10 Spring Cleaning Tips For Your Kitchen

The words “spring cleaning” can make the neatest person cringe. They mean more work. As if cleaning all year long wasn’t enough. Spring cleaning is more than just cleaning…it is deep cleaning. Something that most people do not have time for all year long. Since my expertise is cooking, I have decided to focus on spring cleaning and dirt build up prevention tips for the kitchen….

Baking soda or club soda will clean and shine stainless steel sinks easily. Simply apply directly to surface and scrub a dub dub.

To Remove stubborn water spots from a stainless sink scrub with a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol or vinegar.

To freshen up your “white” porcelain sinks, place paper towels across the bottom of your sink and saturate with bleach. Let sit over night and rinse.

After you’ve cleaned your refrigerator and freezer place an open box of baking soda in the back of each to help absorb odors for about a month.

A few drops vanilla extract on a piece of cotton placed in the refrigerator will also help eliminate odors.

Wipe refrigerator with vinegar after cleaning to help prevent mildew.

Change your refrigerator light bulbs…that way you never have to worry about them burning out during the year.

To clean baked-on food from a cooking pan, put a dryer sheet in the pan, fill with water, let sit overnight then sponge clean. The anti-static agents help weaken the bond between the food and the pan and the fabric softeners will soften the baked-on food.

To clean burnt or scorched pans, sprinkle pans liberally with baking soda, adding just enough water to moisten. Let stand over night.

To get those stubborn stains off of the inside of you microwave; spray liberally with two parts water and one part bleach, heat on high for 20 seconds and let stand for about an hour. The stains should come right off. For really stubborn stains heat for 30 seconds and let sit for 2 – 3 hours.

Finding the Right New Home Community for Your Family

When you have made the decision to purchase a home, the selection of the new home community is vital to your familys long term satisfaction with the purchase. Many home shoppers tend to focus on the home features, price, and potential for resell without really stopping to consider the neighborhood surrounding the home. In your search for a home, be sure to spend some time researching the new home community so that you can make the soundest choice possible. Consider some of these pointers for finding the right new home community: Know what you want prior to beginning the home search. Do you want to be on the edge of town? Close to Interstates? In a quiet subdivision? By stopping to answer some of these questions can help you to narrow down the selection of new home communities available to you. Consider if it is important to you to be near your work, church, or shopping and entertainment. See new home communities for yourself. Its one thing to see pictures on the Internet of a home or community and another thing entirely to actually see them for yourself. Once you have narrowed down the search to a few different new home communities, take drive through the neighborhoods to take a look. Your first impression or feeling when you arrive in the new home community will help you to know if it is right for your family. By driving through, you may notice parks, walking trails, and other neighborhood features that are appealing to you. Identify the new home community features that are most important to you. Because a real estate search in one area can reveal so many active listings, it is wise to narrow them down by identifying the features you want in your home and community. Is the community swimming pool on your must-have list? What about lawn maintenance? Think about the potential for resale in the new home community. While you may think you will be in your home for many years, life circumstances can change and you may need to resell. A local real estate agent is a good resource for learning more about the potential for resale in a specific new home community. However, just taking a drive around the neighborhood to see how many for sale signs are present is a good indicator of whether people are staying put in the community or leaving.Most importantly, remember that your new home community is the place you will take strolls, allow your children to play and meet new friends, so it is important to have a good feeling about the location and features available. The new home community must fit in with your family goals and desires just like the home features should.

------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With more than 50 years combined home building experience, McGuinn
Homes knows no two families want exactly the same look, floor plan,
colors, square footage or layout. Working side by side with you in the
planning stages, and staying in close communication throughout the
building process makes building Your Home Your Way a gratifying
experience. For more information on McGuinn Homes visit: www.mcguinnhomes.com

