With winter and cold temperatures knocking on your door, it is a good idea to start preparations now, while the temperatures are still bearable. Winters can be rough, seeing how everywhere around the globe countries are experiencing snow and cold weather earlier or more severe than ever before. Make sure your home is ready for any such unforeseen contingency.
Winter preparations often times do not require a great deal of time investment, only some knowledge and know-how on how to perform them. Much like house cleaning, preparing for winter is best done with a good to-do list and proper tools for the job.
Start with insulation. It is one of the most effective solutions when it comes to preparing for the winter. You can insulate the attic and walls, as these are areas that heat escapes from. Warm air is light, and will easily escape through your attic, if there is no insulation there. Another problematic area of the house is windows and doors. Holes, cracks and other openings can easily lead to leaks, losing a large amount of heat from your house. Make sure you caulk those to seal them. Install storm doors and windows to serve protection from snow blizzards. Consider window cleaning after or before that, to ensure they are in their best condition. If there is draft under your doors, you can use draft stoppers. Get your heavy curtains out and after giving them a thorough steam cleaning, put them to good use.
Have your heating system checked by a professional to make sure everything is working as intended. Check the vents for blockage and remove any if present. Cleaning them is also important, as is replacing your air filter frequently. This will ensure the system works smoothly and more effectively.
If you own a fireplace, make sure you get a professional to clean your chimney. Any creosote and soot build ups must be removed. Inspect your damper, to make sure it closes and opens freely. Check the chimney for any birds or other rodents and install a screen on top to prevent them from entering. You should inspect your wood as well, and keep a reserve of 20% at least, in case of sudden outbursts of extreme cold weather, during which you will use more wood fuel.
Make sure you prepare your winter upholstery for the season. Consider upholstery cleaning services. Having bulky upholstery can bring lots of warmth in your room, especially if it is one you spend a lot of time in.
Making sure you are ready for winter will ensure no bad surprises happen to your home. You should definitely start your preparations early and make sure they are performed thoroughly.
Read more tips at: http://www.londoncarpetcleaning.co/SW12-flat-cleaning-balham/balham-apartment-cleaning.html
December 15, 2014 | Ella Andrews
If your budget is thinned after buying a new house and interior, it might be a good idea to consider a do-it-yourself approach on some of the jobs around the new home. By far the most popular activity for home improvement is painting. It is one of the things that do not require special training or skills, nor does it require that much of preparation. What you need to do is arm yourself with patience and see some general advice on how to do the job properly. It will not only save you money but also cause less disruption to your home as it allows you to be flexible. And let’s not forget how fun it can be.
The first thing you have to do is properly select the paint you want. Navigate the paint aisle with caution and bring samples to your home to best determine if what you are going after looks good on your wall.Consider what equipment you will need. The last thing you want is to start the painting job and discover you are missing something. This will delay your work and spoil your plans.
Buy all the brushes, buckets, painting rollers and extension poles. The last one is very useful, as it will allow you to paint high surfaces without the need for a ladder. Another handy tool to have for the job is a paint grid. This is a grid that is usually hooked onto the rim of the bucket. It serves the purpose of removing excess paint from your roller or brush, which makes the whole process of painting a whole lot easier.
Before you paint a room, it is extremely important to prepare it. It can be a messy job, no doubt about that. Remove everything that can be moved out of the room, such as decorations, furniture and electronic devices. Turn off the electricity, remove the lamps, switches and anything that will get in the way. Use tape on the walls and anywhere that borders with painting surface. If needed, after you finish the painting, call professional house cleaners to clear the mess.
Before you apply your paint, it is important to prepare the walls. You can wipe off dust with cloth or scrub with water and soap in areas that are dirtier. Another thing you have to do is cover any imperfections on the wall. This is very important, because no paint can really hide any cracks and the like. You will have to use primer on walls that already have paint on them.
A final piece of advice for any person who is into painting on their own – do not rush. Work carefully, be patient in order to achieve the best results. It is your home after all, so anything less than perfect will not suffice. Give yourself enough time for the project, be patient and you will soon reap the benefits of this DIY job.
November 17, 2014 | Ella Andrews
Has your tenancy lease come to an end and is it time to pack up and move to new accommodation? The stress of moving can be overwhelming along with check out fees that you may have agreed to in your contract with your landlord or estate agent. The terms of nearly every contract will include an end of tenancy cleaning, which when using professional cleaners can be really expensive! Appreciating everyone’s need to save a penny here or there, we’ve compiled a Do-It-Yourself guide so you can take care of your own end of lease cleaning. If you follow every step you can be sure to leave your old rented accommodation spotless!
An end of tenancy cleaning is by no means a simple task, which is why so many tenants forfeit doing the job themselves and just agree to pay a cleaning agency. You’ll need to consider all aspects that must be properly cleaned, from the skirting boards, to the microwave and even the blinds, window frames and lighting fixtures! When handing over your keys you must be sure you’ve covered every area of cleaning, otherwise you may have to incur the charges of professional cleaning and your efforts will be wasted!
If you’ve fixed paintings or pictures to the walls by putting in new nails or screws, you must remove these and make sure you fill the holes with polyfilla and also paint them too so there are no visible markings. Landlords and estate agents are very particular when it comes to any wall damage, so this is one really vital point to remember! If there are any other marks or fingerprints on walls you’ll need to scrub these clean. My advice is to use a moist sponge and this should effectively remove any dirt from walls. Don’t forget to also clean skirting boards and radiators thoroughly as this is an area where dust and grime can collect!
A clean kitchen can often make all the difference to a property and it is actually the most frequently used room in any flat or house. The landlord is sure to scrutinise the state of the kitchen so you’ll really need to get stuck into giving all your surfaces a deep clean! Make sure you buy the right cleaning equipment and clean all your countertops, inside and outside all cupboards and drawers, the sink, the microwave (if you have one), the fridge/freezer and most importantly make sure you tackle over cleaning! You also need to clean the washing machine, both internally as well as externally and get rid of any residue that’s been left to build up in your detergent compartments!
Another area of rented accommodation that’s inspected in great deal by estate agents or a landlord is the bathroom and toilet! Be thorough when cleaning the bathtub, toilet, basin and tiles. Invest in a good bathroom stain remover and use only the best quality bath and toilet cleaners. You may need to use some grout removal product for in between bathroom tiles that can easily become marked and dirty over time. A good tip is to remember to remove all your personal belongings from a bathroom before inspection time! This will immediately make the bathroom appear cleaner!
Carpets can get really grubby so if you’re rented property is carpeted, you’ll need to try and restore it to its original state. First give the carpets a good once over with the vacuum and then try to remove any stains with home carpet stain removers. If this doesn’t work, then you may have to call in the professional carpet cleaners!
Hopefully this step-by-step guide to moving out cleaning has proved helpful and will leave your landlord more than satisfied with the state of their property! Good luck!
October 27, 2014 | Ella Andrews
