Keeping your curtains beautiful

Lace curtains have long been a sign of wealth. If you could afford to put curtains on your windows, you were not too poor. Today, window curtains are a fashion accessory for your home. Curtains dramatically change the look of your room, allowing you to let your style shine through. They require cleaning regularly. Depending on the style and the material of your curtains, there are a variety of methods that may be appropriate. Enjoy these tips for keeping your curtains beautiful.

Check the material

The first thing you need to do before you start to clean your curtains is to determine what material they are made from. Check the tags on the curtains for washing instructions. If it doesn’t have a tag you will have to try to determine yourself if the curtains can be cleaned at home or need to be sent to the dry cleaners.

Dust

Before you try to do a heavy cleaning, it is important to remove any dust. You can use your vacuum cleaner with an upholstery attachment to remove the dust. Put the vacuum on low so that you will not damage the curtains. While you are doing this, check for any seams that may need to be fixed or any stains that might need to be treated.

Washing machine

Remove anything that might not do well in the washing machine such as hooks or rings. Pre-treat any stains and do any repairs, then using the temperature that your tag suggests wash your curtains. Some will require the gentle cycle, others are sturdier. Don’t let them sit in the washer after the cycle is over, shake them and place in a cool dryer. Remove from the dryer when still slightly damp and hang up to avoid wrinkling.

Dry cleaning

If you don’t have a tag telling you how to clean your curtains you are going to have to make an educated guess about whether they are machine washable or not. Materials that are not washable are silk, wool, and rayon. When in doubt, opt for dry cleaning. You can dry clean at home in your dryer or you can send your curtains to the cleaners. If you are dry cleaning at home follow the instructions on your container of Dryell.

Longer curtain life

When you vacuum and clean your curtains you will extend their life. If you have one window that gets more sun than another, try rotating the curtains so that one pair isn’t more faded than the others. Clean curtains make your whole room smell and look better and that is a very good thing.

What your homeowners insurance covers

Homeowners insurance policies are an important part of home ownership. Not all policies are created equal and it is vital for not only new homeowners but for seasoned veterans to read their policy carefully, including the fine print, to find out exactly the kinds of coverage included in homeowners insurance.  Just as important, what is excluded. 

Assuming that you have coverage, without knowing for sure, is a bad idea and even worse if you find out when you try to collect on it. Here are some of the types of homeowner’s insurance coverage that you may have on your home.

Personal Property

Having a stranger come into your home and steal your precious items is one of the most invasive things that can happen. Even worse is finding out that your insurance coverage is woefully lacking in the theft department. It is up to every homeowner to read their policy and determine the amount of coverage they have for theft, what is covered and what is not covered and what the deductible is. 

Look for the words replacement cost. This allows you to replace items at their current cost, not at the amount that you paid for them when they were purchased or at a depreciated price.

Smaller things also come under theft such as your bicycle or your purse in the grocery store or anyplace else for that matter. This comes under the term personal property on your policy. It is your personal property and follows you even when you are not at home. 

If your diamond ring does down the drain, if you have jewelry coverage, it will be replaced. Expensive jewelry is usually under a personal property rider which is an addition that you add to your policy to cover items that are in excess of standard coverage.

Damage to Home

There are many types of damage that can occur. It can be from a lightning strike, hail, high winds or a terrible storm that knocks out electricity for days and results in frozen pipes. It can also mean a fire. It doesn’t have to be a whole house fire; it can be a grease fire in the kitchen or a gas fire from the grill on the deck. These are all types of damage that should be covered.

What isn’t covered is a roof that wears out because of age, anything that results from a lack of care and also flooding. The amount of coverage that is on your policy is referred to as the face value.

Other Structures Coverage

This is the coverage that takes care of a detached garage, a shed, a fence or a pool.

Comprehensive Personal Liability Coverage

This is a very important part of homeowners insurance. It protects you from being sued by the guest who falls in your driveway or the paperboy who get bitten by your dog. In this age where suing has grown to mammoth proportions, it is important to have coverage to protect yourself. 

This coverage follows you where ever you go personally. It does not cover you in your car or in a boat as far as accidents go or when doing anything that could be considered risky or dangerous. There are additional umbrellas that you can purchase to raise your coverage.

Medical Coverage

This coverage will pay for medical bills that result from injuries that occur on your property or as a result of an action by you, a family member or even a pet.

