Being a homeowner can be costly, but some expenses can be trimmed with regular maintenance. Since so many appliances run in the kitchen, it’s one of the best places to start.
Here are some of the best ways to keep your kitchen appliances running well so that they last through their normal lifetime, and hopefully beyond:
Refrigerator
Refrigerators have a life expectancy of 13 years, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Mold should be the main thing to try to prevent the spread of in a refrigerator. This requires regularly removing all food from it and cleaning every corner. Check each week if expiration dates on food have passed, and toss out anything that’s old.
On the exterior, clean dust and any debris from the condenser coils on the back, and check and maintain the seals on the fridge.
Stove or Oven
Gas ranges should last 15 years, which includes the stovetop and oven. Clean both on a monthly basis with an oven cleaner or basic cleaner for the surface.
Even after a self-cleaning cycle, an oven can need some extra scrubbing by hand to remove old food drippings that have turned to ash. Be sure to wear a mask and gloves. For a gas stovetop, you may need to take apart the components to clean them well.
Garbage Disposal
At six years, a garbage disposal may have one of the shortest life spans in a kitchen. A lot of it depends on what you put down there.
Putting big chunks of food, or thick items such as carrots can break a disposal. You’re better off throwing those in a trash can or composter.
To keep your garbage disposal smelling clean, fill the sink with soap and water and then let it flush and drain. Cut a lemon in quarters and run them in the disposal until they’re gone.
Microwave
Expect nine years of good service from a microwave oven. Spilled food can cause stains inside, and fingerprints, splatters and other things can make the outside dirty.
To clean the inside, heat a cup of water inside the microwave for 2 – 3 minutes. Let it evaporate until steam appears on the glass window, then open it and wipe the inside with a sponge. Scrub the glass plate separately, and use soapy water to clean the inside.
For the exterior, an all-purpose cleaner with a sponge or cloth should work well. Don’t spray the cleaner directly on the appliance because it could enter the ventilation holes.
Retro Colors Make a Comeback: What’s Hot in Decor Right Now
Everything old is new again, and that goes for decorating with color. While the last decade in home décor has largely been defined by white and varying shades of beige and gray, today’s designers are harking back to yesteryear with paint colors, furniture and even kitchen appliances.
Part art deco, part ‘50s suburban and part ‘60s mod, these awesome retro colors are fresh and refreshed to fit today’s tastes, say the color mavens at Sherwin Williams, whose wall color faves this year include shades of pink, aqua and pale or mustard yellows with accents of slate or peppery coral—great ways to set off the stark white of baseboards, crown moldings and door frames.
Big Chill, a retro appliance company launched in 2001, is finding huge success with its growing line of refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers in pink, aqua, yellow and more that bring a spirit of nostalgia to today’s kitchens, along with their high-tech efficiency.
Small kitchen appliances from crockpots to mixers and toasters are now available in a wide range of bold and retro colors, and look for pink velvet, pale blue and teal sofas from a variety of furniture design companies as vintage furnishings make a huge comeback.
You might also find bright orange and sage green shantung side chairs, shabby-chic and pastel-colored buffets and bookshelves and other accessories, and don’t miss the lighting display in most home stores, where Tiffany lamps and vintage shades are gaining ground in sales.
A roomful of these vintage colors can make you feel a little nostalgic, a little happier and a little more optimistic. What more could anyone ask for?
Four Stunning Flowering Houseplants
Are you the type of person who likes to take their flower garden indoors?
Indoor plants do more than simply add color to your space; they can also improve the mood of those who live with them. If you’re looking for a blooming plant, consider one of the following four:
Bromeliads. These funky, spiky plants are in the pineapple family! Bright and tropical, they like lots of light and don’t require too much water, which makes them a great choice for a beginning gardener.
African Violet. These are some of the most popular blooming house plants, as they flower for a long duration and are relatively easy to care for.
Begonias. A well-cared for begonia will bloom almost continuously. Place them in a bright location away from windows.
Peace Lily. These lovely, graceful flowers are adaptable and low-maintenance. They don’t demand too much light and can survive stints of both over- and under-watering.
SMART HOME FEATURES THAT LUXURY BUYERS WANT!
How to Add Red to a Room
Love the color red but not sure how to add this bold shade to your space? Below are a few tips.
Art. Adding a bright red painting, sculpture or oversized piece of pottery to your space can give it a color pop without overwhelming.
