Before you beat a path to the nearest open house, educate yourself on the homebuying process.
1. Buy less home than you can afford. "Just because we might be able to qualify you for it, doesn't mean you should go for the max," the loan officer says. Leave slack for retirement and college savings. Rather than what you want, consider what, realistically, you need: "We, as Americans, got a little bit egregious as to how much house do you get," he says. "The reality is, you got there and you only needed half of it.
2. Think ahead. Since prices are still dropping, be prepared to stay in your new home at least five years. When prices recover, you should at least break even when you sell. Forget about making a fortune on a home. Those days are probably over for a while. And, if your family is growing, get a home big enough to meet your needs five years out rather than going for granite countertops and high-end upgrades now.
3. Stash the credit. If you don't need the tax credit for a down payment, use it to pay down consumer debt, to start a college fund for your kids or to fatten your retirement account.
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Monday, September 07, 2009
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Dressed your home for holidays
Turn your great outdoors into a winter wonderland with STYLE at HOME's decorating guide.
Here's how to design a scheme that has all the magic of the season.
THE FRONT DOOR
For most homes, the front door is the natural focal point of a scheme. Use a combination of these ideas to give it holiday cheer.
Wreaths
Choose a minimum diameter of 24 inches.
Fatten up a cedar or pine wreath with materials from the garden, like wisteria vines, magnolia leaves, pinecones and berry sprigs. Alternatives to standard greenery include grapevines and boxwood.
Add colour with outdoor wire-reinforced ribbon. For a dressier look, try spray-painting embellishments in gold, copper or silver.
Or consider more unusual materials: Michael Renaud of Horticultural Design in Toronto suggests a wreath of juniper boughs and lichen moss for a stunning grey, blue and green combo.
To hang a wreath on a metal door use magnetic clips from florist, garden and hardware stores, which won't mar the surface (for glass doors, use a two-sided version). On wood doors, opt for a picture hook, or try a "cradle," a long hook that hangs from the top of the door.
Garlands
Beef up artificial or evergreen garlands of pine or cedar with additional greenery, or add natural embellishments such as pinecones, berries, or dried or artificial fruit.
How to hang: Snap the garland at the corners for a crisp turn. Screw small eye hooks into the wood frame and use floral wire to tie the garland down. On brick, use masonry nails to anchor the wire.
Lighting
Battery-operated lights won't interfere with the operation of the door.
Urns
Greenery-filled urns can last a long time.
Alternatives
Hang a lush bouquet or wicker basket of dried flowers or grasses on the door.
Display an evergreen bough over a door like an eyebrow; attach pinecones, berries and silver balls along the length.
WINDOWS
Wreaths
If you have a Georgian-style facade (a central door flanked by windows), go for the Victorian tradition of wreaths on the door and every window.
To hang: Shawn Gibson of Teatro Verde in Toronto advises hanging the wreath with fishing line from an anchor point, like a magnetic hook or a nail in the window frame (not in the sash, which can weaken it). To secure the wreath, hammer a second nail six inches to one side of the first nail, and run wire from the second nail to the side of the wreath.
Lighting
Lighted windows look cosy. For a party, pillar candles on a wide window ledge add a festive look (keep away from curtains). For safety, put tea lights or votives in glasses, as Toronto-based interior designer Carol McFarlane does, or use hurricane lamps or lanterns.
Window boxes
Fill boxes with evergreen boughs, or as floral designer Frank Rea of Forget Me Not in Oakville, Ont., suggests, “plant” the boxes with closely spaced greenery, live ivy or hardy bulbs. Cover the soil with chicken wire to keep animals out; in milder climes, bulbs may sprout, especially if they've been forced.
LANDSCAPING
Highlighting shrubs
Instead of putting lights on your shrubs, small white spotlights tucked underneath provide a warm glow; opt for red, amber, copper or green, instead of white, for a festive look. Uplights also look dramatic under deciduous trees.
The backyard
This area is for family, and, says Carol McFarlane, nothing's cosier than a glance out the back window at a tree aglow with lights.
Interior decorator Marjorie Paradine suggests decorating an evergreen (cut or planted) for the birds. Hang suet and peanut butter balls, popcorn and cranberry garlands, and seed bells.
Other architectural features
Dress other prominent features in seasonal finery, too.
Hang a wreath on a front gate or a garage door.
Swag garlands along a fence, a porch banister, on the three faces of a bay window, or wrapped barber-pole style around columns. Add bows, if you like.
