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Sunday, January 6th, 2019
The Wesley Allen Bedroom Laurel Complete Bed will look great in a vintage home. But before you bring in this lovely piece of furniture or any furnishing for that matter, make sure that your home is free from toxic and hazardous substances.
‘Recently purchased an old home? No surprise there because a lot of people are drawn to such because of these structures’ charm. While these houses are such a beauty to behold, there are also dangers there that you might not have initially considered.
That Long-banned Lead Paint
If you bought a home that was built before 1978, then it is probable that it’s been painted with lead paint. This was the year when the federal government finally banned the use of lead-based paints because they were found to be life threatening.
Paint, even when lead-based, when in good condition less likely to be dangerous but come the moment when it is sanded, scraped or even chipped, then it becomes hazardous.
Lead dust is dangerous because it can be inhaled and it can even mix with the soil outdoors where you typically garden or where your kids play. Have your home tested for lead-based paint if you’re not sure that you’re putting your family at risk. A simple inspection will be able to show whether there’s lead-based paint or none.
Lead Plumbing
Lead isn’t just found in paint. This can also be found in pipes. This is highly dangerous because the substance could easily mix with your family’s drinking water. Your health could be endangered due to poisoning.
The surefire way to know if you have lead pipes is to have them tested. You can have experts take a look or you can use a kit from any home improvement shop. This inspection becomes doubly crucial if you see that your plumbing is non-plastic and if it was installed prior to 1986.
Ways that you can reduce the health risks once it’s been established that your pipes are made of lead include –
Asbestos
Asbestos is a kind of mineral fiber that’s been used a lot during the 20th century. More homes were filled with this fiber in World War II. It was used extensively in construction and roofing as it was an effective insulator and fireproof material.
Asbestos was also used in wall compounds, caulking, ceiling tiles, wallpaper, ducts, pipes, boilers, and furnaces. Even the ceilings were sprayed on with asbestos treatments which looked as a decorative overlay.
Asbestos was also an effective sound blocker.
So if asbestos had these many uses, why was it banned in the late ‘70s? The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission banned any further use of this material due to environmental concerns. Disturbing this material in any manner will release the fibers into the air. When breathed in, the fibers could remain trapped in your lungs leading to inflammation and eventual scarring.
Diseases such as mesothelioma and other forms of cancer have also been linked to asbestos exposure.
An abatement professional will be able to help you confirm if there is still asbestos in your home. Never take samples of materials on your own as this can disrupt the fibers. Your local state agency will also be able to help you with the inspection and removal of this material.
Old, Outdated Wiring
The CPSC stated that approximately 46,000 fires, each year, start because of faulty electrical systems. The sad news is that most of these could have been prevented had there been a thorough routine inspection.
Take note that homes built 40-100 years ago had not been inspected since they were constructed. If you experience dimming or flickering lights, power outages, sizzling sounds, hot outlets, burnt smells, shrinking TV picture, and even smoke, then what you’re seeing or hearing are warning signs already.
If you can’t even remember having your electrical system inspected, then it’s time to hire a certified electrician ASAP.
Tags: home inspection, home maintenance, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, older homes
Posted in Home Buying, Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on What Dangers Hide in Older Homes?
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016
Check inside the drawers and shelves for pieces of paper that are no longer needed. Featured desk is the Winners Only Home Office Sofa Table/Writing Desk AZL100S.
Have you ever felt powerless when you arrive home and find clutter strewn all over the floor? Doesn’t this feeling escalate when you find that all the other rooms show the exact amount of clutter throughout? Here are some tips that you can follow as you go about with your spring decluttering –
Begin to Declutter
Decide to make this change now – start to declutter your room. Focus on what you need to clean first. Instead of wandering without purpose or cleaning just a bit each time, you can break down the cleaning to phases or to different rooms.
There might be just a little or a lot of decluttering tasks to do but no matter, you still need to stay motivated to finish the task. Throwing paper clutter can be time consuming especially when you haven’t cleaned your desk drawers or shelves for a whole year or so.
Maitland-Smith Kitchen Island 5130-649 is a great organizer inside the busiest room in your home.
Total Declutter
There are some tasks that can affect your entire home but many homeowners find it more effective to walk from room to room then decluttering from there. Rather than being stuck in just a small area, it is best to get about and start cleaning.
So go ahead, pick up that broom and mop and let’s clean up that mess – whether you have a small or a big home.
First, look for those crumpled sheets of paper, those useless tourist brochures or leaflets, and many other printed materials. Those that are no longer needful should be thrown away.
A good mindset to develop if you ever want to declutter your home a hundred-percent this spring is to let go of things that you no longer have a use for. Else, you would just be hoarding a huge amount of garbage that you won’t end up using anyway.
