major types of outdoor cameras coexist. There is, on the one hand, the outdoor camera with wire, and on the other hand, the wireless outdoor camera. For the latter, we often talk about WiFi camera or IP camera. In addition, these monitoring systems have a wide variety of features.

Outdoor camera with wire

This model of outdoor camera is the most complex to install because it requires to be able to establish wired connections. As a result, the installation must be designed and articulated so that the system can be perfectly connected.

Wireless outdoor camera

Accompanied by the development of connected objects, the Digoo wireless camera is more and more frequent. These systems for outdoor surveillance, have the advantage of being able to be installed very easily and to have a particularly comfortable use. Indeed, thanks to the WiFi, it is possible to direct the flow generated by the video to your mobile phone, and thus to check the security of your home from the screen of it. You will also be able to consult the video from your web browser (firefox, chrome, ...).

An outdoor camera according to its use

It is possible to choose a different outdoor camera according to the uses that you will have in your surveillance system. There are three main types of outdoor cameras:

1. The outdoor camera with a case: This model has the advantage of being resistant to shocks and attempts to vandalize it. However, being inside the case, the maintenance of your monitoring device can be complicated.

2. The infrared camera: It is necessary if you wish to be able to film the night.

3. The mini-dome outdoor camera: This is the most protected model against vandalism. Its dome shape also gives you the option of providing a lens with a larger angle to optimize your surveillance system.

The housings and the mini-dome model also guarantee the waterproofness of your camera, essential for being placed permanently outside. In order to guarantee this tightness, it is sufficient to check that your external monitoring system complies with the IP66 standard.

Other features of an outdoor camera

Many other features can be added to your outdoor camera to ensure the effectiveness of the monitoring system. Among its features, we find:

1. The infrared camera that make itself night vision camera through the integration of LEDs.

2. A vari-focal lens that adjusts the angle of the shot.

3. The D-WDR feature that corrects backlighting and allows your video to be actionable no matter the time of day.

4. A license plate reading module that will allow your camera to find them perfectly and thus ensure good visibility.

5. Noise detectors that can trigger video recording or guide your camera if it is equipped with motors.

How to install an outdoor camera?

Several steps are required to install an outdoor camera. First, you need to choose where you will install your security system. Keep in mind during this step that if you choose a wired camera, it will be necessary to define places through which this cable will pass in order to connect the camera to your surveillance system.

You can then install and connect your cameras and connect them to your surveillance system. The installation of the outdoor cameras such as Digoo wireless camera is becoming easier, especially in the case of a WiFi camera. The installation of this one is based on the model "plug and play": it is enough to connect it and to connect it to the WiFi.

Finally, we note that it is possible to set your outdoor camera with zoning options. So if you do not want a specific part of your camera's field to be seen in the video, you can blur it. This function, more useful for an indoor camera than an outdoor camera, is particularly important if parts outside your property could be filmed for example.

How to Light a Garden or Terrace?

What's more enjoyable than spending summer evenings outside, in the garden or on the terrace? Not much, for sure ... However, if there is a decisive element in the atmosphere that will clear your outside, it is the light!

Indeed, you may have the most beautiful outside of the world, if it is not enlightened, you will miss a "wow" effect. On the contrary, if your garden is cluttered and you have stadium lights that expose all this mess, you miss the primary purpose of lighting: create an atmosphere!

So, in this article, we give you some tips for the successful lighting of the terrace or garden.

Set a goal for lighting your outdoors

Before investing in the lighting of your garden or terrace, ask yourself what will serve it. Maybe you want to create a sweet and romantic atmosphere at the end of the day and in the evening? Maybe you have a shaded bench or garden corner that you need to light for security reasons? A path that crosses the garden and you want to put forward with lighting that will mark its limits? You may want to highlight some features of your garden like a water fountain, a pool or a small pond?

Ask yourself these questions early in the project to buy the right equipment and be sure you can do it all.

Draw a picture of your garden or terrace

After having defined the reasons why you want to light your exterior, draw a sketch of your garden or terrace. Include in this sketch the existing lights, structures, benches, chairs, trees, and shrubs, as well as the vegetation and decorations of the garden. Each of these elements will reflect the light or absorb it ... This is why it is important to estimate the height of each object, especially the foliage.

