No one likes cleaning their home but it’s something that simply has to be done. This infographic from HappyCleans takes you through how you can make cleaning more productive by thinking of it as a workout and it can be easy to forget that cleaning is a bit of a gym workout. For example, hoovering burns around 153 calories every hour so you’re certainly not wasting your time. If you want to give the car a thorough cleaning you will burn 234 calories in an hour.
This infographic might be the motivation you need to clean the house a bit more often as it also helps to get you fit. If you only have 30 minutes even loading the dishwasher will rid you of 105 calories.
You can also turn tasks into a workout and do lunges while you’re vacuuming and even strap on light weights to your wrists while you’re dusting to tone your arms and make them stronger. Read the full infographic now for more tips.
There’s no doubt that spending time outside has numerous benefits not only for the body, but the spirit as well. Long and hard days at work and school can wear a person down, cause headaches, mood swings and irritation. Getting yourself and your kids involved and engaged in creative outdoor activities is a great way to get everyone to spend more time outside and away from the flickering screens of computers, tablets and smartphones.
With your kids’ safety and fun in mind, here are several ideas how to create a backyard that your kids will love spending time in.
An outdoor easel
An outdoor easel made of an over-sized chalkboard will have your kids go wild drawing, scribbling and doodling and you very happy to have it all happening outside, and not on your living room walls! Create your own chalkboard using a large piece of plywood and paint it with either store-bought paint or your own mix, using unsanded tile grout mixed with exterior latex enamel paint. Apply two coats and once it’s dried, hang it at your kids’ height using heavy-duty hardware. Add a bright coloured frame, a bucket to store the chalk and fun times can begin!
A flower garden
Planting a flower garden can give your kids a chance to experience the satisfaction of growing a garden from scratch and watching its entire life cycle. It will also teach them the responsibility of caring for plants and honouring their daily duties. One more plus is that you’ll have a beautiful and colourful backyard. Local nurseries commonly offer loads of different flowers to choose from and you can decide how to shape the flower beds, from traditional rectangular ones to imaginative spirals, circles or hearts.
A summer stage
Making a summer stage in your backyard is an amazing opportunity for your kids to let their imagination run wild and enjoy role plays or their own little theatre shows. It’s a quick, easy and cheap project that will give your kids the chance to express themselves and you a free, fun show while enjoying your glass of ice tea.
All you need is a clothesline, clip-on curtain rings and 6 yards of red fabric. Cut the fabric in two, 3-yard long pieces, fold down one end of each piece and clip the curtain rings, spacing them equally apart. Pull the clothesline through the rings and hang it between two trees. The line can stay up for the entire summer and the clips will make it easy to take the curtains down or put them up again.
A crafts table
Another inexpensive and fun outdoor addition to your backyard is a crafts table. Use a reclaimed pallet to make a low patio table and add several colourful cushions. Bring out whatever arts and crafts your kids like and make a little workshop in the fresh air. Just be careful you all get proper sun protection in hot summer months. The best way to do it is to install a custom cantilever umbrella on your patio, which has a durable canopy and can rotate 360 degrees to follow the movement of the sun.
Stepping stones/stumps
Stepping stones or stumps will create a balance challenge for your kids as they run or play catch. You can opt for cut logs in different heights that you can space just far enough apart so your kids have to carefully plan each step. Or, you can make it a joint project and create stepping stones together using ready-mix mortar or concrete. Kids will love to participate and get dirty! Choose the moulds you like and pour the mortar mix at least 2 inches thick. While it’s still wet and soft, let the kids decorate them with pebbles, marbles or beads, or write their names. It’ll stay as a wonderful reminder when they grow up.
Whatever you decide to create in your backyard, you’ll have an opportunity to spend quality time with your kids, be outside in the fresh air and create wonderful memories together, so pick a project and get cracking.
Flipping houses is a highly profitable venture. However, careful planning and understanding of the industry is necessary for success. Potential flippers must also be frugal. You need to know where to save money to get the biggest return on investment. Consider these tips to actually make a profit from flipping houses:
Buy Low
To make money flipping a house, you must buy houses that are well below their market value. Foreclosures are often ideal for this purpose. Foreclosures will have to be bought for cash. However, if you can fix up a foreclosed home in good condition, you may make a significant profit when you resell it. In some cases the home might be in excellent shape, but coming up with cash to buy the property prevented other buyers from biting. Something else that is critical is to move fast when buying. You are not the only flipper in the area. Property bidding wars can start and competition can be fierce. Of course, the more you pay upfront for a property, the less you will make when selling it. Don’t let your emotions get involved. Buy properties solely on the facts and the numbers.
