Home Improvement Advice

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Decorating your home doesn’t necessarily mean breaking your budget. However, most of us have no idea of where to start – budget or no budget. We may have a general idea of what we like (or don’t like), but turning those ideas into a reality is not as easy as it seems. With so many styles to choose from, it’s no wonder we have difficulties in getting started.

The best way to start on your decorating project is to decide where you are now (decorating-wise) and what needs that you and your family have that must be incorporated. Are there small children that can be injured if they fall on a table’s sharp corners? Do you have pets that will ruin a white sofa?

Will you be decorating only one room or your entire house? You will need to decide if you want all of the rooms of your home to be decorated in the same style. Once that decision has been made, you can start planning your first room.
Read the rest of this entry »

A beautiful kitchen is the heart of any home (even for those of us who spend most of our cooking time around the microwave!) Time spent together in the kitchen can bring a family closer together and make wonderful memories (although my own memories of doing dishes as a teenager are less than pleasant – something about dishwater being *disgusting!*) Turning your plain kitchen into something special isn*t as hard as you might think. Here are a few simple ideas which can make your kitchen a designer showcase.

1. To give your cabinets a special flair, use three different stains. Use one lighter stain on the upper cabinets, one slightly darker on the drawers and an even darker one on the bottom cabinets. Add a little pigment in a primary color (red, blue or yellow) to add an additional dimension and a little *pop.*

2. To add a little flair, take out a few drawers and insert low baskets in their place. You will probably have to remove the middle drawer slide or side slides, but that is easily done with a screwdriver.

3. Want to update your backsplash? Use beadboard! Have your local home improvement store cut it to length and attach with nails or adhesive.

4. Tired cabinet doors? Cut out the middle of the doors, leaving a two inch edge all around. Stale fabric panels to the back of the doors. Cover the staples with fabric trim glued with a hot glue gun. You can use any fabric from elegant to country, stripes to plaid, or gingham to quilted. Read the rest of this entry »

2v6riygzas

Air mattresses can be a great add-on to any house. You can use them for everything from camping to using it as an extra bed. Many of the air mattresses today come with their own pump, making it very easy to inflate and/or deflate the mattress for quick use. Also, the air mattresses today are much sturdier and made out of heavier material than they were before so the chance if one popping is less likely than it has been.

If you are looking to buy an air mattress to use while camping, you are probably best off by going with a mattress that fits these criteria; first, make sure that your tent is able to fit the air mattress you want inside of it. Second, get the size mattress or mattresses that will be able to fit all of the people on it. Choose the amount of loft you want because there are many options when choosing an air mattress. Be willing to spend a little extra cash to ensure the durability and quality of your mattress. Remember, you get what you pay for! Also, consider looking into purchasing a self-inflating air mat. These are much lighter and easier to carry around than air mattresses.

No matter the number of regular mattresses you own already, an air mattress is always a good addition. They come in very handy when you are having relatives or friends stay over for the holidays and can also make a children’s sleepover go easier. If you are primarily going to use your air mattress for indoor purposes only, it is wise to spend a little more money for a higher quality. It is never a good moment when you take down your air mattress that has been in the closet or attic for a few months only to find that it has a hole. The most durable air mattress to buy is one that comes with a bed frame. These will last the longest and also provide the user with a more comfortable night’s rest. And the bed frame will also protect the air mattress from foreign objects puncturing the mattress.

There are many different types of mattresses on the market today; memory foam is by far the most popular and is also the most comfortable to sleep on. A latex foam mattress has different “zones” and will also last you a long time. A waterbed mattress is still popular but has also changed over the years. There is a new type of waterbed, called a soft side. The softsided water mattresses are easier to clean than the traditional waterbed mattress and they also come with a tub system on the side of the mattress. You have the ability to move the tub from side to side and it will allow you some extra room and will also make it much easier to upgrade to these softside water mattress from the traditional waterbed mattress.

When buying a new mattress, always lay on it first before buying to ensure the quality and to determine if it is a good fit for you.

You can use all the carpet cleaning tips in the world, and guess what? You still probably can’t get your carpet as clean on your own as a professional carpet cleaner can. On the other hand, who needs perfection? The tips here will help you get that carpet clean enough.

Heat helps! Above 118 degrees fahrenheit, every 18 degrees higher changes chemical reactivity by 100%. Hot water extraction cleaning is done between 150 and 200 degrees. Is that too technical? The point is not only that hot water extraction, or “steam cleaning” is far superior to “dry cleaning,” but that if you do it yourself, use heat!

Actually, there are three inter-related factors at work when you clean carpet. Heat, Dwell Time, and Agitation. To some extent, if you can’t maximise one of them, you can make up for it with the others. In other words, if you can’t get the cleaning solution hot enough, let it “dwell” a bit longer in the carpet, and scrub harder.

Secret Carpet Cleaning Tips

Detergent attracts dirt. This is why it’s important to rinse out any cleaning solution thoroughly. This is another reason why hot water extraction gets carpet cleaner than the “dry” methods. The bottom line is that you need to rinse well when you clean carpet.

One way to clean stains is with the use of a shop-vac. No, you can’t just suck out the stain, but you can repeatedly wash and rinse the area, and suck out the solution each time. This is a more effective method than blotting up the water with cloth, mostly because you won’t have the patience to wash, rinse and extract enough times using paper towels or cloth.

Another little secret of the carpet cleaners is putting rugs outside and inside the front door. They can catch much of the dirt that people bring in on their feet. This isn’t just about less vaccuuming, though. Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. The damaged carpet stains more easily then, and it’s harder to remove the stains. An even better practice is to take off your shoes in the house.

Ready to clean? Vaccuum first. Then, if you use one of those portable machines, at least get the water as hot as you can. Dry the carpet quickly, using fans to move the air around. You can at least lengthen the time between expensive professional cleanings, by using these carpet cleaning tips.