Additional Living Expense

If something happens to your home and you are not able to live in it, this is the part of your policy that pays for you to stay somewhere else. This is important because it can make the difference between staying somewhere comfortable and having to live with family and friends.

Being a homeowner comes with a lot of responsibility and it is important that after having made what is probably the largest purchase in your life, that you do everything that you can to protect that investment. It is impossible to cover every eventuality but covering the main basics will allow you to sleep comfortably at night knowing that your homeowner’s insurance coverage is there to protect you.

When you purchase a home and have a mortgage, the lender requires that you have enough insurance to cover the amount of the loan. You need to keep this coverage even after the loan has been paid off. It can mean the difference between replacing your damaged home and losing everything you have worked so hard to build up. If you are in an area that is prone to natural disasters you need to be sure that you have coverage for these kinds of events.

Cheap ways to furnish an apartment

After the excitement of getting your apartment wears off, reality sets in. How are you going to furnish that apartment? It can be overwhelming to think about all the furniture you need for an entire apartment. The rent may take up a big chunk of the budget, leaving very little for furnishings.

If you will be having a roommate, it may be that they will bring some furniture with them. Having a roommate can be a big help when it comes to affording an apartment. If you are on your own, here are a few tips for cheap ways to furnish an apartment.

Talk to Family

Family members can be one of the best sources of cheap or even free furniture for an apartment. Often there will be an odd piece of furniture in the attic, basement or garage that can easily become part of the apartment furnishings. Don't be afraid to tell everyone that you know that you are trying to furnish your apartment and are looking for any pieces that they are willing to donate.

Tag Sales

Tag or garage sales are a great way to find cheap furnishings. You need to have an imagination and you have to be willing to have pieces that might not all match perfectly. But if you are creative and if you are willing to do a little extra work, painting a table or fixing a dresser, you can get your apartment furnished in no time at all at a very cheap price.

Consignment Stores

Consignment stores are a great place to find all sorts of furniture. It will be much better priced than new furniture. You can also pick up lots of accessories that are next to new and some may even be new. Many gifts that just aren’t right will find their way into consignment
shops.

Thrift Stores

When it comes to cheap prices, the Salvation Army and Goodwill are among the lowest. Not only will you be able to find furniture but you can also find blankets, sheets, small appliances, decorative items and curtains.

Auctions

Estate and regular auctions are a great place to find cheap furnishing for your apartment. There are many auctions that sell high quality used furniture for a cheap price.

IKEA

If you are looking for new furnishings and you like simple, clean lines, IKEA is great. Just shopping there is fun not to mention the Swedish meatballs. They have a great selection of sofas, tables, bookcases, kitchen implements, storage solutions and so much more. They have a nice selection of lamps as well. You literally can furnish your entire apartment at IKEA at a very cheap price.

Marshalls/TJ Maxx/HomeGoods

These three off price retailers can have really  nice pieces of furniture. The problem is, you 

never exactly know what will be in stock. The certainly have lamps and wall décor, usually have chairs, rugs, and tables and may even have more, you just really have to check back frequently to see what they have.

Walmart

Depending on what type of furniture you are looking for, Walmart carries a lot of well prices items. If you are looking for a futon for your living room, a dresser for your bedroom or bookcases these are all available at very low prices.

Target

Target carries some interesting furniture items. The prices are low and the style is updated.

Overstock.com

Overstock has a constantly changing selection of furnishings. There really is no guarantee of what you will find but you should be able to find some things to help you to furnish your apartment cheaply.

When it comes to furnishing your apartment cheaply, if you combine getting some donations with some well-priced pieces from other sources you should be able to come up with a beautiful apartment in no time at all.

Maximize room design with furniture placement

When most people are decorating a room, they concentrate on the color scheme and the accessories and overlook what is, in reality, the most important feature of the room, the placement of the furniture. Furniture placement in a room can make all the difference between having a room that works and one that never reaches its full potential.

When deciding where the furniture should be placed in a room, there are many things that need to be considered.

Room usage

Before any decision can be made about the placement of furniture in a room it is important to consider what the room is used for. All the choices made will center on this usage. If the room is where people gather to watch TV, furniture should be placed so that the TV screen is visible. The same holds true for any other room.

A bedroom must have a bed that is placed in such a way as to be conducive to sleep and in a dining room you must be able to sit at the table.

