Category Archives: House Cleaning

Part II How To Lose 50 Pounds And Keep It Off

December 14, 2024   Matt

Part II How To Lose 50 Pounds And Keep It Off

Yes, you can help yourself lose 50 pounds, by simply increasing your daily movement. In other words there are things that you do every single day, which will help you keep from adding extra pounds or taking off the extra pounds; you have already gained. The following daily activities will guide you in the right direction to being more healthy, by losing weight safely and easily.

Remember, you don’t have to just reduce the amount of food you eat to have 500 fewer calories in your system. You can also burn the calories. In a later article, we’ll deal with developing an exercise program. But first, in this section, we’ll look at ways to burn calories while going about your daily life.

For instance, many busy people hire others to handle their house work and landscaping. But, cleaning and keeping up with your yard are actually great ways to burn calories. Instead of spending money on a gym membership, you will actually be saving money by not paying a cleaning service.

On average, an hour of housework burns 160 calories. To burn 350 calories, a 150 pound woman could do the following bucket of activities in about two hours a day:

* 15 minutes cleaning bathroom (65 calories)
* 15 minutes vacuuming (60 calories)
* 10 minutes taking trash out (28 calories)
* 10 minutes sweep kitchen floors (37 calories)
* 20 minutes cleaning kitchen and washing dishes) (52 calories)
* 15 minutes of laundry (37 calories)
* 25 minutes of cooking (71 calories)

Consider that these are all things that need to be done anyway and you see that the value of doing them yourself may exceed the value of your paying someone else to do them while you head to a pricey gym.

If you have kids, consider spending time with them. Not only will you pry them away from their video games, but you will get exercise in the process. Shooting baskets with your child burns 77 calories in just 15 minutes. Even relatively sedate activities like putting together a puzzle with a child on the floor burns 43 calories in 15 minutes.

Finally, there are figurative steps you can take to build more literal steps in your day. If you are trying to lose weight, get a pedometer and aim to walk 10,000 steps a day. You can do this by:

* Parking farther away from the front door at work.
* Getting off the bus a stop or two earlier than you otherwise would.
* Taking the stairs whenever possible. If you work in a tall building, get off the elevator a
couple of floors early and walk the rest of the way.
* Instead of phoning or emailing a colleague in your office, actually get up and walk over
to her desk.
* Get a dog and walk him twice a day.
* Take a walk with your spouse after dinner

As you can easily see that to lose 50 pounds and keep it off dosen’t require a huge outlay of cash or going on a self punishing weight loss diet. With a little dedication and discipline, not only will you begin losing 50 pounds, but you will improve your overall physical health.

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Maintaining The Clean Carpet Look

December 09, 2024   Matt

Maintaining The Clean Carpet Look

Are you frustrated that your carpets look nothing like they did when you first bought them? Probably, so are many other homeowners. Well, there are fortunately some things once can do to prevent carpet disasters as the one we have mentioned above.

Vacuuming is an essential step to keeping carpets clean. Many of us hate to vacuum yet are angered at the fact that our carpets continue to get dirtier and dirtier. If you’re serious about maintaining your carpet, you need to do vacuum a minimum of once a week – not just when your carpet looks a bit dirty. You also want to take care of spills and messes right away. Allowing these to linger on your carpet for long could cause problems later down the road.
We touched on stains a bit in the above paragraph. What you have to understand is that stains need to be tended to promptly. Otherwise, they can remain in the carpet fibers and create an unsightly focal point. Anytime you see a fresh stain develop on your carpet, get a cloth on it and absorb the moisture. Some special solution for stains may assist in removing it from the fibers.

Even with regular vacuuming, carpets need a bit of some extra care. Shampoo is up to this task. Your carpets should be shampooed a minimum of two times a year, depending on what type of abuse your carpet has seen. If a family member constantly travels around the house with chemically-contaminated shoes and materials, it might be best to get your carpets shampooed more often. You can find a cleaning machine at most local stores – including your local grocery store. Make sure to keep your carpet vacant as it will remain wet for a few hours following the cleaning process. Placing some fans in the room should help expedite the process.

