Ironing Techniques - Everything You Need To Know

Ironing Techniques

"Make ironing faster and easier"

Busy working women don’t have much time for ironing clothes, but because good house helps are hard to come by these days, they sometimes find themselves tasked with ironing chores. Make it easier for yourself and faster, too, by following these suggested ironing techniques.

For shirts and dresses: Make it a point to start from the top then work down. Begin by ironing the collar side-up. Press from the tip to center, and then from the other tip also towards the center. Iron the cuffs in the same way. Follow on with the sleeves. Start at the underarm seams and run the point of the iron into the gathers right before the cuff. Then work up towards the shoulder. When ironing the body, begin with the front panels and work around.

For pants and shorts: Iron the top of the pants up to the crotch area first. Afterwards, side view the pants and lay it flat on the ironing board with one leg on top of the other. Make sure the sides and inseam are aligned. Fold up the top leg and iron the inseam of the bottom leg first. Turn the pants over to iron the inseam of the other leg. Then iron the outside of both legs. Dab with damp cloth to set a center crease down the legs.

For skirts: Iron the waistband first and then the body. Pencil-cut skirts are very easy to iron since they have only two flat surfaces. With pleated skirts, run the point of the iron into the gathers of the shirring, and then work down.

• Flat items such as hankies and scarves have to be pulled into shape before ironing.

• To prevent shiny patches from developing, iron acetate, acrylic, cotton lace, crepe, dark colored fabrics, flock fabric, linen, rayon, satin, silk and wool garments inside out. Other fabrics can be ironed right side out.

From Household Tips To Handy Hints

How to simplify your household chores

You may not be aware, but there are ways to simplify some of your house chores. You can try these useful and frugal ideas.

Hair Care

For hair that will not keep a set, try a package of unflavored gelatin with warm water as an after-shampoo rinse.
Always rinse your hair with cool water after washing. It will help you keep the hair that you have and tighten your scalp. A hair rinse of about four tablespoons of vinegar to three glasses of water will remove all soap film.

Diamond Ring

Boil mild soap suds with a few drops of ammonia added. Immerse the ring. Then dip into a small bowl of alcohol and let it dry on tissue paper.

Heat-Resistant Glass

Heat-resistant cooking glass is not unbreakable. Handle it with care. Avoid sharp blows and sudden exposure to heat and cold. When it has cooled, wash it by hand in hot detergent suds. To remove burned-on or scorched-on food, soak in warm detergent water and loosen with a plastic pad, rubber scrape, or wooden spoon.

Transporting a Cake

Punch two holes in a paper plate and run a string through the holes; punch two corresponding holes in the bottom of the box. Put the cake on the paper plate and set it in the box. Pull string ends through the holes in the box and tie underneath.

Bathtub

Clean bathtub with a damp cloth or sponge dipped in trisodium phospate or other chemical cleaner advertised for this purpose. Mild cleaning powders can be used but must be washed away afterwards. Coarse powders scratch the porcelain enamel finish and make the tub more difficult to clean.

Gas Range

For a thorough cleaning remove the pan beneath the burgers and grates and wash them in hot detergent suds. Rinse with clear water and dry. For the burners, use soap, a heavy duty detergent or washing soda, and a stiff brush. A good soak in a very hot solution of any of these loosens grease and makes its removal easier.

Storing Paint

Before storing paint, mark a line on the outside of the can to indicate its level. You can tell at a glance how much is left and what color is in the can.

Houseplants

Keep houseplants dusted and washed, as dust shades the leaves and deprives plants of much needed light.
Sponge leaves of houseplants with milk to remove dust and give the foliage luster.

Emergency Extinguisher

Keep a box of baking soda in the glove compartment of the car as an effective emergency extinguisher for an engine fire. Should a fire occur, turn off the ignition and toss the soda on the engine. Soda also smothers a blaze should a fire start in a seat cushion or floor mat.

Laundry Bluing

Bluing is not essential in the laundry, but many women like the extra whiteness it suggests in clothes and bed linens. If you are using bluing, remember that it is better to use a little too than too much. If cotton clothes are over blued, pour boiling water over them unless finished for wrinkle resistance. Or rinse them in hot water, in your washer.