Here's how to design a scheme that has all the magic of the season.
THE FRONT DOOR
For most homes, the front door is the natural focal point of a scheme. Use a combination of these ideas to give it holiday cheer.
Wreaths
Choose a minimum diameter of 24 inches.
Fatten up a cedar or pine wreath with materials from the garden, like wisteria vines, magnolia leaves, pinecones and berry sprigs. Alternatives to standard greenery include grapevines and boxwood.
Add colour with outdoor wire-reinforced ribbon. For a dressier look, try spray-painting embellishments in gold, copper or silver.
Or consider more unusual materials: Michael Renaud of Horticultural Design in Toronto suggests a wreath of juniper boughs and lichen moss for a stunning grey, blue and green combo.
To hang a wreath on a metal door use magnetic clips from florist, garden and hardware stores, which won't mar the surface (for glass doors, use a two-sided version). On wood doors, opt for a picture hook, or try a "cradle," a long hook that hangs from the top of the door.
Garlands
Beef up artificial or evergreen garlands of pine or cedar with additional greenery, or add natural embellishments such as pinecones, berries, or dried or artificial fruit.
How to hang: Snap the garland at the corners for a crisp turn. Screw small eye hooks into the wood frame and use floral wire to tie the garland down. On brick, use masonry nails to anchor the wire.
Lighting
Battery-operated lights won't interfere with the operation of the door.
Urns
Greenery-filled urns can last a long time.
Alternatives
Hang a lush bouquet or wicker basket of dried flowers or grasses on the door.
Display an evergreen bough over a door like an eyebrow; attach pinecones, berries and silver balls along the length.
WINDOWS
Wreaths
If you have a Georgian-style facade (a central door flanked by windows), go for the Victorian tradition of wreaths on the door and every window.
To hang: Shawn Gibson of Teatro Verde in Toronto advises hanging the wreath with fishing line from an anchor point, like a magnetic hook or a nail in the window frame (not in the sash, which can weaken it). To secure the wreath, hammer a second nail six inches to one side of the first nail, and run wire from the second nail to the side of the wreath.
Lighting
Lighted windows look cosy. For a party, pillar candles on a wide window ledge add a festive look (keep away from curtains). For safety, put tea lights or votives in glasses, as Toronto-based interior designer Carol McFarlane does, or use hurricane lamps or lanterns.
Window boxes
Fill boxes with evergreen boughs, or as floral designer Frank Rea of Forget Me Not in Oakville, Ont., suggests, “plant” the boxes with closely spaced greenery, live ivy or hardy bulbs. Cover the soil with chicken wire to keep animals out; in milder climes, bulbs may sprout, especially if they've been forced.
LANDSCAPING
Highlighting shrubs
Instead of putting lights on your shrubs, small white spotlights tucked underneath provide a warm glow; opt for red, amber, copper or green, instead of white, for a festive look. Uplights also look dramatic under deciduous trees.
The backyard
This area is for family, and, says Carol McFarlane, nothing's cosier than a glance out the back window at a tree aglow with lights.
Interior decorator Marjorie Paradine suggests decorating an evergreen (cut or planted) for the birds. Hang suet and peanut butter balls, popcorn and cranberry garlands, and seed bells.
Other architectural features
Dress other prominent features in seasonal finery, too.
Hang a wreath on a front gate or a garage door.
Swag garlands along a fence, a porch banister, on the three faces of a bay window, or wrapped barber-pole style around columns. Add bows, if you like.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
How to Choose the Right HDTV Television (3)
Side Dishes
A high-definition display will look its best only when fed a high-definition signal source. There are three ways to get HD signals into your system: via broadcast, satellite, or cable.
To grab HDTV from the airwaves you'll need both an antenna—which might be indoor or outdoor, depending on reception conditions in your area—plus a broadcast tuner. Your HDTV may have a built-in tuner. In sets of a certain size, the FCC even requires it. However, if your set is just HD-ready, a set-top box will do the trick.
Both DirecTV and EchoStar support a limited number of HDTV channels. You will, however, need an HD-capable satellite receiver to access them. Some satellite dishes come with built-in broadcast antennas so you can double-dip.
Your local cable company should be able to provide an HD-capable cable box. A limited but increasing number of digital cable ready HDTVs can operate without the box. They come with a CableCARD slot that can accept a decryption card from the cable company. Slip the card into the set and goodbye cable box.
