Furniture Shopping Tips You Should Know

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In the process of furnishing your home? Whether you’re starting from scratch or simply looking for a few new pieces to update your home, shopping for furniture can be overwhelming. Picking the right pieces are essential because everyone knows that the decor can make or break a home’s design. Whether you’ve decided to take the hunt online or you’re shopping at your local furniture store here are some tips you should take into consideration.

Test the Measurements
There’s nothing worse than purchasing the perfect piece of furniture only to discover down the line that it doesn’t fit into the space. That’s why you should always check the measurements of an item before you swipe your credit card. The piece of furniture may look one way in a picture or in the store but the scale of it is totally different once it’s in your home. You can use blue tape to measure furniture in the store. Use blue tape to measure the width and length of the allotted space and see if it will be proportionate based on the dimensions of the item online.

Everything Doesn’t Have to Match
Although, you want your furniture pieces to harmonize with each other everything doesn’t have to exactly match. While it’s the safest decision it can be way too much and create a bland look. It’s all about finding a balance that works for your space. Since opposites attract you can mix styles. For instance, if you’ve opted for a traditional sofa you can mix things up with an eclectic recliner or a chic coffee table.

Sample Swatches
Don’t sleep on the sample swatches. The texture of a material can be completely different from what you thought it looked like in a showroom or on the computer screen. Get samples of fabric swatches just to see how the material would look in your space.

Impulse Buys
Avoid making the final decision on impulse. Just because you love the item at the moment doesn’t mean you’ll like it later. Buying furniture is a big decision so take a day to think it over. See what kind of pieces are out there before you make your final decision.

We hope you find these shopping tips useful!

Have You Organized Your Refrigerator?

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Still have last month leftovers stocked on your refrigerator shelves? The refrigerator should be cleaned out and sanitized frequently for health reasons. If you’re ready to take on the daunting task of organizing and cleaning your refrigerator, we’re going to show you how you can do so effectively. It’s time to throw out expired condiments, old food and clean the gunk from the corners.

How To Clean Out the Refrigerator

Perhaps the easiest way to clean out the fridge is to empty out the contents. You can do this section by section, or all at once. Setting everything outside the refrigerator allows you to determine what needs to be thrown away and what food items can be kept. Of course items that need to be discarded should be thrown in a trash bag, while the others can be kept to the side so that you can load them back into the fridge.

More than likely, the interior of the fridge is less than pristine. Before you load the contents back in you should take a wet, soapy cloth and wipe off the crumbs and food remnants that are stuck on the shelves. For areas with gunk that’s tough to remove you can use a solution of vinegar of water. Make sure you dry wipe the fridge dry. Don’t forget the drawers and the fridge doors.

Arrange The Refrigerator Like A Professional

When loading the refrigerator back after thoroughly cleaning it you should organize it like the professionals do. Restaurants organize their refrigerators based on food safety. Professional kitchens organize food in the fridge based on the temperature it requires to be cooked. Prepared foods and leftovers that don’t require a high cooking temperature are usually stored on the top shelf in the fridge. Chicken, uncooked meats, and other raw foods are placed on the bottom shelf. When foods are organized this way you won’t have to worry about cross-contamination.

Here’s a guide you can follow for loading the refrigerator:


Door – The door is the warmest section of the refrigerator. Therefore, you should store condiments in this area.
Drawers – The drawers are meant to hold produce which is your fruits and vegetables.
Upper Shelves – The upper shelves should be used to store ready-made foods like yogurt, cheese, leftovers, and drinks.
Lower shelves – Raw foods

Thanks for reading and hopefully this helps you with the task of cleaning out your refrigerator, and makes it a little easier!

Ideas to Dress up Your Hallways

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In a lot of homes, hallways are just a connection to other rooms, and homeowners often overlook their decorative potential. With hallways often being narrow and short, homeowners may throw up a picture or two and call it a day, but we believe hallways can be so much more.

