Monday, March 30, 2009

Bathroom Storage Ideas

Bathroom Storage

Doors
You can use the backs of doors to hang hooks. Hooks can hold a robe or wet towels.

Corners
If you need to have more storage, don't forget to utilize corner spaces. You can add tall cabinets or boxes to store items.

Use scale wisely
If you have a small bathroom, use smaller size items to make the room feel larger. The same would apply if you have a huge bathrom and you want it to appear a bit more cozy, try using bigger items to fill the area.

Hampers
If you have a linen closet in your bathroom, put your hamper within the closet as opposed to outside in the room. This creates a more spacious area.

Magazines
Have a magazine rack built in to your wall to hold magazines to keep them off of the floor or simply have them hang on the wall.

Tubs
Tub racks help keep stuff out of the tub and in one neat area.

Space Savers
Space savers are great to add instant storage (they fit right over to your toilet).

Cabinets
Under your cabinets you can add a tiered storage piece to double your space.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Interesting Household Tips - The Garden

Here are tips to help when you garden.

The sooner plants are planted, the more time they have to become established in the garden.

General Planting Tips
  • Remove all weeds from the area where you will be planting.
  • Plant when the soil, not just the air, is warm.
  • Lightly water the garden area one hour prior to planting. Avoid over-watering.
  • Planting is best done after a rainfall, in the late afternoon, or on a cloudy day.
  • Mulching around the plants will do the following - keep weeds to a minimum, help retain moisture, and keep the roots cool.
  • Dig a hole the same depth as the container they came in.
  • Make sure that the plants are spaced out evenly.
  • Remove (prune) dead leaves, flowers, or tree limbs immediately, this will enhance new growth.
How Newspaper Keeps Weeds Away
Wet some newspapers and put layers of it around the plants in the dirt, overlapping as you go. Cover it with mulch and you won't see anymore weeds. Weeds can get through some gardening plastic, but they can not get through wet newspapers.

Choose the right plant for the right area
This means that you should check whether your plant needs to have full sun, full shade or partial sun or shade.

Removing plants from containers
You should thoroughly water all nursery plants before planting them and remove the containers precisely as directed on the container itself.

Annuals
Annuals only last for one season. Hardy annuals can survive cold temperatures and some light frost, while tender annuals cannot tolerate cold temperatures and should be planted only after there is no more danger of frost. Half-hardy annuals can tolerate some cold temperatures, but are usually killed by the frost. Annuals are good space fillers for the garden.

Perennials
Perennials are very versatile. These plants grow back every year with very little work. It can take about three years of continuous growth to become well established in your garden. : the first year they "sleep", the second year they "creep" and the third year they "leap". Spring is the best time to plant perennials, so they will not die prior to the summer heat. Spring is also a good time to transplant or divide perennials. Perennials can be planted during the summer, however, the plants are more susceptible to drying out. If you do plant them in the summer, it is important to water them daily for at least one week. Fall is also a good time to plant perennials as the heat of summer has passed and the plants will still have time to become established prior to the harshness of winter.

Biennials
Biennials re-seed themselves, so they grow back every year but they are not quite as permanent. Biennial seeds that are planted one year will not flower until the following year.

Keeping Squirrels Away
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plants but the squirrels won't come near it.

Hope your gardens grow well this year and for years to come!

Marlin

Monday, March 16, 2009

Interesting Household Tips - Miscellaneous Home

Cleaning
Broken Glass
If you drop any glass, try using a dry cotton ball to pick up the little broken pieces that are too small to see.

Vacuuming in Hard to Reach Areas
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get into narrow openings.

Vinegar Stops the Action of Bleach
If you accidentaly spill bleach and to reduce its damage dab on vinegar with a sponge or cloth as quickly as possible.

Dusting
If you don't have a duster, use odd socks on your hand to dust. For harder to reach areas, use odd socks on the end of a broom and secure with rubber bands.

Stuck on Food
For food that is stuck on to a pan after cooking, fill the pan with hot water, then sprinkle in dish-washing powder and put the pan on the stove on low heat. The stuck on food will cook right off.

Keep Your Jeans Out of the Dryer
Putting your jeans in the dryer will only make them tighter. Instead spread them out to dry flat.

Parties
Thank You Cards
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor/close friend. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mom sends the thank you's, they're already addressed.

Protecting China
Avoid scratching the good china by putting paper plates inbetween plates before stacking them.

Tupperware
When someone brings over food and you know that you won't see them for sometime. Transfer their item in to your own tupperware/dish and return their tupperware/dish back to them.

Mail/Bills
Reopening an Envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. It will unseal easily. Unfortunately, you will still need to put tape on it to seal it back, but this way, you can still re-use it.

Sorting Mail/Bills
Have bins or folders with labels, where you can file these away as soon as you receive them. Labels for bill can say - pay now, pay next week, pay next month, paid. Labels for mail can say - junk, bills, for a specific person in the household, to shred, to throw away, to review later.

Weekly Ritual
Set aside an evening or specific time each week here bills will be the main focus. Another day can be focused on looking at mail that you have set aside to review for later.

Accordion File
For bills, it might be easier to sort them in an accordion file. This way you can be more specific as to what those bills are - utilities, taxes, car, home, credit cards, etc.

Storage
Trays
Small trays hold miscellaneous items in every room (i.e. in the kitchen-the tray can hold spices, soup mixes, etc.).

Labels
Add labels to find items quickly.

Magazines
Store these in baskets or wallmounted organizers.

Ziplock Bags
Use these in different sizes for markers, crayons, doll clothes, small toys, etc. Identify the bags with decorative labels.