You might be wondering whether your HDTV can display high-def signals from DVD. The answer is no simply because high-def DVD exists only as a pricey product offered in Japan. It will come to the United States eventually but yet another ridiculous format war—between the Blu-Ray and HD DVD formats—is likely to slow high-def DVD's penetration.
However, even the existing standard-definition DVD can look pretty good on a digital display. DVD players with progressive scanning reduce distracting motion artifacts.
A good high-def display minimizes motion artifacts without any assistance. When you're eyeballing sets at the store, to assess the quality of their video processing circuits, just look for rapidly moving diagonal lines. If diagonal lines appear jagged, the set's video processing is doing a poor job. An American flag fluttering in the wind is perfect demo material. Even a facial closeup can be revealing: Do the pores and lines on a speaking face remain mostly in focus?
Finally, the HDTV broadcast format does support 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound, and that's the other half of the home theater equation. If you're adding a high-definition display to your system, you owe it to yourself to go all the way with surround sound that engulfs the senses, and that means going beyond the set's built-in speakers to an external surround system with good-sounding speakers. True, laying speaker cable to the back of the room is a pain, but once you're seen and heard home theater the way it ought to be, you'll never want to go back.
_____________________________________________________
Mark Fleischmann is the author of Practical Home Theater (www.quietriverpress.com).
A high-definition display will look its best only when fed a high-definition signal source. There are three ways to get HD signals into your system: via broadcast, satellite, or cable.
To grab HDTV from the airwaves you'll need both an antenna—which might be indoor or outdoor, depending on reception conditions in your area—plus a broadcast tuner. Your HDTV may have a built-in tuner. In sets of a certain size, the FCC even requires it. However, if your set is just HD-ready, a set-top box will do the trick.
Both DirecTV and EchoStar support a limited number of HDTV channels. You will, however, need an HD-capable satellite receiver to access them. Some satellite dishes come with built-in broadcast antennas so you can double-dip.
Your local cable company should be able to provide an HD-capable cable box. A limited but increasing number of digital cable ready HDTVs can operate without the box. They come with a CableCARD slot that can accept a decryption card from the cable company. Slip the card into the set and goodbye cable box.
You might be wondering whether your HDTV can display high-def signals from DVD. The answer is no simply because high-def DVD exists only as a pricey product offered in Japan. It will come to the United States eventually but yet another ridiculous format war—between the Blu-Ray and HD DVD formats—is likely to slow high-def DVD's penetration.
However, even the existing standard-definition DVD can look pretty good on a digital display. DVD players with progressive scanning reduce distracting motion artifacts.
A good high-def display minimizes motion artifacts without any assistance. When you're eyeballing sets at the store, to assess the quality of their video processing circuits, just look for rapidly moving diagonal lines. If diagonal lines appear jagged, the set's video processing is doing a poor job. An American flag fluttering in the wind is perfect demo material. Even a facial closeup can be revealing: Do the pores and lines on a speaking face remain mostly in focus?
Finally, the HDTV broadcast format does support 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound, and that's the other half of the home theater equation. If you're adding a high-definition display to your system, you owe it to yourself to go all the way with surround sound that engulfs the senses, and that means going beyond the set's built-in speakers to an external surround system with good-sounding speakers. True, laying speaker cable to the back of the room is a pain, but once you're seen and heard home theater the way it ought to be, you'll never want to go back.
_____________________________________________________
Mark Fleischmann is the author of Practical Home Theater (www.quietriverpress.com).
Monday, August 18, 2008
How to Choose the Right HDTV Television (2)
Rear- and Front-Projection HDTVs
You'll get a bigger picture from a rear-projection HDTV. Screen sizes range from 40 to 70 inches and occasionally as much as 82. Better yet, the lowest-priced type of RPTV actually generates the best picture!
We're talking about sets that use a trio of cathode ray tubes and optics to produce a picture.
DLP sets now come in 1080 by 1920 pixel resolution as new TI chips are finding their way into production products. Only the biggest sets with nine-inch tubes can display 1080 scan lines at full resolution. Most RPTVs have only seven-inch tubes. But even that limitation is a hidden strength: those seven-inch tubes slur the scan lines together to produce an almost perfectly seamless picture.
The Toshiba 57HC85 rear-projection TV is HDTV ready which means it does not have a built in HDTV tuner, but thats ok because you can add your own. And priced at under $2000 dollars, you get a good value for your money. Click here to check prices.
