Among all the household chores at home, ironing clothes seems to be the most boring chore to me. So normally I would buy clothes that are with non creased fabric; but it is not possible to buy all your clothes with non creased fabric. So when it comes to ironing my clothes, I would liked to get it done easily and as quickly as possible. Having a quality steam iron had helped me to reduce the time and effort in ironing my clothes. What do I go for when choosing a good steam iron? Besides looking at the budget in which I am willing to pay; there are a few features that I would looked for when buying a steam iron. Remember the more features there are, generally it means that the steam iron will also cost more.

a) a good steam iron must be easy to use, durable, anti slip and looks good in my home.

b) the soleplate of the steam iron must be non stick and scratch resistant.

c)  the iron should be able to generate a strong steam so that creased fabric can be worked on very quickly.

d) the water tank should be large enough, preferably above 300ml in capacity.

f) the steam iron must have a long cord preferably having a 360 degrees swivel – this will make ironing easy.

g) the weight of the iron must not be too light nor too heavy. I think weight is rather subjective. So long as you are comfortable with it, that is all that matters.

.

.

h) auto off features. There may be times when you forget to turn off the iron, so the auto off features is a good safety feature to have; as it switch off the steam iron automatically after certain period of inactivity. The new version of steam iron even have a blink and beep indicator. The auto off feature will definitely gives you a peace of mind.

i) temperature dial for all kinds of fabric. I just simply select the fabric on the dial and the steam iron will automatically set the correct temperature.

j) anti drip and anti calc. The anti-drip function will prevent the water from dripping on the clothes when I am ironing the clothes. And the anti calc will clean the soleplate and prevent the mineral sticking inside the steam holes of the iron.

k) pilot light indicator and spray function. The spray function is useful when you are working on clothes that are heavily creased.

.

.

Recently I saw a number of cordless iron being introduced in the market. These steam iron need to be recharged periodically. Personally, I would still prefer using the corded steam iron. Because when I need to use the iron, I simply turn it on, wait for a while and then start working. And when I am done with it, I simply turn it off – it is that simple. Most steam iron will last a few years when we take good care of it. I would set a higher budget to buy a better quality steam iron as I know that it will serve me well and make this ironing chore more pleasant.

.

The old Creative speakers that I have bought about 3 years ago had become faulty, there was no sound coming out from the speakers. I tried to disassemble the speakers to see whether I could repaired it. But I was unable to know what actually was the fault – its the norm as I am basically a non technical person. So the next best thing to do is to buy a brand new speakers for my PC. I went to the mall to tried out a few speakers such as – Harmon Kardon, JBL, Logitech, Altec Lansing and of course the Creative speakers. After trying out the speakers and buying within my budget, I have decided to buy the Creative Gigworks T20 Series 2 speakers.

.

.

Incidentally I bought this Creative model speakers without even testing it out in the mall. I know from the fact that I was pleased with the performance of the previous Creative speakers – so I bought it based on the brand’s reputation, so to speak. I am not an audio fanatic and my requirement of a good speaker is simply clarity and natural sound. Anyway the technical specifications and information of the Creative Gigworks T20 Series 2 are as follows: – 14 watts RMS per channel ( 2 channels), Frequency response – 50Hz – 20 Hz, Cloth Dome Tweeter, Woven Glass Fibre Cone Driver, 2 Way Design, BasXport, Convenient front access  and with TV/Game console adaptor. I took out the speakers from the box and placed it on my table. So the first thing that comes into my mind was that it is a well designed speaker. It is compact and the controls are in front – the On/Off volume, treble, bass, Auxiliary in and Headphone out. So that makes things very convenient for me as the speakers sits on the table facing me.

.

.

When I turned on the speaker, I am pleased with its performance – there is clarity and the classical music that I played had sounded natural. Even when I pumped up the volume, bass and treble – the sound clarity was still good. You can in fact filled up a 500 sq feet room with clean and clear music with this speakers. I also tried playing games on my PC using this speakers, again it perform well to my expectation. I think this speakers would also paired off perfectly with my LCD TV; though I did not tried it.  Overall the Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II is a good speakers to have in my home – it is beautifully compact and yet delivered great sound. There is a one year warranty period given and I just simply registered it online.

.

There are many types of cutlery and flatware that are available in the market. Some people will buy the cheapest cutlery set as they feel that it is not something that is worth spending on. In their view, a fork and spoon is just a fork and spoon; so long as it served its purpose, that is it. But poor quality cutlery and flatware will stain very easily and at times it will bend or break. Besides, it will give your friends or relatives a less favorable impression of you when you invite them to your home for a meal. Personally, I would buy a quality stainless steel cutlery set for my home and I know that it will last a long time and a joy to own.

.

.

