Friday 29 March 2013

Top 5 Garden Care tips for summer - Black and Decker, India


Those of us who have gardens at home might have already started seeing the effects of the increase in temperatures. This is all the more important in case of container gardening, where the plants are completely dependent on the water and nutrition we supply to them. Here are a few tips to help care for your gardens in summer:

Mulch, mulch, mulch: The main issue with the heat is that plants seem to need more water, but this is always tough to balance with the worrying water situation. The best way to resolve this situation is to use good mulch, whether your garden is on the ground, or in containers. Straw or dry leaves can make very good mulching material, and you can get most of this from your garden waste itself.

Watering: Once mulching is done, it is easier to assess watering needs. The mulch will conserve the surface water from drying up too soon, and in some cases even watering once in two days might be sufficient. Do check your plants twice a day though, because some plants might need extra care due to the high heat.


Weeding: This is always an ongoing activity in any garden, but in summer you may find quite a few weeds coming up and crowding out the space. In some cases, you might be pleasantly surprised to find many edible weeds like clover and purslane that seem to grow out of nowhere and you can just pluck regularly and put them into your dal. Some weeds though have extensive roots that drink up all the water, and these need to be pulled up along with the root as soon as you notice them.

Pruning: In a season where plants find it difficult to get water and nutrition, pruning dead or dying leaves and branches is a good way to help the plants thrive. By doing this, the plant does not need to waste energy on the older branches and leaves, and will look fresher and flower or fruit much better.

Nutrition: This is something that’s important in every season, and especially in the case of kitchen gardens, some additional inputs during flowering and fruiting will give good results.

On the subject of gardens, we cannot help but mention our great range of gardening tools from Black & Decker that can be of use in home as well as landscape gardens. Please see our webpage for more details: http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in

Monday 25 March 2013

A Closer Look at our Cordless tools - Black & Decker, India


We are used to most of the heavy-duty tools being wired ones, but when looking for a quick fix for something it can feel tedious to need to look for a power outlet not to mention needing to keep looking out for the wire. This is exactly why Black & Decker has for you a set of cordless tools, all meant for the quick DIY or fixing tasks. Here they are:

Cordless Drill: The EPC12K2 cordless drill requires just 3 hours of charge time and is very well suited for a lot of tasks around the house. Some examples would be hanging up a photo or picture, assembling furniture and even putting up curtains or blinds for your windows. All these activities have usually kept us dependent on a carpenter to come home and do it for us, but this cordless drill can ensure that we can do all this at our pace and time, instead of waiting on someone else.

A7073 Screwdriver: Do you remember trying to unscrew something and realizing that your screwdriver doesn’t have the reach for it? The A7073 Cordless Screwdriver from Black & Decker easily resolves such problems. Powered by alkaline batteries and with modern ergonomic styling, it comes with a set of 14 bits too. This should be sufficient for most types of nail heads and you might just wonder how you managed before you tried this one out.


AS600P Screwdriver: If you are looking for a screwdriver for the simple tasks such as tightening screws on your kitchen utensils, or taking a toy out of its case, this is the one for you. It has lower torque or force compared to the model above, and fewer bit options, but should be sufficient for most simple tasks that don’t need a stronger force.

A combination of the drill kit and screwdriver should keep you very well prepared to tackle a range of DIY and repair activities around your home. The cordless nature makes it convenient and in the case of the screwdrivers, the use of alkaline batteries makes it even easier to use with just a change of new ones. For more of our tools and appliances, do check out website:


Friday 22 March 2013

Woodworking tools from Black & Decker


Once you gain a little experience in the DIY arena, carpentry or woodworking is one of the most rewarding activities to indulge in. It can help you create a piece of long-lasting furniture that you can proudly display in your living space. At Black & Decker, we provide you a range of woodworking tools ideal for the amateur as well as for professional users. Here’s an overview:

Saws: If the word saw brings an image of a jagged edge metallic implement to your mind, then you will be delighted to see the advanced tools offered by us. These can help you cut through not just wood, but steel and masonry too. You can choose between circular saws and different models of jigsaw based on your need. In case of doubt, our store personnel will be happy to help you match your requirements.

Planers: Planers help to remove the surface level material that helps when you need to ease doors and windows that have expanded with the change in seasons. Another use would be removing surface coatings or even smoothing uneven surfaces. Choose the model based on the depth of cut you need, and the power delivered.

Router: These tools are very useful for making grooves in wood, such as those needed in decorative shelves or for simple carving patterns. With the stable design that can be stood up both ways, we would not be surprised if you mistake the B&D Router for a small robot.


Sander: The Sander is used at the end of the project to provide finishing touches such as sanding, varnishing or removing rust. Our sander model is very lightweight and easy to use, with the palm grip design making it ideal for single-handed use. It can also operate at a high speed to get your job done faster.

