Everyone wants to live in a cool, classy and sophisticated environment. It is always a good feeling when your guests compliment on everything around your home as they glaze in awe of the masterpieces that you have. However, this is just one of those wishes that you feel you cannot accomplish because either you do not have any idea of what to do or where to start. Here are some of the tips that can help you bring your imagination into reality with ease and increase the value of your home.
1. Come Up With a List
This is the first step to improving your home. Good planning equals good results. Make a list of everything you need. You can get help from an interior designer in deciding what theme to have in your house. This will act as a guideline when coming up with the list.
2. Get Rid of Everything You Don’t Need
Get rid of everything that you no longer need or is not necessary. You can have a yard sale that will help you gather some cash for your next new households. This is important because there will be a lot of room left for the new items and that will save your attic from being overwhelmed with stuff you no longer need. This will make your home less cluttered.
3. Inspect Your Home
Have some time maybe a day or week depending on how big your home is and look around keenly. Check your wooden floor to see if the varnish has been scrapped off by vacuuming or the soap that you use, check any leak in the roof or opening that might invite termites. You could also call a handyman to come and inspect your drains and drainage system as well. This will ensure that your home stays above standards and is safe from any infestations or clogs.
4. One Room at a Time
Do not overwhelm yourself with too many thoughts about every place in your house. Access one room at a time and be thorough about it. Plan for it and make sure that the plan fits your time and schedule. Have the designers, if you need them. Have them come when you are home for you to approve of what they are doing.
5. Be Keen on Costs
You don’t have to go bankrupt after your home re-modeling. Go for DIY in areas of your home where you can actually do it yourself and have the designers cater for the most complicated parts. This will save you money and you will have gained some designing experience yourself. However, if you have the finances to comfortably hire the designers then don’t hold back. Go for it.
6. Upgrade
You do not have to entirely upgrade your home just for its value alone. You can also upgrade to your self-comfort. This includes replacing stuff like sofas, getting a new dining table, having new colors or even getting that flat screen T.V that you’ve always wanted. A good idea is to have one upgrade monthly on those items or get the less costly ones and tackle them first.
7. Focus on the Exterior
The weather can really mess up our exterior paint. Over the years after moving in, you will find that there are chips of paint falling off your walls both inside and outside of your home. This can really be a disadvantage to your home value. Yes, your interior may look beautiful and classy but first impressions count. Your guests will see the exterior first and that may result in quick judging. They may not even have the curiosity to get inside your house.
8. Maintain Cleanliness
Be keen on the hygiene of your home. This is not only limited to your indoor areas but outdoors as well. Mow your lawn at least once every fortnight and as you do it, check for spaces on your fence caused by dogs and other animals. Trim your trees and outdoor plants just to keep your compound looking presentable. Always wash your house tiles or wooden floors with the right soaps and check on your kitchen areas too to maintain that sparkling look. No potential buyer would want to walk in a dirty looking house with visible dust all over. Cleanliness also adds on to health benefits for you and your family.
9. Do a Mini-Remodel
Your home doesn’t have to look all the same in terms of the location of your walls. The tiles do not have to be the same year in year out. Knock out one wall to create space in the kitchen. Re-vanish your cabinets all over the house. You could even opt for a glass ceiling in your living room to create that cool environment. Paint different colors in your rooms to create a variety of designs that will increase the value of your home. Let every room be a surprise for your guests.
10. Organize Your Garage
Just by the name garage, you imagine all sorts of oily stuff lying around. Well, it doesn’t have to be like that. In fact, your garage should look better just for it to have a different effect on everyone’s mind. Seclude a wall and have it well painted. Mount your tools and label them well or if you feel like that will make your walls look very busy, you could try having an inbuilt toolbox that you can slide off the space in between a self-made opening on your wall.
From these tips, your home will definitely have that loveliness to it and be sure the buyer will not have any mistake to point out as long as you are thorough with every part of your home. Do not ignore any minor place including the store, artic or pantry. Have fun doing it as it is a whole new experience especially if you are a first-time homeowner. Do not shy away from trying new designs, ideas or colors but also be keen on the quality of what you are replacing. Let the difference be something remarkable that will indeed increase the value of your home. Something that you can feel proud to show off to potential buyers and fetch a great price for.