Construction Loan Rates: The Costs Of Financing Construction

Building a property from the beginning may sound tempting to most people because it provides you with the opportunity to design your own home. It also gives you the opportunity to posses your own property without paying high amounts. However, financing the construction of a property by means of a construction loan is not for free and the interest rates on these loans are not identical to the rates charged on mortgage loans.Why Is The Rate So Important?Just like with mortgage loans, since construction loans deal with high loan amounts, the interest rate is extremely important. The rate applied to the loan amount along the loans repayment program will give you the overall cost of the loan. That figure can tell you exactly how much more money you are spending on the property and how much money you would be saving if you had the funds to pay it off without resorting to a loan or line of credit.Therefore, when shopping for this type of loan, though the rest of the loan terms are important too, you should focus on the APR if you want to compare costs to decide which lender and loan best suit your needs and budget. The APR will provide you with a thorough idea of the costs of the loan including any additional fees or charges to the interest rate.A Greater Risk, A Higher RateCompared to mortgage loans, construction loans imply a higher risk. The reason is fairly simple: since the property guaranteeing the loan is not yet finished, its value is not enough to provide security to the loan. Therefore, the lender has to cover the risk of default and non conclusion of the construction project by charging a higher interest rate.However, truth is that the property will advance along time till it is fully finished. That is why most lenders offer a descending interest rate that varies as the propertys percentage of construction increases. Moreover, once the property is completed, the loan can be converted into a regular home mortgage loan with more advantageous terms and a longer repayment schedule (construction loans need to be repaid in a year or two depending on the magnitude of the project).Credit Score, Repayment Capacity and External FactorsThere are mainly two variables that affect the loans interest rate and are connected with the borrower: Credit score and repayment capacity (income). There are also external factors like the market situation, reference rates, major political events, etc. that can also affect the interest rate charged on construction loans. However, the most important variables and the only ones relatively under your control are your credit score and income.As usual a lower credit score implies a higher rate. There are also higher difficulties in terms of approval for those with bad credit, especially if they cannot provide a down payment or co-signer to aid the approval process. But, as with any other financial product, you should shop around for a lender and ask for loan quotes to compare what the different financial institutions have to offer you. It is the only way to get a good deal and you can do so, even if you have bad credit.

------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Hammond is the author of this article. For more information about Bad Credit Unsecured Loan and Mortgage Loan for Bad Credit please visit her website at http://www.quickbadcreditloans.com/

House Plans for a Natural Living!

Its a year 2007, and youre planning to build a new house for you, and your family.

Lets assume, that the question of where, has already been answered. Yes, the location is where your design ideas should originate from.

Providing youve done your research correctly, the only place youd come up with would be somewhere in the middle of the rural America. Kansas? Wyoming? Both are good places to move your family to, and put your house plans to reality.

Designing your home will entail two distinctive parts: architectural and that encompassing construction and materials. Both are equally important. Your enjoyment of living in a nice looking house is hard to overestimate. Also, your standard of living will depend on how functional the house is. However, the quality of construction materials and the process itself, will determine the comfort level, and how healthy your dwelling is. Each of those critical parts will be examined below.

Architectural aspects of creating house plans.

Choose design concept that all people who will live there, do like. Compromise may be hard to achieve, but its worth the effort. After all, you dont want anybody who would say: I hate this place.

Knowing how difficult it is to combine beauty with functionality, tell your architect the main elements that your new house should incorporate: useable area, how many levels, number of rooms and their purpose, position of entry doors, etc. Any special requirements imposed by the fact that a handicapped, or senior persons will be living there, should be stated at the outset as well.

Its recommended, that you show your building block to the architect, so that he can better blend the design to the surroundings. This will benefit your future gardening and landscaping works, as well as the Nature left virtually intact.

Final word of advice: try to avoid ground breaking designs. You wouldnt want to be the guinea pig, testing it for others.

After the draughtsman put your architects vision on paper, time to contact the builder who will carry on the construction phase.

Before even your first load of building materials arrives at the home site, make sure that your builder clearly understands your preferences. Yes, Im talking about using, wherever possible, ecologically friendly materials. All timber should be free of preservatives – choose cypress with its natural insect repelling properties. Instead of chemicals-oozing carpets, choose slate or pine floors. Dont use Besser blocks; mud bricks or stone blocks are much healthier. Try to reduce use of cement as much as possible, due to its high energy use during the manufacturing process, and residual harmful substances. Instead of rendering, leave walls to show the natural beauty of stone, clay, or timber. Try to limit use of paints, as much as possible. If necessary, use odorless and chemicals-free kinds. There are many harmless pigments available, that when combined with water and lime will deliver stunning color finishes, free of harmful solvents. In place of glues, use mechanical methods during the construction process.

House plan, no matter how detailed, in the reality is never possible to adhere to a 100%. Be prepared to make on the run changes, still keeping the initial vision of your ideal home intact.