We hope this introduction to our woodworking tools is useful, and would increase your interest in checking out our range. We look forward to hearing more from you, and here’s our website information for more details and contact information:

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Who is our target consumer? - Black & Decker, India


At Black & Decker, we have a wide range of products that can be used for a variety of tasks. If asked who our target consumer is, the answer can vary widely depending on the type of product. For example, we can expect the following to be our users or target consumers for the following range of products:

Homemakers: For our range of cleaning products, from steam cleaners to vacuum cleaners and pressure washers, our intention has been to keep the equipment easy to handle and use, to fit easily into a regular cleaning schedule. These don’t require a regular change in settings, are ergonomically designed for easy use and are made for effective cleaning.

DIY Enthusiasts: Those interested in DIY can choose from our cordless tools or corded ones like our drill kits as well as many other power tools to help with their projects. The Home Utility Kit is a very approachable first purchase for the DIYer. Another tool that we always like to focus on is our RapidRoller that can be invaluable for DIY paint jobs.

Avid Gardeners: We hope to help gardeners with keeping their grass trimmed without needing to bend and strain their backs for it – just try our Grass cutters. B&D also has a lawn mower as well as hedge trimmer models to help with easy maintenance of green areas. Some of the other tools like Blowers can also help with keeping the garden and outer areas clean.
 
GR3400 Lawn Mower
Professional use: Some of the gardening tools mentioned above can be used by professional landscapers as well. Our metalworking and woodworking tools are also equipped with accessories and settings to make the life of a professional much easier.

As you can see, Black & Decker tools do not limit their use to a single type of consumer, but are made with keeping in mind a variety of needs. Do go through our website and you are sure to find one that matches what you are looking for!

Friday 15 March 2013

How to get kids to help in keeping the home clean - Black & Decker, India


The summer holidays are fast coming up, and we all know what a task it is going to be to keep the kids occupied the entire day. Helping them take some small steps towards keeping spaces clean is a great foundation for them, and also serves the purpose of giving them something to do. Here are some tips:

Set a time and a timer: Young children don’t like being surprised with a chore or a task, so a good way to go about it is to discuss it with them to let them know when you expect them to help you with cleaning. Also make sure that you only do one or two chores of a maximum of 10 minutes, else they’ll tire of the activity too soon.

Make it a game: The easiest way to make something interesting for kids is to make it a game or a challenge. Ask them to count how many toys they can put away in 5 minutes, or how many waste pieces of paper they can throw away, with a prize thrown in occasionally for the best results. They will look forward to cleaning a whole lot more for sure.


Task depending on age: Assign tasks based on how old the children are, you know best about who is capable of how much. Kids older than 10 would love to help with “tougher” tasks like vacuuming, if you ensure that they are responsible for easy to access spaces. You can always get to the corners and hidden places for dirt in a later round by yourself.

Teach them to clean up after themselves: Kids will learn soon that the best way to spend less time on cleaning is to make sure that things are put away after use. All they need is a bit of guidance, and a few gentle reminders along the way and soon it’ll be a habit.

Our easy to handle appliances at Black & Decker ensure that you can spend quality time with your kids along with keeping your home clean. For more details, please see our website: http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in

Tuesday 12 March 2013

DIY Ideas for your Bathroom - Black & Decker, India


The bathroom tends to be a much-neglected space sometimes, especially where décor is concerned. You will find though, that with just a few DIY ideas, you can liven up this area and make it a pleasure for yourself and guests to walk into at any time. Here they are:

Look for space saving items: Especially in bathrooms where you may not have too much space, it’s a good idea to not get it too cluttered with décor items, and instead to look at compact and multi-functional items. An example would be a cabinet that has a mirror attached to it, so that you don’t have to arrange for separate storage space for your toiletries. Attaching the cabinet to your wall or tiles will be a breeze using a drill kit like Black & Decker’s.

Light up the space: Even if you decide to use darker floor tiles, it is a good option to paint your walls a lighter colour as it makes the area look much brighter and pleasanter. Even if you use professional help for the tile laying, painting the rest of the area can be made approachable if you use the right tools.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashleytheartist2002/266687322/
Create storage: As a beginner, you can buy the ready to assemble kits from your local store and try putting it together and hanging it up yourself, with the help of the drill kit. As you gain experience however, you can look at options such as creating a simple one from scratch using water proof plywood and a paint such as Duco to keep it well protected.

Add a décor item: It could be a lovely framed picture or painting, or a plant in the right place – keep it simple, but elegant. When leaving plants in the bathroom, do remember that they need to be aired out every few days or the quality of light and air may not be sufficient for them to thrive. Flowers in a vase have an additional effect of acting as a freshener too.

We hope that by being hands-on about each decision, you can make the bathroom as elegant as all your other rooms. Do check out our appliances and other details on our website: http://www.blackanddeckerindia.in


Friday 8 March 2013

Why choose a Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner? - Black Decker, India


Until a few years back, we could not conceptualize a vacuum cleaner handling any wet spills, in fact the only way for cleaning up these would be to laboriously use a cloth and wring it a few times with a lot of bending and kneeling involved. When the wet and dry vacuum cleaner entered the market, many of us might have thought of them as a bit bulky and not considered them much. But slowly, these cleaners have established their space in the line of cleaning products and here are some reasons you should definitely consider them:

Heavy-duty cleaning: The Wet & Dry Vacuum cleaners are meant for intensive cleaning, and are therefore accordingly equipped with high-powered intensity. The Black & Decker one for example, comes with 1400W of power and is suited for nearly all your tough cleaning tasks.

