How to get stains out of carpet

Some secrets tips for removing stains.
Every other thing requires different approach and process to achieve the satisfactory success. Without the proper method for the particular process would result in improper result. So is the case with removing stains from household rugs.

Rugs endure a lot of staining and soiling. Rugs are major victims of children and pets. Though many adults may also be the cause of stained rugs. The cleaning process can be different and also the material you are using. But before you go on with the cleaning process, here are some tips that can be very helpful.

You should be able to categories a stain. Stain can be liquid blot stain, or dry stain which can be cleared using vacuum treatment or solid scrape which needs to brushed away. Considering the toughest one to remove, the liquid spill, you should never rub the spill. It may force the fluid to go deeper and become harder to remove. Easier way round is blotting the liquid from the edges to the center to completely eliminate the spill.
Before you use any solution on your stained carpet, apply on the hidden location where if the solution causes any damage to the carpet it would not be reflected much. After test you can start its use. Use fresh and clean cloth to blot the solution. Clean cloth part should be used.
  
 To clean the solution, use sprits to remove the solutions. After using the sprit, apply a very small amount of water to clean the carpet complete. Avoid excess wetting which might require large time to dry and in some cases may even damage the carpet.
   
The water used should be blotted out and not rubbed thoroughly for drying. The process can be repeated again to achieve better and cleaner carpet.

Solution for different stains

For different types of stains, you would require different methods to achieve satisfactory.

Water based spills – This are generally caused by accidental spills by pets or children. The categorization includes spills like tap water, fruit juices, soft and hard drinks. This spills can be simply removed using a mixture of water, detergent and vinegar. Immediately blot with a clean cloth and they dry off with flowing air source with the likes of hair dryer.

Oil based spills – This are generally caused by accidents by adults with fluids like butter, cooking oils, hair solutions, body lotions and the like products. This spills require more attention than the water spills. It requires powdered cleaners. Do not use silicon based cleaners as it might weaken your carpet make.

Other spills – There are many spills which can neither be classified in either of the above categories. In such case you need to very specific and work carefully on your carpet. For blood spills, apply cold water then followed by detergent for best results. For gums, apply ice cube on the gum to completely solidify the gum and then scrape of the gum off with some sharp utensil but you should take care of the fact that you would not be damaging the carpet.

Cleaners you can make at home

Ammonium solution – It can be made using non-sudsy household ammonia and mix it water. Your solution is ready. But it should not be used on cotton carpets.

Detergent – You can make carpet cleaning detergent by just simply adding washing liquid with warm water.

Dry cleaners – These can be made simply by using simple products from a hardware shop like the Afta.

Nail polish removers – Use nail polish containing acetones. This makes a very effective cleaner. All of these are quite effective but should be used cautiously and tested in safe and hidden zones prior to any usages.

Give your homes an informal look through an authentic rug

Nowadays people love to decorate their room in such a way that it represents the culture of a country side. That is why the use of rugs has become popular nowadays. People use rugs to decorate and design their home. But before buying a rug one should have a little knowledge about rugs. This knowledge will help a person to choose the right thing; things that will style the house in such a way that it will reflect the taste and choice of the person living in it.

Know what braided rugs are
 
Braided rugs;these rugs were first used by the early American settlers. They used it to provide warmth to their homes. This kind of a rug is colourful and along with warmth they used to provide a unique style to the house. Thus the log homes are kept warm and as these braided rugs used to be very colourful it used to provide colourful background to the houses.

What are the different kinds of braided rugs?

  Braided rugs can be made up of different fibre materials. But originally, these braided rugs are made up of cotton fibres. But today people use many other fibre materials to make braided rug. For example, today wools are also used to make a braided rug. This kind of rugs can be made up of fibre materials such as Chenille. Synthetic fibre, like the Decrlon is used to make a rug of this kind.

Where these kinds of rugs are mainly used?

  Rugs can be used in anywhere or in any place. But these kinds of rugs are mainly used in certain places. For example, people use this kind of a rug in kitchen or in a porch. People generally, use this type of a rug to give the place an informal look. Those people or if any person, desire to have informal style house then they or he/she can use these kinds of rugs in their house to decorate their rooms.

What kind of look it gives to a kitchen?

