Tenant information Archives

Blog: Spring into the garden

As the days get longer and the temperatures start to rise, now is the perfect time to give your garden and lawn some much-needed attention after the winter months. Whether you’re a keen gardener or just looking to keep your outdoor space neat and welcoming, here are some simple ways to prepare your garden for spring.

Tidy up and clear debris
Winter can leave your garden looking a little worse for wear, with fallen leaves, broken branches, and other debris scattered across your lawn and flowerbeds. Start by raking leaves, removing dead plants, and clearing any clutter to give your outdoor space a fresh start. This also helps prevent pests and diseases from taking hold.

Lawn care: a fresh start
Your lawn may look a little tired after the colder months, but a few simple steps can bring it back to life. Begin by raking away any dead grass and moss, then aerate the soil to improve drainage and encourage healthy root growth. If your lawn has bare patches, now is a great time to reseed. A light feed with a suitable lawn fertiliser will also help encourage strong, green growth.

Prune and trim
Pruning is essential to keep shrubs and trees healthy and looking their best. Cut back any dead or damaged branches and shape hedges for a tidy appearance. Early spring is also the right time to prune roses and certain perennials, encouraging new growth and better flowering in the months ahead.

Refresh your flowerbeds
If you have flowerbeds or pots, give them a little boost by turning over the soil and adding compost or fertiliser. This replenishes nutrients and improves soil structure, helping plants to thrive. Spring is a great time to plant hardy perennials, herbs, and early flowering bulbs like daffodils and tulips if you didn’t plant them in autumn.

Plan for colour and interest
Consider adding some spring-flowering plants to brighten up your garden. Primroses, pansies, and crocuses bring an instant pop of colour, while evergreen shrubs provide year-round interest. If space is limited, hanging baskets and window boxes can be a great way to add greenery.

Think about wildlife
Encouraging birds and bees into your garden not only helps the environment but can also make your outdoor space more enjoyable. Bird feeders, bee-friendly plants, and a small water source like a shallow dish can attract beneficial wildlife.

By taking a little time now to prepare your garden, you can enjoy a beautiful and welcoming outdoor space throughout the warmer months. Whether you have a large garden or just a small patch of green, these simple steps will help make the most of your home’s outdoor space this spring.

What Not to Flush

When it comes to the toilet, many of us have an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to flushing things away: so long as it’ll flush down, we don’t have to worry about what we’ve put in the toilet. Unfortunately, when it comes to our plumbing systems, what we can’t see can hurt us. Clogs in the pipes can cause, at minimum an awful smell, and at worst, burst pipes, overflowing drains, and a backup of waste that you likely won’t want to be returning to your toilet. To keep bathroom plumbing moving, what shouldn’t we be flushing?

Baby Products

Nappies and baby wipes are not flushable and can cause clogs in pipes and drains that may be costly to fix and aromatically unpleasant to deal with. Nappies and baby wipes should always be disposed of in the bin – even flushable wipes should go in the bin. The reason that it’s ok to flush toilet paper is that it disintegrates after flushing, which many flushable wipes can’t do, and this will eventually lead to blockages. It is also terrible for the environment to flush such products, so think before you flush.

Condoms and Menstrual Products

Sanitary pads and tampons are designed to absorb liquids, so flushing them might cause them to expand in your pipes and clog them up. With this in mind, it’s always better to dispose of them in the bin. The same goes for condoms – the material they’re made of won’t break down in water, so they will collect in the pipes and clog them – it’s best to put them in the bin, too!

Disposable Personal Hygiene Products

Items like dental floss, cotton pads and cotton buds can all cause blockages because they’re not designed to break down in water. Much like sanitary pads, cotton pads that can be used for applying cosmetics or removing nail polish will absorb liquids, and they can bunch together and cause blockages in the pipes.

Food and Grease

Cooking grease and oil can be extremely harmful to your pipes. When cooking grease cools down, it solidifies, and this can cause blockages in your pipes, be it your kitchen sink or toilet. You might also be tempted to put waste food down the toilet, but that can also cause blockages as it takes the food so long to break down in the pipes. To dispose of grease, it’s best to wait until it cools and pop it in your waste food bin, alongside any food you might have thought to put down the toilet!

If you’re a tenant having issues with your toilet, don’t hesitate to call us. You can reach us on 01463 251133 during office hours.

HHA Festive Fire Safety Blog

Christmas is a time for family and fun – it’s all about spending time with the people you love being with and having a wonderful time eating, drinking, and being merry. Unfortunately, the risk of house fires and casual􀆟es increase during the festive season, so while we don’t want the merriment to end, it also means taking some extra precautions to make sure that Christmas time is as safe as it is enjoyable.

KITCHEN

Christmas time and cooking often go hand in hand, with turkey dinners and a few festive apples being the order of the day for many of us. These are some of the best parts of celebrating during the festive season, but they also require some care and aten􀆟on.

People who live with conditions that can make them forgetful, or take medication which can cause this, should be extra careful when they’re cooking this winter. It’s a good idea to make sure your smoke alarms are in working condition, and fitting a heat alarm can also help provide extra peace of mind in the kitchen. It’s incredibly important not to leave hot oil unatended as this can pose an especially high risk of fire.

LIVING ROOM

Unplugging lights when you’re not using them in your home, especially when you go out or go to bed, is impera􀆟ve. It’s also good to remember that lights get very hot, and you or your family are at risk of burns if you touch lights that are on or have recently been on. With that in mind, try to keep lights away from material that can scorch or burn easily, like paper or fabric.

If you’re using portable heaters in your living room to keep warm, never cover them – don’t drape things over them or use them to dry clothes, and keep them away from furniture or curtains. Fitting a carbon monoxide detector in rooms where you use gas or paraffin heaters can help avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, as can using these heaters in a larger, ventilated space.

BEDROOM

Candles are lovely for creating a Christmasy feeling in a room, but always remember to extinguish them before you go to bed. Put them on heat-resistant surfaces, and out of the way of children or any fabrics which could easily catch fire, like ribbons or Christmas cards.

Cosying up under an electric blanket is wonderful on a cold night, but always remember to switch it off when you’re in bed unless it’s marked as suitable for all-night use. Keep an eye out for things that don’t look right with your blanket, like scorch marks, fraying fabrics or exposed wires, which are a sign that your blanket isn’t safe to use.

Remember to make sure your home is safe before you go to bed. If you’ve been drinking or taking drugs, you’ll be more likely to fall asleep, but less likely to acknowledge the signs that a fire may have started in your home. They can also make it more difficult for you to escape a fire as you might be disorientated. Smoking is the main cause of deaths from fire in the home – it is always best to step outside for a cigarete to prevent any risk.

To help get your home winter safe, you can book a free home fire safety visit from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, who can give you advice and even install smoke alarms for free. To request a visit, call 0800 0731 999, or visit www.firescotland.gov.uk.

In the event of a fire, always dial 999.