Thursday, May 10th, 2012

If your home possesses a lot of windows, you may find your current challenge is keeping them shiny.  Having bright or glossy windows is always nice when it comes to the appearance of your homes but you most definitely have to maintain this look.

It’s so very easy to just spray on the Windex but then you get possible streaks.  It’s also easy to just use soapy water but yet again streaks and possibly a grimy and faded look.  It’s worth the effort to keep them looking great but how can it be done and effectively?

• Vinegar poured on a dry cloth helps remove spots, stains, and mineral deposits.
• Alcohol and sudsing ammonia mixture about 1/2 cup and 2 cups (alcohol), makes a great overall cleaning solution for your windows.  Wash from side to side.  The rubbing alcohol helps prevent streaking.
• A chamois will effectively dry your windows without any dirty build up.

And there you have it, shiny windows!  Doing this once a week will keep a nice appearance to your windows.  Your windows could potentially be the shiniest in the neighborhood!

Source: eHow

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Sometimes it is just inevitable when it comes to floor scuffs.  The only real way to prevent this problem is to prevent shoes from being worn past the front or back door.  But, if you do allow shoes you may be noticing that certain soles of shoes cause those unsightly scuff marks especially on tile and vinyl floors.  You may also see it on wood flooring.

How can they be removed and easily?  Thanks to eHow.com, here are a few ideas.  A couple of them I have tried and actually work!

If you have a no-wax floor, using a dry paper towel to remove the mark is pretty simple.  This works great on vinyl flooring.  The tougher marks can be removed with no-wax cleaner but gently apply until it disappears.

This idea is pretty unique yet pretty cool.  Try cutting an X on the bottom of a new or clean tennis ball.    Attach the ball onto a broomstick then rub along the scuff mark.  Apparently, this erases it hassle free.  Definitely worth giving a shot!

Hardwood floor cleaners should help remove any scuff marks present.

Again, these are easy ways to remove those marks but you are better off preventing the problem by setting up a no “Outdoor Shoes” rule!  It keeps those nasty scuffs away everytime.

Source: eHow

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Have children?  Now is the time to teach them the importance of water safety if you haven’t already.  Let Jacksonville Zoo and Garden’s help you out!

Join others at Play Park to raise awareness of water safety.  This water safety day event will include:

• Activities
• Prizes
• Safety Tips
• Entertainment
• A special visit from Jazoo (Zoo Mascot)

Children and families will also have an opportunity to splash and play around in the splash ground at Play Park.

Where? Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

When? Saturday, May 12th

What Time? 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Don’t miss this fun yet very informative event!

Source: Jacksonville Events

Image: Wikimedia Commons

 

Tags: boat maintenance, genera home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Friday, May 4th, 2012

There is nothing worse than walking into a room and smelling foul odors circulating through the house. From pet odors to garbage and fish smells it can be hard to keep a handle on. Store bought deodorizers tend to just mask the odors or even be overwhelming with fragrance. One of the best routes may be the natural approach. Here are a few ideas that not only make your house smell fresh and clean but also zap odors completely:

For the kitchen

To get rid of odors in your sink (garbage disposal), put orange peels down the drain and run hot water down the disposal as you run it.  Believe it or not this actually works naturally deodorizing your sink and kitchen.  Lemons, limes, and grapefruits work just as well.

For any room

Vinegar and baking soda act as natural deodorizers.  Scrubbing down any surface with this solution will keep everyone room smelling fresh and clean.

For the Carpet

Sprinkle baking soda on your carpets and let sit for an hour then vacuum.  This naturally removes pet odors off of carpets and area rugs.

Miscellaneous

Another great one I recently tried is a tablespoon of vanilla extract and a cup of water in the microwave for 3 minutes.  This leaves a lovely fragrance throughout the home.

Try placing a small bowls of vinegar and baking soda in every room.  This naturally freshens a room.  I do this on a daily basis and it actually works great with pets.  The vinegar and baking soda absorbs odors in the room.  Vinegar and lemon juice also works nicely.

Source: DIY Life

Image: Wikimedia Commons

 

 

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Have you ever found yourself walking into a room despising the books cluttered on your bookshelf? It can become a definite eye-sore. If you would rather not deal with the clutter you can always Velcro a fancy or trendy curtain. Here are ways however to effectively declutter your bookshelves its really quite simple:

• Start with one shelf. Sort through books worth keeping on the shelf and box up others you no longer need. This will significantly cut down on the clutter depending on size and thickness.

• Another approach is called the pro technique. This is where you put all of the books in the front allowing only a little bit of the shelf floor to show. You can do this based on length.

• Get crafty and create Colorado coordinating book covers. This is a great one to involve even the kids.

