home-kitchen

Experts in remodeling.

We have the education, experience and team for your dream project.

Posts Tagged ‘cleaning’

Keeping Your Floors Clean And Bright

by admin, 10:57 AM on May 10th, 2012, Comments Off

Your new floor is an important part of the investment you’ve made in your newly remodeled space.  Proper maintenance and care will help it give you a lifetime of comfort and beauty.  Here are a few tips for cleaning the most common floor coverings.

Hardwood Floors

Moisture is your floor’s greatest enemy. Wipe spills immediately. If you have wood flooring in your kitchen, put an area rug in front of the sink.  Dirt and dust can scratch your floor. Sweep, dust mop or vacuum regularly, but never vacuum with the beater bars operating. Use doormats at all exterior entrances to trap dirt and clean them regularly too.  Make sure the heels of shoes, especially high heels, are in good repair. Unprotected heel tips or nails can damage a floor.  Use felt glides on furniture and periodically check to see that they remain clean.

Carpet

Regular vacuuming is the most important cleaning activity for carpet, but deep cleaning is required to remove stubborn dirt and stains. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends that carpet be deep cleaned at least every 12 or 18 months. No matter what method you choose, follow the manufacturers’ directions on all cleaning products.

Your carpet’s fiber determines the appropriate cleaning method. Most carpet manufactured today is made with synthetic fibers like nylon, polyester or olefin, and may be cleaned with most cleaning methods.  Natural fibers may require specialized care.  Ask your carpet installer for advice on the best cleaning method for your floor.

Tile and Stone

For regular granite maintenance, use a solution of a mild non-abrasive cleaner or clear non-sudsing ammonia and water. Natural stones (travertine and limestone) can be cleaned using a neutral or slightly alkaline non-abrasive cleaner with a pH between seven and 10.  For routine maintenance of ceramic tile use a non oil-based all purpose cleaner Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove all traces of cleaning solution.  Dry with soft white cloth to prevent streaking.

Spring Cleaning Should Include Gutters

by admin, 8:53 AM on April 18th, 2012, Comments Off

It might seem like a fall job, but gutters can collect leaves and other junk during the winter and spring, too.   Rain gutters protect you and your home from water damage.  With that in mind, here’s a reminder of last fall’s post on gutter maintenance.

Wet leaves and debris can cause water to back up in the gutters. That can force water to overflow the sidewalls or worse can pull the gutters away from the fascia boards. It can also cause erosion around the foundation, wet basements, and siding rot.

Cleaning Gutters

You should inspect and clean your rain gutters at least twice a year, once in the late fall and once in early spring. By cleaning rain gutters in late fall you can be sure to remove any leaves, branches and other debris that may have accumulated during the summer and fall seasons.  You also ensure that gutters work properly during the winter, or at least minimize ice build-up.  Spring cleaning gutters gives you a chance to check for any ice damage and to remove any debris that may have accumulated.

Gutter cleaning typically requires a ladder, garden hose with spray nozzle, and a pair of rubber gloves. Make sure the ladder is properly and stably positioned on the ground. A stepladder works well but, make sure it is tall enough that you can safely use it without having to stand on the top two steps. If you need to use an extension ladder, place a piece of 2×4 lumber inside the gutter to keep the gutter from bending when you lean the ladder on it.  Remove the leaves and debris by hand where you can reach them.  Use the hose to clean hard to reach areas.  Before you finish, be sure to spray out the down spouts.  Leaves can accumulate there as well.

Gutter Shields and Gutter Guards

Though your rain gutters may be outfitted with gutter shields or gutter guards don’t think you are immune from gutter cleanings. These systems help minimize gutter clogs but they are not perfect. Small debris inevitably finds its way underneath them and into your gutters.

Protect your biggest investment with regular gutter cleaning.  Your new home addition will thank you!

Spring Cleaning Starts With Clutter Control

by admin, 3:39 PM on April 4th, 2012, Comments Off

Spring sunshine often motivates homeowners to get a fresh start with a good, thorough spring cleaning.  The first swipe of the dustcloth or sweep of the broom can run into a roadblock, though.  Shoes left by the back door, electronics stacked high on a TV case and clothes piled on the closet floor can make spring cleaning feel overwhelming and impossible.  Effective storage and organization can open any room in the house and make spring cleaning an easy, rewarding experience.

Living areas

Electronics, books, video games and toys all need places of their own.  Many of them can, and should, be stored together.  For example, a custom built-in entertainment center can house electronics, video games, DVDs and CDs all in one convenient place.  Bookshelves can include baskets, closeable doors or drawers to control book collections and toys.

