Some Must-Have Kitchen Features

The kitchen is typically where you spend a lot of your day. After all, it is where you prepare and cook food. Because of this, you will want to invest heavily in your kitchen. More important than anything, you should invest in these must-have features.

Must-Have Kitchen Features:

Natural Light

Ideally, you will have a lot of natural light coming into your kitchen. Having a kitchen that features direct access to the outdoors is a great thing to have. If you don’t have this, you should at least look to get more natural light in your kitchen. If you don’t have a kitchen that has access to sufficient natural lighting, you could always consider installing skylights which can help to keep your kitchen bright and welcoming.

Double-Bowl Sink

A double-bowl sink is a must-have in any kitchen. It makes washing and rinsing the dishes much easier than with a single bowl sink. If you hand wash a lot of your dishes, a double-bowl sink needs to be installed.

Induction Cooktop

An induction cooktop is another feature that every kitchen should have. It features a surface that doesn’t get hot to the touch which can make it very good for anyone that has smaller children. Likewise, it can be a good addition to those that don’t have children. After all, they are stylish and practical. They also happen to be inherently much more energy-efficient than a traditional cooktop. Thus, it can end up saving you money over the long haul.

Coffee Bar

If you are someone who absolutely loves coffee, you want to set up your own coffee bar. Having a coffee bar setup can remove a lot of traffic from more busy and crowded parts of your kitchen and it can offer a lot of convenience to anyone who is looking to make coffee throughout the day. Therefore, it is a win-win.

Another is installing a grease trap. It allows your kitchen’s grease to flow freely through your pipes. I got my grease trap installed by grease trap pumping in Plano.

The above features are some of those that are deemed must-have. While everyone’s must-have features might be subjective, these features are a good starting point.

Tips To Clean Your House After The Occurrence Of A Household Illness

Your family may get sick when they are exposed to pathogens in your home. Anyone in your house may contact contagious illnesses such as flu or cold. It is your responsibility to ensure that any infected member of your house fully recovers.

Still, you have to make sure you prevent the reoccurrence of the illness within your home. Remember, some viruses can live for up to two weeks on hard surfaces.

You’ll require a commercial disinfectant to kill viruses, germs, and bacteria. Make sure you follow all instructions on the label. Use a cotton swab to disinfect tight areas in items such as computer keyboards, phones, doorknobs, light switches, and remotes.

Disinfecting your bed linens is important. Pay close attention to your pillowcases and sheets. Don’t forget to disinfect your kid’s favorite stuffed animal. You should protect yourself by putting on rubber gloves.

Bathrooms can harbor lots of bacteria and germs. Your loved one may diarrhea and vomit leaving tiny traces of bacteria. Always use a disinfectant cleaner on light switches, toilet seats, flushing handles, and trash cans. It is also important to thoroughly disinfect your toilet floor.

A sick person should have a designated hand towel to use. This towel needs to be changed daily. This helps to prevent the transfer of contagious illness through hand towels.

You need to cover your furniture with blankets or washable sheets. This is the best way to prevent contamination in your living room. Frequently clean items in your living room with a disinfectant. Remember to wipe down your coffee tables.

You shouldn’t let any sick person prepare food. This exposes your whole family to the same risk. Handwashing should be encouraged before eating any food.

Once the sick person has eaten food, heated water should be used to disinfect their utensils and dishes. Still, wipe hard surfaces including chair backs, drawers, cabinet hardware, and refrigerator handles.

If you have a grease trap installed in your kitchen then clean it. Call a pro to handle it. You can call Columbus grease trap pumping they are skilled in this field.

Household illnesses can spread easily if they aren’t taken care of. You should ensure that all surfaces in your home are properly disinfected. This is the best way to keep everyone safe.

Pool Party Ideas for Kids

As summer approaches, it’s time to get ready for warm weather, sunny skies, and days spent at the pool! This is especially true for those households with children. Are you ready to throw some unforgettable summer parties at your pool? Check out these excellent pool party ideas for kids.

Make Invitations Fun

Don’t just buy and send out boring old invitations to your guests. Rather, take the opportunity to craft with your children and bond with them as you plan out fantastic and creative invitations that will thrill and excite everyone lucky enough to receive them.

