Carpet Deep-Cleaning Plan

Since our rented apartment home is not that big and only our temporary home, my husband said that it is not wise enough to buy a deep-cleaner for our carpet. So I have to take care of it like a baby. But since I have a terrible-two years old toddler, it is expected that it will dirty compared before. And I don't like the idea of being it stained for long, yep, especially that I have a heart baby.

And off I go thinking of having this cleaned as soon as possible. I just have to find a good deal to have this taken cared of. It will also be Christmas soon, so it is best to have it done.

Good luck to me of when it will be and finding a deal. :-) After all, it is what the best to do. Have a great day! ~hugs~

Getting Organized

The first things to put back in the closet are those out-of-season clothes. Keep them separated to avoid confusion. A garment bag will do the job. Next to the garment bag, put your special-occasion clothing. If you have several outfits, consider putting them in another garment bag. In the bottom of the bag, store the jewelry, shoes, hose, and other accessories that are used only with this clothing.

Right in front of you when you are about to open your closet should be only the clothes you wear all the time. Group together all shirts, then pants, then suits, so it is easy to find things fast every morning or when you were rushed for time. Or, you can group one pair of suit together like pants with shirt or suit fold altogether so it's just easy to get it once you like to wear such. You may also need to trim out some items. How many black skirts do you really need? Keep the higher quality, better-made items. It is absolutely necessary to have a bright light installed in your closet. You need to see what you have in order to wear it.

Store Your Clothes Carefully

I am a mom to my only child and a wife to my only husband. :) It is my responsibility to take care of them as much as I could. And since I stayed at home 24/7 a week, it is also my responsibility to take care of the house such as cleaning, cooking, and helping my husband to save money by minimizing my shopping expenses, taking proper care of our clothes, and more. Yes, I am a housekeeper and a homemaker.

Anyway, I have few suggestions on how to take care of your clothes properly. First, if you are using mothballs keep them in loosely fastened cloth bags so the chemicals in them do not damage your clothes. Second, store clothes in a dark area that is protected from temperature extremes. Choose a closet or chest, not an attic or basement. When you use wooden hangers, make sure your clothes do not touch the wood because it contains oils that can stain the fabric.

Countertops Cleaning

A quick wipe with a damp cloth or with a cloth containing a mild solution of hand dishwashing liquid will take care of most spills on laminated countertops. Be sure to remove any puddles immediately, to avoid warping. I never used an abrasive cleaner on a plastic-laminate surface, but for more difficult stains, the husband will take care of it. J

For stubborn spots like newsprint ink, I used undiluted liquid household bleach, and I make sure that I follow the label instructions for proper use. I let the bleach stand for no more than one and half minutes, and then I rinsed it thoroughly with warm water.

How about you, how do you clean your countertops? Do you know how to prevent damages to the countertop finish? Honestly, it is very simple. Just read the label instruction on any brand of the liquid bleach and your countertops will be saved.

Floor Cleaning

It is important to have a regular floor-care schedule, but I couldn’t do it regularly for I have a little baby that needs my attention most of the time. I could only work a little when Sarah is sleeping, or when she has lots of activities inside the crib.

Floors that are heavily trafficked will require more frequent maintenance than floors that get less use. I am just lucky that there are only two pairs of adult feet, and one pair of baby’s feet walking around the house. So, cleaning the floor is not really a hard job for me.

And besides, when Sarah spilled her food on the floor such as milk, baby cereals, juices, and even water, I cleaned it right away to avoid stain or spot on the floor. Anyway, my husband is my best partner. He also take care of Sarah while I clean our floor when he is at home.

Instruction On Washing Clothes

Your best guide on how to clean a fabric is the care label, which by law must be sewn into all articles of clothing. If the label says a garment must be dry-cleaned, follow that advice, or you will have no recourse with the manufacturer or retailer should something go wrong. If the label permits hand washing, you have to decide how to wash it. But I guess, before you buy the garment, you must read the label if it is dry-cleaned or not.

Honestly, I have a sweater that I forgot to read the washing instruction. I didn’t know that it should be dry-cleaned and not for regular washing. To my dismay, the sweater shrunk when I took out from the washing machine. I almost cried for it was new but I couldn’t blame anybody for I know it was my entire fault. I didn’t read the label or washing instruction when I bought it from the local store nearby. Now, I have learned my lesson. I must read the label of the garment before buying, or washing it.