Tube-based RPTVs do have a downside. The tubes have to be aligned by a technician to achieve perfect performance, they're subject to burn-in from videogame use, and they're bulky, so CRT-RPTVs jut out from the wall.
All these disadvantages vanish when you move up in price to RPTVs with microdisplay (meaning chip-based) light engines. DLP sets use micro-mirror chips; LCD sets use liquid crystal panels. Throw away those fat tubes and the set's depth dimension shrinks nicely.
However, although they cost more, microdisplay RPTVs have a few weaknesses. One is resolution: they support HDTV's 720 by 1280 line format (about 900,000 pixels total) but not the 1080 by 1920 format (about 2,000,000 pixels). They also can't reproduce true black—it tends to come out charcoal grey.
Front-projection HDTVs produce the largest pictures. They work the same way as rear-projectors, except that the screen is separate, and they work best in a darkened room. You'll have the same choice between tube- and microdisplay-based devices.
Watch the resolution specs. Not all front-projectors are HD-capable. Also, as more pro-level manufacturers enter the front-projection consumer market, be sure that you buy a model designed for home theater, with the ability to adjust screen shape, as opposed to something optimized for boardroom presentations.
Flat-Panel HDTVs
The sexiest bodies on the home theater beach are flat-panel TVs. They cost more than any other kind, but for many, the form factor is worth the extra cost. Who can resist a TV you can hang on the wall?
Notice we didn't say HDTV. Some flat panels are high-definition-capable and others are not. You'll have to read the specs to be certain. Resolution must be at least 720 by 1280.
Those with lower resolution are not high-definition but standard-definition, to use the industry euphemism. You can feed a HDTV signal into an SDTV display but you won't see it at maximum sharpness.
The smallest flat-panel sets (and most expensive per square inch) are LCD TVs. LCD flat-panel TVs now come in sizes up to at least 42 inches and a 65-inch Sharp is hitting shelves just about now. Check the refresh rate—liquid crystals don't move as fast as they should and LCD TVs often show motion artifacts.
With a fully integrated HDTV tuner and CableCARD compatibility, the Sharp LC-45GD4U, a 45-inch LCD TV, is a complete state-of-the-art HDTV. Click here to check out prices.
Plasmas have hit 70 inches and will probably hit 80 soon. They're sometimes called gas plasma because each pixel is a tube of neon gas stimulated by current. The pixels have visible spaces between them, creating a kind of screen-door effect, so viewing distance may have to be greater. Beware of models with shiny screen surfaces that reflect room light.
You'll get a bigger picture from a rear-projection HDTV. Screen sizes range from 40 to 70 inches and occasionally as much as 82. Better yet, the lowest-priced type of RPTV actually generates the best picture!
We're talking about sets that use a trio of cathode ray tubes and optics to produce a picture.
DLP sets now come in 1080 by 1920 pixel resolution as new TI chips are finding their way into production products. Only the biggest sets with nine-inch tubes can display 1080 scan lines at full resolution. Most RPTVs have only seven-inch tubes. But even that limitation is a hidden strength: those seven-inch tubes slur the scan lines together to produce an almost perfectly seamless picture.
The Toshiba 57HC85 rear-projection TV is HDTV ready which means it does not have a built in HDTV tuner, but thats ok because you can add your own. And priced at under $2000 dollars, you get a good value for your money. Click here to check prices.
Tube-based RPTVs do have a downside. The tubes have to be aligned by a technician to achieve perfect performance, they're subject to burn-in from videogame use, and they're bulky, so CRT-RPTVs jut out from the wall.
All these disadvantages vanish when you move up in price to RPTVs with microdisplay (meaning chip-based) light engines. DLP sets use micro-mirror chips; LCD sets use liquid crystal panels. Throw away those fat tubes and the set's depth dimension shrinks nicely.
However, although they cost more, microdisplay RPTVs have a few weaknesses. One is resolution: they support HDTV's 720 by 1280 line format (about 900,000 pixels total) but not the 1080 by 1920 format (about 2,000,000 pixels). They also can't reproduce true black—it tends to come out charcoal grey.
Front-projection HDTVs produce the largest pictures. They work the same way as rear-projectors, except that the screen is separate, and they work best in a darkened room. You'll have the same choice between tube- and microdisplay-based devices.