Before you get to work on your invitations, choose a theme for your party. Some great options include nautical, beach balls, and Hawaiian luau. Use construction paper, scrapbooking paper, washi tape, and other great art supplies to cut your invitations into fun shapes, such as popsicles or swimsuits. Have you decided to use a beach ball theme? Then why not use beach balls as invitations? Your guests will not only receive the information about your party, but they will also have a fun pool toy to use when they arrive.

Go Crazy With Decor

Do you know what really makes a pool party for kids fun? Decorations! So be willing to go crazy when setting up your pool area. Use balloons to play to the colors you are using, and even help guide kids around the areas that are housing the party. Throw in pool floaties to encourage children to jump in and make a splash. These can be found in super fun shapes, such as pizza slices, pretzels, whales, and more!

If you’re feeling like going all out, you can even have a balloon company create an arch to sit over your pool. Or, if you would like to DIY your party, make paper lanterns with your kids that will make your party location simply gorgeous.

Before putting all the decorations, you should clean first your pool and surroundings. Removed junks, waste and trim all the grass and trees that surround your pool. You can hire a tree arborist do the tree trimming. Alexandria has the best tree solutions to your tree problems.

Go Wild for Food

Of course, you plan to feed your guests, but at a pool party for kids, you have the opportunity to really get fun with the treats you serve. Carve up watermelon slices and place popsicle sticks in the rind for an easy-to-hold snack. Put differently-colored Twizzlers in a cup with a little sign that reads, “Pool Noodles.” Serve beach ball cake pops or cookies shaped like flip flops. And when it comes to the savory delights, why not set up a taco or burger bar where everyone can create their own meal and enjoy something that they like? Kids are picky eaters, but they will surely love these creative and yummy treats.

You can resurface or repaint your pool before the party, you can call a pool resurfacing company to do it for you. Cathedral City has the best pool services for your pool needs.

How To Find The Best Pool Services

Finding the best pool service company in your neighborhood is a fairly easy task. Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to get out of your house to find such contractors. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t hire the first company you come across, either. A little research will take you a long way, so let’s see what you can do to find the best contractor in your area of residence.

To start with, use your favorite search engine to see what you can get. You’ll probably find lots of pool services, so your biggest challenge will be to pick the most reliable of them, the one that would provide the best value for money.

The first thing you should do is to check out the websites of these contractors. Take a look at the work experience and at their client portfolio. Make sure you also check the types of cleaning products and techniques they use. If you are concerned with protecting the planet, you may want to select a green company. This would be good for you as well, because you’d have the peace of mind that they won’t be using harsh and potentially toxic chemicals to clean your pool.

Always consider getting at least three quotes from different providers. This is the best method to compare different services and to gain a better understanding of the market. Remember to search the web for client reviews and ratings. If these companies are listed in the major local business directories, chances are that some of their clients have reviewed their services. If you don’t find any reviews, simply contact the service providers to ask for customer references.

If you follow the above mentioned steps, you’ll surely find someone to take care of your pool, so that you can always enjoy a nice, good swim after work.

How to Properly Handle Water Damage in a Home

A home can become flooded when a natural disaster occurs, heavy rains are falling, or even when a pipe busts open. Regardless of how it happens, flooding often leads to water damage. The water inside the home can cause damage to your belongings, including chairs, tables, clothes, shoes, photo albums, and all the other important items you own. Having the water carefully yet quickly removed is the absolute best way to avoid as much damage as possible.

Trying to get rid of all the water by yourself could turn into a tiring and time-consuming task. Unfortunately, you do not have a lot of time to waste when you are dealing with a buildup of water in your home because it will continue to damage your belongings and your property as long as it continues to sit there. Because there is not a lot of time to wait around, you can hire a professional water damage restoration company to assist with extracting all the water from your property.

By hiring professionals, you can have the job done correctly. The professionals will make sure that no traces of water are left behind, even if it takes hours of suctioning the water with large water extractors. Aside from removing all the water from the property, they may even work on drying out each of the different rooms and salvaging any of your belongings that were soaked. While there is no guarantee that you will not need to throw certain items away due to the extent of the damage, you do have a greater chance of saving your belongings and having your home restored when you hire professionals.

Dealing with water damage is difficult for anyone. As a homeowner, you need to get help with taking care of it because the problem will not get any better until you have had the water removed from your property.

