Having lots of natural light in your home is important for many different reasons. It’s beneficial to both your mental and physical health, and it also makes your house or apartment look classy and more spacious. Not to mention that it gives life to your house plants. Yes, having lots of natural light is paramount, but unfortunately, some homes simply don’t have too much potential in this regard. Some houses and apartments have too small or too few windows and this makes it hard for natural light to find its way in.

If this is the case with your home, don’t despair. There are a lot of simple ways to increase natural light in your home without spending your savings on expensive remodelling. Here’s how.

Opt for A Lighter Window Treatment

Remember those big draperies your grandmother used to have in her home? Remember how dark her living room was? Well, this is because light simply can’t go through these thick drapes. Therefore, if you want to illuminate your living space, you have to forget about these old school draperies and opt for something lighter.

Choosing the perfect window treatment is not a simple task. However, some of the most popular options today are airy sheers and these lantern blinds. This should narrow your search. Sheers will let a lot of daylight into your room and they are rather easy to use. Blinds, on the other hand, have a lot more options. They allow you to control how much light you want to let in. Also, you can adjust the angle the way it suits you best.

Make Sure You Add Mirrors And Shiny Objects

Mirrors are known for making a room look more spacious, but they can also brighten your home. They reflect light, so the best thing to do is to put them opposite to a window across the room. This is one of the simplest ways to increase the amount of light in your living environment. Other than mirrors, you can acquire several different objects to serve the same purpose.

Here’s what you can get:

• Wall or ceiling mirrors
• The metallic finish in some parts of your home
• Silver decorations
• Silver or metallic handles
• Furniture with glass or mirrored features

These are all affordable or DIY options that will brighten your house or apartment.

Choose Brighter Colors For Your Walls and Furniture

In the art class, back in school, they taught us a very simple, but important lesson. Dark colours absorb and bright colours reflect light. Years later, this lesson can come in handy when it comes to decorating your home. Choosing the right colours is crucial for increasing natural light in your home.

So, let’s put it this way. A room painted in dark blue will look dull and gloomy, regardless of how many windows it has. A room painted white or in light grey, on the other hand, will appear larger and brighter. The light colours have the same “job” as mirrors. They reflect the light around the room, making it brighter.

The ceiling is also a very important part of this equation. You can use it to enhance the natural light in the room by painting it a few shades lighter than your walls. This will also make your room feel spacious and more comfortable.

Use Glass Or Reflective Tiles In Your Kitchen And Bathroom

If installing mirrors all-around your home is not your thing, using glass and glossy tiles is the next best thing, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. This, combined with bright furniture material, will increase the amount of natural light in your home. Completely white ceramic tiles are the brightest and cheapest option, but light grey tiles will do the job as well.

Paint Your Eaves Bright White

It’s safe to say that not a lot of people have heard about this life hack, so keep quiet. Joking aside, this is one of the cheapest ways to increase the amount of natural light in your house. All you have to do is buy some white paint, get on your ladder and paint those eaves or so-called overhangs. If your house is not painted white, don’t worry, this won’t deface the curb appearance of your house. Due to the angle of eaves, you will be the only one who will see the white paint.

Living in a brighter environment can help you to be healthier, creative, and more productive. Therefore, if you don’t have the resources to buy a new home or renovate the current one, these simple tips will certainly help you to increase the amount of natural light in your home. 

Whether you are living in a high rise apartment in the suburbs or just in one of those quiet locations, maximizing your apartment space will be a priority you cannot ignore. You just want your apartment to feel comfy and spacious. An apartment will have a toilet, kitchen, bathroom, and its own front door. 

But with the tough economic crunches, most landlords will invest in smaller apartment designs. You’ll also have rules that you’ll need to adhere to. Combined, these are issues that could make your life uncomfortable.

To help you out, here’s how to make the most of your tiny apartment.

Invest In Smaller Appliances

The idea to maximize your apartment size will require the use of smaller items. While this can seem a bit controlling, it’s the only way you’ll manage to live a comfortable life and still enjoy the comforts of life. Smaller appliances are not only efficient but they are also cost-effective in terms of maintenance. For instance, investing in a smaller air conditioning unit in a small apartment will serve the purpose to provide you with a high-quality indoor environment and at the same time, leave you with more room. You can see more here about some of the best small, but punchy air conditioners that are best suited for small apartment living. Most importantly, it’s important that the installations be done by qualified contractors.  

Using Foldable Furniture

Having the right kind of furniture in your rooms will make them look more tasteful and elegant. Furniture is among the things that you’ll want to carefully consider when moving into a smaller apartment. Living in a modern and developed world has its perks. Today, you have artistic furniture options that can easily fold. This includes beds that can easily be folded to perfectly fit into customized closets. You also have couches that can double up as comfortable beds. This way, you’ll never have to worry about inviting a guest over. It’s all about investing in creatively-built items that give the functionality and comfort of your space. Most importantly, investing in foldable furniture will help you to conserve valuable room space.