• Ditch paperbacks or stack them in an artsy way.

• Create hiding spots.

• If all else fails remove all the books and just start over.

Source:Houzz

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Don’t miss Jacksonville’s first ever paddle boat race this Saturday.  Sounds exciting doesn’t it? Definitely a unique family-friendly event you definitely don’t want to miss.

Not only will you enjoy the paddle competition but great food festivities and music. This race will be broken up into two open race courses. Local businesses will be present selling their products and equipment.

When? Saturday May 5th
What time? 9:00 a.m. (Race will start promptly at 10:00 a.m.)
Where? St. John’s Marina

For detailed I formation on the race go to Jacksonville events.

Source: Jacksonville Events

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Monday, April 30th, 2012

If you are planning to take your family out on the boat for a relaxing day out on the water, it’s always great to be prepared and safe.  Here are som great boat safety tips that you and your family can follow for a truly fun yet safe boating experience:

Here are some safety tips and maintenance according to discoverboating.com:

• Keep your boat clean.  Doing this on a regular basis will keep your boat in top notch condition!
• Be sure to change the oil.  Just like a car, this task must be done for your boat to stay functioning properly.
• If your boat contains a propellar, be sure to check it thoroughly.
• Advise children to never run on the dock before entering the boat.
• Keep life jackets handy but be sure young children wear them at all times on the boat.
• Advise that there be no horse play within the boat.
• Be seated at all times unless advised otherwise.

If you have a child that does not know how to swim, it is probably best to get them swimming lessons before going out on any boat regardless if they have life jackets on or not.  It’s always best to be prepared in any situation when it comes to water and boating.

Source: Discover Boating

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Monday, April 30th, 2012

We all know that interior design in any home can become very expensive especially if you pay top dollar for the hottest and best trends.  It’s even more expensive to hire a designer to come in and completely transform you home into something spectacular.  What if I told you you could design a room for much less but while making it look like you spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars?  It can be done.

Here are some unique ideas to help get you started.

• Tile Illusions.  You can achieve this look without even using a single tile.  Just Google printable tile patterns and print out on a color or laser printer.  You can frame then hang.  It truly tricks your eyes and brain into thinking actual tiles are nailed to the wall when in all reality it is just printable paper or even glossy paper for that added illusion.  You can even do this with elegant wall paper styles as well.
• DIY Wine Wrack.  Shoe wracks, PVC Pipes, and and Shelf Cubes make great wine wracks.  For easy DIY instructions go to eHow.com.
• Shutter Light Fixtures.  If you really want to bring a unique look into your home with your lighting fixtures, try using old shutters.  I recently saw this done on the reality show: “Resturaunt Impossible.”  It was quite amazing and brilliant!  Basically you take 4 single shutter boards and have them form a box. Install lights and hang on a wall.

For more unique yet budget friendly decorating ideas for the home go to housebeautiful.com.

Source: House Beautiful, eHow, and About

Image: Wikimedia Commons

 

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Monday, April 30th, 2012

The March of Dimes is a very worthy and reputable cause helping to improve the health of mothers and babies.  Jacksonville, will be hosting a “First Coast March for Babies.

For those who are willing to participate, there will be food and entertainment.  Children are also welcome to this event as it is very family-friendly.  Here are some additional details for the First Coast March for Babies:

• Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.
• Walk begins at 9:00 a.m.
• To register, go to www.marchforbabies.org
• Choose to join a team, create a team, or register as an individual.
• If you would like to speak to someone directly about this event you can contact Stephanie Lippincott (904) 239-5820.

Where? Downtown Riverwalk, Jacksonville, FL

When? Saturday, May 5th

What Time? 8:00 a.m.

Source: Jacksonville Events

Image: Wikimedia Commons

 

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Dust can become a major problem and build up quickly if not managed properly affecting your overall health and well being. Who wants dust bunnies and dust mites flying around the home anyways? Here are a few tips thanks to Ezine Articles:

• Monitor how many times you open and close your home’s windows. This can reduce the amount of dirt that blows into your home.
• Vacuuming more often helps reduce the dust problem in your home.
• Consider removing carpeting and going hardwood floors instead.  Dust and dirt trap easily into carpeting raising allergies.
• Changing your furnace filter helps cut down on dust getting blown back into your home.
• Changing bed sheets on a daily basis is a good idea when you want to reduce dust and dead skin skills, yuck.
• When you do go to dust shelves, fans, etc., make sure you are using something that will trap the dust and not just spread it around making it worse.

Excellent tips!

Source: Ezine Articles

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: boat maintenance, general home care, jacksonville events, Roof Care, waterproofing, Window Washing, window washing tips