Innovative Cleaning Tips and Tricks for Your Home

If you are looking for easy tips and tricks to get started on Spring Cleaning for your home, then you have come to the right place.

Tip #1 for Cleaning your Toaster:

Use a few drops of water, cream of tartar, and a sponge to get your stainless steel appliances looking brand new again.

Tip #2 for Cleaning your Sink:

Cut a lemon or lime in half. With the water on and garbage disposal running, add the fruit one at a time to the disposal. The fruit will help clean your drain and make it smell good at the same time.

This is also a great way to use citrus fruit that's on its way out.
For the faucets and handles, wipe with a mild soapy solution. The toothbrush can be used to get in the hard-to-reach areas. Again, if spots remain, a cloth soaked in white vinegar can be used. Once you're finished cleaning, thoroughly rinse once more time and dry with a soft rag. Your sink should now be sparkly clean!

Tip #3 for Cleaning your Windowsills:

Dip a q-tip in white vinegar and run it along the track.

Tip #4 for Cleaning your Baseboards:

Wipe a Dryer Sheet along the Baseboards once a month to keep dirt and hair from collecting on the baseboards.

Tip #5 for Cleaning your Candles:

Wiping your candles with cut pantyhose will remove dirt and dust easily from your decorative candles.

For even more Tips and Tricks on how to easily keep your home clean, check out the article here:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/33-meticulous-cleaning-tricks-for-the-ocd-person-i

Bathroom Tiling Ideas

Looking for a challenging but fun renovation project this spring/summer? Re-doing your bathroom not only provides you with a beautiful retreat and living space, an appealing bathroom can add increased value to your home when it comes time to sell.

Here are some beautiful pictures of bathrooms from HGTV that have been thoughtfully and intelligently renovated/updated with different tiles.




Pay Attention to the Details

Portland, Ore., designer Jessica Helgerson believes the little tiling details can make or break a space. For example, she finds it's important to carefully consider where the tile starts and stops. If there isn't a clean way to end the tiling, she'll often take the tile all the way up the wall. This bathroom features one of Jessica's favorite tiles, made by Oceanside GlassTile. Photo courtesy of Jessica Helgerson

 

Play With the Trim Options

In this bathroom, Jessica Helgerson uses a 3 x 6 brick from Pratt and Larson's Simple Solutions, which is chosen for the great variety of trim options. For example, the tile wainscot has a decorative base and top cap, and a different cap is used for the edge of the tub. She then uses black and white marble hexagon mosaics on the floor, creating a decorative border with the white tile. Photo courtesy of Jessica Helgerson

 

Create a Spa-Like Effect

When Cortney was presented with the challenge of a large bathroom, she decided to create a light and airy waterfall-like atmosphere. To accomplish this, she has the glass tiles installed vertically and keeps the grout neutral. Bishop says, "As a general rule, less is more. Using one tile throughout a space gives a cleaner, more consistent look." Photo courtesy of Courtney Bishop.

 

Use Various Tile Shapes in Different Colors

San Francisco Bay-area designer Kriste Michelini uses tile to create a divide between the wet and dry areas of the bathroom. She frequently experiments with unique combinations of tile and uses various tile shapes in the same marble material to create a sense of infinite space. Photo courtesy of Kriste Michelini

 

For more of these great Tile ideas, visit:

 http://www.hgtv.com/bathrooms/high-end-bathroom-tile-designs/pictures/index.html