Using Multi-Tasking Tools at Your Apartment

Living in a tiny apartment means that the rooms you live in are also small. You’ll have a small bathroom, a small living room, bedroom, and the same applies to the kitchen. Among the items you’ll want to invest in for your kitchen includes tools that you can use for your various kitchen tasks. This should also apply to other areas in your rooms. For instance, you could use collapsible kitchen bowls to save space in your tiny cabinets, small-wall mounted kitchen racks for all your spices and cups, and most importantly, a collapsible dish drainer.  

Creative Storage 

If you have a tiny apartment, you must consider every square footage in your rooms because even an inch counts. This should also include the small storage spaces in your closet. Making good use of the corner spaces is among the things you can do to maximize on storage spaces. Let’s face it, not a lot will go into the corners of your living room. You can decide to dedicate a corner in your living room, install a corner shelf, and have all your books carefully placed.

Declutter! Declutter! Declutter!

Over time, you’ll accumulate staff that you’ll no longer have use for. This may include CDs, game consoles, stuffed dolls, magazines, and all sorts of junk. They will only be eating up precious space in your already too tiny apartment. Decluttering is the process that involves getting rid of the unwanted junk in your house. It makes a lot of sense if you could, in the process of decluttering your apartment, sell some of the items, or give them out to charity. Below are some of the benefits of decluttering your tiny apartment: 

• It provides you with more living space
• It reduces anxiety and stress
• It makes it easier to clean and tidy up your apartment
• Decluttering makes your apartment safer to live in
• It helps to boost creativity and productivity
• You’ll have better sleep in a more relaxed environment

It could be that you are out of options when it comes to moving to a bigger apartment. The above tips will go a long way to provide you with economical and practical ideas on how to make the most out of your tiny apartment. But then again, it’s also important that you get creative on making your living spaces more comfortable.

Do you have an old house? Or perhaps you are looking to buy a new one. Whatever the case, the old house needs an update. But the problem is, many think that you will need to spend thousands to update an old house. The truth is, that may not necessarily be the case.

You can give your home a fresh new look, whether it’s ten years old or 100 years old, without spending a fortune. How? Some of the best ways to do it are to declutter, giving your old home a new colour scheme, upgrading light fixtures, and if you have some extra money, building a composite deck.

Declutter

One of the first things you should do is to declutter your home. Over time, the house may acquire a lot of decorations and furniture. While you can use some of them, most of these won’t likely go with today’s interior decorating styles.

So, the first thing you should do is to consider each of the furniture, decorations, and appliances in your old home. Think about whether you can still contribute to the style you’re aiming for. If not, don’t throw them right away. Find ways to upcycle them.

Why is decluttering crucial before decorating? First, it gives you a clear picture of what needs to be done. Another reason is that it may be hard to achieve a cohesive style if there’s too much clutter. And most importantly, you can make space for more necessary furniture and decorations.

Giving the House a New Color Palette

As the years go by, an old house’s colour palette may become mismatched due to the countless years of repainting and redecorating. As a result, some rooms will look and feel disconnected from the entire house. How can you fix it?

When painting your home, connect your home through painting the home in complementing colours. For the best results, you may want to go with neutral colours for a clean look. Aside from painting the house, you will also need to colour-coordinate your furniture with the walls and your flooring choices for a more cohesive look. If your interior walls need repainting, the outside walls likely need it as well.

Upgrading and Installing Light Fixtures

Another thing that you can do to update an old house is to update old light fixtures, including the switches, plates, and even the bulbs. Due to years of decoration, light switches may not look like it belongs to the room. Some of them may not even work anymore.

Another reason why you need to update your light fixtures is that it may not be as energy-efficient as modern lighting goes. Replace bulbs with LEDs. They are not only cheap, but you can also save money from your electric bills.

If you see some light fixtures that you can still use, you can repaint them to give them a fresh new look. You will also need to adjust the bulbs so that it goes well with the room. For instance, relaxation rooms and living areas will benefit from soft and dimmer light for a more calming ambience. Meanwhile, an energetic and lively atmosphere can be achieved by using brighter and harder lights.

A Perfect Outdoor Space

Aside from the inside, you will also need to update your old house on the outside. A beautiful backyard and an inviting front yard will significantly improve how your home looks. It may seem a big and expensive improvement. But the truth is, you don’t need a lot of money to do it.

Start by covering your lawn with grass. You can also set pavements and concrete slabs to create outdoor flooring. Not only will it give your outdoor a stable footing, but it will also decrease the space you’ll need to maintain. You will also want to place some plants and flowers. Go for perennials and evergreens, which are often cheap and easy to take care of. You can also go for wild plants and flowers native to your area.

If you have some extra budget, you can also consider home improvement with decking boards. If you have an old house, the deck will most likely be wood. If so, it may not have aged well. Replace it with composite decking. Despite the higher cost, composite decking is durable, low-maintenance, and long-lasting while retaining the aesthetic of wood. It can elevate an old outdoor setting into a livable outdoor space.

Have you ever renovated an old property?  What tips can you share?