Wooden Furniture

Wooden furniture usually is finished with varnish or lacquer, sometimes with shellac, and rubbed to a high polish. To clean finished furniture with soap, make rich suds, using pure, white soap and warm water. Wipe dry. Move to an adjoining area and repeat this routine until this entire piece has been thoroughly cleaned. Dry thoroughly and polish.

Draperies

Dust heavy drapes when you clean the room, using a hand vacuum or the upholstery attachment of your vacuum cleaner. Lacking these, use a brush of medium stiffness. Work always from the top of the drape down. Regular dusting will stretch the time between cleaning and keep your house from smelling like a sneeze.

Newborn

To allow mother a few extra hours’ sleep, use the same perfume freely while at the hospital and when you get home. Later, dab your perfume on your baby’s crib sheets or pillow. He will smell the mama smell and feel safe and content.

Versatile Charcoal

A block of charcoal in your refrigerator will help keep the onion and fish from perfuming the butter. Heating the block in the frying pan will rout the odors it has absorbed. Activated carbon, derived from coconut shell, is many times more efficient than ordinary charcoal for absorbing odors and gases.

White Sink

For a sparkling white sink, place paper towels across the bottom of your sink and saturate with household bleach. Let set for ½ hour or so.

12 Ways You Must Know to Remove Carpet Stains

Removing Carpet Stains

"Spills means stains that can ruin a beautiful carpet"

Carpets are floor coverings that are subjected to quite a beating daily. If not taken cared of properly, our carpet flooring will begin to fade, look dirty and lose the fullness of its fibers.

Floor care does pose as a challenge particularly on carpet flooring and with lighter color at that. Oftentimes, we have visitors standing or walking over our carpet floors while enjoying their snacks or drinks. It cannot be helped. While in the course of a conversation, heated or light, there will be spills. And spills mean stains that can ruin a carpet. It is not only wear and tear, but stains are also primary causes of premature carpet replacements.

But before you consider a replacement, read the following tips on how to effectively remove stains from your carpet.

REMOVING CARPET STAINS

1. The rule of thumb is to treat any spill as soon as it happens, because difficult stains will leave unsightly marks if left to dry out.

2. Liquid spills should be blotted out with paper towels or white cloth towel. Solid should be scraped away.

3. Choose the stain remover which works best for your kind of carpet: acid (lemon juice and vinegar) for polyester and wool, and alkali (ammonia and borax) on cellulose, cotton, rayon and silk.

TREATING SPECIFIC CARPET STAINS

1. Alcohol, soft drinks, fruit juices, wine. Blot the spill. Mix one teaspoon of liquid dish or fabric detergent with one quart of warm water and one teaspoon of white vinegar. Use this detergent-water-vinegar solution on the carpet. Rinse. Blot dry.

2. Coffee, cream, ice cream, tea, milk. Treat as above mentioned, but apply a dry-cleaning solvent afterwards. Let the carpet dry and brush pile.

3. Blood. Immediately apply cold water on the affected area before blotting. Repeat if necessary. If stain still remains stubborn, treat with coffee spills.

4. Feces, urine and vomit. Scrape up or blot the spill, whichever is applicable. Apply detergent-water-vinegar solution, rinse and dry.

5. Ball pen ink. Use a clean cloth moistened with dry cleaning solvent or paint thinner to rub the stain with. Work on it using clean areas of the cloth until the stain is gone.

6. Candle wax. Cover with brown paper or paper towel. Run a warm iron over so that the wax melts and is absorbed .Work on it until no trace of wax is left.

7. Chewing gum. Remove as much as you can. Then use a dry-cleaning fluid or paint thinner to remove whatever is left.

8. Grease and oil. Dip a cloth ball in paint thinner and dab affected area. Blot dry.

9. Mud. Allow it to dry, then vacuum off. Apply denatured alcohol on the residual stain, and then treat with detergent-water-vinegar solution. Rinse. Let dry.

Carpet Cleaning - Learn the Easy Way

General Carpet Cleaning

"As a carpet owner, it is important that you maintain a regular regime of general carpet cleaning. With regular cleaning, you ensure longevity of the carpet"

Carpets are made to be messed up, because they belong to the floor. No matter how careful you are and even if you restrict footwear on the carpeted areas of the house, the carpet will still get dirty, particularly if you have children around.

