Uncategorized Archives - Page 7 of 18

Increase Your Home Sale Price!

Written by Frog Hauling on February 25, 2016. Posted in Green Business, Uncategorized. No Comments on Increase Your Home Sale Price!

Selling Your Home Soon?

If so, you have undoubtedly spent sleepless nights wondering how to maximize the sale price of your home. Did I choose the right agent? Is this the best time of year to sell? Should I make minor improvements before I sell? These are all excellent and necessary questions to ask before putting your home on the market. There is also a technique often underutilized that can net big returns at closing: home staging.

What Is Home Staging?

Staging a home is essentially preparing your home to appeal to the highest number of buyers. This can be achieved through various means – from the simple removal of clutter, photos, and excess furniture up to contracting a staging company that will remove all of your belongings and replace with professionally chosen furniture and décor as props that will create a highly desirable setting for potential buyers to view your home, both in person and via online photos (where 90% of homebuyers start a search).

How Much Does It Cost?

Average costs for professional staging are approximately $1800, although the range is anywhere from $1000 to over $6000. Before the sticker shock sets in, know that homes that have been staged spend about 80% less time on the market than their unstaged competition and often receive multiple offers.

Why Have Your Home Staged?

Even well-decorated houses can benefit from professional staging. Many buyers get fixated on the “stuff” that is inside a house instead of the actual house and its features. Home staging attempts to refocus buyers on the features of the home instead of just the contents.
Today’s home buyers are much more educated than those of the past. At any given time you can find multiple home remodeling shows on television that instruct consumers on remodeling techniques, décor ideas, and quality of construction to expect. They are not willing to look past minor flaws that might stand out quite a bit if a home is not staged.
Home staging typically results in a sale price that is 7-10% higher than those homes that are not staged. The investment does pay off.
A vacant house will actually appear bigger with furniture.

Home Staging Too Expensive?

Try these DIY tips to maximize your sale price even if home staging is not in your budget:

Try a fresh coat of neutral paint.
Clean, clean, clean AND de-clutter.
Depersonalize the space by removing photos and mementos.
If it’s broken-fix it! Small fixes of broken handles, drawers, etc. can go a long way.
Light it up! Open blinds, curtains, and turn on all lights for showings.
Cheap fixes such as a new shower curtain or updated kitchen cabinet hardware can make a big difference.

We Can Help!

Frog Hauling can help the process of staging a home much easier. By having one of our roll-off containers delivered to your home, you instantly have access to a disposal site for all of the clutter, old furniture, and all things unwanted in your home. We will take care of disposing of all of it properly.

The result will be a much cleaner, clutter-free home that will either be ready for the updates you will make on your own or clear the way for a professional staging company to do their thing. Either way, you can expect a higher sale price as a result.

Contact us at (614) 258-3764. Together we can make your home the most desirable home on the block!

What You Need To Know About Illegal Dumping

Written by Frog Hauling on February 16, 2016. Posted in Green Business, Recycling Columbus, Uncategorized. No Comments on What You Need To Know About Illegal Dumping

Have you seen signs on the side of the road detailing fines for illegal dumping? Ever wonder what exactly is illegal dumping? Let’s take a look into it:

What Is Illegal Dumping?

Simply put, illegal dumping is disposal of waste in an unpermitted area. Materials that are usually illegally dumped are non-hazardous and include construction waste, auto parts and tires, furniture and appliances, yard waste, and even medical waste.

Causes for Large-Scale Litter

There are many reasons people choose to illegally dump. These can range from lack of knowledge about the dangers of illegal dumping to refusal to pay the disposal costs for some items to lack of convenient legal dump sites. Despite the reason, the damage done from this practice is universal.

What Factors Contribute To The Trash Problem?

Location: In lower income areas residents often cannot afford trash pickup fees. Also, high crime rates can take up the time of the local law enforcement leaving little time for enforcement of illegal dumping laws. These areas also often have less access to convenient, legal facilities to accept garbage. Furthermore, areas with high populations of renters may see more illegal dumping if there is less of a vested interest in the community when residents are temporary.
Logistics: Abandoned, unsecured areas are highly susceptible to illegal dumping. Obviously, if dumpers think there is not a high chance they will be seen in the act, they are more likely to use that area. Also, poorly lit roads offer the same attractiveness to illegal dumpers. Another common location for illegal dumping is a construction site with a waste container present.
Lack Of Legal Options: If an area does not have regular or affordable trash pickup service, that tends to contribute to more illegal dumping. Also, trash processing sites that are not conveniently located or that have high fees also increase the practice. Many people are not aware of free or affordable programs to accept landfill-prohibited items like batteries, tires, and some appliances and choose instead to illegally dump these items.