Watch the resolution specs. Not all front-projectors are HD-capable. Also, as more pro-level manufacturers enter the front-projection consumer market, be sure that you buy a model designed for home theater, with the ability to adjust screen shape, as opposed to something optimized for boardroom presentations.
Flat-Panel HDTVs
The sexiest bodies on the home theater beach are flat-panel TVs. They cost more than any other kind, but for many, the form factor is worth the extra cost. Who can resist a TV you can hang on the wall?
Notice we didn't say HDTV. Some flat panels are high-definition-capable and others are not. You'll have to read the specs to be certain. Resolution must be at least 720 by 1280.
Those with lower resolution are not high-definition but standard-definition, to use the industry euphemism. You can feed a HDTV signal into an SDTV display but you won't see it at maximum sharpness.
The smallest flat-panel sets (and most expensive per square inch) are LCD TVs. LCD flat-panel TVs now come in sizes up to at least 42 inches and a 65-inch Sharp is hitting shelves just about now. Check the refresh rate—liquid crystals don't move as fast as they should and LCD TVs often show motion artifacts.
With a fully integrated HDTV tuner and CableCARD compatibility, the Sharp LC-45GD4U, a 45-inch LCD TV, is a complete state-of-the-art HDTV. Click here to check out prices.
Plasmas have hit 70 inches and will probably hit 80 soon. They're sometimes called gas plasma because each pixel is a tube of neon gas stimulated by current. The pixels have visible spaces between them, creating a kind of screen-door effect, so viewing distance may have to be greater. Beware of models with shiny screen surfaces that reflect room light.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
How to Choose the Right HDTV Television
High-definition television: Why bother? Surely HDTV is a plaything for the rich and self-indulgent, some cryptic form of digital television designed for Freemasons, just one more ridiculously overhyped and overpriced technology aimed at parting care-worn folk from their hard-earned cash. Right?
Wrong. The analog television standard we've been using since just after World War II is ludicrously obsolete. It was designed for round-cornered five-inch pictures that were mere portholes compared to the big screens that today's home theater buffs demand. Trying to build a home theater system around 1948-vintage technology is like riding a horse in the slow lane.
Analog TV is dying. Get over it.
Now that HDTV has been around for a few years it is possible to buy a set with full high-definition capability at a surprisingly reasonable price—less than $1000 for a direct-view set, and a little more than $1000 for a rear-projection TV—though of course the fashionable flat-panel displays cost more. You can get HDTV signals via antenna, cable, or satellite.
But what kind of HDTV is right for you? Wander into a chain store and you'll see TV sets grouped into a handful of categories. They include direct-view analog TV, rear projection, front projection, and the oh-so-desirable flat panels. Let's look into each one and see how it relates to the HDTV standard.
For Starters
For that purpose we'll need to briefly define HDTV. It embraces two formats: one with 1080 by 1920 pixels, and one with 720 by 1280 pixels. Any kind of digital TV can convert signals to its own native resolution—but to see true HDTV you must feed a HD signal into a HD-capable display.
How big of a HDTV do you need? As a very loose rule of thumb, minimum viewing distance should be three times the height of a widescreen set (HDTV is a widescreen medium) or roughly 1.5 times the diagonal measurements that manufacturers and retailers use. To put that another way, the screen diagonal should be at least two-thirds of the viewing distance.
If you don't intend to change the viewing distance in your room, screen size is the variable you need to look at. Whatever you buy should look right at your preferred distance. The screen should be large enough to dominate your field of vision and immerse you in a story or event—but not large enough for pixels or scan lines to be visible.
Direct-View HDTVs
The smallest and least expensive TVs are called direct view. In other words, they have a single picture tube. Direct-view HDTVs range in size from 27 to 36 inches. Since tube TVs define the low end of the market, many of those you'll see on display are analog—you can't assume that every TV on the shelves is a HDTV.
Direct-view HDTVs may be either widescreen or non-widescreen. Widescreen sets have an aspect ratio (screen proportions) of 16:9, or 1.78:1, the same as widescreen DVD, and similar to what you'd see in a movie theater. Other sets have the more traditional 4:3, or 1.33:1.
Samsung's new TX-R3079WH Slim Fit 30-inch TV features an integrated HDTV tuner and costs less than $1000 dollars. Click here to check prices.
Widescreen sets are better for viewing contemporary movies and the increasing number of widescreen sports telecasts. Nonwidescreen sets excel at older movies and sports on analog TV channels. Either kind can display both wide and non-wide programming with the addition of blank horizontal or vertical bars.
