How to Clean Wallpaper

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

Cleaning wallpaper may look easy but it can be quite a challenge. If your wallpaper tends to be dirty and full of stain, you should know the right way on how to clean it. Else, you will end up ruining your beautiful walls. Each stain should be handled differently from one another. There is no one method to clean wallpaper. Use this guide as reference on how you can clean certain stain on your wallpaper.

Crayon
With kids around, it is not a surprise to see crayon marks on your wall. If you do, you can use a clean cloth and use a WD-40, which is basically a cleaning product that repels water and prevent surface damage. Because it repels water, this can be safely used for your wallpaper. Spray this product on your wall and wipe it with a cloth.

Grease
You can use a talcum powder and a clean cloth to clean grease on your wallpaper. Rub it on the wall and allow it to sit for five minutes and then brush it off. Talcum powder can effectively absorb grease stain.

Dust
Dust seems to be the most common thing to turn up on your wallpaper. You can simple use a vacuum cleaner to remove dust. Use the nozzle attachment and run it down the wall. To wipe the area clean, use a slightly wet cloth.

Stains
For stains, you can use the popular magic eraser or a gum eraser. You can buy these in most art stores.

Smudge
You can also use a magic eraser for maintaining your wallpaper and prevent smudges. To remove smudges, white bread works just as great. The gluten component contained in bread is an effective cleaning agent for wallpapers.

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Accidents happen so fix them

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

The wind blows shingles off the roof, a water pipe freezes and then floods, the rain turns your backyard into a lake: Accidents happen and when they do they need to be fixed.

Start an emergency savings account just for home repairs that your home insurance doesn’t cover or for the deductible. Many home owners have chosen to have a higher deductible, up to $1,000 so their monthly insurance premiums are lower.

Another kind of breakage happens even if there isn’t a disaster. If you have antiques, heirlooms or precious items, such as a Persian carpet, repairing those items can be very costly. A bad job can ruin the item’s value. Rather than taking that risk because you can’t afford a professional, consider Accidental repair insurance.

That same insurance can pay for cleaning the inside of your home or for delicate items that would be destroyed by ordinary cleaning processes.

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Remodeling Floor Choices

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

If you’ve finally decided to remodel that tired family room — or any other room for that matter — you’ll have to make decisions regarding the flooring.

The basic choices include tile, stone, carpeting and wood. concrete.

Tile is sturdy, comes in a wide variety of colors, textures and patterns. It does require professional installation or at least some familiarity with laying tile. Your choices are vinyl tile which comes in long rolls and is cut and glued to a subbase, usually cement. Do it yourselfers can install tile squares which interlock. Ceramic tile means you’ll have to prepare the subfloor, lay the thin set, apply the tiles and grout when you’re finished.

Stone, such as marble and granite comes in tiles or in large block used mostly for countertops. Stone does stains and isn’t easy to install.

Wall-to-wall carpeting can cost as little as a couple of dollars per square yard to more than $20 per square yard. The installation requires special equipment. Carpeting has to be installed over a pad for comfort and long lasting wear.

Wood comes in lots of colors, textures and finishes. Some interlocking wood strips are easier for a homeowner to install themselves. wide plank flooring gives a rustic or elegant look depending on the type of wood and finish.

Consider your budget, color scheme and how you want the finished room to look when deciding on what kind of flooring you want.

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Locked Out? Don’t Panic.

Posted on March 19, 2012 by

We’ve all done it at one time or another — locked ourselves out of the house. broken the key off in the lock, or just forgot the house keys.

Leaving a key with a neighbor for emergency use is a good idea, but often the neighbors aren’t home when you need the key. Hiding the key isn’t such a good idea. Where ever you hide it, you can be sure that’s where someone looking to break in will find it.

One alternative is using a metal box with a magnetic strip and putting it on the metal frame of your car. That works unless someone else has the car.

Finding a reliable locksmith is the best option. If you’ve locked yourself out of the house you probably can’t get to the phone book. So be prepared, look up the number before you need it and enter it as a contact on your cell phone. Use the Internet to find a lock smith. For example, if you live in New York City pop in locksmith New York You’ll find several choices. Choose the one with the best reviews or that is closest to you.

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How to Clean Cement

Posted on February 29, 2012 by

Cement is porous and absorbs liquids. Stains show up from spilled material, food, pets, fertilizers and, of course oil drips. If you’re cleaning the patio, you may see stains from water seeping through potted plants. Cleaning the cement isn’t a difficult job but it does take some effort and time.

Before you clean your cement, the first thing that you need to do is to get the area clear of furniture or other things that can be in the way of your cleaning. Using a broom, clean the floor by sweeping the concrete to remove dust and debris. To protect plants and other furniture when cleaning cement, make sure to cover them with tarp or something that cleaning solutions cannot penetrate. The safest alternative is to remove them from the cement. Make sure to cover electricity outlet and cords too.

Use a grease remover on greasy food stains or from oil drips if you’re cleaning the garage floor. Follow the instructions on the package. You many have to use more than one application. Spot treat any dried on stuff with any household cleaner. Saturate the cement. Cover with a wet rag and let the cleaner penetrate whatever is dried on. Scrape up any stuff with a putty knife.

To create your own cement cleaner, mix 5 gallon of water with oxygen bleach. Put it in a bucket then pour it on a tank sprayer. Spray the solution all over the concrete, making sure that you cover each area. Spray enough cleaning solution making sure they won’t dry out easily. If you don’t have a sprayer, spill the solution onto the cement by tipping the bucket. After you spray, wait for about 20 minutes and allow the cleaning solution to work. You might see bubbling as the oxygen is released.

After you let the oxygen bleach and water solution to sit on the floor for a couple minutes, you then need to scrub it with a long brush. Scrub all areas including the small corners and make sure to sweep off small dirt and debris.

Let the cement dry. There’s no need to rinse.

To completely clean concrete, it will be good to have a pressure washer. If you do not have it, you can rent one or borrow from someone you know. Adjust the nozzle and use its fan function to sweep the floor. The more concentrated the water flow the smaller an area you can clean but you’ll get the cement cleaner.

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