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How to build a dog house for your puppy

December 04, 2024   Matt

How to build a dog house for your puppy

So you’d like to know how to build a dog house? Well, that means we’re talking to less than 50% of all dog owners. Why? Because current survey information at OpinionTrone says most dog owners (over 50%) allow their pets on the family couch. Furthermore, if you allow your pet on the couch, chances are that you do not HAVE a dog house!
But for those of you who do, there are really good things to remember about how to build a dog house:
1. Any good how to build a dog house plan should begin by making sure the house is big enough to accommodate your dog’s ultimate grown-up size. You would not like to live in a house whose ceiling was below your head height–neither would your dog. Most humans like about 2 feet of air above themselves in a room in order to live without feelings of claustrophobia! That comfort zone is about 1/3 of their standing height. Allow your pet the same airiness. Figure out how tall it will stand as a mature pet and make sure the ceiling of the dog house is 1/3 again taller!
2. Raise the house a few inches off the ground to allow air and water to flow beneath. Ventilation is important for the health of your dog and to dissuade pests from invading its home. A few nickel-sized holes in the walls under the eaves should be sufficient. Install a wind block inside the house so the dog can use the heat of its own body to warm up the area if it is really cold and windy outside. Any good plan for how to build a dog house will have a house big enough so that a partial wall will allow the dog to escape the elements. The dog can choose whether to just sleep in the entry room or go around the inner archway maze wall into the inner sanctum. Both areas could have bedding or a pillow, such as one filled with cedar chips to discourage fleas.
3. Make the floor just the littlest bit slanted toward the doorway. Any good “how to build a dog house” plan will make certain that any rain that does enter via the ventilation holes or doorway automatically drains out. Make sure that the roof is built at a slant, as well, for obvious run-off reasons. Do not paint the inside of the house, but do make sure that the house is well insulated.
4. Make sure the dog house faces away from the major storm direction. In the U.S., most storms come from the south and west. Not all, mind you, but most! So most how to build a dog house plans will suggest that the ideal placement of a dog house door is to the east. That way, even in the wintertime, the cold north wind will not whip inclement weather into the dog’s entryway.
5. Finally, almost all how to build a dog house plans will have you put hinges on the roof of the house for easy cleaning. When you clean the dog, you should clean its house and bedding–just as faithfully as you would wish your pet to be to you!

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Kitchen Safety: Keeping Stovetops and Ovens Clean

November 29, 2024   Matt

Kitchen Safety: Keeping Stovetops and Ovens Clean

The kitchen is the heart of a family’s house. It is in this room that a family prepares meals, shares meals, and gathers to talk about the day. This is the room where guests gather, where friends play games around the kitchen table, and where parents might relish a quiet time at the end of the day. It is also one of the leading locations for a household fire, an accident, or germs that breed food-borne illness. Every householder needs to be aware of the issue of kitchen safety.

Many homemakers ignore the regular cleaning and maintenance of kitchen appliances, preferring to cover dirty burners or toasters to give a false sense of cleanliness, but allowing crumbs and greasy residue to accumulate on these surfaces. Others hate cleaning their ovens with a passion reserved for little else, and put this chore off as long as possible, even when they own self-cleaning ovens. Kitchen safety is the farthest topic from their minds. However, food that is spilled or burned-onto the cook top or oven surface and not cleaned up is the leading cause of kitchen fires. Oven, microwave, or stovetop spills can ignite quickly, and can spread just as quickly to curtains, towels, or walls. Greasy residue on floors can cause people to slip and fall; and old, spoiled food on counters and tables is a source of bacteria that can contaminate fresh food and utensils. If small children are crawling or walking underfoot and reaching for every visible item of interest, tasting as they go, it is even more important to keep things clean in this central room. Kitchen cleanliness is an issue of kitchen safety, and not just of keeping a neat house to impress the neighbors.

