Terminix offers tips to eliminate spiders


Terminix offers tips to eliminate spiders

Though most spiders aren’t a threat to humans, their presence can be an indication of a more serious pest problem, according to Terminix.

Here are some tips to help eliminate spiders, courtesy of Terminix.

USeal all openings around windows and exterior doors. Spiders can use tiny openings in these areas to gain access to the home.

USwitch exterior lights to yellow bug lights. Typical white lights attract more flying insects, which feed hungry spiders.

URemove heavy vegetation or piles of debris near the home’s foundation.

UInstall tight-fitting insect screens on all attic and foundation vents.

UStore seasonal clothing in storage bins or garment bags. Clothes that have not been stored properly can provide a perfect hiding spot for some spiders.

UMove beds away from the wall and keep bedding from touching the floor.

Get a good night’s sleep

Designer Shane Reilly’s key to a good night’s sleep is a simple furniture layout with a bed placed alongside a window, not directly across from it. She says this arrangement allows you to enjoy the view, but also turn away from it if lights are too bright.

Designer Thom Filicia offers a guide to style

America has gotten to know Thom Filicia’s style — and his wit — from the TV shows “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Dress My Nest.” Now he’s unleashed his talents on a design guide, “Thom Filicia Style: Inspired Ideas for Creating Rooms You’ll Love. “

It is, he writes, ”a way for people to bring me home in convenient [and less annoying] book form.”

Filicia devotes a bit of the book to an endearingly self-deprecating biography before launching into the how-tos of his design aesthetic. He schools his readers in his 10 design tips and the 10 moods he seeks to create, then shows how it all comes together with case studies of homes he’s designed. One interesting note: Proceeds from the book support breast cancer research and awareness. His mother, Janet, died of the disease in 2002.

“Thom Filicia Style” is published by Atria Books and sells for $35 in hardcover.

Combined dispatches