A more severe limitation of the direct-view TV, HD-wise, is that the shadow mask at the front of the tube doesn't have enough perforations to display any HDTV format at its full resolution. If the holes are made smaller and more numerous, brightness declines, and most people prefer a bright picture over a bland one.
Wrong. The analog television standard we've been using since just after World War II is ludicrously obsolete. It was designed for round-cornered five-inch pictures that were mere portholes compared to the big screens that today's home theater buffs demand. Trying to build a home theater system around 1948-vintage technology is like riding a horse in the slow lane.
Analog TV is dying. Get over it.
Now that HDTV has been around for a few years it is possible to buy a set with full high-definition capability at a surprisingly reasonable price—less than $1000 for a direct-view set, and a little more than $1000 for a rear-projection TV—though of course the fashionable flat-panel displays cost more. You can get HDTV signals via antenna, cable, or satellite.
But what kind of HDTV is right for you? Wander into a chain store and you'll see TV sets grouped into a handful of categories. They include direct-view analog TV, rear projection, front projection, and the oh-so-desirable flat panels. Let's look into each one and see how it relates to the HDTV standard.
For Starters
For that purpose we'll need to briefly define HDTV. It embraces two formats: one with 1080 by 1920 pixels, and one with 720 by 1280 pixels. Any kind of digital TV can convert signals to its own native resolution—but to see true HDTV you must feed a HD signal into a HD-capable display.
How big of a HDTV do you need? As a very loose rule of thumb, minimum viewing distance should be three times the height of a widescreen set (HDTV is a widescreen medium) or roughly 1.5 times the diagonal measurements that manufacturers and retailers use. To put that another way, the screen diagonal should be at least two-thirds of the viewing distance.
If you don't intend to change the viewing distance in your room, screen size is the variable you need to look at. Whatever you buy should look right at your preferred distance. The screen should be large enough to dominate your field of vision and immerse you in a story or event—but not large enough for pixels or scan lines to be visible.
Direct-View HDTVs
The smallest and least expensive TVs are called direct view. In other words, they have a single picture tube. Direct-view HDTVs range in size from 27 to 36 inches. Since tube TVs define the low end of the market, many of those you'll see on display are analog—you can't assume that every TV on the shelves is a HDTV.
Direct-view HDTVs may be either widescreen or non-widescreen. Widescreen sets have an aspect ratio (screen proportions) of 16:9, or 1.78:1, the same as widescreen DVD, and similar to what you'd see in a movie theater. Other sets have the more traditional 4:3, or 1.33:1.
Samsung's new TX-R3079WH Slim Fit 30-inch TV features an integrated HDTV tuner and costs less than $1000 dollars. Click here to check prices.
Widescreen sets are better for viewing contemporary movies and the increasing number of widescreen sports telecasts. Nonwidescreen sets excel at older movies and sports on analog TV channels. Either kind can display both wide and non-wide programming with the addition of blank horizontal or vertical bars.
A more severe limitation of the direct-view TV, HD-wise, is that the shadow mask at the front of the tube doesn't have enough perforations to display any HDTV format at its full resolution. If the holes are made smaller and more numerous, brightness declines, and most people prefer a bright picture over a bland one.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Home Cleaning Tips
Miscellaneous Cleaning Tips
Ring around the collar
Dirty neck rings around shirt or blouse collars can be removed by putting shampoo on them. Rub the shampoo in like you were washing your hair. Shampoo is specifically made to remove body oils. A cheap bottle of shampoo kept by the washing machine is handy for all kinds of stains in clothing. Don't forget this trick when you are traveling.
Cleaning Scuff Marks
Use 3 tbsp. Of TSP (trisodium phosphate) to a gallon of water to clean scuff marks or crayon marks off walls. TSP can be found in the paint department of a hardware store. Wear gloves and do not use on semi-gloss or gloss paint or wood surfaces.
Removing Blood from Furniture
Use hydrogen peroxide to remove blood from clothing or furniture. Rub gently.
Dusting Tip
Use paint brushes to dust cracks and hard to reach places in telephones, stereos, etc.
Make a Schedule
Set aside a regular short period of time each week for the family to straighten up the house. It teaches good habits to the kids and gives the family a project to do together. Everyone will feel better when the job is done, and might just look forward to the day when they know things are going to be neat and organized.