How Does Illegal Dumping Affect Us?

Illegal dumps diminish the quality of life and the viability of life around them.
Illegal dumping of hazardous materials like pesticides, appliances, and medical waste can threaten the life of humans, wildlife, and the environment.
Old tires illegally dumped can hold standing water that can harbor mosquitoes that carry diseases that can threaten entire populations.
Dumps become home to rodents. No one wants a field full of rodents for neighbors.
The property value of the homes and businesses surrounding illegal dumps is dramatically negatively impacted.

Clearly illegal dumping is a significant problem. Frog Hauling offers a convenient, affordable way for businesses and homeowners to eliminate excess garbage and trash from their property and have it disposed of in a safe and legal manner. While we do not accept hazardous materials in our dumpsters, we can certainly help tremendously to remove clutter, garbage, and debris that may otherwise end up illegally dumped. If the dumpster is easily accessible and in your driveway, you are much less likely to feel the need to dump it where it does not belong!

Can I Pitch This Old Spray Paint?

Written by Frog Hauling on February 9, 2016. Posted in Dumpster Blog, Uncategorized. No Comments on Can I Pitch This Old Spray Paint?

12618796765_5f87c68bab_c Whether it’s hair spray, air freshener, Cheez-Wiz, or silly spray, chances are you have plenty of aerosol cans lying around your home. Most homeowners don’t think twice before throwing these right into the garbage can when they are empty. Did you know, however, that there are precautions you should take before simply throwing away an aerosol can?

Be sure the can is totally empty. If that means you have to eat a few more crackers with Cheez-Wiz on top, then so be it. Empty cans are much easier to dispose of than those that are not. Empty cans can either be recycled (and some centers will even pay for your aluminum or steel cans) or tossed in the trash.
Partially empty or full cans are a different story. First, try to use the product to empty the can. If you cannot stomach the smell of the air freshener anymore or if the hair spray just isn’t keeping your hair as full as you’d like, consider donating the product. A local art school, for example, may want your spray paint.
A spray paint can is easily emptied by taking it outside, spreading some newspaper on the grass, and spraying away until you no longer hear a hissing sound. If the can contains hazardous materials like paint or oil and you cannot empty and/or donate it, try your city’s hazardous waste collection site. Although there may be a small fee for disposal here, you can rest easy knowing you did your part to keep the environment (and others) safe.
DO NOT puncture an aerosol can. This also means do not remove the nozzle before you throw it away. You could hurt yourself or someone else. Trust us on this one. Don’t do it.
Aerosol cans are packed under pressure and can cause explosions if exposed to heat. That is why it is so important to fully empty the cans before tossing in the recycling or garbage. You don’t want to be “that guy” that injures a landfill worker because you didn’t take a few seconds to empty the can before you threw it away. Be considerate!
The only aerosols that should be recycled are those that contained non-hazardous materials such as health products, food products, laundry products, and asthma medications. Those that contained insecticides, spray paint, lubricants, or other hazardous materials should not be recycled.

Cold Weekend Stuck Inside? Add Value To Your Home!

Written by Frog Hauling on February 2, 2016. Posted in Green Business, Uncategorized. No Comments on Cold Weekend Stuck Inside? Add Value To Your Home!

2222122410_9f947a2ca6_b As we head into February and the weather outside is still frightful, we are all just about tired of winter. We have completely exhausted all of the local restaurants and watering holes, maxed out our credit cards at Target, and witnessed almost every sporting event that has aired in the past two months. It’s time to do something productive. Why not take one of these cold weekends ahead and do something that will actually add value to your home AND give you a sense of accomplishment rather than gluttony? Try out some of these easy weekend DIY projects that can do just that.