Having a clean home could have various effects on your physical and mental health. House cleaning keeps the things inside the house organized and it also prevents germs and other bacteria from making you sick. The continuous routine of keeping your house clean has a lot of benefits. It can save you time from looking for things that get lost on your pile of stuff. Or it can also provide you peace of mind for not having to look at dirty or dusty surfaces around your house.

There are a lot of reasons why you must maintain the cleanliness of your house. It is very important so here are some of the cleaning tips that could help you.

Clean from Top to Bottom

You should not start by cleaning your floor if you are planning to clean the whole house. You must start at the top of the room because the dirt and dust that you will be wiping off is going to fall on the floor. Next, start cleaning the top areas. You can start at the bottom by beginning to clean on one side towards the other side. This can prevent you from darting around the room and missing some areas you are supposed to clean. Planning a strategy for your cleaning is efficient because roaming around the house without any plans on where to start is going to take all your time.

Let the Solution Sit for Some Time

The common mistake that most people do is how they use their cleaning solutions. Most people would spray their cleaning solutions all over the surface of the area they want to clean then wipe it off immediately. That is not how it works. The products are supposed to stay on the surface for a while. These products have cleaning agents that need to stay on the surface for an amount of time to properly soak the area and dissolve the dirt or stains. You usually use these cleaning products when cleaning the kitchen sink or the bathroom, so you need to make sure to rinse the whole area first then apply the cleaning solutions that you have. Reading the product label is helpful. The label would contain instructions on how to apply the product and it would likewise indicate the needed time for it to settle on surfaces.

Invest in Cleaning Products

Buying efficient cleaning machines is recommended if you are fond of doing the cleaning in your house. Products like vacuum cleaners, scrubbing machines, or cleaning mops are very useful in making your tasks easy. Investing in these things will not waste your money because you will use them for a long time. It is also important to take care of these tools. These machines will have a longer life when they are cleaned and stored properly.

Hire a Cleaning Service

Some people are too busy to have time for cleaning so they would often hire somebody to clean for them. Various companies offer affordable cleaning services that you can avail at any time. If you live in the East Midlands, a popular choice is https://www.well-polished.com/domestic-cleaning/east-midlands/. The company offers services for cleaning your home and they can also do household chores for you. They will send workers to check on the errand that you want them to do. The company will send a worker who will cater to your needs once the situation has been assessed. These house cleaning companies are also now in demand because of the current pandemic. They provide a thorough cleaning service that we need in times like this.

Clean Regularly

It is advisable to clean regularly to avoid the dust and dirt from piling up. Cleaning regularly saves you time compared to an exhausting long-hour of cleaning when you only do it once in a blue moon. This will also prevent stains from clinging to your sink and your bathroom surfaces. These stains can cause damage when they are left alone and not cleaned immediately.

Organize your things

Having organized furniture, appliances, or any household things can make cleaning easier. A house full of unnecessary stuff would be harder to clean because there will be too many objects hindering you from reaching the corners of your house that needs cleaning. Throw-out useless stuff, sort-out your things, and install your furniture and appliances on the proper places they should be. You should also avoid hoarding things that you do not need.

Cleaning is exhausting. However, it is very important because your surroundings could affect your health. The simple effort of cleaning could save you from diarrhoea, infections, or allergies. 

When it comes to kitting out your home there are many options to choose from. Modern stores have affordable options if you’re looking for something cheap and cheerful and will look sleek sitting in its place. Antique stores will amaze you with intricate pieces from previous generations that are bound to gain attention. Finally, carpenters can use their finely honed skills to create a one-off piece that’s designed to fit every need you create. I spend hours pouring over coffee table books on interior decoration for ideas and inspiration, whether it’s vintage or, my current passion, French chic.

There are of course bits of furniture that appear unconventional but have uses every family will find handy. Here are some interesting pieces you may not have heard of before. 

Standing Desk

If you suffer from a bad back, as I do, you may have heard of one of these. With the number of people sitting behind a desk increasing due to the increase in technology jobs, people found themselves looking for something a little different to increase their comfort level when working. 

The standing desk is a creation born from the collaboration of work and health. It’s no secret that sitting behind a desk for 8-10 hours a day, 5 days a week isn’t good for your posture. So the standing desk was created. These come with several different functions highlighted in this article, some shift from a seated position to a standing, others come with different levels to place keyboards and monitors, and some can house more than one screen.  

If you’re looking for something a little different to make your working day a little more comfortable then looking into this creation should be a high priority. 

Transforming Tables 

Now, it may seem strange to mention a table as the design has been pretty solid, and realistically, what can you do to change the functional design of a table? Enter transforming tables. These things have the ability to change from a coffee table to a dining table in a matter of minutes. 

If you’re living in a studio apartment, or have a small living room/diner then they’re the perfect addition if you like having people over for dinner. Casual and good looking when on the ground and functional and smart when in the dining position. 

Not only are there tables that transform their function when it comes to eating and relaxing, but there are also tables that change into something a little more fun. Slide the top of the table away to reveal a pool table. Now your evenings can be made a little more competitive when your friends come over for an evening of food, drinks, and fun. 

