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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

First off, use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of dust and dirt on your floor tiles. Make sure that you clean the grout lines too. Use a toothbrush to loosen tough dirt in the lines.

Start with the mildest cleaning solution. If that doesn’t get your floors clean increase the power of the solution. A quick mopping with plain water and drying with a towel may be all you need. If that does not leave your floors sparkly clean, you can mix a tablespoon of dish washing liquid unto a gallon of water. Use this cleaning solution and with a rag or mop, wipe your tiles.

Next mix a tablespoon of ammonia product with water and soap mixture and use this solution to wash your vinyl floors. Leave it for a couple of minutes to allow the solution to loosen up the dirt on the tiles. Start on the corner farthest away from the entry to the door and work your way out of the room. Turn on the fan or open the windows so the ammonia fumes don’t bother you.

Don’t scour the tile with a rough pad. That has a tendency to scratch the tile. Scratches can’t be repaired so the tile will have to be replaced. When moving appliances over tiles place the appliance on a cardboard sheet so the legs don’t rip the tile.

Make sure to rinse off the ammonia, soap and water solution because it can leave unsightly residue. Drying the tiles with an old towel helps prevent slips on wet tiles.

If you are not satisfied with the result, your last resort is to use self cleaning cleanser that you can buy at your local DIY or home improvement store. Apply the cleaning product using a fresh, damp cloth. Unlike other home product, self cleaning cleansers do not leave any wax build up or residue.

Clean your vinyl tile every week and the dirt won’t have a chance to build up. You’ll avoid a major cleaning job.

A restoration contractor can inspect your home before bad weather sets it for insecure roofing, cracked tiles and loose windows. Repairing those items before a storm may mean less expense later. For example, a roofing shingle that comes loose during a storm may lead to an entire section being lifted off during heavy winds.

Keep your car with a full tank of gas in case you have to leave your home quickly. Stock it with sealed gallon containers of water, heavy blankets during the winter, flares, flashlight and a stockpile of nonperishable food.

Practice evacuation drills with all family members. Keep bags packed with a change of clothing and personal care necessities so you can grab and go. And don’t forget your pets. They’ll need a supply of food and water as well.

Know where the emergency shelters are ahead of time or at least where you’ll be going.

When you return home, inspect the house for damage. Don’t wait to call your insurance agent. Further damage to the interior may be caused by rain and wind.

Attach deadbolts or chains to the insides of any exterior doors. They act as a deterrent to someone who could strong arm his way in. The deadbolts won’t do any good if you don’t make a habit of fastening them every time you enter the house. Don’t take the deadbolt or chain off to answer the door. You may feel rude talking through a crack in the door but you’ll stay safer.

Windows are an invitation to break ins. The window can be slid open from the outside if it’s open even an inch or two. Prevent that with window locks. Install the locks on every window, especially if the locks are visible from outside. The one window you miss will be the one that used to gain entry.

Keep the view to any entries and windows open to view by clearing out brush and trees. If the window or door is hidden from view it gives a thief time to break the lock. The exception would be if you have cactus or other spiny thorny plants under the windows.

Don’t think your automatic garage door will keep people out of your garage and home. The doors work on radio signals. There is an apparatus that automatically and quickly dials through random signals until the door opens. If you leave the door to your home unlocked from the garage, the intruder has an easy entry. Lock that door when you leave your home. Install a deadbolt on that door as well.

Take a few extra precautions and keep you and your loved ones safe in your house.

Sweep excess dirt in between the stones. Hose off the stones so they settle. Readjust any that are crooked or not level by filling underneath the stone with dirt or removing dirt if they jut up too much.

Lay heavy-duty vinyl sheeting over the hole. Smooth out any wrinkles at the bottom and sides. Make sure the sheeting comes up and out of the hole and lays on the ground around the perimeter of the hole at least 12 inches.

Cover the bottom of the hole with river rocks for a more natural look. Place the pond pump on the bottom of the hole towards one side. The pump will be easier to reach for cleaning than if you placed it in the middle of the pond.

Attach the fountain guide to the top of the pump. The fountain guide is just a clear vinyl tube that directs the force of the water upwards.

Install an GFI electrical outlet by the patio area for lighting and for the pond pump. If you’re not an expert at electrical wiring, hire a professional for this part of the job. Electricity and water do not mix.

Fill the pond with water and plug in the pump. After the pond has run for several days add water plants. After a few more days add fish. The pump does not have to run continuously during the entire time.