Category Archives: House Cleaning

How To Clean Your Throw Rugs

February 23, 2023   Matt

How To Clean Your Throw Rugs

Throw rugs are a handy way to cover wear, spruce up a room, or add warmth and comfort to hardwood floors. They are affordable and easy to find and you can choose from all types of patterns, designs, colors, and materials. Here’s how to clean your throw rugs and keep them looking fresh and new.
Throw rugs are very easy to care for. They require no special treatment or attention, unless of course you’ve purchased wool rugs or the manufacturers instructions give you specific directions for cleaning.
1. Vacuum
The single easiest way to keep your rugs looking fresh and new and extend their life is to vacuum them on a regular basis. Vacuuming pulls dirt away so it cannot get pushed deep into the fiber and wear the rug.
2. Check Tag
Read the tag for any special washing instructions. If you find none you can assume that our instructions will work.
3. Pretreat
If your throw rug has any stains pretreat it with any of the laundry stain removers or pretreatments available. Apply as you would with any other item. Then let soak for a few hours so that it can penetrate deep into the fiber.
4. Wash
Toss it in the washing machine in cold water. Use a mild laundry detergent and be sure it does not have any bleaching agents. These could fade the color of your rug. Even the bleach free ones can be harsh on some fabrics and are not recommended for your throw rugs if you want to keep the new looking. If your rug is too large for your washer locate a laundry mat that has the commercial size washers then take it there to wash.
5. Hang to Dry
Never throw your throw rug in the dryer. Always hang to dry. Hanging over the shower door works great as any water left in the material will drip into the shower. You can also hang over any other style of door, or lay flat to dry. If you lay flat to dry be sure to flip and move regularly otherwise the water will be wicked into the surface and it will take forever to dry.
6. Brush
Not only do you have to brush your pets, now you have to brush your rugs. Once your throw rug is dry take a comb or brush and gently work it through the rug brushing against it’s natural grain so it becomes full again.
A quick search online will reveal there are thousands of throw rug choices out there. You can also buy throw rugs at local carpet dealers. Stores like Walmart or Target offer some great prices on these style of rugs so be sure to check them out too!
Throw rugs are the perfect way to add to your home decor. As you can see from how to clean your throw rugs process they are not difficult to maintain. There also great because normally they are of a small to medium size so you can mix it up every now and then and rearrange them in your home.

Read More

Homes For Sale – Tips To Help Make Your Home More Marketable

February 18, 2023   Matt

Homes For Sale – Tips To Help Make Your Home More Marketable

You’ve finally decided that you want to sell your house. Your house is on the market, and you’ve found a real estate agent you can trust. Now what? The next and most obvious step is to get your home sold. To help aid in the selling of your home, I will outline some tips that I personally believe will benefit in the marketability and potential selling of your home. The goal here is to obtain that all important “stamp of approval” in which the red imprint reads: “SOLD.”

Usually, the first place your potential buyer is going to see, will be the front of your house. The goal here is to make it as attractive as possible, but more importantly, inviting. First impressions are very important. First positive impressions, if you will, are even more important. The key here is to make sure everything looks neat and clean. Cut the grass, pull out the weeds, trim the bushes, plant some flowers, and clear out the walkway.

Make sure your home is clean. These include things like steam cleaning your carpets, mopping your floors, dusting hard-to-reach areas, and cleaning your windows (both inside and out). Potential buyers are very picky people, and as such, they like to inspect as much as they can.

Try and keep both colors and styles neutral. The key here is not to influence your buyer with your own personal style. Someone might walk in, look at a red wall, and be immediately turned off. The idea is to try and make them visualize the colors for themselves. Keeping things neutral is a good solution to this “problem.”

Check lighting. No one wants to look at a house that they can’t see. Seems obvious, right? Unfortunately, as a real estate agent myself, I’ve had quite a few cases where this element has been overlooked. Check your light bulbs, and make sure they’re working. Although I recommend checking all the light bulbs, I’d be more concerned with the areas in the house that are darker or that require more artificial lighting. These include places like the basement and bathrooms. It’s also a good idea to open your curtains. Simply put, the more natural light, the better.

Make repairs if necessary. These include things like a fresh coat of paint, patching up of any holes in the wall, and torn patio screens. You want your buyer to feel like your home has been well taken care of. This is a big plus.

Try to avoid clutter. One of the worst things that can happen is when your buyer feels “boxed in.” Try and keep clutter to a minimum. Remove any unnecessary items such as too many pictures and accessories. The goal here is you want to have your house feel like a home, yet at the same time have it as spacious and organized as possible. You want the buyer to get a good sense of the space and visualize it as their own.

After all is said and done, it is important to note that the aforementioned tips do not guarantee a sell of ones home, although it can certainly help. Everyone is different, and there are other variables to consider. But like I said, these certainly can help. As a final test, invite a friend over and have them share their opinions with you about the presentation of your home. In the best case scenario, it is best to invite someone that has never been to your house (or not that often). In this way, they can view your home with a “fresh pair of eyes.” All of these suggestions boil down to one common goal: You want your home to feel inviting, and have your potential buyer view it as their own.