Storage Beds

The traditional bed would have a frame, a mattress, and a headboard. Underneath would be a place where things are thrown to be forgotten about. But what if you found out that there are now beds designed specifically so you can store things in a neat and tidy manner without compromising the look in any way? 

Throw the mattress up from the bottom of the bed and hydraulic pistons reveal and nice, laid out an area for you to store anything you like. There’s what seems to be acres of space underneath double beds, so don’t waste your space anymore. 

The Chair Bed 

Have you ever been in a situation where a friend wants to crash at your place but you don’t have a spare bedroom? Usually, you would opt for the couch as a comfy alternative but sometimes this isn’t an option. Modern sofas aren’t the comfiest to sleep on so a different bed must be found. 

There are hundreds of options available now with styles ranging from the old style to new. Never let your friends sleep on a hardwood floor again! 

Gaming Chairs 

If you’re an avid gamer then these will be no surprise to you and it’s a hot topic of discussion in the Hobbis household as it’s the latest item on Ieuan’s wishlist. The gaming chair incorporates everything you need for a decent session with your friends. You can hook the console’s audio into the chair which comes out of speakers placed either side of your head. The design of the chair is often ergonomic making sitting for long periods far more comfortable. You can even buy chairs that contain mini-fridges in the armrests. There’s nothing that says a great session than not having to leave your chair unless you need to go to the toilet. 

There will always be the development of products no matter what, humans are constantly finding ways to make their lives easier and it’s no different in the furniture world. The focus is very much on health at the moment with many offices investing in standing desks for their employees. Who knows what’s next on the agenda? 

Deep house cleaning is focused on the removal of dirt and bacteria in the hard to reach areas of your home. However, it is important to note that deep cleaning is not the same as daily or routine cleaning, but both methods complement each other. It’s just that the former tend to eliminate the dirt residue that is often missed out during regular cleaning. In this case, you need to properly prepare for a deep house cleaning, and below are some tips from the pros on how you will be able to do so.

Draft a Game Plan

Once you decide that your house needs some deep cleaning, there is the option for you to seek the services of professional deep cleaners, but you can also do it yourself. Both options have their benefits and drawbacks. Professional deep cleaners will save you time but doing the deep cleaning yourself will certainly save you money. If you opt to go with the latter to eliminate the need to shell out a hefty sum, the first thing that you need to do is to come up with a strategy on how you will be able to pull it through.

Identify which of the rooms in your house need to be prioritized. In case you have recently made some renovations, then it will be a great idea to deep clean that portion of your house first. In this case, you may need to initially take out all the waste generated after the room upgrade. Rest assured that you will be able to find various bin rental sizes that can cater to your specific disposal needs. You will be able to find one as compact as a 4-yard bin which works great for the disposal of dense materials such as soil or concrete used in renovations, or one as large as a 20-yard bin which is perfect for the disposal of extremely bulky furniture that is no longer needed after remodelling.

After you plot out which rooms need to be deep cleaned first, you also need to identify the amount of time that you need to spend in each one. Don’t be wary if you need to break down the entire process into multiple days, or even weeks if necessary because deep cleaning may indeed take up time, particularly for bigger houses with more rooms. If you feel like you won’t be able to accomplish all the deep cleaning essentials in your projected time, consider hiring deep cleaning services for some rooms and doing the rest by yourself. In this way, you will be able to find a balance between saving time and saving money in deep cleaning.

Gather Your Tools

In planning how to deep clean your house, you also need to make a list of all the tools and cleaning items that you need to be equipped with. Consider that each room may entail the need for a different household cleaning product. Nevertheless, at the very least, you need to source out some baking soda and white vinegar to come up with a sanitizing solution, as well as some dish soap, multi-purpose cleaner, a wood cleaner, or a window and glass cleaner.

As for your tools, make sure that you have a broom, brush with stiff bristles, microfiber dusting cloths, mop, sponges, and vacuum cleaner. If you have a cart with rollers, use it to hold all the cleaning material you need. This will make it easier for you to move from one room to another during the cleaning process.

Clear the Clutter

When you have efficiently made a plan on how you will be able to execute deep house cleaning, and you also have all the tools and solutions you need, the next step before you finally begin is to clear your home of any clutter. This includes picking up items on your floor or sorting out the things on your counters and tabletops. Taking the clutter out of your way will allow you to reach the areas that you need to clean such as the corners of the room. It will also allow you to move faster and accomplish your cleaning tasks on your target schedule.

In conclusion, before you delve into deep house cleaning, you must make the necessary preparations to ensure that you don’t miss out on anything. This includes coming up with a strategy on which rooms you need to prioritize, as well as the amount of time you need to spend on each portion of your house. In parallel to this, you also need to make a list of all the tools that you need and gather them in a cart that will be easy for you to roll around as you move from one room to another. Also, make sure to clear any clutter before you begin because this will maximize your efficiency in deep cleaning.

