Bathrooms are a natural breeding ground for mold and mildew. To remove it, scrub with a solution of 1 ½ cups of bleach to a gallon of water, let sit for 15 minutes, then wipe off. Wash the shower curtain in hot water, adding 1 cup of bleach to the washer if it is clear or light colored. If the paint is ruined, wash walls with a solution of 1 cup TSP, 1 quart laundry bleach, and 3 quarts of warm water. Rinse and let dry for a week. Prime with Kilz or similar paint, then repaint with anti-mildew paint. To prevent recurrence, install or use your bathroom exhaust fan when showering, wipe down the shower and bath area after bathing, hang up your towels, and try car wax on the tile and grout (do not wax the areas you stand on due to safety).                                 Courtesy:  Gary Clark. Coastal Inspection Services

A FAMILY FIRE ESCAPE PLAN: With winter around the corner now is the time to plan for a fire emergency. With your family make a floor plan, marking two ways out of each room, especially bedrooms. Set a meeting place outside where everyone will gather. Practice your escape plan with realistic fire drills. Practice in the dark with the lights out. Push the test button on a smoke detector to trigger the drill. Change the routine: pretend that some routes are blocked or full of smoke. To make your plan effective, install smoke detectors at the appropriate locations, be sure everyone can open windows, and make sure you can reach the ground safely from upper levels (chain ladders are good for this).

Living in a great neighborhood with great neighbors is one of the main goals when you picked your home.  Then, as time goes by, you appreciate your good choices and happily live your life.  In time, your comfort level increases and you stop doing the things that keep you safe.  You let your guard down.  You stop making sure the kid???s bikes are put away.  You stop making sure the doors are locked.  You also stop closing the garage door before you leave or even when you are home.

These actions are exactly what a thief is looking for.  People who have let their guard down. 

I don???t want anyone living in fear.  I certainly didn???t write this so yon will loose sleep at night.  I am writing this to remind you to pay attention and to do the things that discourage crime.

Don???t keep your items out front.  Try to keep your garage door closed.  Don???t let the newspapers accumulate by the front door, driveway, or in the lawn.  Change lighting schedules.  Be friendly with your neighbors in an effort to know them. If going on vacation, ask a friend or neighbor to watch your home.

A little extra effort on the part of you and your family may prevent a very unsettling experience in the future.