Cleaning with Salt

Posted on February 26, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Housework is the hard work for all of the housewives. But if you learn the little tips in household cleaning, you can do it much more efficiently. Salt is the seasoning that you use for almost every meal. Other than the seasoning function, salt can also be used for household cleaning.

You can remove the dust and debris from the carpet with a vacuum cleaner. When it comes to stain? You may try salt. Sprinkle some salt onto the stain area. Wait for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix some vinegar with water. Add the water vinegar mixture to the salt to clean the carpet stain.

Salt can also be used to remove rust. Mix salt with water and baking soda. Use the mixture to smear onto the rust. Put the tool under sun to dry. Then you can use brush or dry rug to clean the rusted tool. This simple method can help remove the rust on every kind of tools.

Most of the toilets and sinks are made of porcelain. After using for sometimes, you will notice the yellow or brownish stain. Also, you may find a thick layer of water stain. You can try to mix salt with turpentine into a paste. Smear the sink and toilet. Wait for 15 minutes and clean with a wet sponge. You can then find your new toilet and sink.

When you put the hot saucepan directly onto the wooden table, you may find that the wooden table has been damaged by the heat. To remedy, you can try salt. Mix salt and salad oil. Stir well into a mixture. Then apply the mixture onto the wooden table with a soft cleaning rug. When the mixture is nearly dry on the wooden table, clean it up with the soft cleaning rug. Now, you may discover the damage goes away.

If you have furniture or decoration that is made of bronze, salt can also help your cleaning. Mix the salt, flour and vinegar into a pasty mixture. Use a cleaning rug to smear the mixture onto the furniture or decoration surface. Wait for an hour and use a clean rug to wipe clean and polish.

If you wish your bronze furniture or decoration to be shiner, you can simply use salt and lemon. Soak the lemon pieces into salt water. Then use the lemon pieces to rub on the bronze furniture or decoration. Then rinse it with water. You will find the bronze shines after this procedure.

Learn to do gutter cleaning.

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Pillow Top Memory Foam Mattress Pad

Posted on February 25, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Pillow top mattress pads are extra layers of support that go over the standard mattress to provide added comfort.  The pads offer extra durability and protection to the mattress as they absorb usual wear and tear.  What is more the mattress pad ads an extra layers of luxury to a bed.  Making the right choice in a mattress pad is a long term investment, so it is really important that you take the time to pick the right one for you.

The mattress pad is usually used to create a more comfortable sleep environment but it also acts as another protective layer to the more expensive mattress underneath.  Both people who want to add support and those who want a softer surface can benefit from a pad, just not at the same time.  You can either enhance the firmness or reduce it by getting different types of pads.  If you really wanted to your could purchase two twin size pads of different softness – one for each side of the bed and meet the differing needs of the two sleeping on it.

The pads used to cover mattresses typically come in 3 or 4 different thicknesses and different densities.  Mattress pads come in different materials, from down, to simple foam to a memory foam mattress pad.  The higher grade material you choose the more you can expect in the way of options.  A low end egg cart pad will only offer different molds rather than a completely unique material.

Down mattress covers are less for adding support and more for adding luxury to the bed.  Start with the end in mind as you choose your mattress pad.  Egg foam pads can be a quick fix and can make an ordinary bed feel much better to a guest just visiting the house but will not provide a long term solution to lower back or joint pain.

Real help in the way of support will only come from high quality materials and usually cost more.  A foam mattress pad is the best way to get the most from your sleep.  They are rated in levels of thickness and density.  The more dense the pad the less it will heat up and conform to your body.  On the other hand if the density is small then your body heat will allow the pad to mold around you.

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Fireplace Blower

Posted on February 25, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

A Fireplace Blower is a device that can be connected to a hollow tube fireplace grate that helps to circulate the heat produced by a burning fire in your fireplace.  The heated air is efficiently circulated into the entire room while drastically improving the efficiency of your fireplace.  The fireplace blower unit comes in two parts; the blower and the hollow tube grate.  The blower motor connects to the hollow tubes. The basic mechanism of a fireplace blower is very simple and easy to understand, it sucks in cool air low to the ground, then the cool air is moved through the hollow tubes and heated by the fire.  The heated air is then forced out into the room, which is then dispersed evenly throughout the room.