I think you already know how to wash clothes using a washing machine, don't you? If not, then you can read the manual of your washing machine, otherwise if it's commercial one, you have to read the back of the cover of it --- you can read it by the way before you place your clothes or soap inside the washing machine. Happy washing then! :)

All-Purpose Cleaners

A good all-purpose liquid cleaner should be able to handle a variety of chores but may not be really useful for all purposes. Most, for example, lack the special qualities required to clean windows and ovens or remove mildew. But all-purpose cleaners are versatile enough for mopping, washing, and spot-cleaning hard surfaces such as walls, floors, appliances, kitchen cabinets, and countertops. All purpose cleaners are often the type of product needed when water won’t do.

I don’t know about you, but I always used liquid all-purpose cleaner for it has stronger formulations and do better overall spot cleaning than spray cleaners. The top liquid all-purpose cleaners often contain oil, (dunno the exact name of this kind of oil), and according to Michael V., a singer, actor and a product endorser in my country, this oil is an effective ingredient for cleaning, plus the scent added to the ingredients make the impression of cleanliness.

Attractive Pendant Lighting

During the olden times, when beautiful lighting is not yet existed, most homes used only an ordinary light to light their homes at night. In this day and age, of technological advancements, beautiful and well-designed lightings could be found either online or at the local store in your place.

Brought about by the needs of modern individuals, lighting manufacturers never stopped producing more beautiful and elegant lighting design. Just like this quoizel pendant lighting that I have found online, it is so beautiful, and it will certainly make your home more attractive if you have this hanging to your living room, patio or wherever you like.

I found it at Valley Lighting and Home Décor. For some that they have been looking for lighting, they might like to consider checking it. Aside from lighting, you could also find beautiful ornaments for the Christmas holiday. For home decorating ideas, you could also find high-quality antique design that is perfect for your style, rugs that could add life to your beautiful floor regardless of the floor types, and more. Valley Lighting and Home Décor is all you need when you shop for lighting and home décor.

Enjoy shopping then! :)

Home Decorations and Furniture

Decorations and accessories such as frames, curtains, furniture, fresh flowers, and potted live plants make a house pleasant and attractive. A home should be decorated to beautify your surroundings and to reflect your personality and lifestyle. A room becomes more interesting when it has different kinds of flowers in a variety of forms, shapes and textures. Flowers make our homes look fresh and colorful. They add life cheer and brightness to the surroundings. Flower arrangement is also a form of expression to our ideas and feelings.
 
Pieces of furniture and home appliances are furnishings that make the house more attractive and presentable. As a wise buyer, you should consider the following when choosing furniture:

• Buy furniture according to your budget.
• It could be used for a long period of time.
• It must be appropriate to the room.
• It is comfortable and suited to your lifestyle, and
• It has attractive total concept design.

Overcleaning

There are people take their desire for cleanliness too far and actually damage their homes. Over cleaning can often lead to shorten the life of components. Scrubbing sinks and tubs with abrasive cleaners, is a sure way to wear off the finish. It would be better if you head to a plumbing store or a well-stocked home-improvement store for a bathroom fixture coating that could protect the life of your fiberglass and ceramic surfaces.

Water spots can be easily removed with a soft cloth, so no need to scrub it with rough scrub. Over cleaning of your carpets like steam cleaning more than twice a year definitely damage the carpet. If doesn’t provide enough cleaning for you, consider putting inexpensive throw rugs over high-traffic areas. In addition, when replacing a carpet, it would be good if you could find a high-quality padding underneath, for it helps to enhance the life of the carpet.

Animal Print Design Bedding

When choosing a mattress for your bed, choose the ones that are made of a unique material that conforms to the shape of your body, rather than the other way around. Choose the soft, but firm for more comfortable feeling. A mattress that will let your body find its most comfortable position and support it there, giving you a feeling of complete weightlessness and the best night’s sleep possible. However, to enable your mattress will have a long-lasting life, you should cover it with bedding. It could help your mattresses to lengthen the color of the mattress, and it also gives a pleasant view if you cover it with beautiful bedding designs.

