Category Archives: House Cleaning

Mother’s Day – Thank Your Mother Everyday

July 13, 2021   Matt

Mother’s Day – Thank Your Mother Everyday

We remember our Mother on Mother’s Day. That is not to say that otherwise we have forgotten her. But on Mother’s Day, we especially say thanks to our mother. This is the day to celebrate Motherhood. Let us talk about our mother and find out if one day in a year is enough to remember mother?

We are grown up today because of our mother. Right from the day we are born, mother takes us under her protection. She feeds us, gives us medicines, looks after our growth and teaches us to walk and play. Mother helps us in our school studies and fights for us with others if required. Mother saves us from every calamity. Watch a toddler in lap of her mother and you will see a deep sense of peace on his/her face. A child feels totally safe when he/she knows that mother is nearby.

We thank our friends, our co-workers and every body who helps us. What about our mother? When shall we thank her for bringing us up? When shall we thank her for the sleepless nights she had because of us/ when shall we thank her for cleaning us during our infancy? When shall we thank her for giving us birth?

A mother deserves much more than a single Mother’s day. She should be sent a Thank you ecard everyday. She should know that we realize what all she did for us and are thankful for that. No thank can ever repay mother’s debt, but at least we will make her happy.

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How To Clean Your House In Hurry

July 08, 2021   Matt

How To Clean Your House In Hurry

You’re lying on the couch in your living room, in one of your husband’s old t-shirts and a pair of baggie sweatpants, watching last night’s taped episode of Desperate Housewives, when suddenly – the phone rings. You don’t recognize the number on caller ID and you make the mistake of answering it. It’s your long lost best friend from the sixth grade. She’s in town and she just happens to be in your neighborhood. She’ll be over in 10 minutes, and your house is a MESS.
So, how do you clean up for unexpected guests in 10 minutes or less?!
1. Stay calm!
2. Do a clean sweep. Grab a trash bag or laundry basket and gather up everything that is lying around that shouldn’t be, and throw it into the bag. Hide the bag.
3. Plump up pillows on couches and chairs in living room, fold blankets. Give each cushion a swat for crumbs.
4. Stack mail, newspapers and magazines in a nice, neat pile. Stick the pile in a corner or on a kitchen chair.
5. Give the bathroom a speedy sprucing up! Wipe out the sink, wipe off the toilet seat and quickly swish the bowl. Then, close the shower curtain, and throw odds and ends in cabinets or drawers. Spray some air freshener so the bathroom will smell clean – even if it’s far from it.
6. Rinse off any dishes in the sink and stack them neatly or toss them in the dishwasher. Wipe off the table and counter tops.
7. Take a peek inside the fridge – what beverages and snacks do you have that you can offer your guests?
8. Close the doors to all rooms that you don’t want on display.
9. Light a yummy scented candle in the kitchen – like Cinnamon Buns or Chocolate Cake. Lighting a few scented candles will uplift the mood of your home and make guests feel welcome. Throw some fruit in a bowl and place it in the center of your table. Fresh flowers also do wonders, if you have them on hand.
10. Take a deep breath. Give yourself a squirt of perfume and you’re all set! You may even have enough time to get changed into something a little more presentable.
Cleaning up for unexpected guests does not have to be a mad rush, if you stay caught up on your housework as a rule. A friend of mine gave me some really good advice right after my husband and I got married, she said “The best way to keep a clean house is to entertain in your home at least once a month.” There’s nothing like having company coming to get cleaning!

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Clean Vintage Glass and Antique Porcelain Safely

July 03, 2021   Matt

Clean Vintage Glass and Antique Porcelain Safely

Cleaning vintage glass and antique porcelain should be done with the utmost of care. Before you wash your porcelain piece you have to remove the dust and the dirt from it. For un-restored antique porcelain you can use a soft brush to remove the dirt and use a mild dishwashing liquid to wash it. Never ever use abrasive cleaners or put porcelain in your dishwasher. Never immerse your porcelain in water completely, it is best to use a damp cloth to clean porcelain items. Use a dabbing or gentle wiping motion. If the porcelain piece has no stains, it is best to leave it alone and use a dry cleaning method instead. Use a dry, soft brush to remove dust and any particles. While cleaning your antique piece you have to take extra care to place it on a soft towel or other soft fabric.
If there is a need to remove some stains from the antique porcelain you can use cotton soaked in hydrogen peroxide (20% vol) and ammonia. You can re-soak the cotton swabs if needed during the cleaning process.
Vintage glass should also be never cleaned in a dishwasher or by using an abrasive cleaner. Wash one piece at a time using mild dishwashing liquid and warm water. Use a plastic bowl or bucket while you wash vintage glass pieces.
Before cleaning glass, take off any jewelry you have on your hands such as rings or bracelets so you don’t risk scratching your piece. If you have hard water, consider using bottled or filtered water instead of tap water. Also, pad the washing and drying area with some soft towels or cloths.
If the glass you are cleaning is stained by alcohol or usage of hard water, you can use citric acid or white vinegar with warm water to clean such glasses.
For glass that has a foggy look to it, that is not original to the glass, toothpaste or denture whitening paste will work. Simply put a dab of the paste on your finger and gently rub the glass. This also removes smoke stains from being in a house where there are smokers.
For glass with mineral or chemical deposits, you can use the same chemical cleaner that you use to clean your bathtub or tile from calcium deposits. Be sure to rinse the chemical off quickly though.
When cleaning any glass, it is critical to use lukewarm water to rinse only. Using water that is too hot or too cold may risk shattering the glass.
For very expensive or old cut glass, etched glass or painted glass, be extra careful. Cleaning may damage these surfaces. For very fragile glass like this, it may be best to consult a professional conservator.
Avoid using strong acids while cleaning older glasses since they may etch the glass and spoil the look of the vintage glass.
After cleaning, it is best to let your antiques, whether glass or porcelain to air dry for a bit, then use a soft, lint free towel to gently dab any excess water off of them.
With careful cleaning and handling, your vintage glass and antique porcelain items will look beautiful for years to come.