  If tiles and other precious materials are used in a kitchen then one can find cosmopolitan and sometimes posh look reflects through the way the kitchen is design. But in today’s life when people are trying to fond a way out of this rush of the city they are designing their home in such a way that it gives a down to earth feeling. And if someone, in some gathering wants to provide their guests with such a feeling then he/she should go for these rugs. These things give a kitchen a most down to earth feeling which one would have difficulty to find it in a popular gathering.

What kind of look it gives to a home?

  It had been said before that these braided materials provide subtle, and an informal look to the houses. But one should also remember that it not only provide an informal look to a house but at the same time it also gives a casual look to a particular home or to a house. So, now you have enough knowledge about rugs; what are you waiting for now think how you can design your home with these rugs?

The Great Rug Buying Tips

When you go to a stores for purchasing rugs for your home or office, you are awe-struck with varieties and prices. Varieties are many such as hand-knotted, hand-tufted, machine-made and so on; and some prices are low while others are high. Left to yourself, you don't know which is best and which to choose.

Mostly, you have to go by what the salesperson leads or misleads. Should such a predicament happen to you when you pay handsomely for the purchase? No, we don't expect it to happen to you. So prepare yourself to know these valuable rug buying tips beforehand so you find yourself safe and satisfied with what you buy, without any regrets.

Benefits:

From the days of yore, use of rugs in houses, inns, and palaces is extensively in vogue. Aside from the scientific advantages they bring in, they remain mute tellers of your status as well. Carpets give manifold benefits to buildings and occupants- they give warmth to legs preventing chillness from affecting them, conceal floor defects, bring about an elegant ambience, absorb dust, and control noise including echo. Generally affordable, they appear in different colors, sizes and artworks.

Measurements:

Floor spreads in general are called rugs; while sizes beyond ten by eight feet, and eleven by nine feet are called normal carpets, those above 24'x14' are called palace carpets. And for covering full room size, rugs are customized by taking measurements. As in everything else, knowledge of Rug buying tips will help you decide on purchase of the most perfect rugs for your room.
As a first step toward buying rugs, you measure accurately the floor space and major furniture items. A few aberrations are possible in measurements of rugs in shops. First, rugs in hanging condition for display in shops may look bigger than they really are for naked eye, and you're not to get carried away by such illusions; second, rugs in shops may differ in dimensions, particularly in length by upto 5%; then, stores may not include the fringe measurements into the total size of a rug. So while making purchase, you check them up all vis-a-vis your actual measurements to avoid short lengths or run-overs on walls.

Color choices:

Choosing matching colors with walls, sofa covers etc. according to your taste matters. Referring to a paint specimen, pillow cover or something like that will help in selecting the match in person in a store.
For online purchases, look for return policy and 'try before you buy' clause, so in case of return or exchange, no extra financial implication occurs. “Order small, try the match and then decide on larger purchases” is the guiding factor in this.

Life-period of rugs:

Life period varies as the type and place of use of rugs. But the dependent factors are amount and number of people using them, material and construction followed. The places are broadly classified as high traffic which includes entry points, hall and family room; medium traffic area means dining room and home office, while the low traffic covers bedrooms and living room.
The area rug types mainly come as hand-knotted, machine-made, hand-tufted, hand-hooked, braided and flat-woven. Depending upon the type and the place used, the use-period varies from 5 to 20+ years. So while purchasing rugs, bear this in mind to decide “which is to be put where.”

Beware of allergies:

Primarily, rugs prevent dust allergies as they trap most of the dust into and under them. As a general rule, you have to remove out and vacuum them twice a week, followed by an yearly cleaning by a professional. Ironically there's as yet no rug in the market which is allergy-free.

Use of rug pads:

Rug pads, otherwise known as rug underlays are an accessory for rugs. Though very cheap, their advantages are immense. They help keep the rugs in place, thereby saving children, elderly and others from any unexpected slips; adding cushioning and softness to the rugs which avoids scratches on floors is another advantage; they also give softness to the floor underneath, apart from overall increasing rugs' life-period. When you buy and use a rug, don't forget to buy rug pads also; they are very cheap too!