A regular chore list is the best way to get in the habit of kitchen maintenance. Writing down each small chore and when it should be completed, helps to form habits that will keep the entire family safe and well. Counters and sinks should be wiped off at least daily, if not after each meal. Spills should be cleaned up quickly in microwave oven (Try Fuller Microwave Oven Cleaner.), regular ovens, or on stove tops. Cutting boards need to be washed with each use. To control spatters and the residue of cooking fumes, the entire kitchen should be washed with a good degreaser at least once a week. Range filters and hoods are part of this maintenance, as well as garbage cans and disposals. Any appliance that is regularly left on the counter should be given a cleaning at least once a week, if not after each use. Make sure that every surface of the kitchen is cleaned thoroughly at least once a month. (Try Fuller Cooktop and Counter Cleaner.) The entire family should be educated about the importance of these chores and encouraged to clean up their part of the mess.

A good, easy-to-use stove or oven cleaner can make these essential chores more palatable. What is the best oven cleaner? Look for one that does not need to be left overnight, but that works in a few hours. Many stove or oven cleaners produce less toxic fumes than earlier versions. Also, newer formulas will not run, but will stay in place to soak and thoroughly loosen the burned on food. (Try Fuller Brush’s Industrial Oven Cleaner or Spotless Oven). With a damp rag or sponge, wipe off any loose food, and then spray on the cleaner. Let the cleaner set for thirty minutes to several hours, depending on how soiled the area is or according to the product’s instructions. Soil should be softened to the point that it wipes up easily with a damp rag or sponge. If there is stubborn, burned on food, follow your oven manufacturer’s instructions for what type of abrasive you can safely use and not mar the cooking surface. If you have left the product on too long and it is dried, try laying a damp rag over the area for a few minutes to soften the product for easier removal.

There are products on the market that will help keep food from adhering to cooking surfaces, keeping these appliances from getting so dirty they are difficult to clean. One product that can save hours of cleanup time the next time you clean your oven is Fuller Brush’s Oven Spray. This product is to be sprayed on the oven surface after it is clean. Again, check with your oven manufacturer to see if it is compatible with your oven surface.

With good habits, or fanatical adherence to a chore list, your kitchen can be the safe, pleasant, gathering place it is meant to be. Kitchen safety will become second nature to you and your family.

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Kitchen Safety

November 24, 2024   Matt

Kitchen Safety

The kitchen is the heart of a family’s house. It is in this room that a family prepares meals, shares meals, and gathers to talk about the day. This is the room where guests gather, where friends play games around the kitchen table, and where parents might relish a quiet time at the end of the day. It is also one of the leading locations for a household fire, an accident, or germs that breed food-borne illness. Every householder needs to be aware of the issue of kitchen safety.
Many homemakers ignore the regular cleaning and maintenance of kitchen appliances, preferring to cover dirty burners or toasters to give a false sense of cleanliness, but allowing crumbs and greasy residue to accumulate on these surfaces. Others hate cleaning their ovens with a passion reserved for little else, and put this chore off as long as possible, even when they own self-cleaning ovens. Kitchen safety is the farthest topic from their minds. However, food that is spilled or burned-onto the cook top or oven surface and not cleaned up is the leading cause of kitchen fires. Oven, microwave, or stovetop spills can ignite quickly, and can spread just as quickly to curtains, towels, or walls. Greasy residue on floors can cause people to slip and fall; and old, spoiled food on counters and tables is a source of bacteria that can contaminate fresh food and utensils. If small children are crawling or walking underfoot and reaching for every visible item of interest, tasting as they go, it is even more important to keep things clean in this central room. Kitchen cleanliness is an issue of kitchen safety, and not just of keeping a neat house to impress the neighbors.
A regular chore list is the best way to get in the habit of kitchen maintenance. Writing down each small chore and when it should be completed, helps to form habits that will keep the entire family safe and well. Counters and sinks should be wiped off at least daily, if not after each meal. Spills should be cleaned up quickly in microwave oven (Try Fuller Microwave Oven Cleaner.), regular ovens, or on stove tops. Cutting boards need to be washed with each use. To control spatters and the residue of cooking fumes, the entire kitchen should be washed with a good degreaser at least once a week. Range filters and hoods are part of this maintenance, as well as garbage cans and disposals. Any appliance that is regularly left on the counter should be given a cleaning at least once a week, if not after each use. Make sure that every surface of the kitchen is cleaned thoroughly at least once a month. (Try Fuller Cooktop and Counter Cleaner.) The entire family should be educated about the importance of these chores and encouraged to clean up their part of the mess.
A good, easy-to-use stove or oven cleaner can make these essential chores more palatable. What is the best oven cleaner? Look for one that does not need to be left overnight, but that works in a few hours. Many stove or oven cleaners produce less toxic fumes than earlier versions. Also, newer formulas will not run, but will stay in place to soak and thoroughly loosen the burned on food. (Try Fuller Brush’s Industrial Oven Cleaner or Spotless Oven). With a damp rag or sponge, wipe off any loose food, and then spray on the cleaner. Let the cleaner set for thirty minutes to several hours, depending on how soiled the area is or according to the product’s instructions. Soil should be softened to the point that it wipes up easily with a damp rag or sponge. If there is stubborn, burned on food, follow your oven manufacturer’s instructions for what type of abrasive you can safely use and not mar the cooking surface. If you have left the product on too long and it is dried, try laying a damp rag over the area for a few minutes to soften the product for easier removal.
There are products on the market that will help keep food from adhering to cooking surfaces, keeping these appliances from getting so dirty they are difficult to clean. One product that can save hours of cleanup time the next time you clean your oven is Fuller Brush’s Oven Spray. This product is to be sprayed on the oven surface after it is clean. Again, check with your oven manufacturer to see if it is compatible with your oven surface.
With good habits, or fanatical adherence to a chore list, your kitchen can be the safe, pleasant, gathering place it is meant to be. Kitchen safety will become second nature to you and your family.