Your comfort in bed plays a big role in how easily you can fall asleep and how well-rested you are when you wake up. Many small details can completely influence how well you sleep and investing a little extra to make sure that you’re always getting the best quality of sleep will help you feel great every morning.

Here are 7 Sleep Essentials That You Should Invest in:

A Cosy Mattress

The softness of the material that you’re sleeping on can easily be noticed when you first lay down on your bed. A more comfortable mattress can completely change how good it feels when you wake up and when you’re about to go to bed. The rule that people usually follows when it comes to replacing their mattress is to do it every 7-10 years as that’s when it starts to get worn down, however, if you’re feeling uncomfortable or if you’re experiencing back pain when you wake up then it’s time you invest in a new mattress.

A Humidifier

A lot of people have trouble breathing while they’re asleep and this can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night, short of breath. If you have asthma or if you generally have issues breathing at night, a humidifier can help you out.

This little device makes the air around your room less dry, making it easier for your lungs to breathe it in when you’re fast asleep. It can also stop your nose from getting blocked and stop you from getting the dreaded morning allergies that keep your nose running for a good hour.

Adjustable Pillows

Adjustable pillows are one of the best upgrades you can get in your bed as they can be modified to fit your body’s needs very easily. This means that neck strain caused by your pillow being too filled is no longer an issue as you can simply modify the filling of your adjustable pillow.

In a blogpost about adjustable pillows over at https://www.myisense.com/blogs/blog/adjustable-pillow, they highlight the importance of the material that the adjustable pillow is made of as it affects your comfort levels, especially if you’re allergic to some materials. The material also impacts the durability of the pillow you’re purchasing as switching out your pillows frequently isn’t something that people like to do. Purchasing a durable pillow also helps you spend less on sleep essentials in the long-run as you won’t have to worry about getting another pillow for a long time.

Better Temperature Control

Feeling like your room is far too cold in the morning or steaming hot at night can make waking up and falling asleep a lot harder than it should be. Depending on the issue you’re facing, investing in a solution like a quiet fan in your room or an air conditioner that can be set up to specific temperatures throughout the night can solve that issue right away. Controlling the temperature in your room can greatly improve the quality of sleep you get at night and investing in better ways to control it is surely one of the sleep essentials.

Comfortable Pyjamas 

Feeling uncomfortable in your bedtime clothes can have you tossing and turning all night but once you get yourself a few pyjamas that have a very light touch on your skin, you’ll find that you’ll be instantly feeling a lot better throughout your sleep. Just make sure that you’re diverse in your choices as getting heavy pyjamas might work in winter but it definitely won’t in summer.

Scented Pillow Sprays

Soothing your sense of smell with a scented pillow spray can be the key to reducing stress levels and giving you a healthier sleep cycle. Some scents like lavender and chamomile work very well and they’re quite inexpensive, so if you’re struggling with insomnia then try to scent your pillows so that you can relax a lot easier.

Breathable Bed Sheets & Blankets

Getting breathable bed sheets and blankets greatly improve your comfort while sleeping as they won’t trap your body heat inside the blanket with you, making you feel like you’re slowly cooking under the covers. Making sure the material of your bedsheets and blankets doesn’t trap your body’s heat solves the issue of constantly removing and recovering yourself with your blanket at night.

Understanding where your sleep issues are coming from and then investing in a solution to help you sleep better can positively impact your entire day as you’ll never wake up grumpy and tired anymore. Since your bed is where you depend on getting all of your rest, splurge a little extra to make sure you’re getting the best rest you can get to prepare you for the next day, especially if the issue you’re dealing with concerns your mattress or your pillows. Investing in higher quality will always save you more than getting the cheaper option as you’ll surely feel the cost difference at night.

Wearing clean and tidy clothes helps you feel great and builds your self-confidence. Ironing not only removes folds and shrinkage, but it also makes clothes look cleaner. Ironing is also a way of removing microorganisms and fungi in your clothes.

Proper laundering and ironing help to extend the life span of the fabric in your clothes, while keeping the colour and texture. Whilst ironing is definitely not a favourite chore for many, these days we all want our clothes to last longer – particularly when there are lots of children to buy for.  In this post, you’ll find some tips and tricks to make ironing your clothes easier. 

Correct Temperature For Each Type of Fabric

Before you start, it is important to inspect your clothes closely for any stains. Applying heat to stains would simply drive them into the fabric deeper, making it more difficult to wash them out later.

Make sure to set up your ironing board in a room with good light, as trying to iron in bad lighting can waste your efforts. Relatively small creases are often hard to spot, particularly on lighter fabrics. The processes are going to be easier and more efficient, and you will be getting a better outcome. It is easier to do your ironing in the room so you can use the bed to sort your laundry and have the nearest hangers in the wardrobe.

It is beneficial to arrange the clothing by temperature, from lowest to highest. Iron silk garments and synthetics on low to medium heat, moderate to high for wool, and approximately 400 ° F to 425 ° F cotton and linens which is at high temperatures. 

Because the appropriate temperature is crucial, let the iron sit for a few minutes after the controls have been changed.