Bedroom

Organizing clothing can be one of the biggest challenges in any home.  Keeping clean clothes orderly and wrinkle-free is critical to looking and feeling good.  Dirty clothes can scatter throughout the bedroom if they don’t have a convenient place to go at the end of the day.  Spring is the perfect time to re-evaluate your wardrobe and your storage needs.  It’s a great time to store your heavy winter clothes and bring out the light, breezy summer wardrobe.  It’s also a good time to decide which clothes you can live without – lots of charitable organizations take clothing donations in the spring.  This process can also help you decide the best way to store and organize your clothes. Do you need more space for shoes?  Do you need a better way to hang dress clothes?  A custom closet system or walk-in closet could help make your wardrobe more accessible and functional.

Bathroom

Typically the smallest room in the house, the bathroom presents some of the biggest storage challenges for homeowners.  Linens, personal products, hairdryers and all the other daily essentials need a place to live that’s easy to reach.   Custom medicine cabinets and linen closets in or near the bathroom can ensure that towels, soap and toothpaste are all conveniently located.

Talk to our design team today to build a plan that helps get the clutter under control and opens your home to the sunshine of spring!

Preparing For A Home Remodeling Project

by admin, 12:43 PM on February 9th, 2012, Comments Off

Home remodeling projects are exciting.  The dream of a new kitchen, bathroom or family room brings smiles to the whole family’s faces.  But remodeling projects are disruptive by nature.  A favorite coffee cup can go missing, cooking meals in a microwave gets old and the loss of that convenient shower can be frustrating.

A few easy prep steps can dramatically reduce the disruption of any home remodeling project.  The better you prepare your home for the displacement, dust and traffic in your house, the smoother your project will be.

1.  Gather supplies. You will need boxes, newspapers, packing materials, packing tape, masking tape, quart size and gallon size plastic storage bags and markers.

2.  A week before the project begins, start packing up the contents of your cabinets, beginning with the least-used items.  Unpack in reverse order – it will streamline the process.  If you’re remodeling your kitchen, pack eating utensils in the gallon size plastic storage bags. Use a bag each for knives, forks, spoons and cooking utensils.

3.  Take down window treatments and wall decorations. Put the hardware in plastic storage bags and label them.  This is a good time to clean and dust the items if you will be using them again in the remodeled room.

4.  Move any pictures, mirrors, furniture, and other items in neighboring rooms away from walls adjacent to the room to be remodeled. Vibrations from the construction could knock them off and break them.

5.  Set aside things you don’t use anymore for donation. Make a list and estimate the value before you take them to your local donation center. Throw out anything broken or unusable. This is a great time to reduce clutter.

6.  Protect what you can’t remove; floors should be covered, dust curtains hung and a pathway defined for workmen to enter and exit the workspace. Use plastic sheeting and tape to seal off doorways into other rooms and cover bookshelves, furniture, and electronic equipment.  If you have a basement below the demo area that is open, cover anything there as well.

We’ll do our best to make the remodeling process as pleasant as possible.  With a few extra steps, you’ll be enjoying your new room in no time!

Protect Your Home Addition With Regular Gutter Cleaning

by admin, 11:10 AM on October 20th, 2011, Comments Off

You’ve made a significant investment in your new home addition.  An important part of protecting that investment is proper rain gutter cleaning and maintenance.  Rain gutters protect you and your home from water damage.

Wet leaves and debris can cause water to back up in the gutters. That can force water to overflow the sidewalls or worse can pull the gutters away from the fascia boards. It can also cause erosion around the foundation, wet basements, and siding rot.

Cleaning Gutters

You should inspect and clean your rain gutters at least twice a year, once in the late fall and once in early spring. By cleaning rain gutters in late fall you can be sure to remove any leaves, branches and other debris that may have accumulated during the summer and fall seasons.  You also ensure that gutters work properly during the winter, or at least minimize ice build-up.  Spring cleaning gutters gives you a chance to check for any ice damage and to remove any debris that may have accumulated.

Gutter cleaning typically requires a ladder, garden hose with spray nozzle, and a pair of rubber gloves. Make sure the ladder is properly and stably positioned on the ground. A stepladder works well but, make sure it is tall enough that you can safely use it without having to stand on the top two steps. If you need to use an extension ladder, place a piece of 2×4 lumber inside the gutter to keep the gutter from bending when you lean the ladder on it.  Remove the leaves and debris by hand where you can reach them.  Use the hose to clean hard to reach areas.  Before you finish, be sure to spray out the down spouts.  Leaves can accumulate there as well.

Gutter Shields and Gutter Guards

Though your rain gutters may be outfitted with gutter shields or gutter guards don’t think you are immune from gutter cleanings. These systems help minimize gutter clogs but they are not perfect. Small debris inevitably finds its way underneath them and into your gutters.

Protect your biggest investment with regular gutter cleaning.  Your new home addition will thank you!

« Older Entries