Choose a trustworthy store:

Half of your worries are over when you make the purchase from a trusted and tested stores; because they deal with products which are known for quality, competitive price and reasonableness; and no wonder, by choosing such a shop, you can relieve yourself of worries of low quality or undeserving high price. This is the general experience.
However, before choosing a shop, you are to make enquiries and go through reviews with particular reference to low-price guarantee, exchange and return policy; it should not add any additional expenditure on you. While making online purchases, look for security icons such as Better Business Bureau or e-trust.
Don't hesitate to ask for clarifications and gauge the stores' response for speed and knowledge about products. And you have to be wary of higher discounts (above 20%), as pricing pattern in such cases will be unreliable.

Know the differences:

Rugs are manufactured with different materials like cotton, silk, bamboo and natural fibers; they are chiefly hand-knotted, hand-tufted, or machine-made. Choosing the best for you becomes really difficult when you don't know what's what. The tips below will put you in proper perspective to make the correct choice. A look at the backside of rugs will reveal the differences amongst these three types.

Machine-made rugs:

The alignment of the warp and threads will be uniform. With an over-stitch design on the back, the overall color and design will look hazy. The fringe is only sewn on, and not extended for warp strings here. Its over-stitching keeps the knots in position as seen on the edges.
Mostly made in Belgium using fine wool, these are fit for use in high traffic areas. Of late synthetic rugs made from synthetic fibers such as rayon, nylon and polypropylene are available in markets; these too are durable, suitable for high traffic rooms.

Hand-knotted rugs:

The backs will expose well-pronounced individual knots and designs characteristically. These are knots that keep the other knots securely in position, with their ends hand-finished, and marked by ruggedness. Fringes are nothing but simple warp string extensions on the back. Wool, silk and cotton are the materials predominantly used in making hand-knotted rugs, with wool being the most used material among them. Thanks to their ruggedness, they are preferred for high traffic areas.

Hand-tufted:

Its distinguishing construction is its cotton support glued to the loosely-knit cotton or linen cloth to underside of the rug. Material used for this is mostly quality wool. Looking like a hand-knotted rug, but with no knots, it is fit for use in high traffic rooms at low cost.

Antique rugs:

Speciality with antique rugs is they look extremely grand with marvellous art works. They are known for unique softness and durability. Purchasing such a piece will be quite worth the money you pay for. This, however, doesn't mean you buy only these items. This is only an additional set of tips for your use, should you need them. Main criteria followed in the selection of antique rugs are their age and condition.
First is knowing the age of the rug. Persian made antique rugs are in high demand. Due to calendar differences, years marked on tags on the back of rugs mostly following Persian era, may not be able to be understood properly. Hence you have to refer to the three age categories defined below.
First category of age is antique, which means rugs are made prior to 1915; semi-antique belongs to rugs made between 1915 and 1950; and contemporary refers to rugs manufactured after 1950. As for conditions, there are three categories-fine, average and worn. Obviously related to their age, these in turn are proportionate to the rugs' value.
“Fine condition” rugs are those with no noticeable traces of wear and tear, coming with characteristic high quality and life-period; average condition refers to rugs with small to medium level of wear, while worn rugs appear as bare, faded, insect worn, stained and thinning spots. After all you are the best judge to decide which to buy- the brand new rugs or the antique rugs, depending on your taste; but forget not to follow the tips.

5 ways to organise your book shelf

If you're a bookworm and not a particularly organised person, you're sure to have tons of books lying around the house. It is easy to segregate your book collection in an organised and functional manner, this not makes your work easy but also makes your work and space a lot more clear and consistent. Here are a few ways you can organise your book shelf — 1. Categorise it alphabetically: One of the best ways and the most common method of organising your book shelf is by arranging the books according to the alphabets. You can either do it by the author's first or last name or by organising it according to the book title.

2. According to genre: This is the easiest way to organise your books and also find them when you are looking to read a particular genre. Make separate shelves for comedies, classics, thriller, suspense etc.

3. Colour coded: You can turn your book shelf into a giant rainbow by arranging them according to the colour of the book. For example, if most of your books are black and white, you can create a monochrome section.

4. Arrange according to publications: If you do not wish to mix your books, the ideal way to arrange them is by separating them according to the publisher. You can build different sections for each publisher, so that you do not get confused while arranging your books.