Home: Selling Home

When you think about selling home maybe you think about to settle all your furniture and anything else in your home. Well its quite right but selling home means also to remove all the clutters, to repair all the damages in the house, to decide what price of your home, and to make the advertisement in the newspaper or magazine.Selling home needs long preparation and you should do it long time before you want to sell it. You should throw away your emotion with your home and think about it as a marketable commodity. When you selling home the others who want to buy it should think it as their potential new home not yours old home. Next what you should do in selling home is throw away all the clutters in your home. Maybe youre emotionally attached with some of these clutters and I remind you once more you should throw away your emotion. Think about all clutters in the closets, garage, attic, and basement. You dont want the buyer come and see some of the clutters in those places. And then you need to repair all the damages when you do selling home. But let me tell you, repair the damages for selling home doesnt mean you do anything expensive such as remodeling your house. You need to save your money to buy your new home or to obtain new loan. Checking the light, water, closet and toilet is a good point to do for selling home. Do check the floor, wall, ceil, windows and doors when selling home. Maybe the difficult thing to do in selling home is to decide the price of your home. Dont set your selling price too high when selling home cause you might get difficulty to get buyer. And if you drop your price later it might be too late. Selling home about six month is a long time and if theres no one who buy your home in this period of time the other buyer may think that you will be desperate and theyll make a lower offer. So selling home need a wise thinking and deep consideration to set the price of your home. Next thing is to make advertisement about your selling home in the newspaper or magazine. You should make an attractive but not exaggerating cause people might think it doesnt not make sense if you make advertisement like that. And after you advertise your home and theres someone who wants to buy your home you should show your home to them. Try not to be home when they come to see your home, take the kids to the nearest park and try to control your pets. Keep the house tidy and throw away the kitchen trash. And in the end your home may be sold with the price like you wanted.

------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Submit your articles and get a PR4 backlink to your website! Submit Articles! We provide free articles and information. Check us out at Free Articles!

Defining a Handyman

Defining a handyman is not a simple task. The best way to describe such
a person is that he is capable of performing a wide selection of odd
jobs and basic tasks around a home. These can be indoor jobs or outdoor
jobs. Not all handymen are trained in the same areas and have the same
skills however. When looking to hire such a person you need to find out
what his area of specialty is before you hire him for the job(s) that
you need completed around your home.

All handymen cannot do any and all jobs that you need done in your
residence. One individual who works in this capacity may have one type
of background while another person may have another. This occupation
varies tremendously which makes it flexible and versatile to those
looking for a handyman to lend them a helping hand with house repairs.

To use an example, some handy people may have a trade background and
the main skills they possess include carpentry and construction. You
may have others that are trained and skilled as plumbers or
electricians. Yet still there may be other people who are professional
roofers, appliance repair workers or tile installers. It is important
to know that a handyman cannot do every job and that there are
subcategories to consider when you go about the process of hiring one.

A handyman is a person who generally does odd jobs in his community or
town to make extra money when he is not employed at his full-time job
in the trade of his choosing. Many of these handy people do not need to
advertise because they find work opportunities by way of referrals and
their present customers. Word of mouth can count for a tremendous
amount for the average handyman. The better he is at what he does the
more referrals he will receive.

Some handymen are professionals who do this work for a living while
others (as previously mentioned) do it part-time to help fill in the
gaps when money is tight for them. A professional person will be more
expensive to hire because he (or she, as there are women handy people
as well) will have a wider array of experience and also more years of
work experience. On the other side of the coin a person who does this
kind of thing on a part-time basis is likely to charge less and have a
narrower range of abilities. However the work the part-time person does
may be every bit as good as the work accomplished by the pro. Most
handymen charge the work they do by the hour not the task and will set
about completing the work as fast as they possibly can.

Article Tags:
Handy People

------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

If you live in Austin handyman resources are easy to come by when you visit www.angieslist.com.