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Soft Marketing Strategies

June 28, 2021   Matt

Soft Marketing Strategies

Whether you are marketing on-line or off-line, your potential customers are scared, scarred, and skeptical. Consumers, today, are quite resistant to sales messages.

In the mid 70’s, a store could run a “10% off” sale and people would flock in. Then the big stores got into the discounting mentality. Now it is common to see “70% off” sales – especially in jewelry. The consumer is not too long a fool. These promotions do not produce the wanted response anymore.

Repeated, high powered sales events create a downward spiral. Eventually you cannot offer a big enough “deal” to get the public excited. The big three car makers played this game for three years. By January 2006 they found themselves in deep financial trouble. They had borrowed customers from the future by offering a bigger, better sale every couple months. It is a deep grave from which to crawl out.

Successful businesses, now and in the future, will be practicing what I call “soft marketing”. To make sales today, marketing efforts have to come in under the consumer’s sales-pitch radar.

Many of the big companies have known this for some time because of their on-going marketing analysis. You can take advantage of their research for free.

Look at Coca-Cola for example.

Coke was famous for their flashy, high-powered TV ads. Today you seldom see such ads. Have they cut back on their marketing expenditure? No. In fact, they are now spending more using soft marketing techniques. Most people do not even realize they are being advertised to. That is the beauty and power of soft marketing.

Here are two ways Coke is using a soft marketing approach to build profits and market share.

1. You may have seen Coke products displayed on TV shows and movies. “American Idol” is a popular TV show, with about 35 million viewers. The three judges are a big part of the success of the show. In front of each judge is a tall Coke cup. These characters, in effect, are recommending Coke to their viewers. Coke pays a lot of money for this and sells a lot of product based on this endorsement type advertising.

2. Coke brings new loyal customers in the “back door” using nostalgia products. Coke collectibles are a huge market today. And once caught up in the hobby of Coke collectibles, a person, and the whole family, become avid Coke drinkers. And Coke is being advertised to everyone who enters that home.

Coke’s soft marketing techniques have made them almost bullet-proof in the soft drink market. They have built an image of being the most popular soda. Since it is human nature to want to be on the winning team, swarms of new customers are joining the group every day.

Here are three powerful soft marketing tactics you can start using today.

1. Become known as an expert. Credibility and trust are the two most important ways to succeed in any business. Write and submit articles and press releases. If you cannot write, hire someone to do it for you. There are several good writing service web sites on the internet. They are very cheap. Also, you should join a “Private Label Rights” content site. They provide already written articles that you can put your name on as your own. This is pure gold for on-line or off-line marketing.

If you have a business on Main Street, your local newspaper should be your best friend. Do whatever you can to develop a relationship with them. You may or may not be able to get your news articles and releases printed for free, but even buying the space will return big dividends.

2. Give away a free report on the topic of your product or service. Your local newspaper will probably give you some free editorial space in the beginning if the report is of interest and free to their subscribers. A real life example is a realtor in this area that offers a free report – “10 Ways To Get Top Dollar For Your Home”. It reveals what is valuable, and what is not, when getting your home ready for sale. With this he becomes the expert in the consumer’s mind and a person who cares about them.

You can get a book or report written for you for a few hundred dollars by the same on-line companies that ghost-write articles and press releases or from your “Private Label Rights” membership site. This realtor has been using the same report for over ten years now. It is estimated this report has generated about .6 million in profits.

3. Partner with related, non-competing businesses. One dry cleaning operation partnered with clothing stores in the community. The store, when selling a garment, would give a gift certificate to the customer. The gift certificate was good for a free first-time cleaning and pressing of that new garment.

The customer thought the store was paying for the dry cleaning. The fact is the dry cleaner was giving the service for free. The customer saw the store as being a “hero” and the store saw the dry cleaner as being a “hero”. Both stores gained a load of new and repeat customers.

