Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! Some of you may already have an idea or a plan for the day on how to show your special someone your love and appreciation. For those who may not have a plan yet or are still thinking of an idea for the evening, why not do something a little different this year, why not create a special experience for your special someone? After all isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about?

Now, how can you make this day extra special? Well they do say ‘home is where the heart is’ and there is no heart bigger than the hearth of your home, the most focal point of your home. If you have got a fireplace or a stove, you should absolutely make the most out of it! Why not cook up a nice 3 course meal for your special someone and make the evening extra romantic by putting rose pedals on the table and moving the table close to the fire to create that perfect romantic atmosphere. Too cheesy? What about laying out a couple of classic movies on the table and asking your special someone to choose the movie he/she wants to watch and snuggle up by the fire together. The more effort you put into the evening, the more they will feel extra special and happy. If you think refueling your fire is too distracting for you while you are enjoying each other’s company, why not insert a Firemizer into your fireplace to make your fire last longer so you don’t have to worry about refueling the fire as frequently? If you want more information about Firemizer, simply click on this link: Firemizer

Make your day extra special with Firemizer!

Lighting a fire can be fun and with the increasing number of hearth owners, it is vital that we ensure that safety is always first.

We have put together 3 easy to remember fire safety tips when using your hearth.

First and foremost, always make sure you have enough space for your fire to burn. To prevent an unwanted fire from occurring, ensure any furniture or home decorations are kept at a safe distance from the fire. Keep in mind, when you light the fire to remove any lights or decorations dangling from the mantel to avoid them from catching fire.

Secondly, the logs you burn should be dry and well-seasoned. Burning seasoned logs has many benefits and burns more effectively than wet wood (click here to find out more on ‘how to choose a solid fuel’). Wet or unseasoned wood can cause tar/creosote to form in the hearth and chimney, which can increase the likelihood of a chimney fire. It is also recommended that you should have your chimney swept regularly.

Last but not least, keep children and pets away from the hearth and educate them about the dangers of fire. Also, you must never leave a fire unattended for any reason at all.

These are our fire safety tips when using a hearth for hearth owners; therefore if you wish to act upon any of the information given you should do so at your own risk. We will accept no liability or claims from the activities arising from the information set out in our web pages.

We would love to hear what your fire safety tips are too, please feel free to add your tips below:

Now that winter has arrived, the months ahead will feel a lot longer, darker and colder. As the weather gets chillier, you will be extra likely to spend more time indoors. Now is time to ensure your home can provide you with as much warmth, so you can be as comfy and cosy as you can be at your own home.

Join in on trying something new this New Year! If you are one who relishes the idea of a warm cosy fire after a long walk in the great outdoors, then you need to know all about Firemizer. Many fireplace and wood-burning stove owners have experienced using Firemizer in the last autumn/winter season across the UK and USA. They have provided us with many positive feedbacks of the unique solid fuel saver. One stated ‘‘the FIREMIZER does exactly what it claims. I noticed less cleaning of ash, longer fires, it gives me more heat from less wood.’’ And another quoted ‘‘our wood lasts much longer and so little ash is left over because everything burns!’’. Sure being outside is lovely during the day, especially when you have your big jacket and comfy walking boots on to keep you warm outside but as soon as the night draws in, the evenings can be much cooler. When it gets colder, you will be tempted to light your fire much sooner, meaning you will be more likely to burn more wood to keep the fire going for the rest of the evening. We are also more inclined to put the heating on, when the weather is cold and wet outside. Who doesn’t like the idea of staring into the bright dancing flames in a wood-burner or a fireplace? Just the thought of it just provides you with such a warm cosy feeling. Using Firemizer will make your fire last longer because it will burn the wood more evenly and thoroughly into fine ashes, it works by reducing the burn rate of fuel. Why not give it a try?

Two very good news…

Independent tests by a leading laboratory in the UK have shown Firemizer reduces the emissions of creosote hydrocarbons by up to 57%, which will reduce the build-up of potentially dangerous soot in your chimney AND other independent tests by a leading laboratory in the USA have proven Firemizer can limit particulate emissions by up to 72%. As a result, Firemizer is not only good for you but is also good for the environment too.

Try it to believe it!

The best thing about the Firemizer is that it is very simple to use, all you need to do is place it on the base of your hearth and light your fire as normal. Firemizer will typically last up to 500 burn hours! Multi-fuel stove owners… It works for both coal and wood so do not worry if you prefer to burn coal because it works too!