7 Ideas to Dress Up Your Hallways: 

1. Blended. 

When working with the design in your hallway, you want to be sure that it continues the current design onto the next room. Your hall can be a subtle preview of what guests should expect when they enter your home’s next room. The design flow should never stop in the hallway because that tends to make the transition feel awkward. Instead, you want to make sure that each room blends well into the hall and leaves seamless transitions. 

2. The Main Event. 

Just like in any other room, you will want to create a “focal point” that becomes the center of attention in the hallway. This item can be anywhere from a gorgeous light fixture to an extravagant mirror. It will depend on what you want to do with the space and what decor pieces you plan on incorporating. 

3. A Perfect Runway. 

As flooring experts, we understand that no room is complete without the perfect touch of flooring. For hallways, we recommend purchasing a “runner” for the floor. This simple addition can instantly make your hardwood floors feel more cozy and chic.

4. Chic Shelving. 

In hallways, you want to keep the decor light and simple. Since there is not a lot of space to work with, a simple, chic shelving piece can do just the trick.

5. The Gallery.

Gallery walls are a trendy, inexpensive way to decorate any room, but they work exceptionally well in hallways. When creating your hallway’s gallery wall, you want to be sure that you keep it simple. Depending on the size of your wall, you will most likely want to use fewer items than you would typically in another area of your home. Try and keep it simple and light to create a refreshing look.

6. Look Up. 

If you are looking for a creative way to make your hallway unique, you could try painting your ceiling a fun color. Once you have decided on a color, you can incorporate it into your hallway’s design. This will help tie together everything. 

7. Captivating Wallpaper. 

Graphic wallpaper is a current trend everyone loves. It is especially perfect for hallways because it will help bring them to life. We recommend trying to use vertical graphic patterns in your hallways. This will help make the room look more substantial than it actually is.  

Organizing an Overpacked Home

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Is your home overflowing with unnecessary items? Do you feel too overwhelmed to even begin working on your house? Are you tired of not knowing where to put all of your things? If you answered “absolutely” to any of these questions above, know you’re not alone and we would love to help you. Ideally, you will find yourself reorganizing your home at least once a year. Every year we see ourselves buying more miscellaneous items and belongings to fill our homes to their brink. To help you achieve maximum organization and function, we have created a guide for organizing an overpacked home. Let’s take a look! 

How to Organize an Overpacked Home:

Search for Storage. Storing your items is the only way you will get them out of sight and out of mind. Decorative pieces can be left out, but things that do not serve a daily purpose should be stored away.

Clean out Your Cabinets, Closets, and Drawers. You can find a lot of unnecessary items tucked away in your cupboards. A best practice in organizing is clearing out your built-in storage containers before adding more items. After you have cleaned out your available storage, take advantage of these spaces that are provided by your house. You can then begin to put things back into your drawers and closets.

Buy Storage Containers. There is an array of home furnishing items that add style while providing storage to your home. Pieces that optimize storage and style are:

  • Bookcases
  • Benches
  • Baskets/Bins
  • Coffee Tables
  • Desks
  • Dressers
  • Vanities

Organize in Style. Organizing your home does not necessarily mean marking each item with a label and placing it into a clear container. Organizing your home can allow you to add more to spaces than you previously had. Things to consider:

  • Home offices hold a lot of storage potential. Having an office in your house will also help keep your home organized. You really only need a desk to make a space your home office. Once you have a desk, consider everything you have the potential to store in it:
      • Mail and letters
      • Notebooks
      • Office supplies (pens, pencils, paper, scissors, tape, etc.)
      • Books
      • Computer/Laptop
  • Pets tend to have a lot of their own belongings. Make a section in your home designated for their items. You can install a shelf or a cabinet to hold all their belongings. Storing the items up high is mutually beneficial; it guarantees your pet cannot get into something they should not, and you can decorate the piece to your liking.
  • Pet items can easily be stored in places like the garage or basement to help you maximize the use of your high-traffic areas.
  • Kids’ toys can be everywhere sometimes. Chests/bins are a stylish piece of furniture that can store your little one’s toys and activities.