One thing that I looked for when I buy a cutlery set is that there should be 18/10 number stated in the box. It simply means that the cutlery set is made of 18% chrome and 10% nickel. If the numbers are lower than this or worse still not stated at all, it means that it is of a lower quality. The higher the chrome and nickel content would translate that the cutlery and flatware will be less prone to corrosion, rust and stains. When you pick up a 18/10 spoon or fork, it look good and feel good on your hand. As far as the design goes, it really depends on your style and personality. I prefer the traditional style and design when I choose a cutlery set. And yet there are people who prefer the more contemporary or artistic design. It doesn’t matter what style so long as you feel good having it in your kitchen.

.

To take care of the quality stainless steel cutlery set, you need to wash them thoroughly with water as soon as possible after use. This is to remove the food particles that are attached to the cutlery set. You can use warm water and mild dish washing detergent and then rinse it with hot water; thereafter just wipe it dry with a clean cloth. If the stains are still there, you can try using vinegar or lemon juice to remove it.  By using this step method of caring for your cutlery and flatware, you can rest assured that it will serve you for a long time.

.

.

I stayed in the Somerset serviced apartment during a recent trip overseas and was glad that there was a Electrolux Washer-Dryer machine in the apartment itself.  When I have the first look at this washer-dryer machine, it look beautiful but at the same time rather intimidating to me. There were buttons and symbols on the display panel that looked very unfamiliar to me. I was afraid that I may not know how to use this machine. The washer which I have at home is a simple Samsung washer which has served me well.

There is a small instruction notice pasted on the Electrolux Washer-Dryer machine by the Somerset serviced apartment to help people like me to use this machine. The first instruction was to use low sud detergent powder or liquid detergent. If you use the normal detergent, there would be lots of bubbles forming and this would reduced the cleanliness of clothes during washing.  Anyway the Somerset apartment provided a box of low sud detergent and I poured it into the detergent compartment. There was also a compartment for adding liquid softener. After placing all the clothes into the washer drum and locking it, I simply turned on the washer. Then I select the timer to 1 hour 15 minutes and it was shown on the LCD display. There were also buttons for selecting things liked extra rinse and set the temperature.  The maximum temperature that I could set was 90 degrees and that was very hot and it is used for washing of very soiled clothes.  There was also the prewash, economy and quick selection; which I am not sure what it is all about. I selected the spin level to 1200 which is the highest and I expect the clothes to be moist but dry after the wash.

.

.

There is a safety locked feature which prevents the child from operating the washer-dryer without supervision. This is good as it prevent damage to the washer and/or injury to the child. On the LCD display, there are a number of symbols being displayed when the machine is operating. I guessed it is displaying the functions that I have selected for this wash. Anyway, when the washer-dryer was running, I simply leave it alone to complete the task.  After the washing was completed, I opened the drum door and touch the clothes, it was dry and moist. The spin function of 1200 which I had selected have done a good job. Even my pair of jean was dry and my synthetic fibre sport singlet was as good as you can wear it straight away.

I locked the drum door and then select the dryer function. It is the same knob as the washer except that you now turn the knob to your left. I selected the cotton and set the time to 1 hour 5 minutes. I wasn’t too sure whether my pair of jean and bermudas shorts can be dry with this setting. Anyway I left it alone to do its work and came back when I heard the beep sound coming from the washer. The instruction stated that I was supposed to wait for 10 minutes after the drying was done. The drum door was quite warm to touch and I set back the knob back to neutral which is 0 symbol. When I touched the clothes, it was very warm and dry. I was surprised that even my pair of jean was completed bone dry. As the clothes were warm, I took them to the balcony simply to cool it down for 10 minutes before putting it into the walk in wardrobe.

.

.

My view of the Electrolux Washer-Dryer machine is that it is a very good machine. I really loved having one at home as it does a good job in both washing and drying. During the operation, it was relatively quieter that my Samsung washer that I have in my home. It is beautiful and solid built and do not take up space in the kitchen. The only setback is that it may take time for me to learn and understand all the functions and capabilities of this machine.  Another setback is perhaps the price which definitely cost more than the Korean washer. Perhaps I should start saving up money to buy this Electrolux Washer Dryer to replace my current Samsung washer.

Just bought a new Motorola digital cordless telephone a week ago.  Opened up the box and there is one cordless phone handset and a base for charging the phone. There is also a one power adapter and 2 rechargeable batteries and a telephone line cord. Looking at the features – it can store 50 names in the phone book and also have a hands free speakerphone. I think the hands free speakerphone function is good as sometimes you get tired of holding the phone and putting it close to your ear while talking. The model number is Motorola C401 and I bought it for about US$53/- ( approx. currency conversion).

.

.