Using Colors in Your Home Design

Did you realize that various colors could affect your daily mood? The field of color psychology can definitely be used in home design as you choose both paint and fabric colors for the various rooms throughout your house.Bright ColorsBright colors make rooms look larger, so when you’re trying to create the illusion of extra space, choose a shade of yellow or eggshell. Red has been shown to increase an individual’s appetite, so it’s often chosen as a kitchen accent color. However, if you’re the victim of high blood pressure, you should probably steer clear of red since it’s been known to increase blood pressure along with irritability in many individuals. Green has been shown to increase concentration, so whether you choose to paint a wall a light green or include a bright green office chair or simply buy a potted plant, be sure to add some of this bright color to your office or school room. Another bright color to consider is yellow. Yellow inspires optimism; so you can create a happy atmosphere in your entryway, kitchen, sunroom, or any other room by includes some shade of this sunny color!One bright color to avoid is purple, since it tends to seem artificial in home design. If purple is our absolute favorite color, you can include it in accessories, fabric, or with natural colors like subtle green or yellow shades.Bright accents of orange can be used in a sick room or an asthmatic child’s room. It’s been known both to increase energy and improve lung functions. Orange can also be a great color for a workout room, since you need both energy and deep breathing for an effective workout!Finally, the bright color white makes a perfect color for a bathroom. Not only does it symbolize cleanliness, but also it literally helps you keep the room clean by revealing stains and spots, which need cleaning. You can rest assured that your bathroom is sparkling clean and germ free when it’s an unspotted white!Other ColorsShades of blue, lavender, and green are considered relaxing colors since they seem to have a relaxing effect on the room’s occupants. These are ideal colors to incorporate into the home design for your bedroom or bathroom (especially the bathtub/shower area) since these rooms are most often associated with relaxation.Utilizing colors from your past can create a nostalgic and cheerful atmosphere, bringing back happy memories from your childhood. Experts have noted that using these colors in your kitchen is especially effective for bringing back fond memories spent with family during meal times.Warm tones like deep reds, oranges and yellows are ideal accent colors during the autumn months. These colors create a welcoming atmosphere and make the room seem warmer.Cool tones incorporate shades of blue, white, light greens and possibly pastel purple. These can be used as accent colors during the warm summer months to create the illusion of a cool atmosphere as your guests step into your home.Have fun choosing colors for your home, and enjoy the relaxing and inspiring atmosphere they create!

Article Tags:
Home Design, Bright Color

------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Tampa home design company can answer any questions you may have about the colors you want your new home to be. Look no further than: http://www.jimfincharchitecture.com/.

Internet Business OnLine – Why Start Your Own On-Line Business

Ok, so why would you want to start your own line business?

There are probably as many personal reasons as there are online business today, but most of those reasons will fall into one of these seven categories.

Find out which one you are in here now!

You Want to Pursue Your Personal Passion

You may have a hobby that you are passionate about, and you want to commit yourself to that passion, and develop your own creative ideas.

You Perceive a Gap in the Market

You have a specialized skill, and you see a need in the marketplace for your expertise. You want to take advantage of that market gap because you think you can provide a product or service solution

You Know the World is a Different Place Today

There has been a change in your circumstances – you are laid off, downsized, retired, fired, relocated , divorced, married, or whatever has changed your personal world. Your job may have been replaced by technological change, so you may decide to use technology for your benefit, and go online.

You Want more Money

You want more control of how much you earn, and are intrigued by passive income.

You Want More Free Time

You want to escape the 9-5 routine, have more flexibility, more control of your life, and your time

You Want to Be Your Own Boss

You want to use your own entrepreneurial skills, and teach those skills to your children

You Want the Prestige

You admire those business owners that have created their own stability, and tax benefits of owning their own business.

Do you see your [why] here anywhere.? What is stopping you..? [Why] are you still dreaming?

Are you like a lot of wannabe internet marketers .you are suffering from information overload, you just don’t know for sure where to start, arent computer whizzes, or fear getting ripped off .

Well when I got started online almost five years ago, I wish I would have had a real mentor or a step by step guide to help me learn what to do, and why not to do certain thingsthe lessons of hard knocks sucks by the way!

Interior Design: What Can It Do for You?