Do the Work Yourself
To actually make money flipping houses, you are going to have to do much of the work yourself. This means you need time, ability and a willingness to learn. The more contractors you need to hire, the more expensive the project gets and the less you will get out of it in the end. For this reason, decent knowledge of carpentry and other handy skills is critical for successful flipping. Of course, there are some upgrades or renovations you should never try and do yourself if you are not a trained professional, such as electrical work. However, this doesn’t change the fact that you must be willing to do most of the work yourself. Flipping is ideal for people who have experience working as plumbers, carpenters and professional builders. If you are not any of those, you can still flip successfully, but it will take a lot more work.
Think Like a Real Estate Agent
When fixing up a home, you need to have a good idea of the local real estate market. You must have sufficient patience to wait for the right properties to come up. You must know what renovations you should perform to make the property sell. You also need to know which renovations will not significantly impact the value of the home. It might be best to leave these areas as-is and focus on the areas that do have a strong impact on final sales price, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Resources, like Success Path from Huffington Post, can help you learn some of these ins and outs.
Know the Cost of Repairs
Before purchasing a property to flip, you should already have a good grasp on what exactly typical repairs cost. When evaluating a property, you need the ability to calculate how much you will have to put into the project. Do not forget to factor in costs such as taxes and fees. You must then compare this to how much you stand to get out of the property. When renovating, keep track of everything you are spending. This will keep you aware of how much money you have already put into this project. You can look back on these ledgers to be more successful on your next house flip.
Flipping houses has grown in popularity, and it isn’t just a pipe dream. You can make very good money flipping houses. Know what you are getting into and have the right skills, and flipping will likely work out very nicely for you.
The thought of cleaning your house can be a daunting task. You may think to yourself that it will take you an entire day to get things right but you don’t always have to clean a house from top to bottom. This infographic from Half Price takes you through the areas you need to focus on if you have an hour and want to do a quick clean. It’s more about making the house clean-er rather than clean!
First, get yourself organised. Gather your supplies and put on some old comfy clothes and trainers. You might like to throw on a music playlist to keep you motivated with your favourite songs. Work through the rooms starting with the kitchen and be quick rather than thorough in each room. For example, a good trick for cleaning the microwave is putting a bit of vinegar and water in the cup and ‘cooking’ it in there for 90 seconds – this lifts any gunk in the microwave so it will just need a quick wipe after.
Another good idea is to take a laundry basket with you as you go from room to room for all items that don’t belong. Replace them in the final 15 minutes of your clean. Check out the full infographic now and remember that a clean home will make you feel so much better.
From remodeling your bathroom to making your kitchen fit for a king/queen, you know that here at Bruzzese Home Improvements we are all about helping make your home the best it can be; but what about the garden? Well, we have just teamed up with the experts at WhatShed and we have this fantastic infographic for you that shows just how good gardening can be.
Now having a nice garden that has all kinds of fantastic plants and delicious food growing in it will, of course, make your home look more complete. While that is great, what we are really looking at is just how good mentally and physically gardening is for you. So while it is great for your home, gardening is even better for you.
To start with, gardening is really going to help your physical wellbeing from a reduced BMI to lessening the chance of your having a heart attack. Spending a few hours in the garden has been proven to be just as effective as spending a full hour in the gym. Gardening is a great way to keep your body active and make sure that you keep feeling young long into your golden years.
As well as being good for the body, you could argue that gardening is even better for the mind. People who spend time in the garden have been scientifically proven to have far lower stress levels. Gardening keeps you calm, takes your mind of the world and in general, it just makes you a far happier person. Gardening is also fantastic for your diet as those people who grow their own fruit and vegetables eat more fruit and vegetables.
So, yes, having a nice and full garden will make your home look nicer and even add value to your property. But you really cannot put a price on the mental and physical benefits that gardening provides you as a person.
We all love to live in a home that is well kept and decorated according to the latest trends. The comfort and luxury a home offers is just priceless. However, the truth is that most of us can’t afford to hire interior designers for renovating our home and feel helpless in this regard. But what if I told you that renovating your home does not mean that you have to tear down your walls or become financially broke? If you are creative enough, you can décor your home all by yourself. Getting hold of the timeless stylistic layout tips would help you to add genuine excellence to your inside. This article will serve as a guide to help you in renovating your home and giving it a new life.