Do the door. A red front door is more than just eye catching—if you practice feng shui, a red door is said to draw Chi into you home.
Fixtures. A red hanging light, paper lantern or globe fixture can brighten up a space in more ways than one.
Furniture. If a room is decorated in neutrals, adding a red sofa or armchair can add vibrancy without overwhelming.
Flowers. Not quite ready for any permanent red changes to your home? No sweat. A bouquet of red roses, anthurium, or chrysanthemums can have the same impact.
Four Time Management Tips
These days, we’ve all got busy schedules. From work to family and social commitments, it can be hard to fit in everything. Here’s where time management can help. Consider the following tips to tick more off your to-do list, daily.
Time block. Time blocking is one of the No. 1 metrics of successful time management, and it can make larger tasks feel less overwhelming. Each night before bed, look at your next day’s to-dos and chunk off sections of time for each project, from cleaning the house to tackling paperwork. Unsure how much time? Aim for 1 – 3 hours to avoid mental exhaustion.
Schedule the hard stuff first. To slay procrastination, schedule the things you’d prefer not to do, first. Getting the difficult or least-liked items done first will help you feel more productive.
Reward yourself. Sprinkle in 15 – 30 reward breaks throughout the day, like walking with the dog, reading a chapter of a book or calling a friend.
Be kind. Regardless of how diligently you planned to follow your daily schedule, sometimes things happen. A headache, family emergency or a task that proves more difficult than you expected. Even a terrible night’s sleep can throw off your flow. If this happens, be kind to yourself, pat yourself on the back for what you did manage to accomplish and promise to catch up tomorrow.
Maintaining Your Kitchen Appliances
Being a homeowner can be costly, but some expenses can be trimmed with regular maintenance. Since so many appliances run in the kitchen, it’s one of the best places to start.
Here are some of the best ways to keep your kitchen appliances running well so that they last through their normal lifetime, and hopefully beyond:
Refrigerator
Refrigerators have a life expectancy of 13 years, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Mold should be the main thing to try to prevent the spread of in a refrigerator. This requires regularly removing all food from it and cleaning every corner. Check each week if expiration dates on food have passed, and toss out anything that’s old.
On the exterior, clean dust and any debris from the condenser coils on the back, and check and maintain the seals on the fridge.
Stove or Oven
Gas ranges should last 15 years, which includes the stovetop and oven. Clean both on a monthly basis with an oven cleaner or basic cleaner for the surface.
Even after a self-cleaning cycle, an oven can need some extra scrubbing by hand to remove old food drippings that have turned to ash. Be sure to wear a mask and gloves. For a gas stovetop, you may need to take apart the components to clean them well.
Garbage Disposal
At six years, a garbage disposal may have one of the shortest life spans in a kitchen. A lot of it depends on what you put down there.
Putting big chunks of food, or thick items such as carrots can break a disposal. You’re better off throwing those in a trash can or composter.
To keep your garbage disposal smelling clean, fill the sink with soap and water and then let it flush and drain. Cut a lemon in quarters and run them in the disposal until they’re gone.
Microwave
Expect nine years of good service from a microwave oven. Spilled food can cause stains inside, and fingerprints, splatters and other things can make the outside dirty.
To clean the inside, heat a cup of water inside the microwave for 2 – 3 minutes. Let it evaporate until steam appears on the glass window, then open it and wipe the inside with a sponge. Scrub the glass plate separately, and use soapy water to clean the inside.
For the exterior, an all-purpose cleaner with a sponge or cloth should work well. Don’t spray the cleaner directly on the appliance because it could enter the ventilation holes.
Minimizing Clutter by Maximizing Storage
Minimizing Clutter by Maximizing Storage
Looking for space to store your things at home?
Everything you own is competing for space in your house. Everyday items, such as clothes and exercise equipment, along with seasonal things like pool toys and Christmas decorations, are taking over your limited square footage.
You can create more space by moving some things around, but that doesn’t always solve the problem. Here’s where you can find additional storage space in a cluttered home:
Under the Bed
Don’t let the space under your bed go unused or gather dust. Buy some plastic bins and use them to store seasonal items such as winter clothes. Put your heavy sweaters in them during warm weather, and switch them out with your bathing suites and shorts during colder months.
If you have more space under your bed, store shoes, linens, blankets and other things you don’t need every day.