Products made of 100% cotton are often much easier to iron than other fabrics. Cotton creases can, however, be highly difficult to iron out. Another strategy is tackling them when they are still damp as the heat can generate steam, which makes creases fall out. 

Keep Your Iron Clean

Disaster can happen when we neglect to maintain our iron so it should be periodically cleaned. Bicarbonate soda, cotton buds and other household items can be used to clean your iron. To make a paste you can use for cleaning, mix some baking soda with a little water and rub the paste over the iron. To clean the soleplate, you can use a gentle brush to remove any dirt and gunk.  Wipe with some clean water and you might also need a moist cotton swab to clean up the steam holes. 

If your iron needs replacing, choose one with built-in safety features to avoid the risk of injury and burns. A cordless iron can be an invaluable investment and one that has an automatic shut-off feature can help too. This way it will not cause a fire if you inadvertently put the iron on.

You can also check the types of steam irons available online on review sites online where you will be able to compare factors such as cost and performance so that you choose the best iron for your needs. 

Time-saving Tips

• When ironing larger items like a bed sheet or curtains, set two seats beside the ironing board and gently fold the part onto the chairs while you progress on it. You will also be able to iron large items covered with a towel on a tabletop, but make sure that table is not going to be damaged by the steam or extreme heat.

• Cutting down the ironing duration by placing a piece of aluminium foil underneath the ironing board cover is a smart idea. The aluminium reflects the heat, so you are technically ironing both sides simultaneously.

• Keep freshly ironed parts away from you to help avoid creases and having to go over the same area again. To avoid puckering of collars, cuffs, and hems, iron them first on the opposite side. Iron double-thickness cloth first inward, then outward.

• Place the iron just above the cloth as you push badly wrinkled corduroy, and steam the fabric thoroughly. When the corduroy is still damp, you can use your palm to smooth it easily. Renew the velvet or corduroy nap by placing it on one piece of the same cloth on the right side down.

• You can easily make your own starch mist at home by gradually mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 cups of water. Pour the mixture into a clean spray bottle once the starch is dissolved. When ironing, spray the fabrics lightly.

• While ironing embroidery or eyelets, iron them face down on a thick towel to prevent flattening. You can also keep the pleats in place with paper clips but be careful with the clips not to snag the fabric when ironing.

The best ironing trick is in long and straight strokes. Try to prevent stroking too much of the iron around, as that can cause the garment to expand. It can also create new fabric wrinkles that will be hard to eliminate.

I hope that these tips have been helpful. Do you have any more to add?

When it comes to your property, good design is critical in the planning process since it helps to improve the appearance of your home. Good design is important for both new structures and existing buildings but it’s not as straightforward a process as you might think. Well designed places make us feel safe, comfortable, and proud of our homes. While local authorities’ regulations guide property developers, you can design the space inside your home to suit your needs. Read on to learn the importance of design planning in your home. 

Interior Design Helps Improve Home Appearance

If you want to make over a particular room or the entire house, you can consider a new design. There are even design experts that provide their services online to help you get started, and they offer guidance throughout the whole process. You just need to capture a few photographs of the room that you want to be designed and leave the rest to a design expert who will provide you with a 3D design for your room or home. The advantage of hiring an online designer is that they offer affordable rates, and you can also make necessary changes to the new design before fully implementing it. Again you can tell the designer what you specifically want so you can get the best design that suits your needs. 

You Can Get Property That Suits Your Budget

With proper interior design, you do not have to worry about exceeding your budget or buying unplanned things that may not fit in your house. If you properly plan the interior design of your home, you can shop with confidence since the designers use accurate measures of your space. The main secret behind the design planning process of your home pertains to the available space that you have. When you get the design outline of your home, you will rest assured that you can buy items that suit your budget as well as your space. When you have a good design, you will not waste money on items that do not help to improve the appearance of your home.   

Helps You Use Underutilized Space

Good design in the planning process starts inside the house with eye-catching arrangements that make your home a pleasant place to be. Effective utilization of space inside your home is crucial since it can vastly improve the well-being of the internal environment. When you realize that there is underutilized space in your house, you can convert it to something that adds value to your place. However, it is crucial to get good design ideas from professional designers. All the same, it is important to ensure that your house has sufficient space for light and other natural methods for cooling your home.

Helps Increase Value Of Property

When undertaking a construction project, it is vital to include eye-catching designs at every stage of the planning process; this helps to increase the value of the property throughout the entire development process. Quality design helps you to get more return on investment in the future should you decide to sell your property. Creating a home that suits the changing needs of people is paramount since this helps to create and maintain the value of the property. Good design also requires the developers to incorporate certain design elements that can make the property more adaptable to climate changes. Climate change is real, so a housing unit with quality design can withstand the impacts of different weather elements. 

Design Planning In Project Management

The success of each project depends on design planning, which sets out the goals to be achieved from the onset. When you have a proper design, you can complete your project on time and within the set budget. Many projects are usually thrown off track when the executors try to make changes midway. The danger of such an eventuality is that the changes can impact the whole project, which can ultimately be very costly. Therefore, design planning is essential in project management since it determines the success or failure of that particular project. 