Ultimately, the key to organization is cleaning. You must clean out your home before you can begin to organize it. Now is the perfect time to get started on cleaning out your house. Keep in mind, you do not need to throw everything away! Let us know how your organizing project turn out!

How to Host a Quarantined Easter

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Easter is a time of the year that brings the whole family together. It is fun with egg hunts, kid-friendly activities, and quality time with loved ones. However, with the pandemic at hand, this is going to be a very different Easter than usual. Churches are closer, social gatherings are dwindling, and home lockdowns are going into full effect. So how do you celebrate this time with others when you are forced to stay at home by yourself?

Sunday Service

If you go to church on Easter Sunday, consider that plan to be canceled. However, many services are still live-streaming or creating pre-recorded sessions. You can now enjoy your Sunday Easter Service in the comfort of your own home.

Family Time

These new times demand innovative gathering solutions. Many families are staying connected through Facetime, Zoom, and other virtual calling apps like HouseParty. You can facilitate these plans with your own family for Easter. Make something unique where you can have a family game night or an activity to partake in while video chatting. This activity is a great way to have family time still, even when you cannot all be together.

Easter Dinner

Just because your friends and family cannot join you, does not mean you cannot dine like a king or queen. You can still have some of your favorite holiday, traditional meals this season. You may need to have your groceries delivered, yet a half ham or turkey will go great with other mini Easter dishes as well. Simply create your own mini feast for the ones in your home. If you live alone, still enjoy your dinner yourself!

It can be challenging to celebrate a holiday alone or without your typical holiday plans. However, do not hope in this uncertain time. The holiday is still here, and it is an opportunity to celebrate it in a new way. Make sure you still enjoy this day by making it special. It can be hard to get everyone excited in the house for the new, changed celebration, yet the opportunity to enjoy the day is still there! Do not lose sight of the holiday.

Cleaning vs. Sanitizing vs. Disinfecting

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Let’s be honest; we all love having a clean, spick-and-span environment. In fact, this reason is why we continually clean our homes to help take pride in our properties and to reduce the spread of bacteria and germs. Yet, cleaning your home is a generic term we often misuse. In fact, you will find that cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting all have distinct definitions. For instance, the level of cleanliness differs. How clean a dish is after washing it with soap and water is very different from how clean a scalpel is before a surgeon performs surgery. To further explain, here are the differences between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting:

Cleaning

To clean something is to remove any visible dirt or debris physically. We do this all the time in our homes, from washing dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting. Additionally, cleaning will also facilitate the use of water and detergent, sometimes like wiping down your countertops with soap and water. However, water and soap do not kill germs. Adding water to the cleaning process is more or less to dilute the number of germs on a given surface.

Sanitizing

To be more thorough, the method will be sanitizing. This process kills 99.99% of germs and bacteria that can be health hazards. It is more used for things that may enter our bodies, such as food. You can sanitize an area or surface with strong chemicals, as well as extreme heats reaching over 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Hence why dishwashers use intense heat to help reduce the number of unwanted fungi and bacteria.

Disinfecting

Lastly, disinfecting is the most thorough of the processes. Disinfecting something kills the germs, fungi, and bacteria completely. This process is done with powerful chemicals, UV-C germicidal short wavelengths, ultraviolet lights, and other machinery. This process is not typically done in our homes. It is a process used for hospitals prior to surgeries.

Knowing these three methods can help you prioritize them. Try to clean your home and remove visible debris and dirt frequently. It is a great habit to achieve daily. For instance, you can sanitize your home during the weekends or, when needed, in high-bacteria areas or food prep areas. Lastly, you will only try to disinfect your home if you know sickness is afoot in your home. Go the extra steps when you have someone extremely sick to help prevent the spread.

