Archives for May 2020

When you can feel the sun on your face and smell the crisp air in the mornings, that lets you know that spring has arrived. Spring is not only the time when beautiful flowers bloom and when allergies are on high alert, but it’s also the perfect time to take on some spring cleaning projects to improve your home’s exteriors before summer arrives.

When you talk about spring cleaning, most people tend to think of a home’s interiors, but the reality is that your home’s exteriors need just as much TLC as your home’s interiors. According to funhappyhome.com, spring cleaning your home’s interiors is said to make you appreciate what you have and improve your overall health. But it’s also been proven that improving your home’s exteriors improves mood and increases happiness.

So who’s to say improving your indoors is more important than your home’s exteriors? Your home’s exteriors endure harsh elements year after year, and when you don’t take care of it, it can cause your home to have an undesirable appearance, which can then lead to a decrease in mood.

There are spring cleaning projects that you can do to your home that will not only improve your home’s appearance but also make your home feel more inviting. The great news about these projects is that they won’t break the bank.

If you’re trying to find ways to improve your home’s exteriors, consider these inexpensive spring cleaning tips to get your home looking its best before summer arrives.

Update Your Front Door

You may not realize it but your front door is a part of your house that endures more wear and tear than you may think. After enduring the harsh elements that winter brings, you may notice a few dings or scratches on your door now that spring is here.

Maybe you just need to touch up those bad spots on your door… Or, if you want to completely change the look of your front door, consider adding a fresh new color to make your door pop. Just be sure to thoroughly clean your door and ensure it’s free from dust and debris so the paint will adhere properly.

While you’re freshening up your door, it’s also a good idea to consider updating your door’s hardware as well. Whether you update the door handles or the numbering on your house, it will all play a part in updating your home’s outer appearance, and it’s all for the price of a can of exterior paint and a brush.

Clean Your Front Porch

If you’re like most people, once fall arrives, you do your best to try and keep the falling leaves at bay so they don’t completely pile up and hide your house. But in your attempts, you tend to just let the leaves build up after a while… This is called outdoor clutter, and yes your home’s exteriors can get cluttered just like the inside of your home.

By the time spring arrives, your porch probably has leaves and other remnants from the previous seasons that need to be cleaned. This is a simple fix that can drastically improve your home’s exteriors. Cleaning remedies as simple as a broom and one of the best leaf blowers can be the resolution you need.

Once you’re done sweeping or blowing the leaves away, you can also pressure wash your porch or at least rinse it off with a hosepipe to remove any remaining dirt and debris. This is something that will cost you a little bit of time and elbow grease.

Clean Your Gutters

Clean gutters contribute to your home properly draining water. Being that your home endured fall, it’s a pretty safe bet that your home’s gutters are more than likely full of leaves. So to ensure your home drains water properly, it’s best to clean your gutters right at the start of spring so that when spring showers arrive, there won’t be any issues.

Some homeowners will clean the gutters themselves but it’s a very unsafe task to do and should be left up to the professionals. Whether you need gutters installed, replaced, cleaned, or repaired, Kansas City gutter guards give you access to gutter professionals that will allow you to make an informed decision on which contractor to do business with.

Wash or Repair Your Walkway

Your walkway is an area of your home that needs to be clear and safe because it’s the entryway to your home… the last thing you need is debris or cracks that cause trip hazards when trying to enter or leave your home.

Sometimes a pressure washer is the trick to clearing and cleaning your walkway, but if you live in an area that endures harsh weather, you may need to hire a contractor to repair your walkway to ensure it’s safe.

Have you ever woken up in your house one morning and found there were bugs or rodents? Unwanted pests and rodents will place a damper on the pleasure you get from home and garden. Consider mixing two items from your household to get your own home-made pest cure. Check the tips below and helpful DIY recipes to keep your house and garden safe from unwelcome visitors or call a pest control stuart.

Borax and Sugar Ant Killer

This favorite, Borax and sugar trick is a good trick to deal with ants. Located right in the context of the ants’ march, this combination will turn your insect dilemma into a real picnic. Only try this 1/2 cup sugar solution, 1 cup of really warm water and 2 Borax tablespoons.

