How to clean sterling silver

Sterling silver is a precious metal. It has a beauty that is unmistakable. It has cleaning challenges that are quite different than the care of other types of precious metals. You may think that you don’t have any sterling silver that needs cleaning. Chances are you are wrong.

You may not own a sterling silver tray but sterling silver jewelry is very much in style and the process of removing tarnish is the same for jewelry as it is for larger pieces. Knowing how to clean sterling silver is important.

It is very evident when you need to clean your sterling. Tarnish is a dull black residue that greatly affects the looks and beauty of your sterling silver.

What is tarnish?

Tarnish is a dull oxidation that takes away the beauty of your silver. It will look gray or black either all over or in spots. You will want to throw away your silver but don’t do it. There are several ways to remove the ugly tarnish and restore your sterling silver to shining beauty.

Silver polish

Polish for sterling silver is for sale in your local grocery store. This is applied with a rag and allowed to dry on the surface. You then buff it off of the item with another clean cloth. If there is an intricate design you can take the silver polish on a toothbrush and rub it right into the design. This requires a little elbow grease and you can get any residue off by
washing and wiping the items.

Silver polishing cloth

Specially treated silver polishing clothes are sold on Amazon that you can buy for just a few dollars. Most of them cost about $7. You just wipe the sterling silver items with the cloth which is made of cotton flannel and you will be amazed at how black it will become. You can use this cloth until it is totally black. This works especially well on items that do not have an intricate design.

Natural choice

There are other options to clean some of your sterling silver. This method works particularly well for flatware and trays. Purchase a disposable aluminum pan, boil some water and cover the items in your pan. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda in some boiling water and pour into the pan. It works like magic, your tarnish will be lifted off of the silver by the interaction between the aluminum, the baking soda and the silver oxide (tarnish). Be sure that all the pieces are touching the aluminum or nothing will happen.

Avoid the tarnish

After you have cleaned your sterling silver you want to try to retard the tarnish from coming back. There are anti-tarnish strips that you can place in your cabinet and there are jewelry boxes that are treated to make sure that if it is going to tarnish, at least it may take a while. Store your pieces in individual zip-lock bags or Tupperware containers. Humidity can accelerate tarnish so you want to keep your pieces as dry as possible.

You cannot stop tarnish completely but the beauty of silver is worth the extra work.

Home improvement that appeal to potential buyers

Selling your home in a weak market can be very difficult. In order to have the best chance for success, it is important that your house makes a good impression on buyers. To make your house appealing you may have to do some home improvement. Deciding which home improvements will appeal to buyers and help sell the house quicker is very important. 

If you have watched any of the home improvement shows you will already know that bathrooms and kitchens are what sell homes.

In the kitchen, depending on how much you want o spend, the counter tops are a big deal. Most home buyers these days expect to see granite, marble or quartz counter top. Adding these to your kitchen will certainly appeal to most buyers. When it comes to choosing the color, choose a neutral tone that will have a wider appeal. 

Paint walls a neutral color. Another improvement that buyers expect in the kitchen is updated appliances. They should be energy star and stainless steel is the most popular finish with buyers. If you can’t afford stainless at least make sure that all the appliances match.

Bathroom home improvements are also very popular. Master bathrooms need to have updated fixtures and double sinks are a trend that most renovators are following. Large soaking or jetted tubs and a separate tile shower are also very appealing to buyers. 

Hardwood floors are in vogue and you have a lot of options. You can go with bamboo which will appeal to any buyers who are looking for green options and the new laminates are also appealing at a certain price point.

Buyers will be checking to see if the windows are newer and are energy efficient. When you are considering home improvements to sell your home, updating the windows is something that should give you a positive return on your investment.

Not all the home improvements that appeal to buyers are inside the home. There are some things that you can improve on the exterior that will also help you to sell your home. There are areas where a fenced in back yard is a big selling point especially with families who have small children and/or pets. 

Decks are also a big selling point and patios have a lot of buyer appeal. While curb appeal may not technically be a home improvement project it is a very important aspect of house appeal as far as a buyer is concerned. You can’t get someone to buy your home unless you can get them in the door and if your home has no curb appeal they might not even want to stop and look.

There are many home improvements that will make your home more appealing to buyers. You probably can’t afford to do them all. Do the ones that will give you the most bang for your buck. You have to know what your competition is in the area and the things that other houses in the neighborhood have to offer. You want to make your house stand out.