Read More

Dangers of Chlorine in Showers, Pools and Cleaning Products

February 13, 2023   Matt

Dangers of Chlorine in Showers, Pools and Cleaning Products

Who would want to take a bath first thing in the morning if they knew that their showers are filled with toxins? And not only that; if you bathe in your pool or when you’re using cleaning products, are you aware that they contain toxins too? Well, that is already a proven fact and you should know because it concerns you and your family’s health. Some of the dangers of chlorine in showers, pools, and cleaning products include increasing the risk of skin allergies, cancer, sinuses, and at can also cause harm to your lungs.

It is the toxins that can damage an individual’s health. Chlorine is just one of those toxins. Most of the suppliers of water use chlorine for disinfection purposes. However, what these water suppliers don’t know is that the chlorine can harden arteries, irritate skin, destroy body proteins, aggravate asthma and sinus conditions, allergies, and most specially, respiratory problems.

There have been many studies showing that people who drink chlorinated water were more susceptible to rectal and bladder cancer. Skin absorbs chlorine. So when you take a shower or you bathe in the pool, your body is absorbing a lot of chlorine. Some tests even showed that the absorption of chlorine is far higher when an individual is taking a bath rather than simply drinking the water. When you’re cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, you usually use cleaning products. The same thing happens; it’s just like taking a bath because you wet your hands (this is where chlorine is absorbed) and you can inhale the toxins.

You might think that it’s impossible but it is definitely true. You see, when you’re taking a shower, your pores are opened and when this happens, the whole body will work similar to that of a sponge. Chlorine vapors are inhaled and absorbed by the skin. It goes directly to the bloodstream. This is much faster than drinking the water because chlorine will still pass to other organs of the body.

The risks can be divided into short term and long term. In the short term of exposure to chlorine, you can suffer from sinus, skin, and eye irritations. Over the long term, people can suffer from hardened arteries, oxidation (wherein cells and tissues age fast), and susceptibility to cancer. Individuals suffering from asthma, allergies, skin rashes, and emphysema should lessen the exposure to chlorinated water because their conditions can become worse.

Because of these alarming facts, there are now counteractive measures that people can turn to. For shower and pools, make sure that you use a proper water filter. There are shower filters available in the market but just make sure that you buy one with the KDF medium. Pool filters are also widely available. In the case of cleaning products, you should look into the ingredients before you make a purchase. If you want, you can turn to the basics and use baking soda or vinegar to clean the house.

As a responsible homeowner, you should be aware of the dangers of chlorine in showers, pool, and cleaning products. This is the only way to live a much safer life. Who could ever think that danger is lurking in the comforts of your home? Stay safe and take the necessary measures in order to address the chlorine problems.

Read More

Improve Home Value And Appearance With These Helpful Tips

February 08, 2023   Matt

Improve Home Value And Appearance With These Helpful Tips

Home improvement does not necessarily mean completing an upgrade inside of the home. Repairs to the driveway or grooming your lawn can also be considered home improvement. There are a lot of things under this umbrella, and there is a lot you should learn before attempting to handle improvements. Check out these great tips.

When doing new flooring for your home improvements, make sure you take the time to do your baseboards properly. Baseboards are there for a reason. They need to be sealed with caulking so that water does not get between them and the floor causing rot and water damage to the sub-floors and walls.

Try keeping your home insulated. Insulating your walls is a relatively low cost home improvement that will help you save money in the long run, along with protecting the environment. Keeping your house insulated not only keeps it warm in winter, but it also keeps it cool in the summer.

If you are in need of space in your bathroom, you know that the two things taking it up are usually the bathtub and the sink. Opt to install a pedestal sink in a small bathroom instead of one with cabinets on the bottom. It not only gives your bathroom an expensive appearance, but also frees up much needed space.

If you need to do a project around your house, but don’t have the tools to do it, consider how often you will use the tools before buying. It may be more cost-effective to rent or borrow what you need instead of spending the money to purchase items that will be seldom used.

If you can’t stand the smell of wet paint, try mixing a few drops of real vanilla extract into each gallon of paint–so long as you aren’t using white. The lovely smell of vanilla will overpower the paint fumes, so painting a room or piece of furniture can become a much more pleasant task.

One of the smallest improvements to your home with the biggest impact is a deep cleaning of the house. Spending the time to clean every section of your house will improve the overall smell, look, and environment of your home. A thorough cleaning is often overlooked as a cost effective method of home improvement.

The two rooms in your home that repel or attract the most home buyers are the kitchen and the bathrooms. This is why it is very important for you to keep both of these rooms updated. Buyers love extra bathrooms and updated kitchens, so keep that in mind when planning to do any home improvement.

Store your glue bottles upside down! Ever get annoyed when the tips of your glue bottled inevitably dry up between uses? Removing those plugs of glue is no fun. To prevent this just turn your tightly capped glue bottle upside down and sit it down inside another container to keep it propped up.

