Expert Retaining Wall Contractors in Scarborough, ON

Professional snow removal is a service that no home should be without. Doing it yourself means you have to avail yourself at all hours of the day and night to perform this unpleasant task. But with a professional, you can relax and know that it can be taken care of. You'll be able to leave home when necessary, go to work, or get back into your driveway without being inconvenienced or exhausted. Furthermore, snow shoveling is not a good activity for everyone. You may risk your health when you pick up that shovel unless you're young and strong. Annually, snow shoveling causes numerous injuries and heart attacks.

While it might be tempting to wait until it has stopped snowing to begin shoveling, it is much easier to do it early and often, at least once per hour, as the snow accumulates. Smaller amounts are much easier to manage, lift, and move around. Waiting for the weather to warm up is also a bad idea. Snow is lighter and fluffier the colder it is outside; the snow gets wetter and heavier with the sun and warmer temperatures. Furthermore, the longer you wait, the greater the chances that a street plow can make the end of your driveway much more difficult to clear.

The general recommendation is to seal your deck once yearly to keep it in optimal condition. However, this may vary slightly depending on your deck's materials and local environment. For a sheltered deck that doesn't experience weather extremes, you might wait up to 3 years before resealing. But for a deck that gets a lot of sun, rain, snow, humidity, or extreme temperature fluctuations, annually is your best bet. Failing to provide this critical layer of protection inevitably leads to the degradation and weakening of the wood. Your deck can turn an unsightly grayish color and become more prone to cracking, warping, and rotting.

First, sweep the patio and remove any weed growth. Then, saturate the patio with plain water. (This prevents cleaning agents from penetrating the concrete and doing damage.) Next, add two cups of liquid laundry detergent or grease-cutting dish soap to a gallon-size bucket of water. Pour your soapy water mixture over a small area and scrub gently with a stiff plastic (not metal) brush or scouring pad. (If you encounter stubborn stains, diluted vinegar and baking soda paste typically work great!) Repeat until the entire patio has been scrubbed. Lastly, rinse with plain water until the soap is gone.

Cleaning a natural stone patio follows the same procedures as outlined above for concrete. The same soap-and-water mixture can be used, except for using vinegar on stains. It would be best not to use vinegar on natural stone because its acidity can damage its surface. The same holds for lemon juice as well as ammonia. Avoid bleach as well as it can strip away or alter colors. You could use baking soda and water paste to remove stains instead. Alternatively, mixing five drops of dish soap, ten drops of rubbing alcohol, and a cup of water also works well for that purpose.