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Tackle Spring Cleaning With These Helpful Tips

March 8, 2016 by

The change from winter to spring is typically accompanied by a desire to have a bright, clean home. You're tired of the dingy, cold effects of winter snow and ice, and everything just feels a bit less than fresh. If you’re planning a spring cleaning routine but don’t know where to begin, these seven tips will help you get started.

  • Set all clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time.
  • Change the batteries in things like smoke detectors, remote controls, and alarm clocks.
  • Flip or rotate your mattress to ensure that it lasts for years to come.
  • Protect hardwood floors against scratches by adding padded, adhesive discs to the legs of chairs and tables.
  • Clean the refrigerator using a few teaspoons of baking soda diluted in hot water. Also be sure to toss out expired or unused food items.
  • Wash pillows to prevent seasonal allergens common in the springtime from accumulating inside.
  • Re-stock cleaning supplies to prepare yourself for any number of household messes and spills that come with the spring season.

Spring Cleaning [Martha Stewart]
28 Spring Cleaning Tips [Country Living]

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Cool and Unusual Uses for Fabric Softener Sheets

February 9, 2016 by

While you likely already know that you can use fabric softener sheets for, well, making your fabrics softer, you may not know that there are a number of other uses for these handy household items. Here are just a few smart and surprising things to do with your dryer sheets.

  • Wipe up fine, powdery spills like flour or makeup using dryer sheets, because the anti-static properties help to pick up these hard-to-scoop messes.
  • Likewise, dryer sheets also make great DIY dusters for shelves, television screens, and baseboards.
  • Freshen up musty places by placing dryer sheets inside of your smelly winter boots, gym bag, or in a musty closet.
  • Remove pet hair from just about any surface (including your clothing) by wrapping a dryer sheet around your hand and gently running it over the surface.
  • In the summertime, stuff dryer sheets in your pockets to repel mosquitos.
  • Remove hard water stains from faucets and the door of a shower by running a dry dryer sheet over the surface.
  • End static on your hair and clothing in the winter by running a dryer sheet all over yourself.

10 New Uses for Dryer Sheets [Real Simple]
20 Household Uses for Used (Yes, Used) Dryer Sheets [Apartment Therapy]
25 Alternative Uses for Fabric-Softener Dryer Sheets [Curbly]

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How to Get Your Home at ARK by Korman Blue Bell Ready for Houseguests

January 12, 2016 by

The next time you host guests in your home, prepare in advance by setting a game plan well ahead of time. These smart and stress-free tips will show you exactly how to get your home ready for houseguests, even if you don’t exactly have a separate guest wing to work with.

  1. Create a designated space. Everyone likes to have a feeling of privacy and a place to decompress, which you can easily create for your guests even if you don’t have a closed-off guestroom. Simply give them free run of a living room or den, or create your own guest quarters by investing in a room divider.
  2. Test out the bed. Since you don’t normally sleep in the guest bed (or air mattress, or sofa…), it’s always smart to test it out first to ensure its comfort. If it’s not up to snuff, add a foam mattress topper, more blankets, or other affordable improvements.
  3. Create an overnight kit. Stock a small caddy with shower supplies, water bottles, pain relievers, and snack bars, as well as anything else that your guests might ask for.
  4. Change the linens. Be sure to put clean, fresh-smelling sheets on the bed and provide enough clean towels for all of your guests.
  5. Feel out their schedules. Once they arrive, work around their schedules to prevent stepping on any toes.

Make Your Overnight Guests Feel at Home [Southern Living]
Hosting Overnight Guests [Life Your Way]
Real Life Advice: Hosting Guests Without a Guestroom [Apartment Therapy]
Getting Ready for Overnight Guests [Real Simple]

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Must-Know Tips When Shopping for Furniture on a Budget

August 11, 2015 by

With sofas costing upwards of $1,000 and many discount furniture stores sacrificing quality for a lower price tag, it may seem impossible to furnish your home on a budget. If you know what to look for, however, you can afford to invest in some new furnishings without breaking the bank. Here are some smart tips for budget-savvy furniture shopping.

