How to Clean Your House in a Hurry!

By: Nicole Dean

You’re lying on the couch in your living room, in one of your husband’s old t-shirts and a pair of baggie sweatpants, watching last night’s taped episode of Desperate Housewives, when suddenly – the phone rings. You don’t recognize the number on caller ID and you make the mistake of answering it. It’s your long lost best friend from the sixth grade. She’s in town and she just happens to be in your neighborhood. She’ll be over in 10 minutes, and your house is a MESS.

So, how do you clean up for unexpected guests in 10 minutes or less?!

1. Stay calm!

2. Do a clean sweep. Grab a trash bag or laundry basket and gather up everything that is lying around that shouldn’t be, and throw it into the bag. Hide the bag.

3. Plump up pillows on couches and chairs in living room, fold blankets. Give each cushion a swat for crumbs.

4. Stack mail, newspapers and magazines in a nice, neat pile. Stick the pile in a corner or on a kitchen chair.

5. Give the bathroom a speedy sprucing up! Wipe out the sink, wipe off the toilet seat and quickly swish the bowl. Then, close the shower curtain, and throw odds and ends in cabinets or drawers. Spray some Lysol or air freshener so the bathroom will smell clean – even if it’s far from it.

6. Rinse off any dishes in the sink and stack them neatly or toss them in the dishwasher. Wipe off the table and counter tops.

7. Take a peek inside the fridge – what beverages and snacks do you have that you can offer your guests?

8. Close the doors to all rooms that you don’t want on display.

9. Light a yummy scented candle in the kitchen – like Cinnamon Buns or Chocolate Cake. Lighting a few scented candles will uplift the mood of any home and make guests feel welcomed. Throw some fruit in a bowl and place it in the center of your table. Fresh flowers also do wonders, if you have them on hand.

10. Take a deep breath. Give yourself a squirt of perfume and you’re all set! You may even have enough time to get changed into something a little more presentable.

Cleaning up for unexpected guests does not have to be a mad rush, if you stay caught up on your housework as a rule. A friend of mine gave me some really good advice right after my husband and I got married, she said “The best way to keep a clean house is to entertain in your home at least once a month.” There’s nothing like having company coming to get cleaning!

You are invited to visit:
http://www.homeorganizationhelp.com/house-cleaning-tips.htm for more cleaning and organization advice.

And, http://www.freequickrecipes.com for meals in minutes!

Kitchen Remodeling Tips

By: Milos Pesic

Baring it to the essentials, you’d say that kitchen remodeling should be easy, as easy as pointing your finger over the right direction: putting the refrigerator here and installing the sink there. That, however, is the planning of a conventional designer living decades ago. There are now so many magazines and books to tell you the best kitchen remodeling tips.

The kitchen of today has evolved more than what it is naturally intended for. Yes, it still has to grill those tenderloins to meaty juiciness, but today the kitchen has to put up a number of guests in its confines. Treatment of kitchens had made many to consider these rooms as guest accommodating next to living rooms. While in the past they are more inclined for efficiency, over the years kitchens are becoming as much aesthetically pleasing and comfortable as it is efficient as the margin that separates the two becomes more blurred.

Yet, the kitchen is still easy to plan or remodel as long as during the designing phase, these kitchen remodeling tips are in close regard. So don’t scratch that blank matter yet. Get it filled with these kitchen remodeling tips.

Kitchen Remodeling Tips 1

Are you a housewife that juggles everything: baking, babysitting, and doing the dishes? Then increase your scope by putting your domain in the midst of the household. Design your kitchen (and your household) such that it would make the kitchen the center of the household.

There are several boons that come along with this design. Previously we have discussed how the kitchen has become an accommodation room than in the past. This design will also allow the patron to entertain visitor while periodically checking her cooking. As for the visitor, he will get to know what to expect for dinner.

Kitchen Remodeling Tips 2

Wood as a major material in kitchens is a common approach. However, wood is bad for places that gets a lot of heat and steam, even with exhaust. Wood softens when over-exposed and paint expands and also softens. However, wood is essential for cabinets and similar fixtures. Glass is a new approach for counter tops, tables and sinks. These materials don’t hold grease in smoke, unlike wood and is easier to clean and maintain sanitarily.

Kitchen Remodeling Tips 3

Tabletop integration is another new feature in most modern remodeling ideas. These ideas are rather new, and the applications to them are yet to show. However, most integration designs shown over popular kitchen remodeling sites are quite gorgeous.

About the Author: Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Remodeling and runs a highly popular and comprehensive Home Remodeling web site. For more articles and resources on Home Remodeling related topics, Remodeling Contractors, Home Remodeling Loans, Remodeling Ideas and much more visit his site at: http://remodeling.need-to-know.net