Use these soft marketing strategies or think up your own to fit your product or service. Have some brainstorming sessions with other energetic, savvy business people, like you. The resulting ideas will amaze you, and your traffic and profits will increase as if by magic.

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Practical Real Estate Advice From Industry Experts

June 23, 2021   Matt

Practical Real Estate Advice From Industry Experts

In this uncertain economy today, everyone wants to maximize profit and save money, including sellers in the real estate market. If you’re one of them and you would like to learn how to make your house more valuable and sell it more easily, then you’re at the right place. This article contains simple yet brilliant tips to instantly boost your house value, and help you to sell like a seasoned expert.

Do your best to make sure that your home has a lot of curb appeal. This may not seem that important if you have a particularly nice interior, but you should keep in mind that the outside is the first thing that buyers will see when they approach your home.

If there are minor repairs that need to be done to your home you should do them instead of just selling your home for less because of them. There are many lazy buyers and having the house move-in ready is much more appealing than having to do work once they buy the home.

Advertise your home to sell it faster. There are many websites that will let you list your home for free. You should take great pictures that are well lighted and clear. You can also advertise your home for sale in the newspaper or by putting flyers up around town.

Give buyers the feeling that your house has more value than other similar homes by using staging techniques that will make your house sell faster. Re-arranging your furniture, painting rooms with a calming color palette and clearing clutter can all help your potential buyer to think that your house is worth the asking price.

When selling real estate, you should always hire a professional cleaning service to come in and do a detailed cleaning. When buyers walk in, they will be impressed at how things look and are more likely to not be as concerned about how the mechanical systems function, since they can see that the home is spotless and well maintained.

If you are selling your home and you have appliances that are severely outdated then you should replace them before showing the house. You can add a little on to the asking price because buyers will be glad to see that there are brand new appliances on the property.

Photos speak volumes. Make sure that you or your agent include lots of great photos in the listing of your home. Today’s buyers want to sit at home on their computers and window shop. They want to see each room of the house, especially the kitchen and the bathrooms. Put yourself ahead of the competition by having great quality pictures.

The real estate market may be confusing and frustrating. It usually takes a long time to find a buyer, and even when you find one, the price at which they are willing to buy might be too low. But if you follow these tips, then you will be on your way to increasing your home’s value, finding buyers, and finishing the deal faster and easier than you could have imagined.

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Tips And Tricks For Jewelry!

June 18, 2021   Matt

Tips And Tricks For Jewelry!

Everyone knows that high quality jewelry is an expensive and important investment, and there are many different kinds to choose from, depending on the occasion at hand. This article offers plenty of helpful insight into the world of jewelry and will hopefully, help you select exactly what you are looking for.

When buying jewelry, look for stones that actually flatter your eyes of complexion. Avoid red stones if you have very pale skin, and avoid paler stones if you have dark skin. A stone with a color similar to your eyes will do wonders for you. Find something that you can easily wear with your outfits too.

Choose jewelry colors that reflect the season. In Spring, wear pastels and bright shades of green. In Summer, go for deeper greens, blues and browns. In the Autumn, show your fall colors with orange, rust, yellow and brown. During the Winter months alternate between sparkling white, sky blue and silver, and warm tones of gold, red and deepest green.

When buying jewelry, you may want to consider semi-precious stones. Semi-precious stones can be found in a wide variety of colors, cuts, and price-ranges. Not only will you be able to get more for less, but, since many people choose precious stones, your semi-precious gemstone jewelry may seem ever rarer than diamonds!

If you are cleaning your jewelry at home, make sure that you use warm water and a mild soap. Rinse very thoroughly to make sure that there is no residue left on the metal. Dry well and leave to air dry completely. Water left on precious metals can leave residual water stains.

When purchasing jewelry online, make sure that you don’t purchase anything of real value. Expensive jewelry sold online for a few hundred dollars cheaper can be a gateway to all sorts of trouble. You may find that the setting or gemstone is fake, or not as advertised. Purchase from a store where you can inspect your jewelry purchase in person.

When selecting a gemstone for a ring or necklace, make sure that you know what you are buying. There are many different types of gemstone, including naturally mined, synthetic and imitation. Obviously, they all vary in value, so you need to make sure that you are not paying over the odds.

When you choose to make a jewelry purchase as a gift, do so from a store that allows you to make returns! You never know when someone just won’t like what you pick, and it’s a lot easier to take them with you when you return the piece to pick out something they like.

When cleaning your gold jewelry, it is important to remember you should never clean it with abrasive chemical cleaners. These products will strip gold of its natural shine and luster. If you need to remove grime from hard-to-reach locations on your gold jewelry, try using a soft-bristled toothbrush, mild soap and warm water for cleaning.

Now that you know about some of the different types and qualities of jewelry that are available, you can make an informed decision at the jewelry store. Hopefully, making the choice of what type of jewelry to purchase, will be a stress-free and fun experience, now that you are well-informed and eager to go make your purchase!

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