Tag Archives: homeowners

Cleaning Tricks To Kick That Pet Hair and Smell

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Cleaning Tricks To Kick That Pet Hair and Smell – Although we love our pets for their loyalty, friendship, and overall cuteness, nobody likes the inevitable pet smell and hair that accompanies our furry friends! Keeping a home clean with a pet is certainly a daunting task. Whether you hire a team to tackle it, or you do it yourself, there are a number of ways to get rid of these unfortunate side effects of pet ownership. Here are six cleaning tricks to kick that pet hair and smell – for good.

 

Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets aren’t only useful when you’re doing laundry. but they’re also useful for removing pet hair from your furniture.

 

Get Helpers

When you don’t have the time to pull out the full-sized vacuum, invest in a smaller helper to get the job done. An automatic Roomba or a smaller dust buster will help smaller messes in just a few seconds, with very low maintenance.

 

Bathe Your Pet Regularly

Give your pet regular baths to keep him/her feeling healthy and clean. Also make sure he/she is eating well – unhealthy foods can do horrible things to your pet’s digestive system.

 

SEE ALSO: DIY Homemade Cleaning Products

 

Self-Cleaning Cat Box

If you’re busy, think about investing in an automatic, self-cleaning cat box. It will clean itself every time your cat uses it, eliminating most of the odors that come along with a used cat box.

 

Use Microfiber

Brooms don’t always do the trick when it comes to getting all of the hair. For a quick and easy fix, wrap a microfiber towel around your broom and secure it with an elastic band to gather up all the unwanted pet hair on your floor and furniture.

 

Eliminate Odors

Keep a small spray bottle of white vinegar handy for times when your pet has an accident (let’s face it, it’s inevitable!) Spray the vinegar onto the space and sprinkle it with baking soda. The baking soda will help pull out the odor as you clean.

 

For more tips and tricks to help you get rid of pet hair and odors, visit here. 

 

Outdoor Spring Decor Tips For Your Home

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Outdoor Spring Decor Tips For Your Home – The springtime is arguably the best time of the year. It’s beautiful, bright and full of so many different colors. Take full advantage of the season and make your home look it’s very best. Here are five great outdoor spring decor tips for your home.

 

Go Bold

If you’re redecorating your outdoor furniture, consider going bold with vibrant colors. New seat cushions or outdoor throw pillows will help enhance the beautiful colors of spring, not to mention a fresh new vibe could make the space more inviting.

 

Make the Most of Small Space

If you have a small backyard or back patio, make the most of the space by adding a small table and some chairs. It’s more important to be able to socialize in a small space, than just stare at a small space – and who doesn’t want to be outdoors in the springtime?

 

Plant Fragrant Flowers

One of the best parts about spring is the different smells. Fragrant flowers and plants will take your senses to a whole new level and will make guests feel even more welcome in your festive, fragrant home.

 

Install Lighting

Whether you’re installing lights, lanterns or candles, light your outdoor space up with an additional light source. This will allow you to keep your outdoor activities going well into the night.

 

Add a Rug

Like an indoor space, a rug enhances the space and ties all of the colors together. Consider getting an outdoor rug on your back porch to do just that.

 

Decorating your outdoor space can be just as fun, if not more, than decorating your indoor space. To learn more about outdoor spring decor tips for your home, visit here.

How To: Cut Energy Costs This Winter

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It is about that time of year again! It always seems to creep up on us faster than we would like. The days are getting shorter, colder and sometimes more expensive. However, they don’t have to be as expensive this year. There are a few things you can do this winter to cut your energy costs.

  1. Unplug everything

Don’t leave your electronics on standby or plugged in. You can not only cut your energy bill this winter, but all year round by doing this.

  1. Heat the rooms you use

Close off, or even seal, the vents in the rooms you do not use.

  1. Minimize the use of a few things

Try cutting down on the time you use things everyday such as hairdryers, kettles, and irons.

  1. Get a humidifier

Moist air feels warmer as well as holds heat better.

  1. Bundle up

Instead of increasing the temperature on your thermostat, increase your layers! Wear a sweater and some fuzzy socks while walking around the house. Also add an area rug to insulate the floor in your living room.

  1. Only use exhaust fans when absolutely necessary

Exhaust fans pull the heat out of your home making your heater work harder.

  1. Use your ceiling fans

Switch the fans to move clockwise and set them on a low setting to push the hot air back down.

  1. Use the sun to your advantage

Open the curtains during the day and close them at night to trap that free heat inside your home

  1. Lower the temperature on your water heater

For every 10-degree reduction you save 3-5 percent in energy costs.