  • Consider the time of year. Most furniture stores release their new collections in February and August, so they’ll likely try to clear out their old inventory in January and July. As long as you don’t mind having last season’s styles, you can usually find a great price around this time.
  • Check online. You can often find better deals on furniture by shopping clearance websites like Overstock.com and Amazon. You also might get free shipping by spending more than a certain amount.
  • Buy secondhand. Another person’s mistake might be your gain when it comes to furniture. Check sites like Craigslist to find brand new sofas, beds, and other items that didn’t work in someone else’s home.
  • Check consignment stores. If you don’t mind gently used furniture, thrift shops and consignment stores often have great deals on fairly modern styles. Check back often, as you never know what they’ll have from day to day.

How to Choose Furniture on a Budget [Overstock]
4 Tips for Finding Budget-Friendly Furniture [U.S. News]
Best Places to Find Budget Furniture [About Home]

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The Top 5 Most Fragrant Fresh-Cut Flowers

May 12, 2015 by

Flowers look beautiful in your home, but you also love them for the lovely scent they emit throughout your space. If you want to fill your home with the unmistakable aroma of fresh-cut blooms, these are the top five best flowers to choose.

  • Lavender. The purple-blue flowers on the lavender plant are instantly recognizable, as are the blooms' soothing, relaxing fragrance. Best of all, lavender flowers last a relatively long time, so you’ll really get your money’s worth.
  • Roses. The flower of love is also one of the best when it comes to floral fragrance. While most common floral shop roses don’t have much of a scent, heirloom and garden roses smell fresh and sweet.
  • Peonies. These herbaceous flowers bloom in late spring and early summer, and their large, showy petals prove them to be as eye-catching as they are fragrant. Peonies boast a citrus-y, woodsy scent.
  • Hyacinth. This spring plant has tight, clustered flowers in shades of blue, white, and pink, and its scent is similar to a sweeter type of lavender.
  • Lilac. Lilac flowers grow on larger trees and bushes, but they are often cut for bouquets. Although they only last for around five days in a vase, their soft, sweet scent is well worth their short lifespan!

Top 10 Best Smelling Flowers According To Florists [Flower Shop Network]
Flower Power: The Best Fragrant Flowers [Divine Caroline]
Stop and Smell these Fragrant Flowers! [Fun Flower Facts]

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Expecting Company? Here’s How to Prepare Your Home for Overnight Guests!

September 16, 2014 by

You just found out that a few friends or family members are coming to visit for a few days, and they’re going to stay at your place instead of a hotel. Before you get stressed, check out these simple tips for making guests feel comfortable in your home.

  1. Create a private area. Although a separate guest bedroom is the ideal area for out-of-town guests, not all homes have this space. Give your guests a bit of added privacy by placing an air mattress in a little-used office instead of offering them the living room couch, or even put up a temporary partition at night if the couch is your only option.
  2. Provide linens. One of the most important things you can do to make guests feel at home is to provide them with clean sheets, towels, and other linens. Place a stack of towels on the bed, and be sure to turn down the bed sheets before they arrive.
  3. Offer storage. Your guests will feel like a nuisance if their suitcases are strewn all over the floor, so offer them a spare closet or even a corner of a low-traffic room where they can store their belongings.
  4. Invest in a few snacks. Oftentimes guests’ eating schedules are different from your own, and they might feel uncomfortable mentioning their hunger. Purchase a few tasty snacks before they arrive, and be sure to accommodate dietary restrictions like veganism or lactose intolerance.

Plan Your Peaceful Christmas: Guest-ify Your Home [The Art of Simple]
Getting Ready for Overnight Guests [Real Simple]
How to Welcome Overnight Guests Without Spending Money [Not Spending Money]
Hosting Overnight Guests [Life Your Way]
Make Your Overnight Guests Feel at Home [Southern Living]

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How to Upcycle Common Household Items

August 12, 2014 by

You may recycle your paper and plastic, but when it comes to all of that junk that piles up in your closets, most people are at a loss. If you want to reuse those perfectly good items that you simply don’t have use for anymore, these tips can help.

  1. Picture frames. Instead of letting that slightly broken picture frame go to waste, get a bit creative about how to use it. Place a piece of colorful paper inside and lay the frame on its back to use as an eclectic, decorative jewelry tray or as a place to set candles.
  2. Colander. That beat up old colander may still have a bit more life in it. Place the bottom inside of a small bucket and fill the colander with ice at your next party. The water will run into the bucket as the ice melts so your guests won’t have to fish for ice.
  3. Old newspaper. Line drawers or shelves with old newspaper using wallpaper paste and craft sealant for an authentically vintage look.

New Uses for Old Things [Country Living]
25 New Ways to Use Your Old Stuff [HGTV]
50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things [Real Simple]

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