Step 1: Declutter
The modern décor trends are all about keeping minimum yet unique décor items and furniture pieces. In some cases, it is true that money can buy you happiness but when it comes to home décor money needs to be complimented with some creativity and décor sense. If you are short on the budget, then don’t feel down. Just increase your exploring trips to the flea markets and keep an eye for the unique pieces to add to your décor and get rid of all the items that are no longer functional or look out dated.
Step 2: Apply a theme
Playing with themes for the walls of your home can be both interesting and an adventurous task. Every theme has some restraints and some demands to be complemented with a proper set of accessories to give a true picture. If you are planning a home décor on a budget then giving a theme can be one of the budget friendly choices. Instead of giving a new paint you can invest on some quality wall paper that can add an instant wow factor to your décor. Giving the heavy theme to your walls would allow you to keep your furniture and statement pieces as minimum as you can to strike the principal of balanced décor. Investing in one domain would allow you to save on the other by making it simple.
Step 3: Do it yourself
Make you own décor items and furniture pieces. DIY projects are not only fun to follow but also allow you to incorporate your personal style into your home décor. Make sure you have the required tools such as a hybrid table saw to carry out these projects. For example, you can make a coffee table of your own that can be used as a statement piece to display your favorite works of art or you can create a headboard for your bed by using a metal sheet or salvaged wood pieces to give a rustic look to your bedroom décor.
Step 4: Update the flooring
Do you have wood flooring or have floors made of marble tiles? In both cases, if the floors of your home are damaged or badly scratched you can get them polished to give a new shine to your home décor. Carpeting is also an option if you don’t want to spend much on repair and polish. Carpeting gives a soft touch to your home décor and allows you to add colors of your choice that magnify the furniture and décor accessories of your space.
Step 5: Finish with accessories
The small décor accessories often cast the biggest impact and are responsible for giving a finishing touch to your décor. To give a finishing touch to your bedroom, you can add some colorful cushions that follow the color theme of your bedroom. Same goes with the side table décor of dining and living room. You can add small decoration pieces or place your travel and academic souvenirs to give a graceful touch to your décor.
About the author
This post is written by Emily who is obsessed with home machinery and gadgets. She loves home decor as well and enjoys the sunset. She regularly posts at http://www.protoolguide.com/
There aren’t many homes where wooden flooring would look out of place; they’re versatile, beautiful and can make even the smallest of rooms look larger. Keeping them in great condition, however, can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s where these tips come in, and if you follow them closely your wooden floors could double in life expectancy.
Pounce on spills as soon as they happen
It’s impossible to just stop spillages from happening, so instead make sure you’re prepared for them and attack the spills as soon as they occur. Every second they go untreated, the wooden floor will absorb more and more of it and the finish will be dulled even further; if that spill dries up, then that will result in some long-term damage. A cloth or cotton mop is perfect for avoiding this.
Vacuum with care
Vacuuming is great to suck up deep resting dirt that brushes or cloths wouldn’t normally get, but if used incorrectly, they can do more bad than good. The beater bar (also known as a bristle bar) is the rotating brush section at the bottom of some vacuums that can rotate thousands of times per minute. This is ideal for a carpet, as it can be very effective at dragging up dirt.
However, for a wooden floor, it can rapidly dull the woods finish and take months off its life span. Instead, either use a vacuum without a beater bar or switch the mode to Hard Floor, if that is an option available to you.
Use mats at entrances
Think about everything that could be on the pavement outside your home; glass, faeces, hard stones, so on. These can all get captured in the grooves of your shoes, and dragged into your home. Grass and mud might be a nuisance to clean up, but stones and glass could cause some serious damage to your wooden floor. To cut this down, tough mats at the entrances to your home and rooms are perfect for collecting this dirt and debris.
Better yet, you could take a page out of Asian culture and remove your shoes as you enter. While mats are effective, it doesn’t get more effective than taking your shoes off completely.
Follow the grain
To keep your wooden floors looking as good as possible for as long as possible, we also recommend following the grain of the wood when you clean. Sweeps and strokes going in the same direction of the wood means you won’t disrupt the grain too much, and the protective layer will be kept intact for longer.