Pepper spray

Try mixing 1 gallon of water and 3 tablespoons of hot pepper flakes or 10 finely chopped peppers if you are using fresh peppers for a hotter type of pest control in the garden (cayenne works best but other varieties also work). Stir ingredients in a saucepan for 15 minutes before straining, and let it rest for 24 hours.

Coffee Grounds

You can be in love with your coffee, just not with your rodents. They just can’t tolerate coffee at all. You should easily spray the filtered coffee grounds at the exact location of your home from where you believe the infestation comes. After doing this you’ll definitely figure out an important difference.

LemonGrass and Cinnamon

Lemon grass/ lemon juice, cinnamon and peppermint. Sounds like the basics for a perfect meal, but they’re just a few easy remedies to deter ants from entering your house. You should do away with pests yourself. If you think you hoe remedies do not work on ants, you can also use any of the local ant control in your house.

Dust mite oil repellent

If you have dust mite infestation at home then we have the perfect DIY way to produce your own dust mite spray repellent. Take any of the stated ingredients in a spray bottle-clove, eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary oil and cover with water. Use the spray on your pillow really gently. That preparation prevents the dust mites away from your bed because they very much dislike the scent of any of those products. You should make a mixture of Basil and Lemongrass if you want to keep the lice and fleas away too. This will help remove any unwelcome issues when you’re trying to sleep.

Garlic Mint Spray treatment

Create a mixture of Garlic-Mint spray to combat the pest outbreak in your house. All you need to do is purchase some mint leaves and garlic cloves and mix them into a grinder for mixing. Before that take some cayenne powder, dish-washing liquid and add it to the mixture.

However, due to all manner of rodents, specialists will reduce risks of possible health issues. It’s important to feel safe at home and not feel threatened by pests from outside. Do try the DIYs discussed above.

Where do you usually study? If the answer is “Lying in bed with my laptop on my lap while eating fries and nuggets,” then you may want to start refurbishing your room for work and study. Studying for an exam or writing a report if the study table is arranged and welcoming, will be a far more enjoyable and successful activity. You would just require a little space to set up your study area, be it your room, sitting room, corner of the kitchen or whatever. But, this space must be specifically reserved for schoolwork.

Let’s follow the given tips to set up a great study space for you:

Ideal Location in your Home

In a perfect home, you could devote a whole room to study. If that is not practicable then you will try to find a place away from your home’s noisiest places. Selecting the space next to the playroom for your child or a spot on the kitchen table would just cause disturbance. Consider reusing an existing guest room or basement where available or let it be your big room with a perfect corner for your study table.

A Clutter free Zone

Before you get down to work, you will need to wipe out some debris. A structured workplace has many advantages, such as increased efficiency and lowered stress. Offer some thought in the room to the computer equipment and textbooks that you would require and prepare accordingly. Moreover, you will feel fresh.

Supplies and Storage

Obviously, you would need all the equipment that you use while studying. Your books, course packs, stationary, laptop etc. Never make your study table look too messy that you can’t find the things when actually needed. Keep your stationary like pencil, pens (erasable pens if you are fancy) and highlighters in a cup. Place your sticky notes, bookmarks, calculators etc in a separate box/ basket. To keep textbooks and reference books handy but out of the way, put a small shelf or bookends on your table.

Personalize your Study Table

Even because you want a serious work space to be your study table, that doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Select the colors and designs of the pieces you need. Have a good lamp or light on your study table. You can place a cookie jar too to make it look fancy and you can eat them while studying. To avoid any kind of pests/ ants coming towards the cookie jar, always remember to close the cap of the jar tightly and place a local ant control and a dustbin under your desk.

Bring Positivity

Through putting up family pictures, or quotes from your favorite book, you will introduce this positivity into your study space too. If you don’t rely on clutter, frequently tidy up your room to keep it clean. You should always know to be praising yourself, as it works as good as learning, because you won it.

If you’ve built the best study space, you’ll love to be there; maybe it’s even your favorite thing in your house. You’re going to be forced to do something there, watching Netflix and chill, settle down and talk with friends but your work room will only be used to work wherever necessary.