Building a Home Gym on a Budget

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We are living through an uncertain time where the coronavirus pandemic has closed many businesses temporarily to prevent the spread of the virus. In a society where social distancing and home quarantine is becoming the norm, it can be very challenging to reach some of your fitness goals. In fact, many gym-goers have no had to create their own personal at-home workouts to help stay proactive and healthy during these challenging times. If the gym has been part of your structured lifestyle, you probably have been brainstorming ways to stay healthy at home. This factor is why many homeowners have decided to create their own home gyms. However, it will not take long for you to realize that creating your dream home gym is not always very budget-friendly. This factor is where proper planning comes into play. If you are planning on building a home gym, here is everything you need to consider:

Budget

The one variable that can be the most limiting is your budget. It is essential to create a realistic budget before tackling this project. As you explore the realm of home gym equipment, you can start to gather an idea of what the prices are for gym equipment. Going into any project without a plan can wreak havoc on your wallet, so before you buy, start to round up some prices of what you may want. You also want to consider, not everyone loves training at home. Gyms will eventually reopen. Do not blow your budget on something you may only facilitate for a month and never again use.

Space

Once you have determined your budget, you can begin to purchase your equipment. While equipment may fit your budget, it may not fit your home. Gym equipment can be bulky and need extra space to keep safety at the forefront. Maybe some equipment dimensions fit your space; however, do you have adequate space to perform exercises safely and properly in those dimensions as well? This factor is why it is good to consider multi-purpose equipment. Your home may not fit a squat rack, bench, and cable machine. Yet, Power Racks or other options can have multiple functions. Likewise, it may not be practical to invest in a whole dumbbell set. This is great for commercial gyms yet not always ideal for home gyms. You may want to go a more practical route and buy adjustable dumbbells or a couple of different pairs you will use.

Personal Goals

Lastly, determine your personal goals. Home gyms can take a little creativity. What did you do when you went to the gym? Consider your workouts. If you did Pilates or yoga, do not invest in a powerlifting home gym. Likewise, if you prefer free weights, do not invest in machines you will never use. This can be a big mistake! It may be wise to buy just enough to get started. Decide if you like the setup and can workout at home. After a week, you may decide the environment is too challenging for you, or you need to invest more. These tactics can help save you money.

Home gyms are great to have, whether gyms are closed or not! This investment is a great way to convert an unused garage or basement to a more facilitated room in your home. Remember to stick to your budget and consider your space. These are tactics that will help you buy once and enjoy reaching your personal goals.

Laundry Room Spring Cleaning Hacks

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Laundry rooms are incredibly functional and vital rooms in our homes. Some people do not have the privilege of washing their own clothes in the comfort of their own homes, so this feature can be a blessing that we overlook all the time. In fact, these rooms can quickly become second thoughts and become the home of many cleaning products and other miscellaneous household utilities. However, this room is such a privilege and designed for functionality! Sometimes a once extremely-functional room can become a cluttered mess of mayhem. That is why this spring is the perfect time to reorganize and clean your laundry room to return it to its functional state. Since there is nothing worse than struggling to maneuver in an already small space, here are some great tools and tactics to help make your laundry room clean and organized this spring:

Shelf Organization

The beginning of any cleaning project should be your organizational step. Too often, the laundry room holds miscellaneous household belongings. Start by sorting out everything in your drawers and cabinets. Create specific drawers and cabinets to keep organized belongings. Try to eliminate too many duplicate products like double bottles of bleach or three pairs of scissors. These tactics can make your cabinets and drawers look much more organized.

Countertop Space

Next, if you have the space already or can add it, try to organize your countertop space. This step is great for folding or sorting out clothes. In fact, a clean countertop is ideal for every time you are not currently in the process of sorting laundry. Try to keep this in mind as you clean your laundry room as well.

Hanging Areas

Lastly, if you do not have it already, create a drying/hanging area. This step can be a simple investment that allows clothes to dry. You can keep spare hangers and sort your clothes more thoroughly with a hanging rack. You can also install a hanging area on the back of your door to the room. This is a great hidden storage area for brooms, mops, and even ironing boards.

Cleaning your laundry room is a great spring project to tackle. Stop letting it continue to become the melting pot of miscellaneous goods in your home. Instead, opt for a clean laundry room that is more functional. Remember, this room thrives off of making your life easier, so allow it to do so.