1. New sink/faucet = fresh clean start:

For around $500 and a few hours you can easily replace a dirty, scratched kitchen sink and faucet and replace with a bright, fresh, clean new update. Kitchens and bathrooms ultimately sell houses, so if you intend to sell at some point in the future, chances are you are going to get most of this money back out. Added bonus, purchase an energy efficient faucet to save money on your water bill as well.

2. Splash your kitchen with style:

For a few hundred dollars and with a little patience you can add a new backsplash to your kitchen to make a big statement. Those that are super challenged in the home improvement department can even make it even easier by using peel and stick tiles. This is a great way to bump up the style in your kitchen with just a small investment.

3. Throw some color on the walls:

A gallon of paint is around $30 but the benefit pays far more than that. It is amazing what a transformation a room can take on with just a fresh color on the walls. Cover those crayon stains or scratches and give your room new life. A few hours and you will be amazed at what you will see.

4. Organize, organize, organize:

There are few households (if any) in the world that couldn’t use a little organization and de-cluttering. We are so overwhelmed by our own stuff that we can’t even hear ourselves think sometimes. With just a few hundred dollars in organization supplies like shelving and storage bins, we can take our homes from cluttered chaos to Zen in just a weekend.

5. Give yourself a new throne:

Toilets are gross. We change our toothbrushes every few months. Why not change our toilets (where things a lot worse than brushing our teeth take place) at least every few years or so? Because toilets fit over existing plumbing fairly easily, this is a relatively quick and easy project that will only cost about $200 or so. You can upgrade to a more energy efficient version too.

Don’t just sit around again this weekend. Go to your local home improvement store, get some supplies, and get to work. Once you finish your projects you are going to have a lot of garbage to get rid of. That’s where we come in. Frog Hauling will deliver a mini dumpster right to your driveway so you can toss it all away with ease. You tell us when to pick it up and you can consider the project done. With your elbow grease and our easy garbage removal services, together we will have your home looking fresh and new by spring! Here’s to hoping that is sooner rather than later.

Not So Fast….Don’t Just Lob Those Used Light Bulbs Into The Trash!

Written by Frog Hauling on January 26, 2016. Posted in Recycling Columbus, Uncategorized, Waste Management. No Comments on Not So Fast….Don’t Just Lob Those Used Light Bulbs Into The Trash!

Light-bulbs-ready-for-recycling-300x212 Is it time to replace old, dim lighting? You may want to think twice before throwing your old bulbs into the trash. Different types of light bulbs require different disposal methods. Help protect others and the environment from potentially hazardous materials found in light bulbs.

Incandescent Light Bulbs

Contains: Non-toxic substances

Chances are your home is filled with these traditional light bulbs. Since these bulbs are not very energy efficient at all, many people find they are replacing these with newer, energy efficient counterparts like LED’s and CFL’s. Most cities will not take these bulbs in recycling bins, but since they do not contain toxic substances, you can just toss them in the trash. However, it is recommended that you put them back in their original box (although who keeps lightbulb boxes for years?) or just use the box of the new bulbs you are replacing them with. This keeps broken glass from hurting someone else in the trash.

Halogen Light Bulbs

Contains: Halogen gas

These lights are usually used as flood lights. Since these lights contain a halogen gas, many recycling companies won’t take these lightbulbs. However, just like incandescent bulbs, you can just toss these in the trash in either a plastic bag or used box to prevent glass from hurting someone.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Contains: Mercury

These are those little spiral bulbs you have been buying lately to make you feel more energy efficient. As long as they stay intact, CFL’s are perfectly safe. The problem is…tossing a glass bulb into a garbage can is almost certain to break it. A broken bulb has the potential to release harmful mercury into the environment. Mercury in the environment = big problems. Home Depot and Ikea make it easy to recycle used CFL bulbs purchased from their stores. Didn’t buy your bulbs at these stores? Simply input your city and state to http://search.earth911.com/ and find the closest CFL recycling center to you.

If you happen to break a CFL bulb at your home, follow these steps to safely remove it:

Wear protective gloves, masks, and clothing to guard yourself against the dust and
Collect all of the broken pieces and place them in a sealed container.
Take the broken light bulb to your closest recycling site/ hardware store.