Check out any coupons that you might have collected in the past. See if the dates are already expired and if they still aren’t, ask yourself if you really are ever going to use such coupons. If not, then it’s time to say goodbye to them, too.
Next, it’s time to clean your office space. Dust off from ceiling to the floor. Be sure to clean the desk drawers, coffee table, chairs (especially the upholstered ones), mirrors and many more.
Should you consider keeping a few brochures, then be sure to add a vision board or keeping a household file.
Next to the home office, you could go to the bathroom. This can also be a room for clutter if you do not have the right storage solution installed. If you want to achieve a semblance of order in your bathroom, then be sure to organize items in there.
Decluttering the bathroom can take just 10 minutes. Begin by putting a trash bin right by the bathroom door. Next, toss any of the dirty towels or face cloths into the hamper. Replace them with fresh ones coming from your linen closet.
If you find any laundry items on the floor, remove them and place them inside the hamper as well. Recycle items such as used tissue papers, empty rolls, shampoo bottles, etc.
Decluttering the bedroom can take less than 15 minutes. Begin by dusting the night tables and tossing garbage to the right bins. Put used linen in the hamper and clean up the rest of the dressers. Sweep the bureau’s or dresser’s top part and see if there is also clutter there.
Cleaning the kitchen is paramount because this is the place where foods are prepared. Sweep the countertops, Kitchen Island and the rest of the kitchen floor. The key to a clean room is to put things back to their proper place. Find the right storage space for every little thing that keeps ending up somewhere where it shouldn’t be.
You see, spring decluttering can also be fun. Do this task with your family and observe how the hours slip more quickly.
Tags: clutter-free home, decluttering, decluttering advice, home maintenance, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, spring cleaning, spring season
Posted in Spring Season | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 1st, 2016
Consider livening up the color of your living room by adding colors from nature. Here, touches of orange and yellow give life to the neutral backdrop. (Featured set is from the Belaire Living Room Collection of Jonathan Louis)
So it’s spring once more! We’re pretty certain that you’re ready to freshen up your crib and update your furniture. Spring cleaning does not have to spell a sore body or burnt skin. This may be the case for some but you can make a difference by knowing which chemicals contain questionable ingredients. Just a brief warning, here are some of such cleaning agents –
Danger: Corrosive
To begin with, ammonium chloride is often found in deodorizers and toilet bowl cleaners. These can cause permanent damage to your skin when not handled correctly. It is also highly corrosive to the eyes.
Aliphatic petroleum solvent which is an ingredient in most carpet cleaners can damage the nervous system while crystalline silica (also a popular ingredient in many cleaners) is also filled with carcinogen which can irritate the skin, eyes and lungs.
Lastly, tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether which is found in waxes, floor cleaners and polishes are known to have caused kidney failure and narcosis in some people.
Spring Cleaning Must-Haves
Instead of resorting to those chemical cleaners mentioned above, it is best to have these safe and natural household cleaners.
Spring Cleaning Can Be FUN
Who says spring cleaning has to be a drag? Fun begins when you play some upbeat music. This will keep you energized as you do all those scrubbing and sweeping and wiping. You can also engage the kids to clean up by having pizza after everyone finishes his or her chore.
If the weather is nice, go ahead and open your doors and windows to let in that fresh air. This, of course, will also increase your positive energy.
It is also important to pace yourself as you clean up your home. Most home will not be cleaned up in just one go (at least this is the case if you want some deep cleaning to happen).
Create a checklist to break down the different rooms into sections during the week. You should also break down sections of the room per person along with an estimation of the time it would take to finish each task.
Sort and declutter in major rooms first. Sort out those items that you would like to say goodbye to and those that you can still donate or sell.
Be sure to cover upholstered, especially white furniture, when dusting off surfaces. Featured here is the Huntington House Dining Room Banquette 2403-41.
Spring Cleaning from the Top Down
This is one of the most important tips in spring cleaning. The last thing that you would like to do is to keep sweeping the floor all because you have not properly segregated the cleanup. For instance, it is advisable to clean the air conditioning units and the ceiling first before you even begin to dust the furniture.
Working from the top down will save you a lot of time, resources, and energy.
To this rule there is, of course, an exception. In the case of walls, it is best to have it cleaned from the bottom up and then back down again. Those grimy soap suds would be a lot harder to clean when found on clean walls. The only way to remove them is to work your way up again to remove prior drips.
Another important rule is to dry clean everything before you even begin to wet clean. Remove the dirt so that it won’t result into a muddy mess. This means you must sweep before you mop, dusting all fan blades before you wash them, and vacuuming windows before you wipe them with wet rags.
Spring cleaning also means checking those overlooked surfaces such as door frames and baseboards; search the dirtiest places in your home, and freshen everything up even your furniture.
Tags: home maintenance, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, spring, spring cleaning, spring furniture shopping, spring season, spring shopping
Posted in Spring Season | No Comments »
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