I got the Nesco Encore Dehydrator for my birthday this year. I LOVE it. It dries my garden herbs in a very short amount of time. I rinse my herbs first and then spin them dry in a salad spinner. Place them on the dehydrator tray set at 125 degrees (supposed to be 95 degrees but I use the higher degree for time expedience and have not seen any problems so far). My oregano does especially well. Chives lost all of their flavor - even at the lower setting. Before the dehydrator I hung my herbs in my china closet to dry - worked well but took a long time. PS. Made beef jerky too - fabulous! Here is a link that might be useful: Nesco® American Harvest® Snackmaster® Encore⢠Dehydrator and Jerky Maker

I do not like Pledge. Once you contaminate a piece with the silicone oil in it, you never get rid of it. From my perspective, it makes refinishing and repair difficult. But it also tends to build up. I prefer a soft, clean cloth. If there is a distinctive grain pattern go with that direction. Keep turning the cloth often as dust can be abrasive and hard dusting can actually introduce scratches. You can get treated cloths that help to electrostatically hold the dust and not just move it around. For kitchen cabinets, you have a different set of contaminants (oils from foods and hands). An occasional cleaning with a cloth dampened in water and a bit of Dawn or similar dish detergent will remove the grease. Left to accumulate, the grease will build up and soften the finish to the point where you can wipe it off. Water is OK as long as the finish is sound and you don't go overboard with it. The above is my opinion. Here is a link that might be useful: other's care tips

In Ontario, you can go on the College of Physicians website and find out which doctors are accepting patients. Then you can look further there to see when and where they graduated from, whether or not they have hospital admitting privileges, whether or not they have restrictions etc. It is a great source of information if you are willing to do some homework. Sites such as RateMD's are also a site of information that will give you a bit of an indication of how the doctor treats the patients. As a nurse, I have worked with many doctors and I have to say that it is pretty accurate for personalities. Keep in mind that there will always be some unhappy reports. Doctors are human after all and no one is perfect. It will give you an idea and a general feeling about a doctor in any case. Doctors in Ontario are in such short supply, we really don't have the luxury of choosing as much as in some countries. We are lucky if we can find a doctor that will take us.

I'm not fond of a wood transition between two tile floors. Of course it is an easy install...ahem...easy on the installer that is. The Schluter system is correct. It has been used hundreds of thousands of times (should I say millions of times...who's to say the number but it is A LOT!). If a slab that has concerns with cracking/movement (and they all have SOME sort of movement whether it be a little or a lot....so be aware) should have a decoupling membrane. And just to be clear carpet HIDES some HORRIBLE substrates. I mean *GASP* SPUTTER* HORROR* type concrete. Why you ask? Because BUILDERS know that carpet hides HORRIBLE workmanship. Ergo a carpeted slab will be MUCH uglier than a slab prepared for tile. Here's what you are looking for in a tiling professional: https://www.tile-assn.com/ You want to WRITE OUT the contract so that it states: "To be installed per NTCA Specifications AND per tile manufacturer's instructions." And a 1 year labour warranty is standard stuff in the building industry. You are looking at a substantial installation (if we estimate the labour alone will be $10-$12/sf and the tile/materials will be EXTRA) somewhere in the range of 500sf - 600sf (or so)??? Your quote MAY NOT include "subfloor preparation". If it DOES....please ask for the guestimate they have provided for the subfloor. If they have estimated $0.50/sf for concrete work, then they are too low. If they have estimated a MAXIMUM of $4/sf (not to exceed this amount without your written approval) then they are more in keeping with reality. I would stick with the person who is well acquainted with the NTCA guidelines, if not a member, the person who INCLUDES the cost of a decoupling membrane, who INCLUDES the high-priced estimate for slab prep as part and parcel of his quote....and then the person who includes the Schluter system as part of the transition between floors. Please notice how the transition is FAR down the list. Right. There are some more important things that need to be dealt with other than the final look. And Schluter has DOZENS of transition options which work with floors AND/OR wall settings. The appropriate option will be looked at before anything is laid.