Last Friday, the Firemizer team took part in Christmas Jumper Day, where we all put on our Festive Christmas Jumpers to raise money for TextSanta for the 3 amazing charities (Save the Children, Macmillan Cancer Support and Make-A-Wish UK). As a team we raised around £40. What a fantastic day we had – playing Christmas songs in the background, sipping on hot chocolate and eating delicious homemade mince pies (it definitely got us into the festive Christmas spirit!). We also had a vote on who had the most snazzy festive jumper on… the winner is revealed below! What a fantastic way to raise money for the charities!

Thank you to everyone involved and to TextSanta for organising such a fantastic event!

We are looking forward to supporting the charities again next year!

Congratulations!

The winner is Alex!

The candy canes and the colourful patterns certainly did stand out from the crowd!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Buying Christmas presents can be tough, especially for that one person who is hard to buy for because they say every year that they’ve already got everything they need.

Does this situation sound like yours?

You end up buying something for someone that may never get used just because you feel the need to get them something… well… it’s time to stop burning away your money this year and start thinking about Firemizer, a useful and a very practical item for someone who has a stove, fireplace or fire pit. Whether it is your grandparents, your mum or dad or a friend, Firemizer can make a very good present not only does it make the fire last longer, it can help the user save up to a third of their money too on fuel (it’s a win-win situation!).

Who doesn’t love a roaring fire, especially during the cold winter season? If you want to make it extra special and make it more personal, why not get a set of seasoned logs tie them up together with a thick red ribbon and place it on a log basket with a Firemizer on the side. When it is neatly wrapped together, it will look presentable and it shows a lot of thought have gone into it and shows how much you care about the other person. This is a great present for anyone with a fire because you want them to keep warm, you want them to save money and mostly you want them to enjoy the winter season. Buying seasoned logs will also make their lives easier because it can save them a job from having to go out into the cold to chop the firewood or take the time to season it because it will already be seasoned and chopped. Firemizer can also reduce the build-up of potentially dangerous soot in chimneys ensuring that the person you are buying will have a less of a chance of a chimney fire.

We hope the above has given you an idea of what to buy for someone who has a fire and is hard to buy for 🙂

We would love to hear what your ideas are too, please feel free to comment below:

Christmas is a busy time for everyone, you need to think about the food, the guests (if you are hosting the Christmas meal), the presents and the entertainment. Here are 5 steps you may wish to follow to help you prepare for Christmas:

Presents

Making a list of all the presents you want to purchase is key because you don’t want to end up going to the shopping centre last minute and picking presents out without an idea of what to get your children, friends or family because this usually means spending more money on things you didn’t want to get in the first place but bought any way due to pressure and time.

Once you have the list you can check online where you can get the best deals from. If you can get all the presents from the same shop then not only will it save you time, it will save you money too especially if you are buying the items online, you can pay for just one delivery charge. If you are physically going into the shop, you don’t have to spend time and unnecessary money on fuel going to 5 different shops when you know they are available all from one shop.

Once you have all your presents in place and have wrapped them all up, you can move onto the second stage…

Entertainment

Who doesn’t love going into a home with a glowing warm fire in the house. It is important to have your chimney swept as you will be more likely to use your fire more often when your family and friends are over particularly during the Christmas holidays when you are more likely to throw a party. You can make your fire last longer too with a Firemizer so you don’t have to worry about refuelling your fire as often when you are playing charades or a board game with the family. Or unwrapping Christmas presents…

Decorations

Christmas is slowly creeping in now, it is time to put the Christmas tree up and decorate your house and the most focal point of your home – the fireplace. Begin by decorating the Christmas tree with your favourite colours or have a theme. Then move onto the fireplace mantel, you can hang a ‘Merry Christmas’ bunting across the mantel or stockings filled with small gifts or put festive decorations on top of the mantel such as garlands or candles. Christmas is all about being with your loved ones and food of course, so why not decorate a gingerbread man house with your loved ones and make it your focal point if you haven’t got a fireplace, it’s fun and you get to be creative and if you’re feeling extra creative why not make the gingerbread house from scratch?

Top tip: Make sure it isn’t too low to avoid the decorations from catching fire!

Food

It’s time to go food shopping for all the necessities e.g turkey, mulled wine, mince pies, vegetables, Christmas pudding etc… if you decide to buy the food a week before, make sure you keep the food refrigerated to preserve longer.

Preparing More Entertainment

Download all your favourite Christmas tunes so you can have some festive music in the background when your guests arrive or if you have time, learn a few Christmas songs you have always wanted to play on a musical instrument and impress your family and/or friends.

