I know every year when January rolls around you vow to lose weight, save money or spend more time with family and friends. But what goals do you set for your home ? in 2015 January Special For Your Home Resource :D
In the spirit of new beginnings, come up with some resolutions that will make your home a more beautiful, efficient, clean and green place in the coming year.
Here are our five picks for the best home improvement resolutions for the new year and how to achieve them :
1. Streamline the stuff
One of the best and least expensive ways to feel better about your home is to clear it of clutter.
Each year most of us acquire a mountain of stuff. Without some regular purging, cabinets and drawers get jam-packed and it becomes hard to find the things you use and enjoy the most. (All that clutter also makes your house look dated and dirty, designers say.)
This year resolve to go room-by-room periodically clearing anything that you don't use, wear or love and donate it to charity. After that, think twice about what you bring in, says Antoinette Nue, an Atlanta consultant who specializes in helping people simplify and go green.
"Fill your home with the things that raise your energy level and make you feel good, and get rid of the things that drain your energy or are broken," she says.
Stash useful (but not beautiful) items such as DVDs, remotes and those kicked-off shoes in simple woven baskets. Group similar items together on sleek trays, says Stuart McCormick, a designer with Liz Levin Interiors in Washington D.C.
Clear your counters of everything you don't use on a daily basis. And get ready to breathe a little easier in your own home.
Recommended For Streamline the stuff
Double Rod Closet offers you a sturdy option for
creating garment and accessory storage. Made with steel and heavy duty
resin connectors, it is strong enough to hold your possessions while
being light enough to move. It is designed with two hanging bars that
will hold shirts, blouses, pants and jackets plus 5 small shelves and
two large shelves. Use these for sweaters, hats, gloves, purses shoes
and even totes. When assembled this unit measures 19.25" x 45.25" x
68".
See Or Buy It Now Here
Whitmor 6779-3044 Double Rod Closet, Silver
2. Make it safe and sound
Your home may be beautiful, but is it safe? There are a few things that every homeowner should do to ensure that they're not living with a potential health hazard or fire risk.
First, check your house for radon. This colorless, odorless gas causes about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year from the radioactive particles it traps in your lungs as you breathe, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One in every fifteen homes has elevated levels. And with test kits costing as little as $20 at your local hardware store, there's no reason not to get right on that.
While we're on the subject of deadly gas, make sure you install a carbon monoxide detector on every bedroom floor in addition to fire detectors. If a chimney flue or furnace vent gets blocked or leaks, carbon monoxide could back up in your house and kill you. Like a radon test, this is a small investment — $40 or more — for such an important safeguard.
Watch out for dryer lint. We know you clean the little trap inside the door, but most people neglect to clean the vents and ducts behind the dryer. Lint may seem innocent, but it's highly combustible, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, accounting for more than 15,000 building fires a year.
Make sure your house can breathe. Hickory Hills, Ill. home inspector Jack McGraw is always surprised at how many people's bathrooms and attics aren't vented to the outside (or the vents are covered over with shingles.) This makes you a prime candidate for mold.
And if you're considering a remodel — and your home was last built or remodeled before 1978 — consider testing for lead paint and asbestos flooring. It will have to handled properly during removal, or particles can be released into the air for you to ingest.
Recommended For Make it safe and sound
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| Make it safe and sound |
Simply set your radio and turn it on to hear emergency calls, weather
spotters, and public safety activities. Keep up with police, fire, and
ambulance calls as well as weather alerts directly from local weather
spotters to stay on top of possible danger in your area or neighborhood.
Enter your zip code and HomePatrol-1 will automatically find the
channels available to you. When you find the one you like, simply touch
the channel button to lock and hold on that conversation. Or you can
just as easily mark it as one of your favorites with the touch of a
button. Use it on the road to help beat traffic due to road blocks,
accidents and more. Uniden HomePatrol-1 lets you hear about road and
traffic conditions all along your route. HomePatrol-1 automatically
monitors local agencies (GPS required, not included) as you drive so you
can stay informed on local traffic and road conditions. Stay alert to
hear severe weather and prevent potential disaster by getting the scoop
directly from the source. Natural disasters and severe weather can
strike without warning. That's why Uniden's HomePatrol-1 has real-time
information. HomePatrol-1's touch screen makes it easy to quickly jump
to your saved channels and can easily find new ones when time is of the
essence. Listen to storm trackers providing live reports long before
alerts go out. When you aren't listening to other comms, your
HomePatrol-1 can standby for alerts issued by the National Weather
Service's All-Hazards alert system. Your HomePatrol-1 records all active
alerts so you'll never miss being informed. HomePatrol-1 is portable
and battery operated so it's there when the lights go out. Hear the
latest in recovery efforts. Keep up-to-date on local emergency and
municipal crews as they work to restore power.
See Or Buy It Now Here
Uniden Public Safety Receiver (HOMEPATROL)
3. Work out a weekly system for keeping your house clean
Cleaning with Scrub Brush
Here are a few tips for keeping the mess under control from Jeff Campbell, author of the book Speed Cleaning and owner of the Clean Team housekeeping service in San Francisco.
Daily: Dishes go in the dishwasher every night - no excuses! Dirty clothes go in the hamper and jackets or clean clothes are hung in the closet. Bring everything back to its assigned place.
Weekly : Clean your entire house, using these tips:
- Keep all of your cleaners, as well as rubber gloves and spare cleaning cloths - in a portable carryall that moves with you from room to room.