When it comes to a bedding design, animal print bedding is really attractive to me. I actually like to have
animal print bedding sets to which I ought to have one day soon. I am planning to buy one set this coming Christmas holiday as a gift for myself. I think the husband would have a big smile on his face if I will going to have animal print design for our bedding. He likes animal print, and even to our other stuffs in the house. He prefers animal designs such as zebras and horse designs. Anyway, visiting the link that I have provided would guide you to a site where you could find great animal print designs.

Bathroom Makeover

Having a cozy bathroom is what everybody need. Fancy one is another thing to which it is better. Who don't need the latter? :-)

I have mentioned from my other blog that we need to make some makeover of our bathroom. Since we are going to have, it is better to have a fancy one. We will going to consult the apartment complex manager. I think it is not a big deal because we are going to shoulder most of the expenses.  We have been saving money for this project. And since we are planning for a big and fancy renovation, we then think of a fancy bathroom fixtures, which is not a problem. Speaking of its fixtures, I like the type of fixtures which are neat and easy to clean. Anyway, aside from bathroom fixtures and accessories, I also plan to renovate our kitchen faucet and sink so more savings then. :-) For sure, it is worth it. :-)

Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling System

A huge percentage of a household’s monthly expenses go to the utility bills. If we want to make our heating and cooling system to be more energy efficient and save money at the same time, we need to know how to properly maintain them. Aside from making sure that we have a heating and cooling system that is suitable to the needs of our home, we need to know how each one works. We can ask the company who has installed our system to teach us how to make minor repairs and how we can make sure that they are functioning as they should. We need a fast and dependable service in times we need it just like for instance, an air conditioning problem. Scorching heat of the sun this summer season gives us its undesirable heat, thus great repair man/company is what we need in times of such.

Regular cleaning and knowing how to determine which parts need to be replaced are important as well. We have to make sure that we purchase authentic replacement parts to ensure that they will function properly. Using low quality parts may only cause more damage to our systems and this may present more complicated problems for us. We need to look for a reliable retailer that can provide us with authentic parts. This includes knowing how to clean and replace air filters. We should also schedule professional maintenance check so that our heating, cooling and plumbing systems are always in excellent condition.

Cutting Edge Cutlery

If you like to cook then you no doubt appreciate the value of top quality cutlery and accessories; part of getting the most out of your cutlery includes proper care and handling to protect your investment. Tossing kitchen cutlery and knives into a gadget drawer is not the way to go – not only is it dangerous, it almost ensures that items will get damaged over time. Knives in particular should be stored in either individual knife protectors, on a magnetic knife strip or in a knife block so that the blade is not damaged.

Before using any knife it’s important to look it over and make sure the handle is secure and the blade stable with no loose rivets or wiggle room. Knives should never be placed in the dishwasher as the hot water coupled with the heat of the drying cycle will compromise the integrity of the implement. When a knife has nicks in the blade or on the blade edge it can harbor germs and breed bacteria; compromised knives should always be replaced.

A sharp knife is a safe knife – you will use much less force to cut with a sharp knife and tire less easily. There are many types of knife sharpeners here and some knives even feature knife protectors with built-in knife sharpeners; what really matters is not so much what style of knife sharpener you use but the fact that you must sharpen each knife before using it. Many professional chefs of any place around the world prefer to use sharpening steel and you may even find that your knife set comes equipped with one. Note that certain knives are designed to be sharpened by the casual user – should you have a ceramic knife it may be necessary to send it out for professional sharpening.

 

Stylish Home Décor

You know a gracious home when you see one – perhaps it was on a charity house tour or maybe you were looking at sample homes; it’s fun to see how other people decorate, especially if the homes you are looking at are similar to your own. Perhaps the homes have exceptionally chic window treatments and bedding or especially stylish and well-appointed bathrooms. It can be very inspiring to look at different homes and take away design and decoration ideas you can use in your own home in any place you live. Perhaps your won bathroom is rather mundane and you’d like to step it up a bit. While new medicine and vanity cabinets or a new commode may not be in the budget there are still many ways to make any bathroom more stylish. Look for bathroom hardware such as drawer pulls, handles and knobs which can transform a vanity in minutes. You may even find a line which offers coordinating towel bars, robe hooks and even shower curtain looks; when you outfit the entire room with coordinated hardware it takes on a much more stylish and professional look. The same holds true with bath accessories – by using matching or coordinating lotion dispensers, soap, dishes, tissue holders and so on you can really tie the room together. If the bathroom is small and you would like to make it seem larger than it really is, stick to solid colors and add mirrors wherever possible. The light reflected from the mirrors will make the room look and feel roomier plus mirrors help to make grooming easier since you can see yourself fro many different angles.