Decide where to place all your lights

Now that you have your goals and you have the design of your garden, match each goal to specific places on your deck. You can light a bench along a small path with streetlight type lighting placed behind.

A soft mood can be achieved by hiding your solar garden lights under the shrubs. A trail may require a series of small pickets along its edge on one or both sides. A fountain may be embellished with an underwater spotlight, and a water point may have soft lighting around its perimeter. Moreover, if you want to know how to save water in your garden, do not hesitate to consult this page.

Once again, it is your tastes that will determine the best lighting for your garden because you will live with and enjoy it on a daily basis.

Feel free to send us your photos of your gardens enlightened in the comments.

Banggood Offers Great Discounts and Deals at Its Mid-Year Sale

June is the sixth month of the calendar year, marking the end of the first half of the year, and start of the second half. The mid-year online sale, one of the largest online sales in China is coming with almost all major online shopping websites participating. Earlier in May, the online shopping websites had been finalizing their marketing strategy so that they could gain a large market share in the important mid-year sale, competing with other online shopping sites.

Introducing Banggood

Banggood, one of the largest and most popular Chinese retailers, is preparing to compete with other online shopping sites for the annual mid-year sale in June. The company was established in the year 2009, and in the past nine years, it has worked hard to greatly improve its customer support, logistics, and product quality. This has helped Banggood become one of the most popular online retailers for shopping for customers worldwide. It is not the first time for Banggood to hold the mid-year sale so it feels confident enough to satisfy its customers from worldwide by offering the latest high-quality products at extremely affordable prices and devoting a lot of resources and money to preparing for the sale.

According to the CEO of Banggood, Zhouxin, the online retailer is offering a wide range excellent discounts and free gifts on various products as part of the online sale. The company has upgraded the hardware, software, user interface and its customer service to meet the anticipated increase in orders during the mid-year sale.

Banggood launches online sale

Officially Banggood's mid-year sale is scheduled to begin on June 27 and end on June 29. However, it will actually start on June 12 as part of the warm up to official sale date. During the sale, coupons for getting an 80% discount, free gifts, snap-ups and other promotional deals will be offered to help customers save money. Country-specific deals, activities, and promotions for Russia, Spain, India, Italy, and Portugal are also planned by Banggood.

Future prospects

From the year 2009 onward, Banggood has been planning to make the mid-year sale, an annual event, holding it usually in the middle of the month of June. Banggood promises its customers, that it will work hard to improve its annual sale events so that loyal customers can look forward to getting a better deal every year while shopping online.

Xiaomi Ventures Again: It Present the First Bed of the Company

We must accept that the Xiaomi crowdfunding platform has been a real success. Thanks to it, the company has managed to launch unthinkable articles and products, especially those away from technology. But to achieve this, the Asian brand has been joined by multiple manufacturers to advise each other and hand in hand to launch great merchandise to the market. Thus, under the rule that there are no limits, Xiaomi every day is reaching more and more corners of all segments, leaving us clear that it seeks to become the leader of everything that is proposed.

Now, among all the number of daily releases we know of the company, today we learn that finally has launched a practical bed that follows its style of minimalist design. This received great public support in crowdfunding so it has seen the light at a price of only 1199 yuan (approximately $ 188 or € 160 to change). But it is important to note that this price is only for the bed. However, in China, there is the promotion of including the headboard, the mattress, the installation and assembly and a chest for about $ 470 (€ 400).

Store everything you need in Xiaomi's bed

When we mention that it is a very practical bed, it is not just a saying. When being without mattress we can see that its frame is formed by compartments to keep all kinds of objects; especially sheets, quilts, pillows, towels, among other things. Although space is only separated from the mattress by a chest, this does not affect at all in terms of comfort.

If we talk about the header, one of its variants comes with ends where we can find small shelves that will also serve to store what we like. It can be from books to clothes. But if this is not attractive or necessary, it is possible to choose that the headboard is lined with fabric in three shades: dark gray, light gray and reddish. Its measurements for the standard model are the following:

Resistance and durability

It should be noted that the bed frame was reinforced to withstand the passage of time. Above all, special attention was placed on areas such as the legs and the head, where wear is usually premature and usually appear during daily use.

In addition to everything, you can choose the most convenient design for your furniture. In addition to the lining mentioned above, you can also simply choose it without compartments on the sides or you can even place your order emphasizing that the bed should not have legs. Apparently, of the 200 beds that had been thought to sell at first, until a few hours ago they had already managed to sell half; We firmly believe that by now, their existence has been exhausted.