5. According to emotions: You don't have to ideally follow the usual method of arranging books. You can do it a bit differently. If there are books that have been gifted to you by friends and family, you can make a separate section for them and label it accordingly. While the books that you have bought for yourself can be organised in another section and labeled.  

How to organise your kitchen

If you do not want your kitchen to look an earthquake ravaged zone then you need to bring a sense of order in your kitchen. There are simple ways to maintain a nice, clean and organized kitchen.     Maintain order: Keep items from rattling around inside drawers by adding dividers in your drawers. Even while putting your cutlery, make separate drawers for different items. Don't mix spoons, forks and butter knives in one place. Keep them separately so that when you need them, you can locate them quickly. If you love to bake, you might find it handy to store your flour, sugar, baking powder, a set of measuring cups and spoons together in one convenient spot. Make sure that you store frequently-used objects in easy-to-locate places in your kitchen. Make sure every item in your kitchen has earned its right to be in your kitchen.

Get rid of clutter: Are you still clinging on to that mixer-grinder even if it's no more in working condition? Get rid of anything that you no longer use. If they are in working condition and you have an excess of them, give away to somebody who needs it. Make an inventory of all the kitchen appliances, cutlery, napkins, kitchen towel, serving trays and the like. Do you really need seven serving trays? Give away whatever is in excess and you see how much space you create in your kitchen.

Waste disposal: Keep a trash can handy. They should go near the cleaning and food preparation areas. And make sure that the trash can is kept dry and clean after you dispose of the waste.

Make it personalised: Like the rest of your home, the kitchen should also reflect a part of your personality. You can put some nice funny posters, paintings, wall hangings or masks to add colours to your kitchen walls. Bring in a feel of vibrancy, colour to your kitchen and see how happy you feel while cooking.   
 

Turn your bath area into a glam zone

 

Taking a shower in a very glammed up and pleasant bathroom is a rejuvenating experience. Here is how can make your bathroom the best place in your house...

 

Deck up the interiors: Starting from the bath tub to the bathroom fittings, make sure there is class and plan the combinations out. Match the colour of the walls with that of the bathtub or choose reverse colours or contrast colours if you like it to be spunky.

 

Colour code the bath place: Taking from the bath linen to colours of the tiles and the wash basin, plan what colours will pep up your mood and get your bathroom designed accordingly. Color therapy works everywhere, even in the bathroom. So pick up the colour sheet and work out some best colour combos for tiles, fittings as well as walls.

 

Jazz it up with tech: Starting from installing a wireless phone to making the bathroom a wi-fi zone to installing a touch screen panel with internet connectivity and to touch sensitive bathroom fittings, you can think of all the high end stuff that will totally revamp and make your bathroom an envious special zone. This will only pep up the atmosphere of your bedroom.

 

Stock up some spa essentials: Essential oils, body and face scrubs of your choice and a little bit of aroma therapy. What else do you need? A sauna? Well if you can install it, wonderful, otherwise a hot shower or a hot water bath in the Jacuzzi will let you rejuvenate equally. For one thing, you won't like to call it a bathroom at all.

 

 

 

 

10 tips to pick the right furniture

There are a lot of options, albeit expensive, for one to choose from in the market today.

If revamping home is in your agenda and you're thinking about furniture then these are the things that you need to give a thought to

1. Allot a specific budget first and then go shopping to see what exactly you need.

2. Select the material like hardwood or wood.

3. If cost effective is what your motto is, plan your buying accordingly.

4. Do not plan arbitrarily. Go for that piece of furniture which is utility based rather than that which is just for ornamentation purpose.

5. List out how much storage space you are going to need to keep your stuff. And how much dining space you will need in the house. Is a coffee table space really required in the house?

6. Think about balancing new furniture with the existing stuff in the house in terms of the colour of the polish. You can get your older ones polished in accordance with the colour of the new ones.

7. Whether you need a bed or a box bed, that needs to be planned well.

8. Same thought needs to be given to the wall unit. First of all, what else do you need to store and how large or small is the space where you are going to keep?

9. If it proves too expensive an affair to buy all these at one go, you can avail the EMI options at various outlets which offer such schemes.

10. Enjoy the process of buying.