However, there are easy and effective methods to keep your carpet flooring looking its best for as long as possible. And you only need to maintain a regular schedule of general carpet cleaning to ensure its looks and its cleanliness as well. This prevents the reproduction of germs and bacteria’s in your house, making it a healthier place to live in.

Here are some helpful tips for general carpet care.

• Choose a carpet which has been treated with soil resistant chemicals because it is easier to maintain.

• Vacuum frequently to diminish the wear and tear of the carpet, especially in high traffic areas. Don’t wait for the carpet to look really dirty.

• Use a vacuum with a better brush which can be either an upright or a cylinder tank with a power nozzle. The brush loosens dirt from the carpet fibers and makes it easier for the vacuum to suck the dirt away.

• Before you begin vacuuming, pick up any visible debris and small items on the carpet. If the vacuum sucks them in, the hose or belt could be damaged.

• Vacuum with slow, even and overlapping parallel strokes.

• When vacuuming carpeted stairs, always start from the bottom and work up.

• To prevent discoloring of carpets, cover carpet areas around and under furniture legs and bases before polishing furniture.

• Any spillage should be cleaned up at once to prevent permanent stains and dark patches on the carpet.

• Deep-clean carpet at least once a year. You can either do it on your own using a commercial carpet cleaner following the instructions of the manufacturer or call a professional carpet cleaner.

• Definitely, an Oriental carpet has to be cleaned professionally because it usually has a hand-painted finish whose colors may run. You will need to hire carpet cleaning services for this.

• Indentations in the carpet can be raised by rubbing areas with the edge of a coin. Do so before wetting the carpet at cleaning time.

Carpet cleaning may not be the most enjoyable chore in the home, but you can’t afford to ignore it. Premature wear out will prove to be more costly than regular maintenance would. Trust me; it is worth your time.

Basics of Small Kitchen Remodeling

Small Kitchen Remodeling

"The kitchen is the focal point of the house and the gathering place of the family"

In small kitchen remodeling, it is necessary that you take into consideration each and every kitchen remodel ideas that you think of. Being the focal point of the home and the family’s gathering place, this is especially true for a restricted kitchen space with a limited budget. You need to formulate a good plan first even before you seek the help of a kitchen remodeling contractor or make the design yourself.

Keep in mind that the kitchen is the most versatile area in your house. This is where you prepare meals, feed the family, store foods, clean and stow service ware and other household items. However, before proceeding with your kitchen remodel plan, there are three important things that you should never ignore.

First, disregarding the three basic kitchen functions, i.e., storage, food preparation, and clean-up. Each of these three functions must be integrated in your kitchen design, where convenience and unconstrained movement was primarily considered. You may use as basis of the floor plan the classic space work triangle. This concept saves unnecessary steps when going about your kitchen chores and proved to be the most convenient layout design. The three kitchen features that are often used, the kitchen sink, refrigerator and stove, should be arranged in a triangular pattern.

Second, ignoring to “incorporate more than one work center” in your kitchen remodeling plan. There should be more than one person that can work efficiently in the kitchen at one time. To increase convenient work space, you can set up a self-standing chopping block and a service island. Provide free counter space at the other end of the kitchen where a cutting board could be placed for food preparation, thus, allowing a second person to help with mealtime preparation without the two people getting in the way of each other. You can create an extra work area even when your kitchen space is very limited by separating the microwave oven and the stove.

Third, failure to consider space-saving built-in appliances whenever possible. These type of appliances not only save space, but increase convenience as well. There are new appliance models that comes with numerous add-on features and meant to save you space - like refrigerators with a built-in water dispenser so you won’t have to stock your fridge with water containers. Consider a trash compactor, garbage disposal, dishwasher, and cook tops or ovens that can either be installed against the wall or be free-standing, which makes them easier to move around.

As for your kitchen flooring, you may also consider using sheet vinyl which is preferred by many nowadays because they are cheaper and is much easier to clean. Wood floors or ceramic tiles, although more pricey, are also good choices.

Whatever your choice in finish materials for your kitchen flooring and appliances that best suit your space and budget requirements for your kitchen remodeling, keep room functionality, convenience, and ease of movement in mind when making your selection. It is likewise important that you also seek advice from a professional small kitchen remodeling contractor for all your kitchen remodel ideas as well.

More helpful tips coming up on my next post about choosing the right light switch plate covers for your kitchen and enhancing the ambiance of your business place with outdoor string lights commercial.