3 Simple Home Repair Tips That Will Save You Money

Do you feel like you have been spending a bundle on home repairs? If so, doing it yourself can save you a ton of money. Don’t worry. It is not necessary to be a handyman in order to take charge and do it on your own. Here are three simple home repair tips that will help you keep some of your money in your pocket.

Sand And Paint Old Chairs

If you have old wooden chairs that have seen better days, do not throw them away or hire a professional to restore them for you. The best thing to do is to grab some sandpaper and a can of paint. Using sandpaper will make the surface smooth, then you can use the paint to cover the surface with a new look. Make sure that you wipe well after sanding so none of the dust settles and sticks to the paint you are applying. 

Change Old Hardware

Things like door handles and cabinet knobs can look old fairly quickly. Instead of replacing doors and cabinets, you can try installing new hardware. This can give the whole place a new look and this is considerably cheaper than replacing the entire unit. Repair grease trap from a fast and affordable grease trap repair company.

Stop Floors From Squeaking

One of the best simple home repair tips out there is as easy as pie and it involves squeaking floors. Instead of having the entire floor ripped up, you can apply talcum powder an allow it to fall between the cracks. This will stop that annoying sound from invading your life. If your deck is in need of resurface or repair, you must call deck services to repair it for you if you have a bigger amount of budget.

When your home’s foundation has cracks, repair it from foundation repair services that have affordable rates.

As you can tell, there are easy fixes out there or some of the most common household issues. If you want to get things back in order without sending a bundle, you should consider these ideas the next time something goes wrong. It beats calling a pro and spending money you really do not have.

But If you have a bigger problem in your house that needs to be repaired like repeated roof problems, you should now hire a roofing service company to fix it for you.

Is it time to tow a vehicle and have it moved to a new location?

There are many people in situations such as these and don’t know what direction to go in. As a result, it makes sense to go with the best towing & wrecker company as soon as possible!

Here’s what this company is able to provide to its clients.

Certified

Clients are going to meet up with professionals that know what it takes to tow a vehicle and will be able to put together a solution that’s fulfilling. There is nothing better than being able to speak to someone that has seen it all because it simplifies the process. All you have to do is sit down with the professional and get started with a world-class solution. The towing is going to be done promptly and will work out as intended.

To make sure this is the case, each specialist is trained and has appropriate credentials to work in the industry.

Quick Solutions

In this type of situation, the first thing a client demands is timeliness and that’s something this team is aware of. There is real value in selecting a company in Bakersfield that has been helping clients for years and will take the opportunity to deliver quick solutions. It keeps things organized and will guarantee superior results to those who need them.

For solutions that fit your timeline, start with this company and know the towing is going to be done in a professional manner once the call is made.

Safe Methods

With towing, it’s important to choose a service provider that is safe with its methods. There are multiple variables at play when it comes to towing a vehicle and it’s best to go with those who know what to do. This company has been able to earn praise in Bakersfield and is one of the best in the business and what it is able to offer. For those looking to get their vehicle towed from point A to point B, this is one of the ideal companies available right now. The results are going to be exceptional.

To get started with the best towing & wrecker service, please take the time to call Bakersfield Towing & Wrecker rush in to help. This is one of the best options one can go with when it is time to get a vehicle towed.

How to deal with bed bugs in your home

Did you figure out that you have bed bugs living in your home? The realization may have occurred after you were continuously dealing with random bites and eventually spotted a live bed bug crawling around on your couch or bed. Unfortunately, these bugs are annoying to deal with and can truly make life miserable, but there are ways to get rid of them. If you do want to get rid of the bed bugs for good, you are going to need to take several essential steps.

Start Washing Everything

These pests can live in your clothes, bed sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and even stuffed animals. Because they can cling to nearly everything, it is a good idea to start washing everything that you possibly can put into a washing machine. Wash your clothes and linen and then dry them because the heat from the water in the washer and from the dryer will kill these bed bugs. Once you have washed everything, keep your items in sealed trash bags until you have had your home treated and no longer have bed bugs lingering around.

Bring in a Pest Control Company

While you may find some bed bug sprays that you can purchase at home improvement stores, these sprays are often ineffective. In fact, they can even make the situation worse when they are not used correctly. Because you do not want to continue dealing with this frustrating problem, you need to hire a pest control company and bring the professionals to your home to start treatment. Pest control professionals may use a heat treatment or an insecticide that is effective on the bed bugs. Buffalo bed bug exterminator can help you eliminate your bed bugs at home.