Listen to Books On Tape to Help You Clean
Having trouble finding time to read these days? You can rent great books on tape from the library to listen to while you're cleaning and doing chores. It helps to pass the time, keeps you working a little longer and lets you catch up on those mysteries you've been wanting to read.
Removing Candle Wax from Walls
Candle wax can be removed from walls or other surfaces with an iron and facial tissue. Set the tissue over the wax and gently iron. When the wax seeps through or the tissue begins to brown, apply a new tissue.
Cleaning Chrome
Club soda or seltzer water will clean chrome.
Removing Blood Stains
Corn starch can remove blood stains. Rinse the stain in cold water, then rub in moistened cornstarch. Place the item in the sun.
Removing Gum
Gum can be removed using ice to harden and a dull knife to remove.
Removing Magic Marker Ink
Hair spray will remove magic-marker ink from surfaces.
Cleaning Window Screens
Nylon covered sponges are great for cleaning window screens.
Removing Smoke Odor
Place a bowl of vinegar out to absorb smoke odor.
Unstick That Door
Car wax applied to a sticking door will ease opening and closing.
Repairing Cigarette Burns in Carpets
Cigarette burns in carpeting can be repaired by cutting the blackened fibers from the hole. Squeeze liquid glue into the hole and fill with fibers trimmed from carpet remnants.
Repairing Small Holes in Window Screens
Clear nail polish will repair small holes in window screens.
Killing Flies
Hair spray will kill flies.
Window Painting Tip
Newspaper strips when wetted can be used around windows when painting, in place of masking tape. Remove strips before they dry out.
Drying Out Wet Magazines or Books
Place paper towels on both sides of a wet page to absorb the moisture and prevent wrinkling.
Ring around the collar
Dirty neck rings around shirt or blouse collars can be removed by putting shampoo on them. Rub the shampoo in like you were washing your hair. Shampoo is specifically made to remove body oils. A cheap bottle of shampoo kept by the washing machine is handy for all kinds of stains in clothing. Don't forget this trick when you are traveling.
Cleaning Scuff Marks
Use 3 tbsp. Of TSP (trisodium phosphate) to a gallon of water to clean scuff marks or crayon marks off walls. TSP can be found in the paint department of a hardware store. Wear gloves and do not use on semi-gloss or gloss paint or wood surfaces.
Removing Blood from Furniture
Use hydrogen peroxide to remove blood from clothing or furniture. Rub gently.
Dusting Tip
Use paint brushes to dust cracks and hard to reach places in telephones, stereos, etc.
Make a Schedule
Set aside a regular short period of time each week for the family to straighten up the house. It teaches good habits to the kids and gives the family a project to do together. Everyone will feel better when the job is done, and might just look forward to the day when they know things are going to be neat and organized.
Listen to Books On Tape to Help You Clean
Having trouble finding time to read these days? You can rent great books on tape from the library to listen to while you're cleaning and doing chores. It helps to pass the time, keeps you working a little longer and lets you catch up on those mysteries you've been wanting to read.
Removing Candle Wax from Walls
Candle wax can be removed from walls or other surfaces with an iron and facial tissue. Set the tissue over the wax and gently iron. When the wax seeps through or the tissue begins to brown, apply a new tissue.
Cleaning Chrome
Club soda or seltzer water will clean chrome.
Removing Blood Stains
Corn starch can remove blood stains. Rinse the stain in cold water, then rub in moistened cornstarch. Place the item in the sun.
Removing Gum
Gum can be removed using ice to harden and a dull knife to remove.
Removing Magic Marker Ink
Hair spray will remove magic-marker ink from surfaces.
Cleaning Window Screens
Nylon covered sponges are great for cleaning window screens.
Removing Smoke Odor
Place a bowl of vinegar out to absorb smoke odor.
Unstick That Door
Car wax applied to a sticking door will ease opening and closing.
Repairing Cigarette Burns in Carpets
Cigarette burns in carpeting can be repaired by cutting the blackened fibers from the hole. Squeeze liquid glue into the hole and fill with fibers trimmed from carpet remnants.
Repairing Small Holes in Window Screens
Clear nail polish will repair small holes in window screens.
Killing Flies
Hair spray will kill flies.
Window Painting Tip
Newspaper strips when wetted can be used around windows when painting, in place of masking tape. Remove strips before they dry out.
Drying Out Wet Magazines or Books
Place paper towels on both sides of a wet page to absorb the moisture and prevent wrinkling.
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