Shoe Boxes
Use to sort bills, photos, and recipes. Can also hold cosmetics, tools, sewing supplies and similar toys (i.e. cars). Cover with fabric to make attractive along with a label to identify.

Laundry Bags
Can hold teddy bears, sheets, extra pillows, off season clothes, or blankets.

Have a great week!

Marlin

Monday, March 9, 2009

Interesting Household Tips - Bathrooms

Let's move on to bathroom tips...(just a reminder to wear gloves and a face mask to avoid breathing in fumes wherever possible)

Hair Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth.

Baking Soda
Sprinkle a little baking soda on a wet cloth or sponge to clean bathroom tiles and counter tops.

Shower Tiles
Tiles in the shower are easiest to clean immediately after one has taken a shower - the steam loosens the dirt.

Reduce Fungus
To reduce fungi in the shower, treat it with vinegar - this reduces chances to get athlete's foot as well as other skin diseases.

To Brighten Old Porcelain
Try rubbing it with a solution of turpentine and salt.

Getting Rid of Black Mold and Mildew
Use chlorine bleach in water to attack these areas.

Rust Stains
Rub with a paste of borax and lemon juice to remove these stains. Allow the paste to dry and then brush it away.

Mineral Deposits from Hard Water
These deposits clog shower heads. For metal - remove the shower head and boil it in a solution of a 1/2 cup of vinegar to 1 quart of water. For plastic - boil it for a longer period.

Shower Curtains
To clean shower curtains, put in the washer along with some bath towels. The towels will help clean the curtain. Hang to dry.

Prevent Mildew
To prevent mildew after a shower, spread the shower curtain open.

Keeping the Drains Clean
Pour in a capful of Drano or a similar substance once every 3 - 4 months, let it sit for up to 20 minutes, then pour in a big bucket of hot water to keep drains clean of clogs and odors.

Toilet Bowls
To keep the bowl clean soak the bowl with a cup of vinegar and let it stand overnight; then flush the next day to remove stains. I have also used the Clorox blue cleaner, which also works really well at getting rid of stains.

Water Spots on Stainless Steel
These can be removed by wiping with alcohol.

Streak Free Mirrors and Windows
Use Windex or a solution of vinegar and water and either paper towels or newspapers (newspapers work best) to clean your mirrors and windows.

Enjoy your week!

Marlin

Monday, March 2, 2009

Interesting Household Tips - The Laundry

Here are some helpful ideas for your laundry room.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place a pin in the seam of slacks and the static is gone. I haven't tried this yet, but hope this works.

Fabric Softeners
They help reduce static cling, minimize wrinkling as well as soften your clothes.

Lint
To remove lint from your dark blouses, skirts or shirts use Scotch, masking or adhesive tape. Rub tape lightly over the article and the lint will rub off; this works great when you don't have an actual lint brush.

Laundry Bags
Clean your laundry bags. If you use a cloth bag for dirty clothes, be sure to launder it frequently to keep it odorless.

Stains
Candle Wax
Harden the wax by applying ice or placing the item in the freezer. Try t scrape off as much of the frozen wax as possible, then put in the washer in the hottest water recommended for that fabric. You may have to repeat this process until all the color from the wax is gone. You should not dry the item until the wax color is completely removed.

Blood
Rinse it in cool water. Rinse and repeat until the blood has rinsed out as much as possible and then put it in the washer.

Ink- Ballpoint
Apply a stain remover or try rubbing alcohol. Rub on your detergent and wash it in the hottest water recommended for that fabric. Repeat if necessary.

Ink- Felt Pen
These stains are extremely hard to remove. Try to apply a stain remover and then rub in your detergent. Rinse it out. Repeat this process as necessary. Wash in hot water.

Perspiration, Deodorants
If a stain has caused a color change on your clothes, try to restore it to its natural color by using ammonia on fresh stains or vinegar on old stains. You should not use ammonia or vinegar with liquid bleach. Wash these items in hot water.

Grass
Apply a stain remover and rub it in to the grass stain. Let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes. Wash in hot water with your detergent.

Makeup
Apply a stain remover and gently rub it into the stain; let sit for 5 minutes. Then wash with your detergent in hot water.

Ketchup, Gravy or Tomato Sauces
Presoak items in detergent in either warm or hot water. If an oily stain remains, use a stain remover and then wash again.

Crayons
Place the stained surface down on a pad of paper towels, spray with WD-40, and let stand for a few minutes. Turn the fabric over and spray the other side. Apply liquid dishwashing detergent and work it into the stained area. Replace towels as they absorb the stain. Wash the item in hot water with a laundry detergent and bleach for about 12 minutes (use "heavy soiled" setting if there is no minute timer on your machine), and rinse in warm (not hot) water.

Washing Tips
  • Hot water cleans better than cold.
  • Cold water is fine for rinsing.
  • For extremely soiled items, more detergent might be needed.
  • Avoid overloading the machine.
  • Set the water level high enough so that items have plenty of room to circulate and rinse properly. This will ensure that the dirt and the detergent goes down the drain and not back on your clothes.
Drying Tips
  • To make sure stains are gone, air-dry stained clothes first.
  • Dryer heat can permanently set some stains.
  • If stains remain, treat and wash again.
  • Avoid overloading the dryer.
  • Clothes take longer to dry and will wrinkle more if there is an excessive amount of clothes.
  • Don't over dry clothes - over drying can increase wrinkles and shrinkage.
  • Remove stretch items from the dryer when just barely dry.
  • Air-dry plastic items (i.e., bibs, aprons, etc.) because heat can cause rubber to deteriorate and plastic to harden.
  • Remove clothes as soon as they're dry - this will prevent wrinkles.
Try these out and let me know if it helped.

Marlin

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