Keep that mop (relatively) dry
A very common mistake when it comes to cleaning wood floors is using too much water. It might sound counter-intuitive, but your mop should be almost dry when you use it and only slightly damp at the touch. Similar to the first tip that mentioned how bad spills were for your wood, too much water means the wood will absorb some of it; which can lead to the warping of the wood or a ruined finish.
Let us know in the comments below if you have any other tips for looking after wooden floors!
Author bio: Criterion Flooring are wood flooring experts who specialize in the restoration and installation of wood floors. They also supply and install Oak, Bordeaux, Laminate and Alternative Floors.
With more than 80 percent of American homes having some kind of air conditioning or heating system installed, it’s easy to take that technology for granted. However, these systems don’t always function the way we expect. In those situations, we have to cope with the climate the way our ancestors did, in the days before these modern conveniences existed.
Coping without heating or air conditioning is an inconvenience no one wants to deal with, but it’s something everyone needs to be able to do. Fortunately, staying comfortable, even without your HVAC system, is a matter of following some relatively simple guidelines. With these tricks in mind, you can keep from feeling too hot or too cold, even if your HVAC system is on the blink for more than a day.
For example, keeping cool in the summer without air conditioning means dressing for the weather, drinking plenty of cold water, and avoiding the use of heat-generating appliances — unless necessary. For additional cooling, you can take a lukewarm bath or shower before bed, or stay in your basement during the hottest hours of the day.
Staying warm without your furnace is possible if you stick to only a few rooms and block the doors to the unused rooms with heavy curtains or blankets. Dressing in layers of warm wool clothing and blocking drafts under doors with rolled-up towels and blankets also helps you stay comfortable even when it’s cold inside your house.
Modern conveniences such as HVAC systems have certainly made life easier. However, knowing how to live without them will make life easier for those brief periods when they aren’t working. Or, you might want to live without them voluntarily to save a little money on your energy bills. Either way, these tips can help you stay comfortable without your HVAC system.
Many people forget to care for their retractable awning once it’s installed and keep using it every day and for months and years till one day they realize that multiple problems have developed with the uncared for awning. The awning may stop rolling in or out smoothly, or may develop mildew and fungi, or may have too coarse and thick covering of dust on it to make it frizzy, etc. Most of these problems can be avoided easily with a little maintenance and periodic cleaning. A clean and well-maintained outdoor retractable awning would last for many years. Here are some expert tips and steps to clean your outdoor awnings.
Retractable Shade Awnings
Steps for general cleaning
A general cleaning is advised every month to keep the awning in good health. This just needs a broom and a water hose.
Clean the awning fabric outside and inside with a broom
Now clean the awning with a jet of water and use only cold water
Allow the fabric to air dry completely before you retract it
This cleaning is required once a month, and without any serious steps, the awning will keep looking nice and shining with this much care. However, you need to clean the retractable shade awning once in 2 to 3 years with soap water.
Soap water cleaning steps
To clean the awning with soap water, use only mild soaps, and avoid the use of harsh chemical and detergents. Also, use only cold water for this.
Use a broom to clean the fabric outside and inside very well.
Now with a hose of cold water, wet the fabric.
Make soap water solution, and then sprinkle the solution on fabric and gentle rinse in patches with a soft brush. Start from the bottom and move upwards.
Now leave the soap water and give some time for the soap to work, as it loosens the dirt.
Now rinse off the soap with cold water.
Allow the fabric to air dry completely
Retract it
All types of dirt and stains can be removed from outdoor awnings when you use the right cleaner for the problem. Oil stains, paint stains, bird droppings, mold and mildew, rust stains, and everything will be gone with the right cleaner.
Facts you must know to keep the awning good
Besides cleaning the awning periodically, there are some words of caution, which you must know and follow. They are:
Shrubs and vines, which twine around the awning or touch it, may contain chemicals and acids, which will slowly corrode the fabric and the metal bar. Hence, you should try to keep such elements away from the awning and prune shrubs and vines nearby.
Never retract an awning while the fabric is still wet. This way the fabric will develop molds and mildew on it, and eventually smell awfully bad, and freeze while rolling on or out.
The awning frame is made of aluminum like metal, which does not demand much cleaning etc. Hence, you may loosely broom it in a month and forget.
Never wet the motor part of the awning. Wetting the framework or the motor will bring trouble.