Valentines is such a special day for any typical lovebirds. They all look forward to having a great time as they take the time to reflect on how far they have come. Men, in particular, go out of their way and do a lot of things to impress their lovers. Valentines can be celebrated both indoors or outdoors, either way, the most important thing is how you spend that day with your loved one. Having Valentine date night at your home is purely romantic and classy. For a date night at home, a lot of time is invested in preparation such that one barely remembers about cleaning process thereafter. You shouldn’t be surprised when you wake up and find your house all messed up. However, have no fears, here are some great tips that will help you clean up after a date night on Valentines Day or any other date night.
Chocolate is inevitable.
Chocolate is such an essential item during Valentines. Some think it’s archaic and cliché but chocolate has been used to grace such occasions by couple world widely. Thus, chocolate stains on the carpet or sofa during a date night sounds like an inevitable thing. Unlike liquids, chocolate takes time before it soaks into a piece of fabric. To get rid of a chocolate stain, scrape the chocolate from the fabric using a spoon then rub some liquid detergent. Then wash the fabric with hot water. Chocolate stains are easy to deal with.
Red wine has to grace valentine.
Valentine sounds incomplete if a bottle or two of wine haven’t been popped up already. In the midst of the making merry, red wine spill may find its way on the floor or even the carpet. Dealing with red wine stains on a carpet is not the best activity to kick-start your morning the following day. Blot up the stained area using an absorbent piece of fabric. Gently scrub using a brush with soft bristles so as not to damage the fabric of your carpet. For a garment stained with red wine, apply salt on the stained spot then soak the garment overnight. From there, wash clean the garment.
Divide and conquer.
A date night of just two people will leave your house looking all dirty and disorganized. Your kitchen will look messed up, the sink full of dishes that need to be attended to. Cleaning up process seems to be tiring and definitely time-consuming. The best mechanism to employ during cleaning is divide and conquer. Identify the various tasks that need to be done that day. From there, start with the task that is less time-consuming. Work your way up to the tasks that consume more time. This technique helps you plan instead of doing things without some sort of organization.
Candle wax on the dinner table.
Candles add an array of beauty and elegance to any romantic dinner. A candlelit dinner is just the perfect set up for a valentine date night but you have to deal with the menace of wax. Well, candles may melt on your dining table if they aren’t properly mountedmounter. A word of caution; don’t be tempted to scratch the wax off the dining table as this will only but destroy your expensive dining table. The best remedy to melted wax is putting ice cubes in a plastic bag and then putting the bag on the wax. Eventually, the wax becomes brittle and making it easy to peel it off.
Lipstick Stains.
Lipstick stains aren’t that inevitable during a date night. If you won’t have lipstick stains on your clothes then you won’t miss them in the glasses you used to drink your wine. For glasses, white vinegar and warm, soapy water will do the trick. For fabric stained with lipstick, lay the stained surface face down on an absorbent cloth. Dab the stain from the back then using a makeup remover wipe, work the liquid from the wipe into the garment. Rotate the cloth as the lipstick continues to be absorbed. Work on the liquid until all the lipstick gets absorbed completely. Then wash the garment in warm water with detergent.
Hire a professional cleaner.
It could be the following day you and your date have to head to work very early or maybe you have to head somewhere else to continue with yourValentine celebrations. In such a scenario it could be impossible to wake up and perform house chores hence it would be advisable you call in a professional cleaner. This will save you a lot of hassle. However, be sure to leave the cleaner with precise instructions on the tasks to be performed. It’s also advisable to call in trusted and reputable professional cleaners company.
Identify your motivating factor.
Like stated before, cleaning up process sometimes makes someone feel tired and drenched already even before starting to clean. Before you begin any task, it’s better you have some motivation in you. Different people draw their motivation to perform house chores from different things. Mostly, music works for various people. Turn up the volume of your radio and psyche yourself up as you commence the process of cleaning up your house. Research has proven that music has a direct influence on your motivation. When you are fully motivated and psyched up you will be surprised by how soon you will finish the tasks ahead of you.
The post Valentine activities can be overwhelming and cumbersome mostly because very little attention is thrown that way during preparation. If people took time and thought of how they will clean up their house after throwing a party or after having guests coming over for dinner then they would have an easy time. Next time as you plan to have a date night with your lover, also plan how you will clean up your house after the whole occasion has ended. In a nutshell, these tips will work efficiently for you when executed effectively. Plan ahead and save yourself unnecessary troubles on your date and after your date is long gone and you are left to clean.