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to throw on some new wallpaper or pull up an old rug, your home improvements will not go as planned unless you’re properly prepared and knowledgeable about what you’re attempting to do. Be sure that you’re taking this information seriously and working to implement what you have read above.

Read More

Bean Bag Sofa

February 03, 2023   Matt

Bean Bag Sofa

If you are tired and worn out, where do you want to go to find comfort? Undoubtedly your bed is your best friend in moments like this. It is a nice feeling to curl up in bed and relish its reassuring embraces and comforting hugs. No matter how big or small your bed is nothing can really beat the wonderful feeling it brings.

But don’t you know that there is a fun way of whiling away without spending time on your bed? It is not the activity that you need to know rather it is the kind of cushioned material that you ought to have to make lying down more relaxing and soothing. With your bean bag sofa, you can never go wrong.

Yes, dozing off with your bean bag sofa is a pleasurable way to take that day off from the pressures and demands of work. Explore your inner sanctum at the comfort of your bean bag sofa and have time to talk to yourself once in a while. This experience on your bean bag sofa is a wonderful way of introspecting thus knowing yourself gives the most benefit of improving your life and your relationship with others.

The nice thing about bean bag sofa is that it can be carried anywhere since it is relatively lighter that your bed. So if you don’t have the strength to tug your bed with you, with your bean bag sofa you can. No matter which part of the house you want to unwind you can do it with most comfort because of your bean bag sofa.

Spending time with your pet or you little tyke can also be done on your bean bag sofa while watching your favorite kiddy program or pet show on TV. Depending on the size, your bean bag sofa can surely accommodate you and you kid or pet.

This little cushioned thingy is a remarkable gadget that eases cleaning the part of the house where they are placed. Its lightweight attribute makes cleaning hassle-free since it can be transferred from one place to the other without so much effort.

With their attractive colors, your living room is even more inviting. It will definitely put more flavors to your discriminating taste in redesigning your house interior. It is a fun way of putting new ideas on your living room without spending additional cost on expensive pieces of furniture. You don’t also have to worry about space because you bean bag sofa can be placed almost anywhere.

Coming from work, your bean bag sofa is ready to welcome you to give that massage-like comfort and lets you say ahhhhhh with delight.

Read More

Turn Your House Into Your Dream Home With These Home Improvement Tips (2)

January 29, 2023   Matt

Turn Your House Into Your Dream Home With These Home Improvement Tips

Home improvement can be as simple as painting a room or more complicated like remodeling the house. Regardless, these are some tips you may find helpful to avoid unnecessary frustration and/or headaches.

Before deciding on renovations for your home, go to several open houses in new subdivisions. You’ll see the latest styles and colors and get a better idea of how your home could look with those options than you would by just going through the hardware store. Many model homes even hire a decorator to include window coverings and furniture to complete the effect, so you can copy the ones you like best and skip a lot of trial and error when updating your own home.

You can stop heat loss from your hot water heater easily by covering it in a jacket. The jacket, which can be found at any hardware store, stops heat loss by 70%, making your home more energy efficient.This saves you money in the long run, as you can quickly regain the cost of the jacket in as little as 6 months.

Use semi-gloss paint on trim or moldings and high humidity areas. Semi-gloss paint looks fantastic on trim and moldings, as it really draws attention to the detail. It can also be used on bathroom and kitchen walls, as it is very resistant to humidity, and withstand stains. Be careful to only use gloss paint on a really smooth surface, as imperfections will be highly visible. That being said, it is the easiest of all paint finishes to clean.

For a paint finish that really lasts, always sand, strip and prime, prior to applying a fresh coat. Many people think that skipping the preparatory steps of painting will speed up the process, but down the road old paint will peel through the new finish, ruining your paint job and forcing you to strip off yet another layer of paint before repainting again.

If you are doing a home improvement project that involves demolition, slow down and take your time. It may be exciting to smash that wall open, but you could damage structural supports, plumbing, or electrical connections. The same is true of pulling down cabinets and other fixtures. Once you’ve demolished it, it can’t be put back, so pay attention to what you’re doing.

For a high-impact update that can be completed in less than a day, consider freshening up your front door with one or two coats of brightly colored, ultra-glossy paint. Homes with light-colored brick or siding look best with a bright red or blue door; darkly colored homes do best with a deep, cool color like eggplant or slate blue.

If you are trying to improve your cabinets, think about cleaning them rather than replacing them. Most cabinets will improve their look with a little cleaning. If you have cabinets that have small problems, such as smudges and mild grease build up, try using a dish soap and warm water solution to clean the exterior.

Remember, home improvement does not have to be a daunting task! The right information can help you to make sound decisions. Whether you do-it-yourself or hire out the work, enjoy your “new look” … a little effort goes a long way!

Read More
« Older posts
Newer posts »

  • Subscribe

Support us!

If you like this site please subscribe