Vacuum Storage Bags
Some clothes are bulky and can take up a lot of room in a drawer or closet. Vacuum storage bags are sold at home supply stores and can hold your winter clothes for a few months. Use your vacuum cleaner to remove the air and collapse the bag. They can also be used for other bulky items like comforters, sheets, blankets and towels.
Over-the-Door Organizers
This hanging organizer can look like something out of your old dorm room, but it still comes in handy. Hang it over the back of your bedroom door to store shoes, baseball hats, belts, scarves and jewelry.
Charging Station
You may not notice them immediately, but there are probably tangled charging cords all over your house. They don’t usually cause a huge storage problem, but they create clutter and can be ugly to look at.
Buy a charging station that can conceal the cords and keep your phones and other electronic devices accessible in an area that looks pleasant.
Garage
A garage can easily become one of the most crowded areas of a house. Clean it up by putting things in bins, donating what you don’t need and hanging a peg board to hold your tools.
Everything should have its own space, especially in the garage where things can get cluttered quickly. Use a thick marker to draw an outline on the peg board for each tool. When you see an outline without its tool in place, you’ll know that a tool is missing. It should also help you put tools back where they belong after using them.
Trend Alert: Retro Kitchens Are Today’s Big Thing
For some of us, retro is just another term. But for those who recall Grandma’s aqua-blue fridge, it brings to mind a simpler way of life, even if it meant that some poor soul had to run out for blocks of ice. The bright color brought the space alive and made you happy to be in the kitchen.
Now, as a trip to some of the larger home stores will attest, appliances are going back to the ’50s, and it’s one of the hottest trends around.
It may have started with Big Chill, a Colorado company that got off the ground when a man named Thom Vernon wanted a retro-style fridge for a vintage house he was building. Vernon approached his nephew, Orion Creamer, a recent graduate of product design school with a passion for old-school style. Orion and his uncle built a prototype on the front porch of Creamer’s home. The rest, as they say, is history—or perhaps history repeating itself.
In any case, the company today produces a wide variety of ranges, hoods, refrigerators and more that bring back yesterday’s eye-opening color with all of the modern conveniences. Available in as many as nine hues—from buttercup yellow to pink to candy red—along with the well-remembered aqua, the company’s products bring their vintage cousins back to life. See them online at bigchill.com.
Another company with a similar passion and product line is Elmira Stove Works, a Canadian company that adds textured black, bisque and quicksilver to its line of vintage favorites. American homeowners can find them online at elmirastoveworks.com.
You can even find a red, white and blue fridges, made by a European company called Smeg, available at smeg.com or ajmadison.com.
While you’re at it, check out the unbelievably colorful Dolce & Gabbana line of mixers, toasters and other small appliances at Williams-Sonoma and other retailers.
It seems like everything old is new again—but sometimes, new is better.
Easy Ways to Maximize Lighting in Your Home!
A Brief Guide to Biophilic Design
The modern world has many advantages, but one issue that many of us are facing, particularly those who spend their days working in front of a computer, is the feeling of being disconnected from the natural world. The good news is that a growing movement known as biophilic design might be just the answer and is being utilized by designers and architects around the world. Cities, in particular, are embracing this trend, and if you’re looking for a living space that will help you reconnect with Mother Nature, here’s what you should know about biophilic design.
The Basics
At its core, this design movement is all about creating a living space that feels like it’s a part of nature. That means much more than just incorporating green spaces. Equal emphasis is placed on using natural materials, such as wood and stone, to capture natural light throughout the day, and simply being able to observe things happening outside, like the sunset or a snowstorm.
Design Solutions
Breaking down the barrier between indoor and outdoor spaces is a big part of biophilic design. A retractable glass wall, for example, can capture sunlight in the winter and in the warmer months be opened up to allow fresh air to flow through the home. Additionally, you can bring the outdoors inside with indoor gardens or living walls. Even feeling connected to animals can play a role in biophilic design, like a koi pond, where you can relax while watching fish or attracting birds and butterflies with specific types of plants.
The Benefits
The main argument, of course, is that when we feel closer to nature we’re more relaxed and in tune with our surroundings. Additionally, biophilic design is considered to be an environmentally friendly solution because it typically requires using clean, natural materials to build homes that use less energy. For instance, if you can design a home to capture a natural breeze, then you may not need air conditioning in the summer. Or, by capturing adequate sunlight through performance glass windows you can reduce the heat required to keep your home warm in the winter. If that’s not enough, it’s an added bonus that this also means lowering your bills.