A fireplace blower is a very efficient device which has the ability to increase the efficiency of your fireplace many times over. When a burning fire generates heat inside the fireplace the hollow tubing also heated. The heat that is generated inside the tubes, heats the air flowing inside the tubes. The blower fan works by pushing air constantly through the heated tubes. The air in the room is constantly re-circulated and with each circulation the air gets warmer and warmer.  Since the blower is only moving the air in the room, the smoke and fumes from the fire will continue to be expelled out through the chimney. Through this circulation mechanism your room remains heated because the majority radiant heat of the fire is not lost through the chimney.

If you are planning on buying a fireplace, remodel your fireplace, or even for your existing fireplace, I would recommend choosing a fireplace blower as an accessory. A traditional fireplace typically does not a have fireplace blower. If you have old fireplace then you may have to buy a fireplace blower as well. Installing a fireplace blower into your existing fireplace is pretty straight forward.  There are several kits you can buy at your local home improvement store and online. If you follow the instructions, you should be to complete the installation yourself. One important note to remember is that you will need a power outlet near your fireplace for the fireplace blower motor.  I have seen some models that can use batteries, but in the long run that can be very expensive.  If there is no electric plug in close proximity to your fireplace then I would recommend hiring a professional electrician to install the electrical outlet.

One interesting advantage of a fireplace blower is that you can have the burning fire in your fireplace in one room, and with the proper hose connection you can have the heated air blown into another room. This way you will be able to stay warm in any room in your house.

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The Warning Signs of Termites

Posted on February 25, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

With their nasty habit of feasting on wood, termites are one of a homeowner’s worst nightmares.  Termites can destroy wooden buildings and structures in no time flat.  The worst part is that they usually go undetected for years, slowly destroying a building from the inside out.  This being true, it’s important to keep a close watch for signs of termite infestation in order to catch this problem before it becomes severe. There are several warning signs that homeowners can look for to detect termite activity in its early stages.

The first thing homeowners need to watch for are termite tubes along the foundation of a building.  These tubes run from the ground to the wooden structures of a home.  Subterranean termites build their colonies underground, but have to expand outside their colony to gather food.  These mud tubes are what they use to get from the ground, over a foundation and into the wood of a house. For this reason, it’s important to routinely check basements, crawl spaces and wooden structures such as steps and doors which sit in a concrete or earthen floor.

Another sign is the appearance of earthy material on wood in a house; when termites create channels in the wood they infest and it rots away, they attempt to patch it with dirt or other substances which give the appearance of mud on the wood.

A third warning sign of an infestation is the appearance of wings in or around a home.  When termites swarm to build new colonies they fly around and shed their wings. The discovery of wings in a house or near any wooden structure is almost always a sure indication that an infestation has begun, even if there are no other outward signs.

Lastly, and perhaps most obviously, keep an eye out for any type of substance that looks like sawdust gathering in little piles inside the house, as this is a fairly sure sign that Drywood termites are present.  Drywood termites live inside the wood they infest.  They literally move into your home.  But they have to kick out the waste as they excavate their tunnels.  These little piles of dust appear below kick holes termites have dug to the surface of the wood and used to get rid of waste.

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Bamboo Blinds: The Ideal and Economical Earth Friendly Material

Posted on February 25, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

There are several kinds of materials you can have for blinds. These include – vinyl, fabric, aluminum, wood, faux wood, and bamboo. Wood is certainly one of the better and best earth friendly materials, but unfortunately they are out of reach for most people due to their high cost. The good news is that bamboo is just as lovely as wood but you won’t have to pay so much money.

There are many benefits for choosing bamboo blinds. They don’t harm our environment like the manufacturing and use of synthetic materials such as polyvinyl chloride of which vinyl is made from. They are not as harmful to our planet as using and depleting aluminum deposits. We all know there is only a limited amount of steel and iron deposits and using them commercially will have severe detrimental effects on our planet. Bamboo is essentially a plant that is easy to grow. It also happens to be the fastest growing wood plant, which makes it ideal for commercial use because whatever is used can be replanted and this process could be repeated continuously.

Bamboo also isn’t just earth friendly it is also very beautiful for window treatments. You can opt for matchstick thin bamboo slats or you even have horizontal louvers that are 1 to 2.5 inches wide. They are look perfect in venetian style. The most important thing could be that they are just as durable as synthetic materials. Certainly when people make a commit to buy blinds they want something that will last more than just a couple of years. If this was one of your hesitations with buying bamboo window blinds then you should feel assured of their durability.

Some brands will offer you a limited lifetime warranty and this warranty is the same that is given to the most durable of materials. There is also the feeling that one gets when they know that what they have in their home is both green friendly and earth friendly. It is a great feeling know that your blinds have aided helping the world heal by having something biodegradable. Think about it and do your own research but I am confident that you will find that bamboo blinds are a worthy choice for window treatment.