As you are now aware, design planning is very important since it helps to improve the appearance of your home. For instance, interior design can help you buy the quality property that suits your needs. Design planning also helps you to utilize all the space that you feel is underutilized in your home. In property development, design planning helps the project executors to realize the desired goals on time. Good design also adds value to the property, which means that it can fetch a higher price when you decide to sell it at a later stage.   

For homeowners taking care of their property, it’s a long-lasting commitment. Similar to having a child, homes need to be looked after and given proper attention. Take a look below at the top tips for maintaining a traditional property.

Photo by Jesse Roberts on Unsplash

If you choose a traditional home for its charming architecture and character, you have won big in a lot of ways, congratulations! Keep in mind that you have now taken on the task of managing and maintaining the properties’ beauty and ensuring it lasts for your intended uses.

While traditional homes are usually structurally sound, they can have some issues with heat/cooling, water pipes, and some other infrastructural damages suffered over time. It helps to do a thorough inspection before buying, bring an expert with you to ease your doubts.

These top tips for maintaining a traditional property can provide a guide for where and what to tend to before moving on to choosing indoor colours. Here’s what you can do to look after your new or old home:

Roof and floors

Also known as ceilings and foundations, these two areas are the basis of any good home, it’s why they are at the beginning of these top tips for maintaining a traditional property.

Starting with the roof, holes and deterioration on the ceiling can cause water leaks inside the home, humidity, cold air and heat loss, and just be a general pain to people living there.

Photo by Adrien Olichon on Unsplash

Do an inspection of the roof with a professional and patch up any holes found, you can even wait for a rainy day to get an excellent idea of where the faults are.

Now with foundations, be prepared to find cracks in traditional homes, it’s a given after the passage of time and natural elements have had their way. Something that might help is to know what type of foundation your home is built on and if it has ever been replaced or upgraded.

No need for excessive worry though because professionals should be able to repair the cracks and get your home standing on solid ground promptly.

One of the many reasons people may choose one home over the other is because of light, and windows are responsible for that. They not only illuminate your home but allow you to have controlled access to the outside, for fresh air or fending off windy days.

Updating your windows is one of the easiest and most effective top tips for maintaining a traditional property, these details can change the whole look and feel of a home.

Renewing windows with more resistant, reliable materials like timberwindows-direct.co.uk is a sound choice for homeowners…a simple change that goes a long way.

Photo by Nathan Fertig on Unsplash

Pipes and more

This is quite important and likely the most costly and intrusive of changes to make to your home: pipes, and heating/cooling systems.

These are essentials for homes to deal with harsh winters and survive hot summers. They are sometimes built into walls and can be a pain to change.

While it may be a tiresome endeavour, it’s one you cannot do without, so best to get to it so you can enjoy your home!

A beautiful garden is the dream of many a homeowner. But the ‘perfect’ outdoor space doesn’t appear overnight – it takes time and thorough planning to get just right. This explains why more and more homeowners are creating outdoor spaces where they can spend a greater amount of time relaxing and enjoying the fruits of their labour (or lack thereof) rather than maintaining it. The last thing anyone wants is to spend months and months perfecting their garden only to spend the majority of their time keeping it clean once it’s finished. So, what can you do?

By far the best option to take is to create an outdoor space that not only looks incredible but takes very little effort to keep looking good. You may think that good looks and low maintenance are mutually exclusive, but this balance has become more achievable in recent years, with homeowners up and down the country creating all sorts of amazing outdoor aesthetics. Regardless of the size of your garden or outdoor space, there are several tips and tricks that you can utilise and put into action to ensure the days spent getting your hands dirty with upkeep are a thing of the past.

Lose the lawn

One of the first and easiest things to think about when creating a low-maintenance outdoor space is to consider reducing the size of your lawn. (If your garden doesn’t have a grassy area, you can skip this tip and head straight to the next one.)

When it comes to lawns, most people understand that it can take considerable time and care to get lush, green grass that you can be proud of. Processes of feeding, mowing, watering and weeding need to be undertaken on a routine basis. Certain green-fingered folk may enjoy getting their hands a little dirty, but for those of us who prefer to avoid it, simply reducing the area of your lawn is one way of decreasing your garden’s maintenance requirements. If you want to take things a little further and get rid of lawn maintenance altogether, artificial grass may be a good option for you.

Go perennial

An outdoor space wouldn’t be truly outdoorsy without a little bit of plant life, right? If you like having flowers and plants in your garden, unfussy perennials are just the thing. Perennials can deliver a dose of colour and vibrance without the need for constant care and attention – just what any low-maintenance outdoor space needs.

A popular choice within many low-maintenance gardens, perennial plants and flowers can live for more than two years. They often die off during the autumn and winter and return during the spring from their rootstock, meaning once planted they can simply be left to do their thing. With lavender, geraniums and all sorts of other plant species to choose from, you are sure to find something that suits your needs as well as complementing the look that you’re trying to achieve.

