Moen's Level kitchen faucet features a pulldown wand to make everyday tasks easier.

(ARA) – Economic uncertainty. A changing political climate. Decreasing consumer confidence. Americans today have a lot to be anxious about — and the need for escape is greater than ever. No place is this need more evident than in the home.

According to Judy Riley, Moen’s vice president of design, the home is looked to as the primary place for comfort and serenity during times of unrest. “With decreased entertainment budgets and the growing trend toward entertaining in the home, Americans are spending a lot more time indoors,” says Riley. “Today’s home is for much more than eating and sleeping — it is an escape from the outside world.”

What are the latest trends in the modern escape home? More importantly, how can you transform your home into a safe haven with both style and smarts?

The Hub of the Home
Kitchens have come a long way in the past several years, and they continue to evolve more into the family gathering place than ever before. “The kitchen is the center of connectivity for today’s family — not only physically, but also digitally,” says Riley. “The kitchen is where we socialize, check email, surf the Web, watch television and charge everything from the cell phone to the iPod.”

With the kitchen as the home’s nucleus, it’s important to incorporate design elements that fit this specific purpose. Today’s kitchen lends itself to a more flexible, open plan than ever before, with ample counter space and wiring to support all of the family’s gadgets. It also requires more seating, from high-top bar stools to casual table dining.

As the most frequented space in the house, it’s important to incorporate items into your kitchen that fit your family’s personality — items that are both functional and fashionable. Moen’s Level kitchen faucet features sleek and contemporary lines that help to make a bold statement at the sink. Plus, the faucet’s pulldown wand simplifies everyday tasks, such as filling large pots, pitchers and vases, making your work that much simpler.

Serene and Green
Like the kitchen, today’s bathroom is taking on a variety of functions, acting as a setting for both wellness and rejuvenation. Consumers aim to achieve a peaceful environment by staying conscious of their impact on the environment and considering potential energy and cost savings in the bath.

Green has become part of the dialogue for homeowners as they weigh product features and functions, with many seeking to understand a product’s impact on the environment before making a purchase. “Although consumers want to do their part to be green, they aren’t willing to sacrifice a product’s performance to do so,” Riley says. “For example, they might want a low-flow showerhead, but not a weak shower experience.”

Moen’s Envi Eco-Performance showerhead takes both of these desires into consideration. With three unique spray settings and a flow rate of 1.75 gallons per minute (gpm) — 30 percent less than the industry standard 2.5 gpm — homeowners can have a guilt-free, superior shower experience every day. Modified spray formers increase the velocity of water streams hitting the body, which allows Envi to treat users to a full, satisfying and relaxing spray — all while saving water. “Achieving both a greener and more relaxing shower has never been easier,” says Riley.

Party Central
Entertaining and dining are coming home this year, and spaces need to be adaptable in order to accommodate multiple functions and different types of get-togethers. Transforming products, such as a dining room table that rises to bar height and expands for entertaining, like the Lexington Zacara Movida Bistro Table, gives an ordinary object a greater purpose. It’s suitable for both family meals and celebrations at the lower height with a leaf extension in place, and can also serve well for a wine tasting, cocktail party or a night of poker when set higher and more bistro-like. “Flexibility within the home allows you to create a variety of moods and settings for entertaining,” says Riley. “The goal is to be able to easily transition from casual to formal, while maintaining a style and comfort level that’s suitable for each occasion.”

What will tomorrow bring for your home? By incorporating 2009’s best trends into your living space, you can ensure it remains your refuge for years to come.

For more information on Moen’s Level kitchen collection or its new Envi Eco-Performance showerhead, visit www.moen.com or call (800) BUY-MOEN or (800) 289-6636.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Here is a handy tip list for some common everyday solutions to your plumbing problems.

Kitchen Leaky Pipe Joints. Your kitchen gets as much use as your bathroom, in fact maybe even more use than you realize. Joints in faucets can spring a leak that are either slow leaks or fast quick ones that can leave your face and shirt a mess. To fix a leaky pipe joint is not a problem. All you have to do is to turn the water valve off that goes to the sink. Take out your joint and hold it up to a bright light. Check for the cracks or holes in the joint line. When you find it replace the line that’s cracked. On the open end that’s exposed wrap the line with plumbers tape, or any type of Teflon tape will do. Wrap the line about 4 – 5 times with a firm grip. You need a firm grip because you’ll want the tape to get inside the groups of threads in the joint line. After wrapping just pull the tape off at an angle. There’s no need for scissors. Next put it all back together and hook up the faucet. Turn the water valve back on to the kitchen sink. If it’s still leaking then turn the water off at the main valve, and repeat the steps by adding more tape. Reconnect and see if it sprays again. If it’s still spraying take it apart and remove the tape. Double check your line for more holes and the fitting too. Rewrap and put it back on. That’s it, you’re done.

Finding Frozen Water Pipes. There’s nothing more maddening than to wake up and your water pipe is frozen. The solution to finding which one is the tricky part, but it can be found and fixed. You’ll just need a little patience and a warm coat. Remember not all of your pipes have to freeze it can be only one pipe in the myriad of many pipes of your house. So the first thing is to identify how many are frozen. Turn on every water supply to the inside of the house. Look for ones that are not producing water. Next turn off the ones that work, and leave the valve open on the ones that don’t. After this turn off the main water valve that brings water into the house, make sure to turn off the main because the only thing stopping the water from coming through is a packed tight ice plug in the line. You’re now readying to thaw your pipe.

Thawing out Frozen Pipes. Before crawling under the house examine what type of pipe that’s under your house. Your lines are one of two types under your house; they are either a metal alloy or made of plastic. A hand held hair dryer or a heat gun should be used to thaw them out. Be careful not to over heat your line made of plastic, it can melt them. Be sure to take along an extension cord, hair dryer, plumbing tools, hanging flash light, rags, and a pan or a bucket. Also you might need to replace a line so check the size of the line before going under the house. It could be that an ice plug has formed because of a hole or split in the line. Repair the line if needed. If a pipe that is interior and copper, tie off two in two places, one in front of and back of the leaky joint, and heat with a swishing motion. This should take no more that 5 min. Turn the main water supply line back on to the house and check for leaks. If your pipe is on an outside wall, or one that comes through the floor and connects to a sink, open the cabinet and leave a heater on. You should have unfrozen the clog.

Preventing Frozen Pipes. There are several things that you can do. If your pipes are always freezing every winter then you can line them up with a heated pipe space, or you can install new insulation where the pipes run. Also consider wrapping any of the pipes with insulation or wrapping the lines with a heat tape. All of these products can be purchased at your local home improvement or hardware store.

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