If you get the heat treatment done, the heat will kill all the bed bugs immediately, so you will no longer have to deal with them. If you get the insecticide treatment done, you may still see evidence of bed bugs for a short period of time because the bugs will need to encounter the insecticide to die.

When there are bed bugs in the home, you need to take certain steps to get rid of them quickly. Washing your clothes and linen is the first step, but you will also need to hire a pest control company to assist you with getting rid of these pests.

Fabric Button Initial Art

Happy Thursday! I’m still knee-deep working on my daughters closet makeover but I thought I would share a fun craft with you today that will be included in the reveal!  I save all the clothes that my kids have worn as babies up until about age 2 unless it’s something special that I would like to hang on to. Now what to do with all of those clothes!?!  This is a fun project that will help you cherish those little tiny baby memories forever in a way that can still be displayed and enjoyed! I can still remember the particular outfit that my baby was brought home from the hospital in or blessed in or wore for their first pictures so keeping these special memories alive is important to me!  Fabric Button Initial Art(using your babies clothes:

  Here is what you’ll need to re-create this gorgeous initial art:

Supplies:wood initial (found at craft store)button making kit (2 sizes)baby clotheshot glue gunframe (mine is 11 x 14)scrapbook paper  First, start by cutting out circles in your clothes. Follow the instructions on the cover button kit. I covered the cardboard in the frame with scrapbook paper and then hot glued the letter to that. Make sure to cut off any shanks on the backs of your buttons so that they lay flat 🙂 Hot glue your buttons to your letter and display! Easy as that and you have a unique piece of art that will be special for years to come!   And just so you’re not worried……I will use the cut up piece of clothing for a memory quilt so it will not go to waste 🙂 

Enjoy your art and have a beautiful day!

Distressed Yellow Dresser and How I Sand Furniture

I thought I would share with you today my distressed and roughed up yellow dresser in my master bedroom that I’ve given you sneak peeks of in my post about how to create gallery walls

and also shown you here in my nursery inspiration post…….  

 I love the very pale yellow…..it totally compliments our rooms color scheme and helps to calm down all of the dark elements we have in our room. The paint is from Sherwin-Williams and I cannot tell you what the exact color is – only that I color matched it to a paint swatch I had that I now cannot find 🙁 What a crummy tutorial this is turning out to be, right? Anyhow, I will say that if you are painting furniture you’ll want to use a Sherwin-Williams paint (or something comparable) namely, the Pro Classic line. It will save you many a headache 🙂  I purposely didn’t prime this piece because I wanted as much original stain that I could get peeking out as possible. I applied two coats of paint and let it dry overnight.  Here is the FUN part:  

   My husband questioned me about distressing the dresser top the way I was going about doing it……let me first share a little secret with you……I LOVE to paint and stain but I HATE to sand!! Is anyone else with me?!? It’s hard work!! Sooooo being the lazy sander that I am I opted to ditch my sanding pad and pulled out my palm sander! 

 I started with the idea that I would just lightly distress the edges but as I started working with my palm sander to smooth out the top of my dresser it began pulling paint off in sections and was really loving how rough it started looking with entire sections sanded down to the original stain! (There’s also a huge section sanded down underneath my mirrored tray:)  I used the palm sander for the edges of the drawers and then had to get out a small piece of sandpaper to reach the corners and small spaces.

I wanted my sander to touch every corner and edge of the dresser and I accomplished the sanding process much faster than if using a sanding pad!  This piece would have been beautiful left alone but sanding it the way I did added so much more character!! What do you think?  Finally, I used a clear coat of Fiddes & Sons wax to seal and protect. 

 The knobs are all from Hobby Lobby. I wanted the top drawer to have chunkier knobs to create visual interest. Try mixing and matching your hardware –  I think you’ll love the result! Mix a funky pattern with a solid or a shiny gold with a muted pewter and you can even play with different sizes too!  As for the accessories, the candlestick and frame I’ve had forever. The bowl is from Tai Pan and the glass balls are from Michael’s. The aqua artichoke is from Marshall’s and the mirrored platter and white bowls are thrifted.  There you have it!! I hope you gleaned a bit of knowledge from my uncommon refinishing process 🙂