  

Best colors for your arts and crafts livingroom

The Arts and Crafts Movement began in England in the 1830s as the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation. It was a rebellion of sorts against the idea of getting away from the natural scheme of things and dividing the labor among many laborers instead of skilled craftsmen. Arts and Crafts colors take their cue from nature and are in keeping with the Arts and Crafts aesthetic.

Among those who were in the forefront of this movement were Augustus Pugin, William Morris and John Ruskin. They were all concerned about the effect of industrialization on the English way of life. William Morris took what Ruskin and Pugin taught and applied it to his own ideas of decorating, and the style known as Arts and Crafts was born. The style expanded to furniture, pottery, wallpaper and many other items of decor. The Arts and Crafts movement waned in England after Morris' death in 1895, but after that time it flourished in America with furniture designers such as Stickley.

America combined the best of the British Arts and Crafts Movement with its own twists. Stickley's most popular chair design was known as a Morris Chair and while it looked handcrafted, it was factory made. The workers in the Stickley Factories were craftsmen but in modern terms. Mission style became something that the average person could afford to own.

When choosing colors for an Arts and Crafts living room, looking at a few of William Morris' designs is a great place to start. Companies are available that produce complete lines of paint based on Morris' designs. In these paints, the names are indicative of the feel they are trying to create. As stated earlier, colors are taken from nature so their paint choices have names like pear, dove, bay leaf, thistle, and heather. Take your cues from Mother Nature.

Colors to avoid when trying to create an Arts and Craft living room are bright primary colors and pastels. It is perfectly acceptable to use dusty colors such as dusty rose but stay away from the baby colors of pink, blue and yellow.

Choosing a piece or two of Arts and Craft pottery is a good way to come up with your color inspiration. If you like wine or eggplant, Van Briggle Pottery is of the period and comes in shades of burgundy as well as some muted greens. Other pottery of the period includes Roseville, Weller and McCoy. There are many lovely and peacefully earthy colors to be found in these collectibles.

Basically with Arts and Crafts colors, you will be bringing the outdoors inside, so keep that in mind when choosing your color palette. A return to a simpler time and a respect for the beauty of handcrafted items are the hallmarks of this style.

Poisonus plants you may not have known about

Everyone has heard about certain mushrooms being poisonous, only an expert should ever try to pick wild mushrooms. Did you know that many other much more common plants have parts of them that can also be poisonous if ingested? If you are a homeowner or a pet owner, it is important that you know what is poisonous. Here are just a few of them.

Rhubarb

Who doesn’t love that tart flavor that you get from the stem of the rhubarb plant when it is cooked together with strawberries into a pie or a crisp? Be very careful how you dispose of the leaves and blades, however, they are poisonous. While as adults we would know better than to chew on the leaves, your small children or pets might not be quite as aware of the danger.

Potatoes

This delightfully starchy tuber is a staple on tables around the world. There is nothing about the potato itself that is dangerous unless it is green. This can happen if you keep the potatoes too long, don't eat old potatoes or ones with sprouts, toss them away from where family pets might get at them too.

Poinsettia

These flowering plants which are so common during the Christmas season are a color addition to any home. The leaves, however,  are highly poisonous. Place the plants where your pets can't get to them.

Mistletoe

At Christmas time it is a tradition to kiss under the mistletoe. If you plan to use real mistletoe, be sure to remove the berries and throw them away, they are poisonous. If they are on display in your home, the red berries could be a temptation to a toddler or they could just fall off of your kissing ball onto the floor where they would tempt pets and children. Better to remove the possibility by using artificial mistletoe or at the very least, artificial berries.

Daffodils

At Eastertime, we often see daffodils in the store, ready to be brought home to add a little touch of spring after the long winter. The flowers are beautiful and a welcome addition to your home. After the have finished flowering, it is important that you get the bulbs into the ground as quickly as possible. The bulbs of the daffodil are poisonous.

Oak trees

From tiny acorns grow the might oak. Who would have thought that those adorable acorns are poisonous? The leaves of the oak tree are also poisonous. The best thing to do is when the acorns start to fall is to rake or sweep them up immediately and place them into a garbage receptacle. Their shape could be a temptation to any small children playing and from the hands to the mouth is a very short trip.