Most people don’t mind living in their own mess for some time, and weirdly, it gives you a sense of freedom. Well, until it graduates to frustration and we all get it! The struggle is real. It is funny that no one will turn up when the house is all cleaned up and everything in its place, rather, when it has reached a chaos crisis level. Maintaining an organized clean home may not come naturally to everyone, especially with so many other critical responsibilities lying around. You don’t have to stress anymore, there are several ways you can use to at least pretend that yours is a life of perfection to anyone walking into your home. Here is how:
The Entryway
This is the first place your guests see and you would want to start off on the right foot. Be sure to clear any clutter. Quickly organize the place by placing items in their respective positions. Then swiftly sweep through the hallway. A tip to remember: when you open the door for your guests, don’t apologize for how your house looks; it will only make them more conscious of their surroundings.
Get Rid of Clutter
Clutter instantly makes your home look so messy and uncared for. Pick a bag or baskets then place every clutter from all your rooms. Since you don’t have the time to place the items at their respective places, just bung them in and keep the boxes out of sight (maybe in the garage). As you are at it, consider placing paperwork in the drawers instead of boxes, for an easier time when they need to be retrieved.
The Living Room
This is the place that your guests will sit almost throughout their time at your home. Therefore, you need to spend more time here, since your guest’s eyes will tend to look around as they pass time. Since the clutter is taken care of, now ensure your floor is clean. This can be done by simply swiping through the room, but if you don’t have the time, you can just pick up the visible dirt. Then clean up the surfaces like the coffee table and screens with a cotton cloth. And don’t forget to align, straighten and fluff up your throw pillows. Additionally, flip over the cushions to reveal the as-good-as-new fabric that will instantly make your sofas look desirable.
Fix The Kitchen
The kitchen is a social place and chances are, your guest may offer to help you carry the dishes back to the kitchen. You don’t want it to get awkward, trying to give them reasons why not. You don’t need that kind of pressure. Therefore, if your sink is piled up with dirty dishes, load them up in the dishwasher. Or in one of the cabinets and lock it up, hoping you have visitors’ dishes put aside. Then you’d want to clear anything on top of the counter because they give you a worse look than a few crumbs. Swiftly wipe all visible surface with a clean damp cloth.
Fragrance Control
Hardly, can your house smell of lavender if you have dirty socks, jeans, and dishes lying around. You can easily solve that in various ways. If you want the classic homey scent, you can throw in the frozen cookie dough in the oven. But if air freshener and scented candles are the reality for you, they also work perfectly. Well, if you have neither for whichever reason, you can do it the natural way. Push back the curtains and drapes, then open the windows to get the stale air moving. You can as well turn up the fan. Lovely fragrance is the best tool for fooling anyone that you have a clean house.
The Bathroom
Like some unwritten rule, it’s guaranteed that your guest is going to request to use your bathroom. And there’s nothing that gets you cringing harder than a dirty bathroom. So cut your guests some drama by cleaning the place up. The best way of cleaning your toilet is by giving it a good squirt of the bleach of your choice then let it soak. As you wait, wipe the surfaces and most especially the mirror. Your guest will definitely use it. Change the hand towel and ensure there are toilet paper and hand soap in place. Finally, give your toilet a prompt brush then flush.
Fix Your Home Office
There might be a possibility of using your office depending on who the visitor is. As you swiftly clean this room, you may consider being keen on where you stash your stuff. Clear out the desk of clutter then using a damn clean rug, wipe the surface. Rearrange crooked books so that they are aligned in a pleasant manner.
Hide The Stains
Somehow stains find a way to be very stubborn when emergency guests are about to come, that it’s not funny. Yet, you can out-smart the stains by simply concealing them. If it’s on your sofa, you can use a throw pillow or blanket to cover it up. If it’s your wall, you can have emergency wall curtains. Whatever you come up with, ensure you don’t make it stand out too much or look out of place.
Your Kid’s Room
Your guests may have kids who will want to play around with your kid’s toys as you talk. And since clutter and kids go hand in hand, clear the floor and bed. Place the toys in a common place where they can be accessed easily. Finally, spray the room in case of odor, kids are full of surprises.
Add a Personal Touch
Personalizing your home is mostly done to give character to your home plus authenticity. But at this point, the personalized décor will act as a distraction by attracting your visitor’s attention. It can be done by simply taking your masterpiece vase and placing in fresh flowers. You can also take your kid’s drawings and hang them along the entryway wall. Consider investing in a centerpiece for your living room, because they come in handy at these times.
When you are done doing the above and your guests haven’t arrived yet, be sure to take some time and relax. You can also use the time to freshen up.