Pots and beds

Another great option for time-poor plant lovers is to add a selection of potted plants or plant beds to your outdoor space. Adding pots to your landscape not only makes your space more low-maintenance but also more versatile, with a range of pot styles available to choose from. Pots are also very easy to move around, so if you fancy a change of scenery or you want to switch up the dynamics of your outdoor space, you can do this with very little fuss.

Raised plant beds are a fantastic option also, reducing the need to bend and kneel and occasionally doubling up as seating options (which can save you some valuable ground space). If you’d like to take things further again, you can look to add shrubs into your space to replace beds. These can still provide the much-needed greenery that outdoor spaces require without the seasonal maintenance.

Choose composite decking

Nowadays, many homes have some form of decking in the garden, whether it’s the space’s main feature or a subtle decked area with a few bits of furniture. A lot of decks are made of cheap, easy-to-install boards that look good once they’ve been fitted; however, homeowners quickly realise that the work doesn’t end with the installation.

Hardwood decking is a popular choice because of its natural appearance. But one of the biggest disadvantages of wood decking is the upkeep required to keep it looking good as well as safe. Rotting, fading and splitting are all possibilities when it comes to wood decking, resulting in more money and time being spent on replacing faulty boards. Then there’s plastic decking, which requires very little upkeep but is prone to flexing and bowing over time when exposed to the elements, again requiring further attention.

Composite decking is made of a combination of both natural hardwood and synthetic materials. The result is an extremely hard-wearing product that is capable of coping in many outdoor conditions. As a result, you’ll never have to worry about your deck boards fading, warping, splitting or rotting, with some composite deck boards lasting up to 30 years! This provides homeowners with the perfect decking option to keep their outdoor space looking gorgeous with very little effort.

Mulch, mulch, mulch

The final thing that you can do to minimise the amount of time you spend maintaining your outdoor space is to mulch! Typically, mulching is used to stop weeds from growing, to save water and to enhance the soil around plants, but this technique can also be used to give your outdoor space a neat and tidy aesthetic. Mulching helps to break down and fertilise your plants and flowers whilst preventing weeds from growing. It covers the bare soil and any sprouting weeds stopping them from germinating.

Mulching also activates soil and feeds plants, helping them to out-compete and crowd out any unwanted weeds. Once mulch has been added to your outdoor space, it will need very little attention. Simply replace every autumn to ensure your garden remains a weed-free zone.

Mulch also provides your garden with a pleasant aroma that will complement its new and stylish look. Perfect for an organic experience for you and all your guests!

The temperature’s rising, the pollen count is itching your eyes, and there’s a cool bottle of rose in your fridge just begging to be opened and enjoyed in the heat of the afternoon sun.

But there’s one problem – your garden is an overgrown infestation of weeds, long grass and litter.

Photo by Timothy L Brock on Unsplash

It’s the kind of garden that would make a landscaper weep with despair. The closest you have to a water feature is a puddle that’s formed by your dilapidated shed, and the nettles which have grown around your fence look more dangerous than barbed wire.

There’s nothing for it, you’re going to have to renovate – and thankfully we’re on hand to help you.

Ditch the long grass

Mowing your garden might seem like a royal pain in the posterior, but it’s a necessary part of garden maintenance. Without a high-quality lawnmower, your garden will forever have the appearance of a creepy forest.

One of the finest brands in the world is Flymo. They provide all manner of lawnmowers, from hand-activated hover lawnmowers to hi-tech robotic mowers that will mow the garden for you. They’re head and shoulders above all other lawnmower companies.

Flowers

Now that you’ve cleared away some of your long grass, it’s time to plant a few flowers to make your quaint little garden brim with charm.

You won’t be able to plant any seeds you find on the internet however you like. Instead, you’ll have to choose the right flowers for the season and care for them as they grow. Within a few months, you’ll have a garden that’ll feel like it’s in glorious Technicolour.

If you’re planning on creating an elaborate patch of flowers, you’ll need to cordon off your flower beds from the rest of the garden with a few pieces of wire and some fence posts. Ormiston Wire is your best port of call, offering a wide variety of high-quality wiring that’s ideal for anyone with green fingers.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A place to relax

Maybe you’re happy with little more than a deckchair in your garden, but there are some folks out there who look at their tiny stretch of land and want to lounge amidst it in absolute luxury.

We’re talking full garden settees, wicker dining tables, ultra-comfy bean bags and even giant umbrellas to shade your sensitive skin from the blistering sun.

This is the path towards sheikh-like decadence in your garden, and it’s amply provided for by Shackleton’s Home & Garden.

Shackleton’s is a lifestyle brand that’s been providing its customers with garden furniture for many years, and as such it’s gained an impressive reputation.

Its wide array of furniture is designed to weather any season (a blessing in Britain’s variable climate) and comes with built-in comfort. Might be time to ditch those deckchairs, eh?

That’s my list! Have you got an amazing garden, or is it in need of a spruce-up? Let me know in the comments below!