  
 

Who Manages Your Home?

Since I am a mom of one cute little baby named Sam, I am the one who is responsible at home. My husband works and must give him care every day by making his food especially dinner time. I make sure to cook his favorites one. Sometimes, I failed to buy food in the store so he volunteered to do so, well by buying out foods in the drive-thru. He is a loving , kind husband I may say. He knows how to make a balance in many ways. I do the cleaning of course and washing, to add telling you about my chores. Wink. A multi-task of being a mom, wife and a best friend. This is my role . I am completely a woman. I am proud that I am the one who manage our abode and of course with the help of my dearest husband. Financially my partner supports perfectly. For our kid's need and for mine as well. I am a lucky wife. How about you there, who manages your home?

Keeping Our Parents Safe

(Guest post from: Steve Delaney)

The home security elgin offerings seem pretty good to me. I have not lived in Illinois all my life so I do not know what the offerings used to be like, but just what is possible to get in our area is pretty good. I honestly had no idea what home security systems would cost, when I would pay my bill or even how the system really works. I did not learn any of that until we actually had it installed at our house. I am not sure if it was a necessity for us to get, but I am definitely glad that we did. My parents just moved in with us. They are getting older now and cannot really do a lot of things on their own. Right now, neither my husband nor I can stay home all that much, so it was important to us that we had a way to maintain their safety when they were home alone. So far, we have not really had any alerts or any attempted break ins, but I will definitely not feel as worried with our home security system if we do have an attempted break in.

Applebee's

 (This guest post from Hong Alexander)

The local county government recently approved rezoning for commercial developments in our rather rural part of town. Now, don't get me wrong I am all for progress and business but I also have concerns with increased foot traffic near my house. All of my neighbors have been in a ADT home security Champaign system. I think this is a very good idea. I always like to think the best of people, but these days, especially with the economy the way it is, you can never be too careful. I am excited about the new stores coming to my area though. We could really use some more restaurants in our area. The closest Applebees in over 30 minutes away and I love their blonde brownie dessert. I would probably walk 30 miles just to get a blondie brownie from Applebees. We could also use a grocery store close to the house. I can not tell you how annoying it is to have to drive 30 minutes back to the store because I forgot a necessary ingredient for the nights dinner.

 

The Housekeeper

(Posted by Arden Wallace)

Having a housekeeper is the only thing that keeps me sane, to be honest with you. Before Theresa I don’t know how this place didn’t turn into a disaster area! The kids come through here like tornadoes and it’s hard enough just balancing spending time with them and my job without having to worry about picking up after everyone. Theresa comes on Tuesdays and Fridays and just uses our http://SECURITYChoice.com password to get in and she goes to town. I think she spends about 2 hours each time cleaning this place and boy can you smell the clean when you get home from work! I love having help but I do feel guilty at times for shirking my own responsibilities but I’m a much nicer person not having to worry about keeping this place clean. It’s hard enough to keep everyone clothed and fed as it is without adding one more big task to my plate! I think we’ll keep Theresa around as long as she still wants to work with and for us!

Faucet Problem

In any place, in any home, there is always a problem. Be it a major or minor. That is normal. The thing is how we deal with it.

Lately, I was looking at our faucet in the kitchen sinks. It has been how many days that it went bad. The faucet joint also produce water, as in it leaks, when wanting water from its original source. The homemaker in me (though am eight months pregnant) does my job. I don't want to deal the major act for now, which is to tell the manager (the manager is our neighbor, she lives here in the complex) but just deal on how I could deal with a minor act. I traced where it goes down, the leak and how I could get rid of water drops. I just put a wide square container to which the water would drop down in there instead of directly dropping it to the cabinet floor. And it did great, only it is just for temporary because the water leaks half as to how much I could get normally. So half to what I get for consumption and the other half is going under from the leak of the faucet's joint. I could not wait of a perfect timing to tell the management about this, but that's just it for now because we are just new here and I don't want to give something bad vibe to the manager, so a perfect timing is a need. :-) After all, it is just a minor problem. No biggie deal.