Getting sick of the regular trail of paw prints on your carpet, or that pile of fur dander on your couch and worse than dog urine smell on your carpet? You don’t have to let your pet go and it is possible to still maintain a clean house and keep it pet-friendly with your pet as a resident. Pets bring love and warmth to a house. This is why there are other ways of dealing with their ‘ugly side’ without kicking them out. Some helpful tips to help you achieve this are as follows:-
1. Do A Review of Your Home Environment
Take a look at your home, is it pet-friendly? If it is cluttered consider getting rid of the items taking too much space. If you are going to keep your home clean it has to be decluttered as well to give you and your pet space to maneuver and clean. In your decluttering process consider creating a space for your pet. You can clear a corner and put your pet blanket there. You can also get rid of items that can be destroyed by your pet either by scratching or chewing. If you have to change your upholstery to a more pet-friendly one, go ahead.
2. Train Your Pet
This is the time to show your pet who is boss. You are the leader of the pack here and what you want is what goes. If it is a dog, for example, train him on where to pee, where to find food and water and where to sleep. This will prevent the scenario where your dog sleeps on the couch and leaves fur, pees on your carpet and eats from your kitchen pots. You can look up pet training tips online to learn more about training your dog. A trained dog that behaves well is equal to a clean house.
3. Use a Lint Brush When Cleaning
Fur dander, now these are microscopic, small quantities of dead skin. And if left unchecked, they could cause allergies or infections and ruin your entire day. They could also cause funny odors in your house which seem to be strongest every time you invite guests.
The brush can be very helpful, not just in removing lint off synthetic materials, but also for the fur dander issues on the couch, floor, and furniture. Also, consider giving him a shower regularly, that would help and it is also pocket-friendly. Now about the smell, place synthetic fabric where he normally likes to rest. So you could just brush off the hair on your couch instead of having to wash the whole thing.
4. Trim Thier Toenails
If your pet is a dog, you could trim his toenails because of leaving small spots of dirt all over the house, but be careful so as not to cut off his quick (sensitive flesh inside the toenail). Use a specialized nail clipper to do this. You could use rugs and a lot of them, to actually wipe off the mud from your furry buddy. Also keep drainage in your house at its best, so as to ensure no mud occupies your environment no matter how much it rains. You could grow grass, which beautifies your lawn. And your pet won’t even have to step on the mud in the first place.
5. Use Warm Water and Vinegar
Another point is that if you keep a dog, you can easily clean the dried drool all over your house by using just water and vinegar, warm both in equal amounts then mix the two. The acid in vinegar corrodes the dried drool. Afterward, just scrub the mixture, the advantage is that this method will not ruin the paint of your house, so you can use it on your wall, it works and it’s that simple. If you love cats, train them to use a litter box then place it just immediately outside the house to prevent the odor from filling the entire house.
6. Get a Good Quality Vacuum Cleaner
A good quality vacuum cleaner will help get rid of pesky hairs and odors/ You will need a powerful suction, the best quality filter, and a good brush to help pull our fur hair instead of gliding over. A good quality vacuum will be very convenient especially if you have a shedding pet. This will require you to vacuum every day and only a good quality vacuum will give you the service for a long time despite the fact that you will use it daily to get rid of the pet hair.
7. Have a Pet Cleaning Station
You can set your pet cleaning station in the laundry room if you have one. If you don’t have a laundry room, you can simply make changes at your entranceway. You could put a heavy-duty mat, some dog towels, wipes and a water spray bottle for giving the muddy paws a good cleaning. You could also put a couple of treats within reach to help your pet become more cooperative during the cleaning process.
8. Change Your Sofa Fabric
The wrong material for your sofa can be the fur magnet and the holder of unpleasant pet odors. The best material could be leather or tightly woven materials. You could also find a pet-friendly sofa throw to help accommodate the conditions that come with the presence of pets in your home. Besides this pet-friendly throw could also be washed, making it easier for you to maintain a clean home.
9. Clean Your Pets Things Regularly
Never leave your pet’s bed, toys, blanket, towels and other things to pick up that strong dog odor. You can always check if they are machine washable and if not, you can always wash them by hand. Do this chore on a sunny day so you can hang all the pets’ washed things out to dry. Drying in the sun is the best way to kill bad odors.
10. Keep Your Home Airy
When you let free flow of air into your home by keeping your windows and doors open, the bad odors will not linger. Let the blast of fresh air work its magic and do some natural deodorizing. When you do this frequently, your home will hardly have odors generated by your pet.
The Bottom Line
As seen above, it is possible to keep your house clean and pet-friendly while living with pets. Let your house be cheerful with pets and still let it appear appealing to you and your guests.
