Tag Archives: floors

Care of Your Floors

We have tackled a couple of housekeeping tips in our living areas but will end with the care of floors. Some living areas are carpeted and some have hardwood floors. So the type of care you give to your floors will depend on this. I only have hardwood floors, with just a couple of rooms in my entire house being carpeted. So I don’t do much with vacuuming and when I do, I use a fairly common type of vacuum. From what I understand however, the dream machine to own if you have carpeting is a Dyson. All you Dyson … Continue reading →

Getting Scuff Marks out of Linoleum Floors

No matter what you do, there are just some shoes that leave scuff marks on the floor. While we usually don’t wear shoes in the house, there are still times when scuff marks on the linoleum kitchen floor due happy. My husband, for example, wears “indoor shoes” that tend to scuff, and of course whenever there is company over, we can get marks. There are a couple of solutions that we have found to get the scuff marks off of the floor. The best way so far has been to use a handheld steamer. Using the steam with a cloth … Continue reading →

Mop Your Floor and Save

With so many of the convenient floor cleaning gadgets, devices and services in the world, you can easily spend almost as much on floor cleaning products in a year as you do on entertainment or eating out; maybe even more than food, depending on how much you cook at home. There are disposable products that last fora few cleaning before having to be replaced, and there are machine you can by. With all of the expense, you might even be tempted to forego the floor cleaning all together. I used to know a mom of a five-year-old who never, ever … Continue reading →

How About Some Leather Floors?

Have you ever considered covering your floors with banana leaves? How about leather, or cork? Some homeowners are not only considering it, they’re doing it. A recent survey done by the Home Depot design team revealed that leather flooring is the hottest new trend in interior decorating. Designers say the material is so popular because it looks different a year later and naturally absorbs sound. I wasn’t kidding about the banana leaf option either. Rugs are being made out of banana leaves to mimic silk flooring. The leaves are especially popular among homeowners who are concerned with using environmentally friendly … Continue reading →

Cleaning Other Types of Flooring

There are almost as many different types of flooring as there are techniques for cleaning them. Whether your floor is cork, marble, slate, brick or stone, there’s a proper way to keep it looking its shiny best. Read on for some enlightenment, but don’t call me if you aren’t sure which floor or which cleaner is which. Brick Floors Clean brick floors by washing them with warm water and a mild powdered detergent. Rinse well. Concrete Floors To clean these floors, which are usually sealed, wash with a damp cloth or mop and a little dish soap. Cork Floors The … Continue reading →

Cleaning Those Wooden Floors

Wooden floors are a beautiful addition to any home but like all things, they require care and attention in order to look their best. Here are some tips to keep them looking shiny and clean, no matter how you may really feel deep inside about things made from wood. Polishing Be the first on your block to make your own floor polish. Combine 2 cups of mineral oil with 1-teaspoon beeswax. Heat mixture in a double boiler until it melts and blends. Wait until it cools to apply to floor with a soft cloth. Most experts agree that polish should … Continue reading →

Decorating Tips From Our Parade Of Homes Tour

I love trying to duplicate other homeowners decorating successes in my own house. Unfortunately some don’t go over as well as others, but I haven’t let it deter me—yet. To feed my decorating appetite (and my obsession to “snoop” in other people’s homes) my friend and I recently bought tickets to our local builders association’s Parade of Homes Tour. (Click here to read what I considered was perhaps the most “exotic” home on the tour.) We’ve done this for a number of years and it rarely disappoints—this year was no exception. The following are decorating trends–some are new, while others … Continue reading →

Tips for the Reluctant Redecorator

If your living room furniture hasn’t been moved in years, if your window treatments are discolored from age, or if the color of your walls has remained the same since the day you moved in, then you may be considered a reluctant redecorator. For years it was a term my friends used to describe me. In my 20’s I worked 16-hour days and the idea of revamping my living area on my days off didn’t exactly appeal to me (to say the least). But, as time passed so did my reluctance to redecorate. Today, I am just as busy, but … Continue reading →