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Jewelry Armoire

Posted on February 25, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Are you interested in buying furniture that’s classy looking, has an interesting history, and has evolved to have its hand in all sorts of different types and styles of furniture?

This describes what is commonly known as armoire furniture.

But what does armoire mean exactly? At the most basic level, it relates to the fact that the furniture is made of wood and consists of cabinets and shelves. This is the classic definition of the armoire. Looking back a couple hundred years ago, this meant most armoires were simply a wooden cabinet.

Fast forward to the present day and you can find dozens of variations of the armoire, all of which still meet this classic definition of having cabinets and shelves and being made from wood, but styled and designed to support a number of different uses. Popular armoire types include wardrobe closets, corner armoire, computer desk armoire, and the jewelry armoire.

Let’s take a quick look at what separates the latter from all the former armoire types. In other words, what is it about a jewelry armoire that makes it a jewelry armoire?

While not necessarily all jewelry armoires are going to take the same features, here’s a subset of features that you’ll find in them that makes them not just suitable for storing jewelry but specifically made for storing jewelry:

Wall Mounted. Instead of simply resting on the floor, many jewelry armoires are mounted to the wall.

Lockable. This is a clever security feature. A locking jewelry armoire is designed to securely hold jewelry – and is often a feature included when the armoire is mounted to the wall.

A mirror. While some wardrobe closets do have mirrors included on the inside of the closet doors, armoires for jewelry nearly always have a mirror. Makes sense, since you would want to look at yourself wearing those pretty earrings right?

5-7 vertical shelves. A common design for holding jewelry is a thin vertical armoire whose body contains 5-7 shelves. Usually the bottom two have dividers and the top shelves are open. The very top shelf often includes a false knob and actually literally opens from the top of armoire, of which the mirror then becomes exposed.

Side doors for hanging jewelry. Both sides of the armoire usually swing open to reveal pegs to hang necklaces and bracelets.

The small vertical shelves, side door storage, a mirror, and the ability to be wall mounted and locked are, taken together, what differentiates this armoire as a jewelry armoire. Women have enjoyed storing their jewels in such a solid wood armoire for centuries now, and the jewelry armoire is sure to remain a popular addition to any bedroom, bathroom, or closet for years to come.

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Bathroom Decor For A Small Bathroom

Posted on February 24, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

A light color of paint that is typically associated with the soothing colors of the ocean and sea glass is a good choice for the color scheme for a small bathroom. However, you are certainly not limited to the use of light colors in a small bathroom. Deep red, lime green or brilliant yellow are also possible color choices. Popular painting techniques for a bathroom are sponge painting, faux painting, and a porcelain crackle technique.

Bath vanities come in a wide range of styles. A pedestal style vanity with a vessel sink is a good choice for a small bathroom. Vessel sinks also vary in style but a glass sink may be one of the best choices for your small bathroom decor. A glass sink can almost seem invisible sitting on top of a glass pedestal. The addition of a corner vanity is an attractive space saving option for a small bathroom.

When decorating a small bath, careful selection of bathroom accessories is essential. Chrome and glass reflect light. Selecting glass shelving for your bathroom makes the room feel more spacious. In a small area, you want to keep the space free of clutter. Wire baskets are one possible accessory you can use to storel the items that might ordinarily clutter your counter top. Glass and chrome storage containers are also good choices. Your selection of lighting is very important. A mini chandelier style pendant light adds shimmering beauty to your bathroom. Choose lightweight window treatments for your bathroom window. Allowing as much natural light into the room helps make it look larger. Decorative wall hooks and over the door storage units are helpful additions to a small bathroom.

You should keep wall decorations to a minimum in a small bathroom. Make the wall decor work in your favor. Mirrors with decorative frames are an excellent choice of wall decor. Wall sconces add visual interest to your small bathroom. You can use a wall sconce to light an area where an electrical outlet is not available. Hanging dimensional items on the wall can add a sense of depth to the room.

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5 Practical Renovation Ideas for Small Basements

Posted on February 24, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Small basement renovation ideas are hard to find because most magazine and home renovation programs feature large open spaces that make us dream of a million possibilities, however, most of us have small spaces to renovate on a budget. So here are 5 ideas to inspire you.

Basement Remodel Ideas

1. What’s above the space you wish to renovate? Ask yourself this question because sometimes it’s possible to open a sort of skylight by removing a small area of the upper floor and placing glass blocks or some transparent material to give light down below. If opening an area isn’t possible, it’s still a good question to ask because if there’s a bathroom or kitchen above, you can more easily add a small kitchen or shower below the same area without too much structural change.

