Homes, as they are safe for adults, may not exactly be safe for little, curious kids. Normal household paraphernalia (such as electrical outlets, blinds string, etc.) can cause accidents for the toddlers. Here are some ways to keep the tots safe while exploring the house.

• Keep the strings of your blinds / curtains/ shades out of baby’s reach. Tie them somewhere high to prevent your toddler from entangling himself or from pulling it down, ruining your window décor or the blinds themselves.
• Insert socket covers into your outlets. This will keep the baby from inserting little things (or his finger) into the electrical sockets. Socket covers are readily available at your home store.
• Place baby gates at the second floor of your house or wherever it is that the baby is most likely to fall or meet an accident.

The Tools and Materials you need if you’re planning on renovating the walls on your house:

• Protective goggles
• Rubber gloves
• Utility knife / razor blade
• Chemical wallpaper remover
• Electric steamer
• Wall scrapper
• Heavy-duty detergent (trisodium phosphate)
• Sponge / Rags

1. To remove the wallpaper by scoring it with a utility knife in a crisscross pattern; this enables the chemicals or steam (softening agents) to soak into the paste and soften it.
2. Chemical wallpaper remover is best applied with a garden sprayer. A sponge can also be used but the process will take longer. The chemical usually needs to be mixed with water, so follow the manufacturer’s directions. Apply the chemical until the paper is completely saturated.

   Wait a few minutes for the chemical remover to disintegrate the paste. (Always wear protective goggles and rubber gloves when using a chemical wallpaper remover)

   An alternative to chemical wallpaper remover is an electric steamer. A steamer is easy to use and may be rented from most hardware stores. Fill the steamer’s tank with water and heat it electrically.

   Once the hand held plate starts pumping steam hold it against the paper until the paste becomes soft. (The steamer will become very hot, so hold it away from your body and always wear protective gloves and goggles)

3. When using chemicals the entire wall can be saturated before scraping off the wallpaper. When using steam only steam a small portion at a time before you scrape the wallpaper. Use a wall scraper to scrape the paper as soon as the glue has been loosened. As the surface is soft be careful not to gouge it with the scraper.
4. To remove the excess adhesive from the walls us a heavy-duty detergent, such as trisodium phosphate and a sponge. (When working with any heavy-duty detergent, always wear rubber gloves to protect your skin) Use a clean sponge to rinse the walls.

   Do not wallpaper or paint over the walls until they are completely dry.

5. Some wallpapers are peelable or strippable and do not require chemicals or steam to be removed. In this case remove using a utility knife to pry up a corner and pull the strip off the wall.

   Once all strips of wallpaper have been removed, use warm water and a sponge to soften the adhesive, then scrape it away with a wide wall scraper.

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by: Larla

Home Renovations require a large amount of money. You saved up for this renovation so would also want to make the most out of it.

Think carefully on major improvements that you want done, like the kitchen.

Hire a reputable contractor to do the job. Hiring a wrong contractor can lead to more financial loss as you will be wasting your money and time for nothing. He may be hiring unskilled workers or you do not like the outcome of the renovation done.

Think twice before buying new appliances. If there are still appliances that can be utilize, then there is no need for you to purchase a new one unless you ‘re wasting money

Storage issues. Where would you put the items that you want to dispose of? Then it would be an added expense to have a storage room for your items.

Plan ahead before having major renovations done so as not to waste your money, time and effort.

Small spaces can gain benefit from container-based water gardens that have plants and other wildlife that are usually associated with bigger habitats. Container-based gardens can be found at home and garden centers which also sell accessories such as small waterfalls, fountains and even illumination appliances that can make it more attractive and functional.

Patios that have at least five hours of sunlight are the ideal places, but anywhere the sun rays touch would be nice. Shade in the hot afternoons is also needed for plants also suffer from sunburn. Be sure to locate your water garden that is within easy reach of water source in order to lessen the effort of topping it up during hot days where evaporation tends to take toll. Maintain the water quality with regular cleaning, making sure the water is free from pests such as insects and other nasty bugs.

Water treatment solutions can be found in pet stores to lessen, if not halt, algae growth which becomes unsightly in such a small space.

5. Consider using reclaimed wood for things like benches, decks and fences. Buying new ones will cost bigger while the quality is almost the same. Also do some research on what kind of wood you will be using, for example: Cedar wood ages gracefully and it naturally has an insect repelling property, by doing so you can choose the right kind of wood for the job.

6. Another man’s trash may be another man’s treasure, check out garage sales for items that may come in handy. But never buy things that you do no think would have a purpose so that they wont end up sitting in your trash bin.

To be continued…

3. Replace fluorescent lights with more energy-efficient bulbs. If possible, get solar powered ones. It may be a bit costly but it will prove its worth in the long run. Imagine this: by getting solar powered lights you can save a lot on your electric bill, and contribute in energy conservation as well.

4. Make your home a better place for you and your family. Have a space for potted plants, they would act as C02 absorbers and give out 02 in return. Choose plants that do not require much watering so that they would not be hard to maintain.

To be continued…

Everybody has the right to grill their own meals being one of the most favorite outdoors’s activities the world over. There are however exceptions for certain areas or subdivisions that may prohibit such activities, allowing them only in designated parks or picnic areas so do check with your homeowner’s association. You should have verified this so you don’t get in trouble with neighbors sending the police over or security as your favorite steak nears perfection. If allowed, have a grill specially built if you expect to do a lot of grilling but space limitations may have you using a gas or coal fired portable unit you can stow away when not in use.
You can however use indoor grills as long as you have the proper exhaust and filtration system that goes with it to maintain proper venting of the smokey air to the outside without causing too much fuss with the neighbors. The lure of the grill can be called primal due to the fact it simply tastes good, damn’ good!

Planning well a renovation is the best investment you may have before you undertake the task at hand. There should be at least some percentage of your budget allotted for emergencies that arise for they will. Hiring a general contractor is the easiest way to get on with a home renovation but it isn’t always a good idea if the scope of work would have you moving out of the house that would leave the contractor free to do his willing. In this recession, count on some cut corners so do visit unannounced so you get to see what really is going on. Establishing a good and well founded relationship that has respect over everything else, knowing each others limits allowing a smooth and well-oiled communication (never forget you are the boss and that you are paying him to do a job, as long as what you’re asking for is within your discussed contract). Some people are swayed or convinced by the smooth talk of most who tend to know when to push to get their way. There’s nice and there’s too nice, so set the limits to which amount you would allow yourself to bend into modifications he recommends but not too much, get it!

Ever wonder why they recommend vertical striped shirts for people of size and horizontally stripped ones for leaner people, optical illusion. The same can be applied to spaces in the home you would wish to take on the same effect. Small rooms with horizontal lines and rooms that look too large with horizontal stripes. You’re afraid it won;t work for your walls? Try it out on a small space like your walk-in closet and you don’t really have to go for too many stripes, there are a lot of ways by which an optical illusion would get your space in check to make it look just right in your eyes. Read more »

You see them on many design magazines and you’d think they are achievable only by experts, wrong. These effects or motifs can easily be done by beginners like you and me as well as by the experts, but done by you, you get the personal touch. From the kids room to our room, all you need is an innate skill to visualize your design on the wall. Try to sketch out the desired effect or blow it up from a picture or whatever reference you may have. You can use the grid method which has you dividing the drawing, sketch or picture into quadrants, doing the same with the wall and transferring them with a pencil to the wall based on your design. This makes it easier and more exact rather than winging it, for that may be more for an expert. Read more »