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Archive for July, 2008


The Right Shower Curtain For Your Bathroom!

A shower curtain can add the perfect touch to any bathroom. Whether you like simple pastel colors or more elegant designs, be sure to choose the shower curtain that compliments the look of the rest of the bathroom. Fortunately, there are many shower curtain designs to choose from. Patterns of almost all kinds and a full spectrum of colors are available, so be sure to hunt around till you find the shower curtain that is just right for your bathroom.

While bathroom supplies and bathroom accessories are also very important to the way a bathroom looks, a shower curtain will more often than not be the focal point in any bathroom.

Fortunately, most shower curtains are very inexpensive, though some of the higher quality models do tend to cost a little more.

The right shower curtain for your bathroom.

Knowing that there are so many different types of shower curtains, it may seem difficult to choose the right shower curtain. Also, some people know exactly what type of shower curtain they want but don’t know where to find it. After all, finding bathroom supplies and bathroom accessories can be difficult.

However, be sure to keep on looking till you find the shower curtain that is precisely right for your bathroom. Also be aware that are some not so traditional shower curtains available, such as a hook-less shower curtain, shower curtain frog, fabric shower curtain, and many other unusual types of shower curtains available.

When you find the right shower curtain for your shower, it will make your bathroom look so much better you will hardly be able to recognize it.

About The Author

Mike Yeager, Publisher

http://www.beforeandafterpage.com/

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How To Create A Designer Kitchen

How do you create an attention-grabbing, designer kitchen on a reasonable budget? How do builders and remodelers design kitchens that sizzle? They’ve figured out the secret to creating kitchens that sell. They hire a kitchen designer! So, if builders think kitchen design is a smart idea, do you think it might be worth the investment?

Today’s remodeled kitchen can easily cost $25,000 - $50,000 or more. If you are going make a sizeable investment upgrading your kitchen, you may want to allocate a portion of your budget to kitchen design. Why? Because a good designer comes up with great ideas. You pay for a trained eye to see what you can’t see. A good designer suggests design elements that won’t blow the budget. They know which details are relatively inexpensive, but add significant “punch” to your project.

Once you’ve budgeted money for design (generally 3-5%), now what do you do? Well, before looking for a kitchen designer, start thinking about what want in your kitchen. A kitchen designer will ask you what you have in mind so they can narrow the focus of your design. Is there a specific appliance that you want to make the focal point of your kitchen? Do you like exotic wood cabinets? Or do you just want a kitchen where everything coordinates and flows together?

Before you contact a kitchen designer, you may also want to visit a kitchen appliance dealer. A designer vent hood or an oversized range can serve as a great focal point for your new kitchen. Then you may want to start looking in design magazines, a great source for design ideas. Find the kitchen or the design elements you like in a magazine and simply replicate those ideas that appeal to you. Finally, after you’ve gathered some general ideas of what you want in your kitchen, start looking for a kitchen designer.

Where do you find a good kitchen designer? And once you’ve settled on a designer and come up with a design, how do you know what your design will cost to build? How do you avoid designing a kitchen you can’t afford? Wouldn’t it be helpful if you had some guidance throughout the design process to determine construction costs?

That’s where a “design-build” firm can help. Design-build remodelers offer both design and construction services. When working with a design-build contractor, the designer creates the beauty (the floor plan, the cabinet elevations, the finished material selections, etc.) and the contractor creates the estimate. There’s no more guesswork. When you hire a design-build contractor you know exactly what the design will cost.

Today, there are number of professional remodelers offering design services. Some design-build remodelers provide in-house design services. Other contractors outsource design to kitchen-designer, business partners. The best design-build contractors couple top design talent with professional construction services.

So how do you create a designer kitchen? Since they appreciate the value of good design, you may want to start by looking for a good design-build contractor. Check their work, check their trade associations, look at their project pictures and talk to their designers. A reputable design-build remodeler can be a valuable partner for creating your new designer kitchen!

Stephen Haver is the owner of design-build firm Update Construction, serving Houston, TX since 1992.

www.updateconstruction.com

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Carpet Cleaning Tips For Your Home

To keep your rugs looking clean and fresh there are a few carpet cleaning tips you can use to insure a long life. Stain cleaners and odor eliminators may have a specific use, and if used incorrectly can actually damage your carpets.

One of the best carpet cleaning tips is to thoroughly vacuum your rugs on a weekly basis. To do this effectively, a high-power vacuum cleaner needs to be passed slowly over the entire carpet. No matter how strong a suction that is provided, passing it too quickly will not pick up all the dirt.

Divide the carpet into fourths, cleaning one section at a time before moving to the next section, operating the vacuum both ways until cleaned. These carpet cleaning tips will remove practically all the dirt, which can cause damage to the fibers of the carpet.

Stain removal is another situation where good carpet cleaning tips can come in handy. Many people make the mistake of using a soap-based cleaner and too much liquid on stains. This actually may allow the stain to return or create new ones. Soap-based cleaners, once dry, will still offer a degree of cleaning, this time to shoes and other products with which it comes into contact.

Some Cleaners Help Stain Re-emerge

The soap will remove dirt from the shoes, leaving it on the carpet. Liquid cleaners, used in excess, will allow the stain to soak into the bottom of the carpet or even into the pad underneath. The stain may appear to be gone, but the liquid will be soaked up from underneath and will probably make the stain reappear. Carpet Cleaning Tips rely on cleaning the carpet and not trying to clean it from underneath.

Liquid spills should be blotted with a towel immediately. Otherwise, they could be soaked into the bottom of the rug. Pet urine can be especially damaging to carpets as it can cause the color dyes to be removed, leaving a bleached-out spot. A solution of one teaspoon of mild detergent and one teaspoon of white vinegar mixed with a quarter of water can help eliminate the stain.

Most carpet cleaning tips involve not rubbing the stain, which can spread the spot and make it bigger, rather blot the stain. By using a clean towel, place it over the spot and either stand on it for a few seconds or place a heavy object on it to soak up as much of the liquid as possible. For specific carpet cleaning tips for a variety of situations visit www.home.howstuffworks.com.

For more information on carpet cleaning from Matthew Meyer see the carpet cleaning section of TheFreeAdForum.com directory at:
http://www.quickregister.net/infowizards/CAT/Carpet-Cleaning_80_1.html

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