Do not forget to follow us there and if you want to know more about the products.

Xiaomi Wine Bottle Opener With Smart Features

Xiaomi is a company that seeks to do everything and for everyone. Based on this, always try to have their products have some intelligent or technological aspect, however basic they are in their original state. An example of this is Hello World t-shirts, standard and simple white garments that will never get dirty with drinks because they are water repellent. In fact, they are so incredible that many wonder if at the time of washing them they are equally waterproof. Now, today's product is not so widely used, it is restricted to a select wine-loving population. We are talking about a simple wine bottle opener, but Xiaomi's is a little out of the ordinary because it includes intelligent features.

An intelligent wine bottle opener?

If you like wine, this article is perfect for you. Born under the famous crowdfunding platform company and through the sub houhou (manufacturer also other tools like a knife set ) has measures 22cm high and 4.8 wide.

This new opener which is one of Xiaomi smart home products has a great design because its body is completely black in two tones: matt and bright; this contrast is due to its manufacture in plastic and resin of high quality. All construction materials have been tested under strict sanitary tests to be a product that does not harm the health of users.

Now comes the interesting thing, what makes this device technological? Inside is a 500mAh battery charged to power the motor responsible for opening the bottle in just 6 seconds. It will offer an autonomy of approximately 2 and a half hours of continuous use. In turn, it can be recharged by a micro USB socket. In addition to the bottle opener, the package includes, a USB cable and a user manual.

Price and availability of the Xiaomi bottle opener

It is currently available in the company's various Chinese stores at only 99 yuan (approximately $ 15 or € 13) but we hope that it will soon be part of the select range of import products, but surely at a higher price.

Do you like technology? Do you want to keep abreast of the news, articles and keep up to date on the news that Xiaomi and other brands have for you? If so, we cordially invite you to follow us on our blog so you do not miss a single detail.

How to Maintain The Pampas Grass?

 A magnificent, large-scale grass, the grass of the pampas, adorns with its wavy presence and feathery inflorescences the center of a lawn or an open corner of the garden. Let's see how to maintain it so that it remains splendid for many years.

Get to know the pampas grass better

Cortaderia selloana, better known as 'Pampa Grass', is a large grass native to the temperate zones of South America. The plant can reach nearly 3 meters in height. It forms a large clump of about 2 meters spreading with linear leaves, thin, green slightly arched and sharp edges.

At the end of the summer silver feathery inflorescences, gradually tingling with pink or purple, emerge from the center of the tuft. They continue long months floating gracefully in the air.

How to maintain the grass of the pampas?

Once properly installed this sturdy plant does not need any watering or fertilizer. Only a few large operations will serve to make it look good.

Bring sharp pruning shears and protect yourself with gloves so you do not cut yourself with the leaves.

In early winter, cut the flower stalks at their base, you can keep them in dry bunches. To do this, dry the head upside down and spray them with hairspray.

Then remove all the faded leaves, then cut the leaves that you estimate in excess to maintain a beautiful silhouette to the plant;

If you live in a cool area, tie the leaves together to form a straight tuft so you can easily cover it with a wintering veil or make a coat around it with dry dead leaves. This one will then be maintained by a fence placed all around the plant.

In spring it will be enough to remove the protections so that your plant regains all its vigor!

Tip: in the sweetest areas like the south of France or the Breton coast, no need for protection.

Purple pampas grass, invasive plant

This plant is considered an invasive species; It has established itself in many regions thanks to its exceptional adaptability and its particularly efficient reproduction. Indeed, a single plant can disseminate seeds over a radius of 25 km. It monopolizes the site and captures light and nutrients to the detriment of species already present. Some municipalities of Morbihan, Finistere or Ile and Vilaine are trying to destroy it. It is the pure and hard pulling of the plant and its roots then the sheeting of the zone so that residues of roots do not develop.

The size of the inflorescences is a gentler way of fighting, but only against the spread of the species. The flower stems will be cut off as soon as they develop before they have time to go to seed.

Did you know?

A large tuft of grass from the pampas can serve as a refuge for many animals, including hedgehogs. Go easy on size operations and do not put fire especially as it is sometimes recommended!