There are many reasons to hire an interior designer. For example, if you own an older home, you may want to knock down a few walls to open up the space or possibly update the kitchen or bathrooms. On the other hand, hiring a professional also adds to the remodeling costs, so your hesitation is certainly understandable. Here are some reasons to justify your decision.Designers can work with your ideas to ensure you get the result you have always dreamed of. They can also use their expertise to make sure your ideas do not become unrealistic or go wildly over budget. Not only are they trained to listen to the client with regard to their vision for their home, they also have a fresh set of eyes so they can come up with new ideas for your project that you might never have thought of. Another reason to enlist their services is time. Since most people have their hands full with commitments to their job, family, and hobbies, they really do not have the time or energy to devote to a remodeling project like an interior design expert would. Perhaps you own an older property and are interested in rehabilitating it to its former glory but do not know how to go about doing so. Often these professionals have access to special tradesman pricing and products, which they in turn can pass along to you. If you are really strapped for cash, you could just consult with one on a small project. For example, maybe you are out of ideas for dealing with the foyer of your house. Since it is the entry way and it sets the tone for the rest of your house, you cannot afford to make a mistake as far as decorating or painting is concerned. However, with the designer’s help, you could choose the perfect table or lamp for the price of a small consulting fee. Suppose your elderly parents needed to move in with you because they have become disabled as they aged. In that case, the bathroom would definitely have to be remodeled, especially the tub and shower area. If they were wheelchair-bound, all of the counters would need lowering, especially in the kitchen, and ramps would have to be placed so they could enter and exit the property. An interior design professional can help with this task. You could also enlist a designer’s services if you wanted to convert your residence into a smart home, enabling you to control it remotely with your cell phone or your computer at work. Imagine coming home at night to a well-lit home with the thermostat set at just the right temperature. Never again would you have to worry if you forgot to turn the oven off when you left for work, and you definitely would feel more secure with your state-of-the-art security system. As you can see, there are many reasons to hire an interior design expert, usually without breaking the bank. Find one in your local area to see what he or she can do for you.

Article Tags:
Interior Design

------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

If your home needs a revamp with some expertly coordinated interior design New Jersey has many qualified designers and decor professionals that are ready to help. Find out more at http://www.speedwelldesign.com/.

Increase Your Homes Value With These Home Improvement Ideas

Content 2008 Smoky Mountain Painting

Would you like to increase the market value of your house? There are some home improvement projects will bring a return when you sell your home, but many home improvement projects will not offer much of a return on your investment. Choose your home improvement projects carefully and if you borrow money to complete your home improvement project, do your research first and be sure that you stand a good chance to recover the cost of the project when you decide to sell your home.

Kitchen remodeling is a great way to add value to your home. Upgrading your appliances, replacing door and cabinet handles and painting walls can add new life to your kitchen plus add value to your home. Kitchens sell a home, so remodeling a kitchen should be a first choice for a home improvement project. Sometimes doing it yourself can save money, but consider hiring a professional for the large jobs. The top five kitchen remodeling projects which are recommended by Realtors are painting, cabinet refacing, new counter tops, new floors and a modern cook top range.

A bathroom remodel is second only to kitchen remodeling in terms of getting the most return on your home improvement investment. A bathroom remodel can often mean making the most of your current space, by upgrading fixtures, flooring and lighting. A few inexpensive ways to make your existing bathroom more beautiful and appealing include upgrading your cabinets, counter tops, sinks, tile or your tub and shower. However, if you do decide to add a new bathroom, it is going to increase the value of your home.

Kitchens and bathroom remodeling are both excellent choices when you want to increase the value of your home. Kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects are the best at recouping their cost and adding to the resale value of your house. The average return on a bathroom or kitchen remodel is 100-105%.

Increasing the curb appeal of your home is one of the simplest and inexpensive ways to increase the value of your home. Applying a fresh coat of paint can make the inside of your home appear more appealing to potential buyers, which could mean a quicker sale. Neutral colors are a good choice when you are preparing your house to sell. Neutral colors will blend in good with a variety of other colors and can make a room look more open and appear larger.

Your roof is one of the first impressions people have of a home. With proper maintenance, a high quality roof should last a very long time. A new roof won’t add a lot of value to your home, but it will help prevent the types of repairs that can result from water leaking in from your roof.

If your carpeting or vinyl flooring is begining to show signs of wear this can adversely affect the appearance of the whole room and detract from the value. So replace the carpeting in rooms where the wear is severe to help increase your homes value. Often, a good carpet cleaning is all that is needed.

Naturally, you can only make the home improvements that your budget will allow. But many of these suggestions that I have discussed are not very expensive . All of them however will enhance the look and add value to most houses.

Remember that with any home improvement project moderation is the key. Don’t go overboard. Focus on improving two or three areas in your home which need the most work.