  1. Keep your furnace clean

Change your furnace filter clean and free of blockages. Check it every month!

These few tips seem obvious, however, most people just never get around to doing them once the winter months arrive. Make sure to utilize these few tips so that you won’t regret it when the bills roll in. Read more about cutting your energy cost here. Have fun and stay warm!

Holiday Decorating Trends 2014

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Holiday Decorating Trends 2014 – Holiday décor trends change from year to year. Each year your holiday decorations can provide an exciting change to your home décor. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be the most exciting holidays to decorate for! Decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas can bring an element of serenity and tranquility that only come during this time of year.

Below we have provided you with some exciting holiday decorating ideas…

Textures: Holiday trends for 2014 involve lots of different textures. Through DIY projects and premade decorates, textures create a visual interest in the room. For holidays this year, you can apply texture by using things like faux fur, burlap and wood for your homemade decorations.

Vintage: Vintage decorates are the new hit look this year! Vintage has repeated itself in 2014. Take your old decorates and re-purpose them into contemporary decorations for the holidays. You can take your old and make them new for decorating themes for 2014.

Tranquil: Any pastel colors, light green, pale blue or soft red are a trendy and modern way to add tranquility to your home during the holidays. Less is the best way to make your home have a serene and tranquil feel.

Shimmer and Shine: Two of the most common holiday trends you see in homes are shining and shimmery decorations. This is including, lots of gold and silver in your décor. It’s okay to keep the traditional gold and silver decorations. Just think BIG this year, buy oversized gold bows, ribbons and ornaments for the tree.

What is your favorite holiday decorates? Let me us know!

4 Ways to Hide Speakers Throughout Your Home

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4 Ways to Hide Speakers Throughout Your Home

4 Ways to Hide Speakers Throughout Your Home

 

Instead of using one large speaker, you can use small ones throughout your house to achieve the same experience! Walking into a room and not even knowing where the noise is coming from might even increase that experience for the better. It might seem tricky if the space is small, however, there are a few fast and easy ways to hide these smaller speakers. If you do not have the money to buy new speakers, you can always use the things around your house or even transform them into something that could work better!

  • Hang them on the wall to look like a light
    1. Triad Speakers:
      1. Look like wall sconces but are actually speakers
      2. Ear level and perfect for surround sound
  • Find more information here
  • Hide them in the ceiling fan
    1. Soundolier Speakers:
      1. Nobody will guess the sound is coming from the ceiling fan
      2. With the fan in the middle of the room everyone will hear it
  • Find more information here
  • Practically invisible speakers
    1. TruAdio’s Ghost Speaker:
      1. As small as 4.5 inches
      2. Hides the frame of the speaker and makes it look smooth
  • Find more information here
  • Use your own furniture
    1. Cabinets with transparent faces make great spaces for hiding speakers
    2. Use furniture to hide wires behind
    3. Blend speakers in with things like picture frames

 

Nobody has to know where the sound is coming from, as long as it is there! If you do not have the money to afford new hidden speakers, just use the furniture around your house to disguise your old ones.

 

 

5 Ways to Make a Small Living Room Look Bigger

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No one wants a cluttered home or to feel like they have a small living space, right? Especially if you are house hunting, you want more space for your money. If you have a small room in your home or want to make your rooms appear bigger than they are, here are 5 tips for you…

 

Floor To Ceiling Curtains

To make the ceilings appear to be taller, hang your curtains higher than the windows. By putting rod higher than the window itself, you give the illusion that the windows and ceiling are bigger and higher than they really are.

 

No Bulky Furniture

When furniture is too big for the space or there is too much furniture in the room, the room can appear smaller than it really is. Declutter and stick with appropriately sized furniture to keep the room spacious, light and bright.

 

Neutral and Light Colors

With a smaller room, it’s important to stick with light, neutral colors. If you put dark colors and accents in a small room it can close the space making it appear smaller that it really is. Let the light in and the space open up with the right color sceme.

 

Oversized Mirrors

A newer trend, this trick can make the room appear bigger than it really is by using the reflection of the light, neutral colors and the room itself. Strategically place the mirror on a wall that reflects the incoming light and also provides the proper illusion.

 

The Right Coffee Table

Whether it’s a coffee or end table, choose furniture that can also double as a storage space. Whether it has drawers or opens up to store extra pillows, blankets or even your TV accessories, choose your furniture wisely. In a small space this can dramatically declutter a room.