*Note-fluorescent bulbs (those long tubes that are probably in your closet, basement workshop, or maybe even kitchen) are treated the same way as CFL’s, as they also contain mercury.

LED Lights

Contains: Nickel, Lead, and some arsenic.

Although these materials sound frightening, as long as these bulbs are disposed of properly they usually do not cause problems. However, rather than tossing them in the trash like you would with an incandescent bulb, these bulbs are up to 95% recyclable. Use that same helpful website above to locate a recycling center near you or take them back to the hardware store you bought them from.

Advice To Make Your Lightbulbs Work For You:

Just replacing five of your most commonly used incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient choices such as CFL’s can save you $75 per year. That’s a really nice meal out!
Make use of natural light in your home during the day. No sense wasting energy and money having lights turned on when Mother Nature can do the job for free.
Use timers and dimmers to control the amount of energy you use in your lightbulbs. Having “smart” lighting that will turn on and off only when needed saves money and energy and prolongs the life of your lightbulbs.
LED’s are great choices for outdoor lighting, as they are energy efficient, durable, and perform well in cold temperatures. Even better, use solar-powered lighting if possible outdoors to make the cost run them ideal: free!

Turn That Old Cell Phone Into A Payday!

Written by Frog Hauling on January 19, 2016. Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Turn That Old Cell Phone Into A Payday!

bin The addiction to electronics has reached an all-time high! Small children are walking around with their own cell phones. Families literally have dozens of electronic devices per household and have replaced dinnertime conversations with text messages and emails. It’s truly an epidemic. With all of this expensive electronic equipment floating around, there is undoubtedly an incredible demand for the materials that make that equipment. Recycling of electronics has become a big-time business that pays cold hard cash to those that embrace it.

Electronics Are More Valuable Than You May Think

We know that you cannot live without your cell phone. It is like a third arm for most people. Did you know that the materials used to make it are really quite valuable and include silver, gold, zinc, tin, palladium, copper, and platinum? Those are expensive materials that can be used to make more expensive things. Similarly, computers often contain enough copper to add up to five pounds! We all know how valuable copper is-people will steal it right off your home! It is not surprising that others want your electronics with such valuable materials hiding inside them. Think about it this way: A million recycled cell phones will produce approximately $2,000,000 in gold and more than $370,000 in silver. That’s a lot of money just lying around in our purses and pockets!

Show Me The $$$$$

There are companies that will collect used electronics and then turn around and sell the materials found inside to other industries that can use them. Websites like http://www.buybackworld.com make it easy to sell back used electronics. They give you an instant quote for your device, send you a prepaid shipping label, and provide payment in multiple forms once the item is received. You can also find local computer repair companies that will often pay for used computers that they then refurbish and sell to other customers. There are even convenient kiosks now in grocery stores that will take a used cell phone and provide instant cash back. Why not start off your grocery shopping trip with a little extra cash in your pocket?

Cell Phone Broke? Don’t Be Blue – Go Green!

If you aren’t interested in making money from your used electronic device, at the very least be smart about it and don’t just toss it into the trash. In almost every instance, electronic devices can be recycled to some extent and should be since they contain such precious, limited metals and materials. Computers can be recycled at computer repair stores or even big box stores like Best Buy. Want to do even more good? Donate old computers to local organizations that can use them such as World Computer Exchange.

Old VCR’s (yes, I said it….V-C-R) can be sold to collectors rather than tossed into a landfill. The harmful components of most electronics including lead and mercury do not belong in landfills to begin with!

Plastic companies love a good recycled television or MP3 player. They can use the plastic shell of the television to make lots of new plastic products. Another added benefit of recycling or donating these used devices? In some cases, they can be considered a tax write-off. For example, goods donated to Goodwill like computers or televisions are usually eligible for a tax deduction as a charitable donation.

Think Before You Toss

In some states such as New York, it is illegal to dispose of used electronic devices in the trash. Fines can be substantial for violators. Whether you live in a state that prohibits throwing away electronics or not, there are too many reasons to recycle, donate, or sell these items to ever lead to the decision to pitch them.

Be smart, Columbus. It’s a win-win for the planet and for you if you choose to smartly dispose of your used smart phone!

Drop off locations in Columbus? http://ohiodropoff.com/columbus.htm

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