Outdoor retractable awnings need little and general care mostly
Generally, retractable shade awnings are made of stain and mold resistant fabrics, which are treated accordingly to show such characteristic. However, when too much of dirt builds up, then molds may grow not directly on the fabric, but on the dirt clumps. Hence, a periodic cleaning ensues that you won’t face challenge while retracting the awning or rolling it out. It will look fresh and stay as it is for longer period of time.
Whether you’re trying to sell your home or simply upgrade it for your own enjoyment, additions do not have to be that pricey. OK, OK, so as you haven’t been born yesterday you do know that any high-quality improvements to your house – the only type worth doing – won’t be as cheap as your daily shop. But the following additions have been selected for their relative low cost and high impact.
The seven recommended additions are applicable to you especially if you feel like modernizing your house, have guests to stay with specific needs, are buying or selling your home and are aware of updates needed.
Garden
It’s always easy to forget the outside area and palm it off as a “dad-job” for a Sunday in the far far distance! Sometimes those days arrive sooner than you think and a good job too because taking care of your outside area is as important as your house.
Built-in seating can be a great alternative to expensive garden furniture and one way to make your outside space guest-friendly and welcoming in a matter of days. Recycling concrete blocks and stacking to make a rectangular bench can be transformative. Top with an upholstered foam mattress and pillows and you’re good to go!
Patio
Patios are pretty self-maintaining year round aside from the odd weeding but if you want them to be extra special you could consider putting in a little more care. More and more folks have opted for patio walls over the last few years to create a homelier space. Adding in a custom-built fireplace to the area will make your regular patio every home-owner’s hosting dream. If you need to start from scratch you certainly can build your own patio yourself and save on the tiresome labor costs!
Railings
Injuries do unfortunately happen regardless of your capabilities and a railing to help you get around the bathroom and in and out of the bath itself is a must. These guys are quite literally a life-saver. Whether in or outside the house – preferably both depending on the terrain – railings give much needed support as well as detail. Protect you, your family and your guests with railings where you need them the most – they can be beautifully designed to match your preferences, too!
Smart Appliances
Smart appliances are the quickest way to add value to your kitchen, your house and to your life! We all know a good real estate agent will make the most out of these centerpieces of our kitchen – dishwasher, fridge-freezer, oven and microwave. If yours could do with some updating it may be time to take the plunge. They can instantly modernize your kitchen into a chic and sleek operating room – stainless steel appliances are still a la mode – and raise your house-cred immeasurably.
Connectivity, intelligent communication and full-on integration is what people want in their new appliances to the point where your fridge will text you when you run out of an ingredient! If you don’t have that much to spend on a major appliance, try revolutionizing your kitchen routines with some of these portable options, however you might want to check second hand options before giving up!
Lighting
Much like your smart appliances, improving your lighting game is a quick and easy addition to your household that will bring admirers wide and far! Looking at spotlights for example bring a welcome minimalist feel to a home whilst not massively interfering with your interior décor. Lighting is also an easy way to bring balance to a room through adding or taking away warmth depending on the style of fitting and the glow emitted.
Lighting should be uniform throughout your house to some degree to give continuity, therefore if you aren’t careful this can rack up a bill. However, simply moving to energy efficient lights in the meantime will be a fantastic addition to your household.
Upholstery
The DIY and home improvement community has talked about up-cycling a lot for good reason – you have unpolished treasures in your room as you read this and you’re considering buying replacements?! A perfect and easy-going initiation into the up-cycling club is re-upholstering a chair, sofa or headboard. It is guaranteed to be far cheaper than buying new furniture, allows you to pick out exactly the material you want and adds to the atmosphere of your room in a relatively low-effort way!
Windows
I won’t start with a quote about windows and eyes and souls, but windows are very important. Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferers are particularly sensitive to amount of light in their living areas and frankly the majority of us are too. So let’s get as much light as possible into your houses! The easiest way to do this without complete overhaul of your existing windows is adding in a sky light where possible.
So, this may be in the same cost ballpark as smart appliances, however adding in a skylight will entirely transform your space and your mood, and add major value if done properly to your property.
Additions do not need to be time consuming, complicated or massively expensive, however they do need to be well thought out. Positioning, overall design and feel and appropriateness all come into play when making changes to your house regardless of how small they might be. But one thing is for sure, simple home additions can bring major positives to your life whether practical and adding convenience or aesthetic and adding comfort!
Author Bio:
Kacey is a lifestyle blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts.