How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

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We have entered a unique time in history, which has made traditional ways of living very challenging. With the coronavirus pandemic in effect, social distancing and personal hygiene have become a top priority in our defense. In fact, many stores have closed that are not vital to daily living. Toiletry and hygiene supply and demand have tenfold, making some essential items nearly obsolete in stores. This respiratory virus can be spread through droplets produced while coughing or sneezing. So the best way to combat this virus is by frequently washing your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water. Yet, hand sanitizer is not as common as it once was. However, do not fear because you can still create your own home-made hand sanitizer to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Your Active Ingredients

What makes a hand sanitizer work is its effectiveness in killing germs and bacteria. This process is done with alcohol as the main ingredient. You need at least 60% of your hand sanitizer to be alcohol for it to be effective. Remember this when getting your alcohol. Your alcohols to use are isopropyl and ethanol. Other alcohols can be toxic and chemically burn your skin, so pick one of these two. When purchasing isopropyl or ethanol, get them as close to 100% as possible. The lower the percentage, the more you will need to use when making your sanitizer.

Scenting Your Hand Sanitizer

The fun part is personalizing the scent of your home-made hand sanitizer. This step can be done by picking an essential oil of your choice. Some essential oils also offer germ- and bacterial-killing properties. Understand the oil you choose thoroughly before adding it to your sanitizers. Many essential oils need a carrier oil and can irritate skin or even burn it.

Making It

Next, you will make your hand sanitizer. Find the pump dispenser you want in your home to contain your home-made sanitizer. Add 2/3 of your alcohol. If your alcohol is not 100%, you will need to accommodate for this step. Next, add the remaining 1/3 with Aloe Vera gel. This contains antioxidants and antibacterial properties. Aloe Vera also can help accelerate the healing of burns and improve skin conditions. Lastly, use the essential oil of your choice to add a couple of drops until you obtain the smell you desire. Do not exceed a dozen drops per cup.

Making your own home-made hand sanitizer is a great home project to help disinfect your hands at home. This simple project is fun and simple for the whole family. Let everyone create their own to stay germ-free during this season. For more great at-home projects and home improvement ideas, make sure to subscribe.

Disclaimer: We always recommend consulting with your physician before making and using any home-made alternatives.

Tips for Adding Color to a Gray Color Scheme

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Do you feel stuck with your all-gray color scheme? Well, it is time to unlock the magic hidden in this cool-toned hue. Grey is so much more than just a combination of black and white. In fact, this color scheme is versatile, and there are numerous possibilities for designing it to compliment your home’s interior. In fact, although grey is considered a neutral color, it is much more interesting than white or black. The best way to make a gray room pop is to implement color into the design. In fact, you will find that gray serves as the perfect backdrop for a bold accent color. It also has the power to enhance more subtle hues as well as frame colors. The color palettes are virtually limitless. Look at some of the ways you can use add color to a gray room.

Soft Furnishings

If you find that your taste is subject to change from time to time, gray is the perfect backdrop for ever-changing designs. Use bright colors such as orange, blue, and yellow as accent colors in your soft furnishings. Whether you are designing a living room or bedroom, you can select soft furnishings like pillows, curtains, and comforter sets that feature unique patterns and bright hues.

Metallics

You do not have to just stick to traditional color palettes. In a dull room, find the perfect area to install a copper panel, or you can opt for metallic fixtures. Add an extra dimension to the room with accessories such as pendant lights and place settings. When paired against gray, metal is able to take center stage.

Electic Patterns

When adding some spice to the gray room, combine colors with eclectic patterns to further add emphasis to the room’s design. You can even mix different patterns within the space while the gray walls further highlight the decor. Area rugs, couch slipcovers, and other types of textiles add variety.

Using Texture

Be sure to add some colorful texture to your cool gray rooms. For instance, you can combine natural stone, distressed wood, and plush accessories against your gray walls to add dimensions.

What ways would you add a pop of flair to an all-gray room? Let us know below in the comment section.