Make a flow chart

Create a drawing of the rooms where you are considering a change in the placement of furniture. Include all the windows and doors in the design. Consider the traffic flow in the room when deciding where the furniture should be placed. Use your drawing to try different furniture arrangements; this is much easier than actually moving the real furniture around.

Determine the focal point

Every room has a focal point. It can be a fireplace, a painting or a gorgeous window. The furniture placement should highlight this focal point. You don’t need to place your sofa facing the fireplace but completely blocking it from view is not a good idea either. If you don’t have an architectural focal point, a rug can be used to anchor a room or place a painting to creating a focal point.

Scale

The size of furniture is an important factor in placement. The way pieces relate to each other can affect the overall feeling and flow of a room. A small coffee table can seem even smaller in front of a huge sofa and the same is true of a huge end table next to a small sofa. The room will feel unbalanced.

In a small room, large furniture can make the room seem claustrophobic. In a large room, small furniture can make the room seem cave-like and cold.

Balance

When considering where to place the furniture in a room it is important to create a balance between the upholstered furniture and the wooden furniture. Try to place upholstered pieces in between large wooden pieces. In rooms such as a dining room, it can be the curtains or a rug that add the balance as well as having upholstered chairs.

Move away from the wall

Lining all the furniture up against the wall can lead to a very boring room. Consider moving the furniture away from the walls into groupings. You can create more than one grouping in a room. Especially in a living room, this can work well. Trying to create an area for reading and one for conversation is one option.

Placing furniture diagonally can be a nice change if your room will accommodate this.

Mix horizontals and verticals

If you have a tall piece of furniture, try placing it next to one that is shorter and longer. It is visually more appealing to mix the heights of the furniture in a room. You don’t want all eyes to be drawn up or down all the time.

Furniture can be placed many different ways in most room. It may take a few tries to come up with the one that functions best. It should be functional, visually appealing and most of all work for your family.

Caring for your marble counter top

Marble began its existence as limestone. It has been highly valued for centuries for its beauty and ability to resist fire. The same qualities that make it a great material for sculpture and buildings are what make it a great choice for a counter top. Caring for your marble counter

top will guarantee years of service. 

In spite of rumors to the contrary, marble is easy to care for and with a few simple strategies, you can be sure that it will be as beautiful in twenty years from now as it is today.

When it comes to cleaning marble, less is better. For the average daily clean-up,  you don’t need much more than just plain water. It is best to use filtered water because tap water may have impurities in it that can cause spots or dulling. Microfiber is a good option both for wiping down the counter top and for drying it after. It will look better if it is dried instead of letting it air dry.

Avoid using any acidic cleaners. While white vinegar is wonderful for almost all cleaning jobs, it is not good for marble. Any cleaners that have anything acidic in them can really damage your marble counter top. The safest thing to use when you need more than just water is dish liquid, just make sure that it is pH neutral.

It is important to use coasters to protect your counter top. If however, in spite of your diligence you get a stain on the counter top, what is the best way to handle it? It is always a good idea to have some marble specific cleaner on hand. This should be available from the dealer where you purchased your stone. Always read what is in the cleaner and never just assume what works for granite will work for marble, that will lead to problems.

You can make your own stain treatment from baking soda, turn it into a thick paste with either water, for oil based stains or rubbing alcohol for stains that have no grease. Spread the paste over the stain and allow it to stay there for up to twenty-four hours. You can cover it with Saran Wrap to allow it to set. Wash it off with water and dry immediately, the stain should have been lifted out.

If you get scratches in the marble countertop you can use a very fine sandpaper to sand these out. Some people like to put a protective coating on their marble. Most marble is treated when it is installed, you may want to seal it again to help it maintain its beauty.

If you want to make your marble really shine, there are commercial products that are safe to use on marble that can be placed on the surface and then buffed off, resulting in a soft shine. The best way to care for your marble counter top is to protect it from acid, don’t place hot things on it and keep any metal that might rust away from it. Marble is one of nature’s wonders and it is strong, hard and quite beautiful.

Buying living room furniture on a budget

Buying living room furniture on a budget can be challenging. In the climate of today's economy, everyone is trying to spend as little as possible. Before you go out looking for new furniture, it is important that you know exactly how much you have to spend and how you are going to fit that expense into your budget.