These are just some of our ideas to help you prepare for Christmas. We would love to hear how you prepare for in readiness for Christmas.  

Winter is fast approaching, the air is much cooler and the nights are getting darker much sooner.

It is very tempting to put the heater on – after all, you only need to flick a switch, but needless to say this is not the only way to keep warm, there are other practical and low cost ways to keep warm. With energy bills rising even switching energy suppliers may not help much.

So, here are my top 7 money saving tips to help you keep warm and save some pennies this winter.

Heat the Most Used Rooms

Heating the whole house up even the rooms that are not being used is a waste of energy and money. Using a thermostat can help you keep your heating bills down, and your efficiency high. If you set the temperature between about 18-21 degrees in your main living room and about 16 degrees in the other rooms you use, can help you save costs and prevent you and your family from getting too cold or risk of falling ill.

 Drink Hot Beverages and Eat Hot Foods

What is better than having a cup of hot chocolate with melted marshmallows on top on a long cold winter day? Not a big fan of hot chocolate? What about a cup of tea or coffee? Drinking hot drinks can help warm your body up, or if you are feeling hungry, eating stews or having soup also help fight the cold off (it can be quite healthy too!)

Exercise 

Quick bursts of exercise can help heat your body up quite rapidly. Jumping and moving around with your family will keep your family fit and healthy (it can also be great fun too!) Save money by turning the heat down, go outside for a run or do something active like a game of football with your family, before you know it you will be glad to come back to a house that is not steaming hot! No time for exercise? Doing household chores can help you keep warm too! Some say having a tidy house can clear the mind, so doing housework could be a win-win situation for you – tidy house, less stress, not spending money and keeping warm!

Layer Up 

Wearing lots of layers can keep you really warm, start off with a thin vest or top and keep adding on more layers then top it off with a big jumper. Wear socks, and long sleeved tops and bottoms also helps if wearing a big jumper is too warm. At night, wear long sleeved pyjamas and thick socks (you will feel cosy and warm!)… still cold? Wear a scarf around your neck – it helps!

Keep Curtains Shut 

Once the sun goes down, shutting the curtains will give you two benefits. One advantage is, it prevents heat loss and the other advantage is, it helps block the coldness out like a barrier. If the location of your house is in a geographically cold area, consider investing in thermal curtains especially for the main rooms you use. Thermal curtains are thick fabric that provides high levels of insulation, which aids in preventing some of the warmth from escaping. They are not that expensive, but if you prefer to use what you have got at home, you may choose to use sheets or hang curtains over doors to add that extra bit of insulation for extra warmth at night.

Blankets, Quilts & Duvets

Doubling up two thin duvets inside one duvet cover can be a simple solution to keep you warm in bed. If you are in the living room feeling cold, grab a blanket, quilt or a fleeced throw to keep warm. You can invest in some reasonable priced ones from the high street. Covering yourself up with a blanket is cosy especially, when you are snuggled up watching a movie with family or friends.

Wood-burners & Fireplaces

Lighting a fire can be romantic and provide a lot of heat in the room. If your wood-burner or fireplace is what you use as your main source of heat and you use up a lot of quality firewood then you may consider using Firemizer. Firemizer has been proved by independent tests to reduce fuel consumption by up to a third, it is a great money saving device. Don’t use your fireplace enough? If you have an open fireplace which is unused it might be worth installing a chimney balloon to prevent heat loss, the savings on heating costs could be significant and if you change your mind, you can have it removed.

Remember: each individual have different heat senses, some people get warm quicker than others or some people feel the cold much easier than others. It is important to make sure you and your family are comfortable at the right temperatures.

These are just some of our tips for keeping warm. What are your tricks for keeping warm?

Text Santa is back! This year the Firemizer team will be partaking in the annual Christmas Jumper Day on the 18^th of December 2015 in aid of Save the Children, Macmillan Cancer Support and Make-A-Wish UK. Last year was a great success all members of staff put on their most festive Christmas jumpers on and had completely lifted the Christmas spirit up! This year we want to do the something even greater to raise money, we will be organising a Christmas Jumper Competition within the office on who’s got the most stylish snazzy Christmas Jumper on – what a fun way to raise money for the charities!

Text Santa will give hope to families all over the UK and overseas, remember, every penny you donate can help someone fight illnesses and get the help the children need.

Remember to check out our Festive Christmas Jumpers and find out how much we money we raised after the event! Stay tuned…

For more information about Christmas Jumper Day, please visit: http://www.itv.com/textsanta