These are just a few of the poisonous plants and flowers that surround us. You need to be vigilant and you need to be informed.

Easy ways to bring spring to your home

In the spring, your thoughts turn to giving your home a new look. It is time to banish the heavy and dark colors of winter and open the windows to light and bright hues. How can you get a fresh new look without spending a fortune? Here are a few suggestions for easy spring changes that won't put a big dent in your budget.

First, clean is very attractive. Just clean up any clutter lingering around and add a reed diffuser or a plug-in scented oil to add a wonderful clean spring smell. Smell is a great way to bring in the illusion of spring. Flowers are one of the signs of spring in your yard. Why not bring that look into your home with fresh bulbs or if you prefer, silk flowers.

Letting the sunshine in is a sure way to give your home a spring look. This may require that you give your windows a good cleaning and then update the window treatments. Add some new blinds, add valances or lighten up the heavy winter drapes with sheers or lightweight curtains.

In the bathroom, choose a new bright and different shower curtain. Replace any dull or worn towels or mats and if you are tired of the lighting, a new modern fixture can change the whole look of the room and give it the feeling of a spring renovation.

In the kitchen, get two or three new dish towels, a set of colorful pastel bowls and a couple of new place mats. Fill the bowls with fresh fruit, snacks, or anything that you may already have. You can use the place mats as the base for the bowl. It brings the eyes right to it and takes your mind and any guest’s minds off the fact that your cupboards may be old and your counter top not the best.

In the bedroom go light and bright and fresh. This can mean putting away the heavy winter comforters and bringing in some white or light colored bedspreads with new  throw pillows.

Get a new welcome mat for your door and if you can, paint your door a bright new color. It will make it seem as if you are in a whole new place. If you can and enjoy painting, a fresh coat of paint on just one wall in any room is the cheapest and most dramatic change that you can make.

One way to bring in spring anywhere in your home is with paint. Even if you just paint some woodwork or one wall, it makes everything seem new and fresh and isn't that what spring is all about?

Spring is the season of rebirth and you can make any room in your home seem fresh and new with just a few simple and easy changes. Getting the stale winter smell out is the first step and can make one of the biggest impacts. Use these tips to bring a spring look to your home.

Spring cleaning checklist

Do you dread the thought of starting spring cleaning? The only thing you dread more is that stale winter smell that has permeated your home. The best thing to do is just make a checklist of the things that have to be done, the things that should be done and all the things that we would love to actually do if this was an alternate universe.

Time is the real enemy of spring cleaning. In your busy life,  how are you going to find the time to do some extra cleaning? Of course you are not going to find that extra time, you are going to have to do your spring cleaning in the usual time that you do your weekly cleaning. Okay so now it is time to make the checklist. This is important because you need to make sure that you have any supplies that you need to purchase to complete your spring cleaning.

Checklist

General cleaning that applies to all rooms

• All ceiling or wall lighting needs to be taken down and cleaned, this can be chandeliers, globes, ceiling fans etc.
• All curtains and blinds need to be cleaned. If dry cleaning is necessary get all the curtains and bedding together and make one trip to the dry cleaners or use Dryell at home.
• All carpets need to be steam cleaned. If you do not own one, rent a steamer at your local grocery or hardware store.
• All closets should be organized. Get rid of items that are broken or not being used. Sort the clothes by season and store off-season items elsewhere if possible.
• All rooms need to be de-cluttered.
• Windows need to be washed, inside and out. Depending on your windows this may require a tall ladder.
• Dust and wipe down all the doors, ceiling, and walls. Look for any touch ups that need to be done to the paint or repairs that need to be made.
• Clean any mirrors that you have around the house. Use a spray of vinegar and water.

Now to the specifics  

Bedrooms

• Turn the mattress and vacuum the box spring. Move the furniture and clean under and behind every piece.
• Parlor/ living room/ family room
• Move the furniture and clean under and behind. Take the couch and chair cushions off, clean under them and flip the cushions.

Kitchen

• Wipe down the kitchen cabinets.
• Clean the cupboard under the sink, yes we all have chemicals we would rather not think about under there, get rid of them if they are old.
• Check the dates on everything in the pantry. Organize, use plastic storage container that seal and keep thing fresh longer.
• Clean everything off the counters and disinfect everything. Run some bleach down the drain.
• Clean the oven, inside the fridge and freezer and throw out anything past its peak. Put in a fresh box of baking soda.
• Clean the kitchen drawers, yes even the junk drawer.
• If you have timeline the kitchen shelves and drawers it makes future cleaning much easier.