Depending on the condition of your current furniture, it may be something that you can save for, allowing you to pay cash. If this is not an option, you need to look carefully at your budget and determine how much you can afford to pay every month.

Once you have your figures in your head and your checkbook in your hand, yes even if you aren't going to pay cash you may need to make a down payment.

According to Kiplingers.com, there are two times of year when furniture is most likely to be at its lowest price, in January, and in July. These two months are both the months before the new furnishings hit the showrooms and naturally, retailers are anxious to get the old merchandise out the door. These are the ideal months to find a sale but that is not to say in this fragile economy that you won't be able to find good deals at other times.

You should begin by checking prices. Go out and look around. Don't buy the first furniture you see. Look for quality construction, good workmanship, and great prices. Make sure that you are comparing apples and apples.

If there is an IKEA near you, be sure to visit their store. While they may not be able to offer you a payment plan, their furniture is sturdy and well-priced.

Many retailers are offering no interest financing for living room furniture. Some of them are offering up to three or even four years to pay. Before you jump into one of these deals, be sure that the price you are paying for your furniture isn't inflated to cover the interest that you would normally pay.

Watch all the local fliers and be on the lookout for going out of business sales. Some of these are legitimate and some are not but it can't hurt to go and look at what is being offered. 

Another place to look for a new living room set is at an auction. While this may not be brand new furniture, you can often find high-quality pieces at rock bottom prices. As long as you preview the furniture and make sure that it is as good as new, what the heck if you can get a wonderful sofa and chair for $100 that is worth $1500 that is a great budget option.

You may also want to checkout tag sales and moving sales. Often people don't want to move their heavy furniture across the country or maybe they are downsizing and want to purchase smaller pieces, their loss can be your gain.

Just because you need to stick to your budget to get your living room furniture doesn't mean that you can't buy some great pieces. It just means that you have to know what you are spending and ultimately what the total cost will be.

Making time for cleaning in a busy life

Whether you are a mother with young or even older children or a grandmother who works full time, many people find that with their full lives, having time for housework is elusive. It is a matter of priorities. If it comes down to spending quality time with someone or washing the kitchen floor, the quality time wins out most of the time.

It isn't easy making time for cleaning in a busy life. When trying to make more time to clean, here are a few tips to help find a few minutes to add to your cleaning routine.

Get up earlier or go to bed later

It sounds obvious but if you set the alarm for 15 minutes or half hour earlier than normal, you will have extra time to yourself that you can turn into time to do that extra housework that always seems to allude you. The same holds true in the evening when everything is quiet, while vacuuming may not be the best thing to do, there are many chores like emptying the dishwasher or throwing in a load of laundry that you can get a jump on.

Multi-task 

These days, multitasking is a way of life for many people. The philosophy that works at the office, works at home. When you are taking a shower, bring the cleaner in with you and give it a wipe down at the same time. Combine your daily exercise routine with the housework, deep knee bends while folding laundry, or loading the dishwasher, you get the idea it can work with many tasks.

Have a schedule

Having a schedule makes for greater efficiency. Greater efficiency means more work in less time or more work in the same amount of time. By knowing what you have to do in addition in addition to the amount of time you have allocated for that task, you can make an educated guess about ways to add time to the schedule.

Be prepared

Once you have a schedule, being prepared with the necessary equipment or supplies saves you a lot of time. Having to look for your mop or furniture polish is a waste of time. Have a designated place for all your equipment and supplies and be sure that after each use, you bring it back to tip top condition. Nothing is worse than being ready to vacuum and finding out that your bag is full or the dirt holder wasn’t emptied on the bag-less model.

Use TV time wisely

There is a lot of extra time involved in watching TV. During the commercials, you can pop up and load and unload the washing machine, run a dust cloth around the room, strip and remake a bed, or if it isn’t late at night, run the vacuum. When you think about how many commercials there are during any show or movie that you are watching, you will see that you may be able to find more than 10 to 20 minutes in an hour.

According to Marketing Charts, the average show is 36 percent  commercial. While actually watching TV, you can fold laundry, do mending, or do pick-up and cleaning in the room where the TV actually is.

Today’s lives are filled with activities. Trying to find time to add to your cleaning routine doesn’t have to mean giving up any of your favorite activities. With a little adjustment and using some of these tips, you should be able to get more work done and still have time for all the important things that you prefer to do.