This Motorola digital cordless phone is compact and slim and it fits in any table. I charged it for about 4 hours before trying it out. The handset is easy to hold and the buttons are also easy to press. But the dislike is the orange background light on the LCD display. I would preferred a blue or green background light for the display. The numbers that appeared on the LCD display is large but it is too thin or slim in size.  I called up my friend to try out the cordless telephone and the reception was good. My friend told me that she could hear my voice clearly. I also tried moving about to different areas in my home and still the signal was good; and I was able to have a clear conversation with my friend.

.

.

On the manual it was stated that this digital phone can give about 12 hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby time on a single charge – that is on an ideal condition. I wondered what constitute an ideal condition? They should also state clearly what is the number of hours of talk time and standby time a unideal condition – that would make more sense for consumers. You can also expand this from a single handset to a maximum of 5 handsets. Though this digital cordless phone is relatively inexpensive, it is also covered under a one year warranty program.

.

.

Using it for about a week now, I am quite satisfied with the Motorola digital cordless telephone. But if I would to buy another cordless phone, I would want a LCD display with a blue background light, a larger and thicker font display and a more colorful handset. Most digital cordless phone last about 2 years before they becoming faulty. Not sure how long this phone will last, but if it can work well for 2 years or more, I think it is good enough for me.

If you have read my previous blog, I have returned the EuropAce Portable Air conditioner Model EPAC 10J back to the store. Thereafter, I decided to buy the Tecno casement window air conditioner for my study room. I have chosen Tecno Model TAC 0788YRS against other brands was because I saw the energy saving label with 2 ticks attached to the air conditioner; and also it has a Splash Proof System Drainless Technology which means no hose needed to collect any water discharge from this air conditioner. For those who wants to read my review on the EuropAce Portable Air conditioner, here is the link –

Review of EuropAce Portable Air conditioner Model EPAC 10J

.

.

I think casement window air conditioners are more commonly used as compared to the Portable air conditioners. The Tecno Model TAC 0788YRS casement window air conditioner which I have bought has a cooling capacity of 7,000 BTU or 1.88KW cooling capacity.  It has a 3 fan speed with remote control and also a 3 mode selection – cool, dry and fan. There is also a sleep timer mode included. To be honest, I was slightly worried that this air conditioner with a 7,000 BTU may not be sufficiently powerful enough to cool my small study room, but I bought it based on my observation that other similar brands such as the popular Sanyo Model SAC-88G casement window air conditioner has similar 7,000 BTU cooling capacity. The Sanyo model cost more than the Tecno brand but in terms of energy saving efficiency, the Sanyo casement window air conditioner has one tick, whereas the Tecno brand has 2 ticks – so that was another reason why I bought Tecno.

.

The technician came down in the afternoon to install the window casement air conditioner. The first thing that he did was to install the window frame onto the sliding window.  Once the frame was up and firmly attached to the frames of the window, he carried the air conditioner and attached it to the slot of the frame and screw it tightly with a portable drill. Upon completion of the installation, he turned on the air conditioner with the remote control. The casement window air conditioner start up and air flowed out of the duct. I noticed that this air conditioner is much quieter than the portable air conditioner; perhaps because the compressor was outside the window. It took about 3 or 4 minutes before the air became cool and more importantly I could adjust the temperature lower to say 20C; unlike the EuropAce portable air conditioner which was fixed at 24C. It took about 15 minutes for my study room to feel cool and I mean really cool. I was pleased with my purchase of Tecno casement window air conditioner as it cools my study room and it is much quieter. The disappointment for this Tecno air conditioner is the remote control which looked cheap and dull. The design of this air conditioner is not as nice and cool looking as compared to the Sanyo casement window air conditioner. For me, so long as it is cool and quiet, that is all that matters.

.

I have a small study room about 11o square feet; and at times it can be quite warm during the evening when there is no breeze coming in from the windows.  I have went to the electrical store to browse at portable air conditioners and there were quite a few brands and models to choose. Finally I decided to purchase the EuropAce portable air conditioner and the model is EPAC  10J.

Accordingly to the specifications stated in the brochure, the EuropAce EPAC 10J has  a cooling capacity of 10,000 BTU at 2.9kw and has air flow of 300 m3/hr. It is quite heavy with a weight of 34kg and it uses the R-410A coolant. The thing I liked about this portable air conditioner was that it has the condensation elimination system – therefore it is drainless and you don’t have to worry about draining out water daily. It comes with a rather small size remote control and has 3 level of fan speed and a 24 hours timer.

.

.