2. Think backwards for a moment, if you want a spare bedroom in the basement but you have a laundry room upstairs, perhaps you should consider changing your plan. Small basements are not great places for bedrooms, but they can be lovely laundry rooms with storage. Convert your upstairs laundry area, that might even have a window, into the spare bedroom and make the basement a separate area for washing and ironing.

3. Stop tying to cram all the basement remodel ideas you’ve ever seen into one space. Simplify. What is most lacking in your home? Pick ONE: A shower, a tub, an office, a children’s play room or an entertainment room. Do not put all of them in one basement. One or two. A bathroom shower and a playroom can be combined but an office cannot be mixed with a play area or an entertainment area for adults unless you have lots of space to separate them. So Choose.

4. Small basement renovation ideas should never include adding walls. If you need to divide a space, use glass or half solid and half glass, or divide with movable dividers. Do not build walls.

5. The worst basement remodel ideas seal off the basement from the rest of the house. Unless you are creating a basement suite for rental purposes, don’t make the mistake of putting a solid door on the basement and shutting it off from the upstairs. Put in a French door or a glass panel to let in light from above. And why not leave the door off completely!

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Purchasing a Glass Coffee Table

Posted on February 23, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Many people are constantly looking for new ways to add a sense of style to their home.  One of the easiest and most popular ways to add that extra flair is by mixing in a glass coffee table.  You want to try and capture the imagination and attention of your guests while complementing your current style of furniture.

One of the great things about glass coffee tables is that they come in a wide variety of styles and colors, ranging from traditional to chic and contemporary to modern.   Coffee tables are designed to suit your needs and fit in perfectly with the rest of your furniture.  When choosing your glass coffee table, you should keep in mind whether it will be placed in a room, which is already furnished, or if it will go into a room that has yet to be decorated.  Building a style around a coffee table is something many people do, and doing this with your favorite style of glass coffee table is no different.

New furniture buyers commonly make a single mistake when purchasing any piece of furniture, and this is not knowing the measurements of the room they want to place the piece in. Since you can’t take the piece home and measure it, you need to go to the store with some idea of how large your room is and thus, the proper size of coffee table. There is nothing worse than purchasing a piece of furniture that is too large for the room, or a piece that is too small and is dwarfed by the room itself.

The only downside of using glass is that it frequently needs to be cleaned of smudges and dirt, especially if you have small children or pets. If you are comfortable with this sort of maintenance, even if you don’t have children of pets, then a glass coffee table is probably one of the best purchases you can make.

Choosing a glass coffee table to fit into your home is an important decision and not one that should be taken lightly.  Be sure to research your purchase by getting your measurements prior to shopping and making sure you are ready to commit to the proper care and maintenance of your new furniture.  If you consider these two things prior to purchase then you can’t make a bad decision.

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Why Buy Used Furniture for the Home

Posted on February 23, 2010 by The Home and Garden Guru

Many people never consider buying used furniture.  Most only want to purchase new furniture from retail furniture stores.  Those people are missing lower prices and higher quality in many cases.

Most used furniture stores are not as visually appealing from the outside so many of us pass them by.  Once inside many of the stores are not set up in room setting arrangements as one would find in the mall stores that sell new furniture.  But, the truth is that most of us are not going to arrange our furniture as it is in the store anyway.

For those people who learn to visualize the used furniture in their own homes, there are great savings to be found in used furniture stores.  Often the prices are less than a fourth of what a new piece of similar style would cost.  In most cases, when shopping used furniture stores the furniture will be older and constructed better than new furniture.  Often the newer furniture for sale in retail stores is made of pressed wood and laminate.  In used furniture stores the buyer will probably find solid wood furniture that will last a lifetime.

When shopping for used furniture the shopper needs to be patient.  Often several shopping trips are required to find the exact selection one is looking for but the savings will make a few trips worth the effort.  Imagine finding the perfect Queen Anne dining table and chairs made of solid wood at a fraction of the cost a retail store would charge.

Whether furnishing a first apartment or the couple’s first home, solid wood used furniture from a thrift store can fill a home or apartment without draining the bank account.  When shopping for used furniture it is best to purchase only solid pieces and use the savings to purchase upholstered pieces from a retail store that sells new items.

The smart shopper can completely fill a house with a mixture of solid wood furniture from a used furniture store and new upholstered furniture from a retail store without going over budget while getting a higher quality of furniture.

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