Read More

How To Decorate A ‘new ‘ Home

November 19, 2024   Matt

How To Decorate A ‘new ‘ Home

Buying a new home is a climax in most people’s homes. There are few experiences as enthralling as moving into a brand new home. The excitement can be marred when it comes time to decorate the home.

Few first-time home buyers are able to turn the sterile, off white shell of a house into a comfortable home that is both an expression of your personality and a ‘safe place’ to retire every evening.

“Don’t Panic. I am Here to Help.”

You do not need to pay thousands of dollars to turn a house into a comfortable home. The first thing you need to do is ‘not’ grab a half dozen home decorating magazines and hit the home decorating stores.

The first thing you need to do is to look through your closet, walk around your living area, and make a list of the colors that are comfortable. At this point, don’t worry about image, design, trends, or style. Start by finding out what makes you feel comfortable.

Then head to the paint store and collect color samples based on what you like. Once you have samples, it is time to discuss decorating schemes. Before selecting a decorating scheme, it is important to determine what your lifestyle is:

1. Will you have children?
2. How many hours a week can you realistically spend cleaning?
3. How many hours a year do you currently entertain?
4. How much can you realistically spend monthly on dry cleaning expensive fabrics?
5. How many hours a week do you spend in the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms?
6. Will you own pets?
7. How often will you replace window treatments, bedding, flooring, and furniture?

The answers to these questions will determine what decorating style you choose. If you cannot afford to replace items like sheets and window treatments every three to five years, then you do not want to invest a lot of money on the current home decorating trend. You’ll want to focus on a tried-but-true classic.

A family that is only in the kitchen for thirty minutes in the morning, and while cooking or washing dishes, do not need to invest 000 in decorating the kitchen. Along the same line, a family who spends most of their time in the living room need to spend most of their money buying ‘long wear’ and sturdy furniture, flooring, and window treatments for that room.

One mistake that most first-time new home decorators make is attacking one room at a time. Many homeowners work on one room at a time, running out of money before the house is finished. This is why you walk into many new homes with a beautiful living room and kitchen area, but the bedrooms are sparse and may remain undecorated for a few years while the homeowner saves enough money to finish decorating.

Another consideration is children. A child’s room needs to grow with them. The child’s room may need to be redecorated five times between birth and 18 years old. A little foresight on furniture selection and floor treatments can save thousands of dollars over the next twenty years.

New home decorating does not need to be a frightening project. It just takes a little common sense. Budget well. Create something you can live with, as apposed to creating something based on a theme. And, make sure that your new home fits your ‘real’ lifestyle, not your fantasy lifestyle.

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