Handles wet cleaning: A sudden spill of liquid by a child can be handled instantly with a cleaner like this around, to minimize any slippages and further accidents due to a wet floor. Cleaning the floor on a regular basis too is a recommended use, as many of us may not be comfortable with just a dry vacuuming, being used to the cloth wiping since many years.


Blower function: The vacuum cleaner comes with a good blower function too, that is useful for cleaning constricted spaces where just vacuuming may not be enough for a complete cleaning. This is also powerful enough to use for outdoor tasks such as cleaning your yard or garden space.

Easy change from wet to dry: The shift from dry to wet cleaning is very smooth, with only a dust bag to be removed, and using of appropriate accessories where needed.

Capacity: The large cylindrical body holds a larger amount of dry or wet waste, and facilitates you to clean your entire home without needing to take a break and empty bags in between. The Black & Decker wet and dry vacuum cleaner holds 11 lt wet and 16 lt of dry waste.

For more information on the WV1400 Black & Decker Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner and our other products, please visit our website:


Monday 4 March 2013

DIY Ideas for your Bedroom - Black & Decker, India


Next in our DIY series, let’s take a good look at the Bedroom. Sometimes we feel that the room is so messy and cluttered, we might want to keep the door closed and keep it a completely private space, but for the wrong reasons. It is possible though with some simple ideas to convert it into a masterpiece, so that we are proud to show it off when showing guests around the house.

Turn a wall into art: Pick one of the walls, ideally the one that is visible as you enter the room and turn it into an eye-catching piece of art. Paint the base in a neutral shade and then plan what you want to create on it. If you have creative tendencies, you can draw and paint it yourself at leisure, or you can enlist the help of a friend who does. Keep in mind the colour scheme of the room and furniture before deciding the palette of the wall.

http://bit.ly/12OneND
Blinds and curtains: Even if you feel hesitant to start on that wall immediately, one great way to add a splash of colour is to use the blinds and curtains. You have a lovely choice of fabrics, and with just some basic stitching skills, you can brighten up the room.

Create a side or corner shelf: Pick a basic design and build a side shelf or cabinet for yourself, to put away knick-knacks as well as store books for your reading in bed. This does not need too much work, and the simple pieces really look elegant. The biggest advantage is that you don’t have to depend on store designs and can create exactly what you need.

Storing earrings and jewelry and other items: These can be one of the biggest sources of mess in the bedroom, as it is tough to find a storage space for them that organizes them neatly as well as is easy to access. There are some great DIY ideas out there, that you can use just old items like a grater or an old stole or dupatta, and make a lovely arrangement for them. You will find some lovely ideas on this on this page.

We hope you find these ideas approachable as well as fun, and are planning to try something out soon. Don’t forget to check out our great tools that can help you out with painting, carpentry and other tasks at:

Friday 1 March 2013

What all can you clean with just Steam? - Black & Decker, India


Most of us are becoming aware of the harmful impacts of cleaning our homes with products loaded with chemicals, and especially those of us who have allergies or children with allergies experience the issues with chemicals even faster. Many a time, I have tried preparing eco-friendly concoctions to use as cleaning agents, and the effort needed to do this has discouraged me quite a bit. But what if a whole lot of places in our homes can be cleaned with just plain old steam? Let’s take a look:

Hobs and Stove-tops: Most of the grease that collects on your stovetop can be taken care of by cleaning it off with really hot water or steam. This needs to be done soon after cooking, so that the stain does not set in and become a little tougher to remove. In case of stubborn stains, you can try adding a little baking soda or lime, which will definitely remove them.

Our latest steam cleaning product: the FSS1600 Steambuster
Sinks and Washbasins: Just a quick wipe with steaming hot water once a day or even less often depending on use can keep your sinks shining bright and a pleasure to use. This is especially useful in metal sinks that have ridges that are really tough to clean with even a scrubber. Using an appliance that can literally blow off steam could be a great option.

Ovens and oven trays: Though many ovens come with a self-cleaning mode, you will still find some deposits that do not get cleaned unless you add some intensive scrubbing. Such an action can make your metal surfaces look worn out very soon, and therefore using steam as a cleaning agent here would really help maintain the life and shiny look of your appliances.

Shower areas and Tiles: A lot of the sticky dirt that gets collected in your shower spaces and tiled floors can be tackled very well with steam. Especially with light coloured floor tiles, we all know how tough it is to get those joints looking clean, and steam is the best idea for the job.

We have already talked about our steam mop in earlier posts, so I will not elaborate on that again. For our Steam cleaning products, please do check out our page: