Monday, August 24, 2009

How to Buy The Best Mattress

Since a good night's rest depends mainly on the kind of mattress you have, it is natural why people spend much time choosing their mattresses. Just think about it, there are 24 hours in a day and we usually spend six or eight hours of that day in a bed sleeping, which means: fourth of average person's time are sleeping on bed or be more particular: on mattress. The important thing to remember spend plenty time choosing the best right mattress, this is a long time investment. A little time today can save you years of unhappiness.

These are the following list to be remembered when you choose mattress:

Quality - There is nothing wrong with buying the mattress in the cheaper price. However, one should take into consideration to go first with quality than the price. Remember, it is more practical and wiser to buy an expensive mattress that is in good quality and long lasting, than to buy something that is cheaper but can easily be worn out.

Durability - confirm the materials are great quality and assembled well, this will highly determine how long a new mattress will provide qualify and support.

Soft or Firm - The simply way to see is to personally try out the mattress. Lie down in the mattress and give several mattresses a try. Do not rely on the label. Somebody else's impression of firmness could turn out not be your impression of firmness.

Warranty - look for a warranty with a product guarantee of minimal ten years. The warranty should replace a defective mattress and guard your against inadequate quality products. Warranties are very essential because this will not only save you from the agonizing discomfort of an easily damaged mattress, but also it will save the huge bucks of money that you had paid just to have the mattress.

Research online – do online research on good mattress brands and on what other consumers have to say on some of their products. This can give the buyer an idea how to buy a mattress and where to buy good qualities of mattress. Browsing the internet with reviews and testimonials about a certain brand of mattress can also be enlightening to you as a buyer because these feedbacks can serve as guides what brand to choose and where to buy it.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

3 Steps For Buying Furniture on a Budget

Are you living on a tight budget but looking for new furniture to decorate your home? If you're concerned about the environment and looking for the best way to save money, then buying new may not be an option. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that you can't find many excellent deals. You just need to know where to look.

In today's eco-conscious world, many people are looking for ways to save money and the environment at the same time. When you're searching for furniture to decorate your home, you may be surprised to learn that there are several places where you can find great deals on used furniture. The following information will help you find the furniture you need without going over your budget.

3 steps for buying furniture on a budget:

  1. Be Patient - This is very important. When you're searching for used furniture, it usually takes longer to find what you're looking for than it does when you buy new. However, if you take your time and look around you will eventually find the furniture that you want and need at a great price.
  2. Know Where to Shop - If you want to get a good deal on furniture, then you need to know where to shop. You can start by visiting your local consignment stores, flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores and outlet stores. Many times you can find some great deals at scratch and dent sales, auctions and estate sales. You can also check your local newspaper and the Thrifty Nickel to see what they have to offer.
  3. Be Creative - You'll have more options if you learn to be creative. For example, if you find a sofa and chair that is in great shape and very affordable but you don't like the color of the fabric; you can buy in-expensive slip-covers to make it match your décor.

You can always find some great deals that fit perfectly into your budget if you don't mind taking the time to look around. The more time you're willing to spend, the more deals you'll find. Not only will you be able to decorate your home while sticking to your budget but you'll be helping to save the earth's natural resources as well.

Feng Shui - Home Decor on a Different Level

Executive summary about Feng Shui by Lily Sarmiento

Old-fashioned Chinese systems believed in rearranging furniture and home decors as utilizing both laws of heaven and earth. This process is known as "Feng shui". They consider it the art of harmonizing a person's personality and character with their own home. Thus, they say that Feng shui will make a person's life better by receiving positive flow of energy or what they call "Qi" or "Chi".

As it is based on good values and ideology, they say that the art of Feng Shui will help improve specific phases of life. This is through decorating a home with proper arrangement of furniture and home décor (of course) thus, calling it "The Art of Placement". Feng Shui is said to help aspects in life such as Happiness, Love, Money, and Health. Feng Shui doesn't require certain religion or beliefs for it to work. Say you are having problems in job search. Clutter may just symbolize a messy and unhappy life. Not only do you improve the quality and hygiene of your home, cleaning up might mean trying to fix your personal life as well.

For others, designing a home is not just only to impress friends or colleagues on how well you choose home decors. For many years, Ancient Chinese believed that doing the art of Feng Shui will help give you enriched communal significance and improve your lifestyle.

Leather Home Furnishings - How To Clean and Care For Them

Leather furnishings and accessories can add elegance, style and drama to your home décor. Nothing says masculine, classic and American, like excellent quality leather goods. However, leather furnishings and accessories can be an expensive investment. Learning how to properly clean and care for these items is critical to their longevity and beauty. But, if given proper cleaning and care, leather furnishings can bring unsurpassed beauty and elegance into our homes and offer a lifetime of service.

There are three basic rules for caring of fine leather. Never expose leather goods to liquids or high humidity, as this may cause the leather to discolor and/or the dye to run. Never expose leather to excessive direct sunlight, as this may cause discoloration or fading. Clean and protect your leather every six months. If your leather receives heavy usage, you should clean it every three months. Basic cleaning items are saddle soap or a good water-based leather cleaner which will remove minor dirt and stains, as well as to help the “bed” of the leather retain its natural oils and finish.

Most all leathers furnishings, with the exception of suede, can be cleaned using mild water-based leather cleaners. Always pre-test in an inconspicuous area for colorfastness using a soft, clean, lint-free cloth. If the leather passes the colorfastness test, apply your leather cleaner to a sponge, squeezing to produce foam. Apply the foam to the soiled area using a gentle circular motion. Never Rub. Apply the foam in light coats, wait a few minutes, and then blot with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth. Re-apply is the area is heavily soiled. Leather can be extremely dry and this may cause the leather cleaner to dissipate quickly. If this happens, add one-part distilled water to three-parts leather cleaner. This will dampen the area enough to release the soil from the area you’re cleaning. Allow the leather to dry naturally. After drying, apply a leather conditioner to restore moisture to dry leather and to provide protection from future soiling.

To clean home furnishings or accessories made of suede leather, use a suede “cleaning cloth”. (This is a specialty cleaning cloth that has a tacky feel to it and is available from most fine leather cleaning suppliers). The suede cleaning cloth will raise the nap and scrape off the soil from the nap, and remove dark or shiny areas as well. Use the cleaning cloth wrapped around a dry sponge and use only on dry leather. Use the cloth only on the same color leather. Do not use the same suede cleaning cloth to clean tan leather and then red leather. A suede cleaning cloth can be used when you are doing your regular dusting and will help to maintain your suede accessory and keep it looking like new. After cleaning, apply a light coat of an aerosol suede protector over the entire piece. This will form a barrier to improve stain resistance and make it easier to clean in the future. After the spray has dried, rub the surface with a dry sponge to return the suede texture.

With regular care and maintenance, your leather home furnishings and accessories will provide you with a lifetime of service.

Decorate Your Home

It's often said Home is where the heart is and if this saying is to be truly followed, one should follow our hearts and decorate our dream home, the way we always wanted. Let us observe how we can make a collection of bricks, mud, sand and wood into a comfortable, yet luxurious home, suiting our lifestyles and budget.

Furniture:
It must be kept in mind that the furniture must be blend with the upholstery like sofa covers and curtains. If you want to buy wooden furniture, you have to consider its durability and quality of the wood. If you want to buy iron-made furniture, you have to concern about the quality of metal, make sure that it's free from rust and durable. .

Toilets:
The washroom is a place where everyone gets their little bit of privacy, alone. Making it a comfortable room, even for those ten minutes its being used, shall be a treat for the family members as well as any guest who visits your home. Make sure the toilet is well ventilated as well as well lit!! A storage cupboard under the sink, to hold toiletries is always a welcome space and if its well designed, with a sleek finish, the toilet would be a comfortable room by itself. A cabinet on the side wall, to store fresh towels, would look very attractive.

Bedrooms:
Often while decorating your home, there arises confusion about bedrooms and who should occupy which one. Without doubt the master bedroom is for the parents. The largest room in the house with an attached toilet should invariably be the master bedroom. Parents need their privacy and comfort zone so the decor of this room should be subtle, warm, inviting yet the most beautiful room of the house. With a twin bed to sink into after a long day, and huge glass windows to let the morning misty sun in your room, what more can one ask for? On the other hand, the children's room should be bright, innovative and spacious so they can sprawl around with their toys and enjoy their childhood to its full potential. For girls, choosing a pink colour combination with cartoon characters would be fun and for the boys, blue, to bring out their naughtiness further! A bunk bed, with a study table and storage space for lots of toys and books would complete their little world of colourful fun, knowledge and exploration. A colourful, cartoon based wall paper would complete the perfect picture of the little ones' naughty world, where only mess is allowed!!

Kitchen:
The kitchen is the place where the lady of the house unleashes her creative potential and churns out scrumptious, mouth watering dishes for the entire family to devour!! So this little haven, ought to be pleasant, well lit, welcoming as well as neat and clean. Make sure you have enough storage space for all your spices, lentils, pulses and grocery. Enough daylight should enter the kitchen giving it that evergreen, fresh look always. Many families like to eat at least one meal together, in spite of their tight schedules. So making a kitchen table in the centre is always a welcome treat. Easily accessible shelves, smooth sliding drawers and not too high lofts should be made for storage. Smooth finishing cabinets, which camouflage things like the dust bin, under sink storage stuff, should be easy for members of the house to access. As once the person brewing up dishes in the kitchen is comfortable, the aroma in the dish itself is tempting and irresistible.