The technician came during the afternoon to install the air conditioner in my room. The first thing was to fix the PVC frame on my sliding window; he secured the PVC frames with screws drilled into the window frames. Thereafter he affixed the long hose with one opening on the PVC frame with a hole slot provided in the frame; and then slot the end of the hose into the back of the portable air conditioner. And then he simply turned on the power and the air conditioner started to work. I could feel the cold air flowing out of the air outlet within a few minutes. I turned on the portable air conditioner during the night at about 9pm and noted that the sound from the compressor was actually louder that it was during the day. Probably during the night the noise was more distinct. I tried to lower the temperature to 20C but the air conditioner would still indicate the room temperature of 24C.  I realized that this EuropAce portable air conditioner could only provide a default room temperature of between 22C to 26C.  I am not able to set the temperature as it would still go back to the default room temperature. This is what I disliked about this portable air conditioner. After more than 2 hours of operation, my study room was not cool enough even though I turned on the speed of the fan to the maximum. The rubber hose which draws the hot air from the air conditioner out to the window was very warm. I wondered whether the very warm rubber hose had in fact aided in increasing the room temperature.

.

.

After 2 days of use, my conclusion was that the EuropAce was not my ideal portable air conditioner. The room was not cool at all and I was unable to lower the temperature as it is always set on default of 24C. The noise level was quite distinct and loud during the night and I am not comfortable with a very warm rubber hose inside the room. As the purchase of this EuropAce air conditioner was under a no question asked return policy for a few days trial, I promptly went to the store and told them of my unhappiness with this portable air conditioner. I told the staff and he recommended a casement window unit air conditioner for my room. I took up the offer and hoped that this time it would be a better conditioner.

I have only 2 concerns – first it must be cool enough – this means that I can adjust the coolness of the air conditioner to my requirement; and secondly it should be quieter. If you want to know the outcome/review of the window casement air conditioner that was installed just a few days ago, I will post my review in another blog.

Nowadays I notice that the vanity basins found in many new hotels are the above the counter type. Perhaps this type of bathroom vanity basin is gaining popularity because of its attractive design and layout. Of course there are still the traditional semi recessed or drop in type basins around which are equally attractive as well. Many of the basins that I see are pure white in color and this gives the impression of cleanliness and it contrast the dark or black vanity top beautifully.

My preferred choice of a vanity basin should be one that is round in shape, spacious in size and with a easy to use tap.  When choosing a vanity basin, make sure that it is durable and easy to clean. Try to choose a basin that is stain resistant and requires low maintenance. There are now basins that are made from stone composite materials; which has the natural beauty look. The size of the basin is actually limited by the size of the vanity top, which again depends on the size of the bathroom. If you have a spacious bathroom, then you have the luxury of having a spacious top and a large vanity basin.

.

.

The next important item is the choice of tap for the vanity basin. I feel that the choice of tap is a very personal thing. Choosing a tap is almost like going to a clothing store to choose your personal outfit. You can ask anyone – be it your wife/husband. parents, kids or anyone sharing the home with you about the choice of taps; and you will get a different answers and selections. Each of us have our own personal liking for a particular tap for our basin. But irregardless of shapes or designs of the taps, it is important to choose a quality tap. The tap must be easy to use and be able to accommodate the water pressure in your home. Everyone hates a tap that leaks, even it is a single drop of water – so even if you have to pay a little more for a quality tap, just do it. Taps that are made in Europe are more expensive than from China. But I really love some of the European brand taps. as they are of good quality and really beautiful design.

My friend and I were at a showroom that specializes in the installation of wrought iron gates. She wanted to install a strong and durable main gate in her new home. Nowadays, you can find many companies selling wrought iron gates. How can we ensure that we are getting value for money? After all, a good wrought iron gate can cost from a couple of hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on size, quality and design. If you insist on made to order special design gate, it will definitely cost more. The key to buying a good gate, be it iron, aluminum or wood is to visit as many dealers as possible; and ask as many questions as you want.

.

.

Personally, a good wrought iron gate must be strong and easy to maintain. If I would to climb on top of any of the bars on the gate, it should be able to hold my weight or the weight of an average adult. The metal and joints should be rust proof and anti-corrosion as well. Metals will corrode when expose to moisture, salt, acids and oils. An anti-corrosion coating on the gate will help to prevent the occurrence of such corrosion. Certainly we do not want to see rust appearing on the gates of our homes after a few years. A good wrought iron gates must also have a good locking system. There are many companies that sells gates with a low quality locks. What is the point of installing a strong gate in our home when the lock of the gate can be picked easily be a thief. In order to cut cost, many dealers will install locking system made in China. Many of the China made and China brands of locks are inferior in quality. The lock will be worn out by a few years and you need to replace them as it becomes faulty. Most dealers are willing to install a good quality lock system made from Italy or United States if you are willing to pay more, because it will definitely cost more if the lock is a high grade type.

A good iron wrought gate will easily last more than 10 years. So it is important to pick a quality wrought iron gate with a top grade locking device for your home. Never compromise on safety and quality, even though it will be more expensive.  Because with high safety and quality gate, you will enjoy a peace of mind in your home for many years to come.