Bathrooms

• Clean out the medicine cabinet and throw out any outdated medicine.
• This is one room that usually gets a weekly cleaning so it should need very little spring cleaning.

Entrances

• Wipe down your exterior doors, clean the glass in your storm door, sweep your stoop and shake your mat.

If you are someone who considers the exterior fair game as well you can clean your flower beds, powerwash the exterior walkways, deck, fencing, driveway, mailbox, outdoor lighting, furniture and the house itself. 

Place some reed diffusers with lovely spring scents around your house, sit back, open the windows, take a deep breath and relax, it's over for now. Make note to self, get checklist ready for fall cleaning.

Spring cleaning your kitchen

Spring is the time of year when most people start thinking about cleaning. The kitchen is one of the big spring cleaning jobs that needs to be tackled. This is the only room in the house where grease is an issue and grease is one of the hardest things to clean.

The best way to start spring cleaning the kitchen is to do an assessment of what needs to be done. Take a walk around and use your eyes and your hands. If the cabinets feel tacky then they will need to be washed. Open the cabinets and take something out from a top shelf, is it dusty or dingy? This will likely be another job to add to the list.

Open your freezer and fridge, if there are unidentified items in either or both, they need to be cleaned. Depending on the type of stove you have and the oven, there are things that need to be taken apart and cleaned. Clear the counter top of clutter and then cleaned with whatever method is appropriate for the material of the counter tops. 

The last stop is the pantry, check a few dates, check the shelves for any spills and yes look for any little bugs. If there are windows in your kitchen and most kitchens have several of them, these will need to have the window treatments washed and the windows cleaned.

Now that you have evaluated your kitchen it is time to assemble the tools you will need to tackle this task. Lining the shelves requires some lining paper and you may need to get a special cleaner for your wooden cabinets. You will need a ladder, a rag or a sponge and when it comes to emptying the top cabinets a helper is always a good idea.

Start by taking apart your stove and soaking any removable parts. Turn the oven on to self-clean if you have a self-cleaning oven or spray the oven with cleaner and close the door to let it do its work

Start from the top, if you don’t have a soffit this is the time to wipe down the top of your upper cabinets. Remove everything from one cabinet at a time and place anything in the cabinet that is dishwasher safe in the dishwasher. If you have delicate glassware you can lay a towel in the sink and wash them by hand. While the items are out of the cabinets, wash down the shelves and re-line them. Wipe down the cabinet doors inside and out. This whole process may take more than one day if you have a huge kitchen with lots of cabinets.

Once the oven has self-cleaned, it is time to wipe down the interior. If you don’t have a self-cleaning oven the cleaner will have done its job and again you just need to wipe down the oven. Put the burners back together. If your microwave hasn’t been cleaned in a while give it a once over. Scrub the counter tops and dispose of any clutter that has accumulated. 

The pantry is another big job. All the items have to be date checked and items that are past expiration need to be thrown out. This is also a good time to donate any items that you are not going to use but still have shelf-life, to the local food pantry.

Wash the windows inside and out and change the window treatments. Using a long Swiffer or lambswool duster, wipe down your walls and door jams. If there are spots use a Mr. Clean sponge to get the dirt off easily.

The freezer and the fridge are the last things before you give your floor a good once over. Move the stove and the fridge so that you can clean underneath and behind. Remove all the items from the fridge and freezer and wash the shelves, drawers, and baskets. Only replace items that are necessary. Wipe off any jars or containers that are going back into the fridge. Throw out any old ice cubes and make fresh ones.

Clean your kitchen floor. It may not really need it if it is part of your regular cleaning but it is a good idea to do it anyway. Change the batteries in your smoke detector. Clean your toaster, coffeepot and any other small appliances that your may have on your counter. Remove your light fixture and wash the globe or whatever cover it has. Look around you. Anything else before you can finally feel confident that you have completed the spring cleaning of your kitchen?

Take a deep breath, you should get a big whiff of clean and the satisfaction of having a job well done. Add a reed diffuser or a glade scented oil burner in a food scent and your kitchen will smell even better than it looks. Use these spring cleaning tips for the kitchen to get you started on your cleaning journey.