- Stash cleaning implements such as a toothbrush, scraper, sponge, a few cleaning cloths and plastic bags in a builder's apron that you wear when you clean. Hook your glass cleaner and all-purpose cleaning spray on the loops to keep your hands free as you work around the room clockwise, cleaning from high (cabinets) to low (floors.)
- Focus on one type of cleaning at a time. It's faster, Campbell says. Wipe down fingerprints on all of the cabinets, for instance, before moving on to spraying and wiping counters. Then move on to windows and mirrors and appliances. Once that's done move on to sweeping and then mopping floors.
- For optimum efficiency, enlist the help of your family. If you can, divide the jobs among at least three parties: One of you can do the dusting/vacuuming and changing beds, the other can do the bathroom cleanup, leaving only the kitchen and trash emptying for you to handle. The upside? You can get the whole house done in 45 minutes, Campbell says, leaving more time on the weekends for the park or the movies.
Recommended For Cleaning with Scrub Brush
So i've been looking for a steam cleaner for over a week,reading reviews
on any steam cleaner that has a review to try to choose one that will
work for my family. With all the negative feedback on the Hoover I was
disappointed and thought about changing brands. I had a hoover spin
scrub and it has worked wonderfully for over 5yrs but with bringing up
and down the stairs and my son letting it pound on the stairs the front
plate broke off. Although i could get it repaired, honestly i felt it
was a good excuse to get myself a new one and chose to give my old one
to charity.
Of all the reviews i have read, the one that i felt
had any true meaningful information was a gentleman that was an engineer
that said that the plastic on the tank was too brittle. Armed with this
information, i did go to my local Hoover store to see what they had in
stock. I was ready to purchase another spinscub or to have mine
repaired.
I purchased the All-terrain steamvac after talking to
the rep. She did not dispute that the tanks plastic is more brittle and
should be able to withstand a little more abuse, however, she also said
that all of the people that have come into the store to have the tanks
replaced, have abused it in some way. The plastic is not made for
EXTREMELY hot water, so if your tap water is extremely hot, then fill
the tank with some cooler water. the hotter temp. will crack the tank.
She said her hot water heater is set so high that when you run only hot
water it is too hot to touch. and she mixes her water with cold to get
the temp. right. The other scenerio she explained is people dropping the
tank when it is full of water. In all the years i can't remember ever
dropping the tank so i wasn't concerned about that. And the last
scenerio she explained that one woman had her teenager using the machine
and had shoved the tank into place and it cracked somehow.
i tried replacing the tank myself in the store and it seemed pretty simple. so i bought it.
i
have only had it for a few days but have already cleaned with it. and i
love it.something must be wrong with the other reviewer's machine
because i filled mine with 16oz. of cleaner and have cleaned my formal
living room, formal dining, family room, guest room, stairs and basement
, probably close to 1500sq. ft. and still have over half of the
solution in it.
The new design is much better than the spinscrub.
The hose for the hand attachments attaches in the front so it won't
crack at the base like in the older models. I like that the cleaning
solution is in a separate container so when you run out of clean water
or the clean water gets cold, you can just refill the water side without
having to waste cleaning solution or needing to measure out solution
every time you need to fill the tank.
The rinse button is nice
when you've sprayed down a stain in the carpet and it gets too soapy,
then just flip the button and it only dispenses water.
The people
I talked to at the hoover store say that most of the repairs with the
valves involve the solution that is used. Oxy-clean eats at the rubber
and then they don't seal properly. Never put oxy-clean into the tank. It
is fine to use the spray oxy on the carpet but not the powder stuff.
i
have to say that it cleans great. My dog barfed some green stuff on my
carpet a week ago and since i haven't had anything to clean it up with,
it has just sat in the carpet. Well the stain is gone and it sat in the
carpet for a week!
The dirty water tank is always coming up with
dirt and stuff. The dirt stains in my carpet from my dogs/kids are gone
and the carpet looks great. I am very happy with it. I will buy the
extended 3yr warrenty on the machine. For 50bucks it will protect my
investment in case i change my mind about it in a few months!
But
I recommend for anyone go to your local shop. I read a lot of the
reviews with women bitching about the tank not fitting into the bathroom
sink or the cord not being long enough. Personally, I don't want a
small tank that fits in my sink. I have too much carpet to clean and the
smaller the tank, the more I have to refill it. We've all had those
days when nothing is going our way. Just relax. Get a grip! It's just a
steam cleaner and our country is at war!!! Hope this was helpful!
What ?
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| Hoover Max Extract Dual V All Terrain |
See Or Buy It Now Here
Hoover Max Extract Dual V All Terrain Carpet Washer, F7452900PC
Each year most of us vow to spend more time with family and friends. To make you feel like inviting people in, why not give the areas you entertain in a little update?
You don't have go for broke here and invest in a new kitchen remodel. All it takes to get a fresh new look is a little bit of rearranging and a few updates says designer McCormick.
One easy update that makes your home seem more "finished" is the addition of plants, she says.
"They bring in new energy and help clean the air," she says. "And it's a great way to decorate if you're on a budget."
A couple of dramatic presentations like a large flowering agapanthus or potted palm in a bright ceramic planter that complements your existing color scheme will do the trick.
Pulling out a new accent color from your existing decor can make the whole room seem fresh. Pick an underused color in the room and add more of it in the form of a new pillow or throw to update your look, McCormick advises. A colorful rug or runner can also help anchor your space.
Lastly, take some time to rearrange your furniture so it is oriented in conversation groups and not just facing the television. That just might up for chances for real conversation and connection in the New Year.
