Cleaning Tips for Oil, Painted, Polished and Speciality Wood Pieces

Type of wood, polish and paint determines which type of cleaning the piece requires. Some wood pieces having light polish do not absorb oil while others like teak and rosewood have no finishing on their surface and require furniture oil once in a year. Understanding type of wood and its finish is extremely important when you have invested great amount on them, like a wooden bed, door or window frames. Maintaining them means they will last long adding up to your sweet memories.

Oiled Wood

Oiled wood pieces have a warm and soft appearance and are easily maintainable. They occasionally need furniture oil, for the rest of their lives they do great even if you do not give them a caring shot.

• Wood pieces with oil finish require only oil not wax. If you accidently wax them, it will clog in the pores of wood and the piece will dry out.
• Water marks can be cleaned with toothpaste, make sure you are not going to use a gel. Rub it gently onto the stains for some 3 to 5 minutes until the stains are no more there. Wipe away the toothpaste with a soft and clean cloth and check if the stains are still there. You can repeat the process for any leftover marks.
• Alternatively you can use a mixture of light abrasive and oil. Abrasives may include salt, soda, ash and appropriate oils are olive oil and cooking oil.

Painted Wood

Painted wood pieces require least cleaning since color and decoration can be damaged with polish and wax. If you love your pieces clean them less.

• Vacuum the painted piece regularly; use sponge to get rid of finger marks and smudges.
• If you see a dire need of wax, do it once a year with a hard paste wax only.

Polished Wood

Polished pieces have varnish or wax finishing. Different types of cleaners and conditioners are available in market to serve polished pieces. As a ground rule, for harder and long lasting finish use paste wax instead of liquid polish. Paste wax serves antiques best.

• Wear cotton gloves while waxing furniture and fingerprints will not left behind.
• Sprinkling cornstarch over recently polished furniture gives it an extra shine and gloss. Cornstarch will absorb extra oil or wax leaving behind a glossy surface free of fingerprints.
• Take about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and apply gently on the stains. Rub it with a soft white cotton cloth to let the effects reach into the surface, let it stay on the wood overnight while covering it with a cloth, bowl or aluminium foil to keep it from drying out and next morning simply wipe the mayonnaise

Specialty Wood

Pieces made up of specialty wood usually bear a natural finish but some of them may have varnish finish.

• Vacuum specialty wood pieces
• Rinse them occasionally with water so that fibers will not be damaged due to lack of moisture. Do not rinse rush chair seats as they are prone to damage.
• Moisture can tighten the cane seats. Spray water on unvarnished side and let it dry naturally.
• Water stains are no more to worry about. Now you are properly equipped with easy and economic tipsthat will help you a great deal in restoring the lost away charm and shine of your wooden bed.

Wood pieces are no more to worry about. A little care is enough to do great for them and now you are properly equipped with knowledge to restore the lost away charm and shine of your wood pieces.

Corner Sofa Bed Designs

Corner sofa beds that serve corners are highly appreciated by all. Due to their multipurpose behavior they are sweethearts of every household. The way they hug corners is amazing. Even badly shaped rooms and corners find a way to attractive decoration. Corner sofa beds become the focal point at once and the charm and grace they provide is just unmatchable.

Corner sofa beds are simple couches and the bed is hidden. Bed is revealed only then when it is pulled out. You can fold the mattress of the sofa and remove the cushions when these are not in use. These beds provide more comfortable place for sitting as compared to futons.  As it looks like simple sofas so you can easily match other furniture like tables with it according to your decoration style and preferences.

Corner sofa bed in purple accent with storage underneath.

Contemporary sofa bed design with chic cushions.

Light brown faux leather corner sofa bed.

Unfolded corner sofa bed.

Large sofa bed to serve open-up houses.

Right corner sofa bed.

Left corner sofa bed.

8 Tips to Buy a Mattress

Later or sooner everyone has to buy a mattress. The quality and type depend entirely upon what you want and what your pocket allows. The sequence of activities in making purchase remain same regardless of the kind and size of mattress; little research and some questions to the seller follow your way whether you buy a memory foam mattress or a sprung mattress.

• Collect advices but do not wholly depend on other’s view points as you may not find comfortable what others think as comfortable.
• Knowing an excellent seller means a good starting point. Try to purchase from a shop that has previously served you and owns some credibility.
• Go prepared to test the mattress. Dress up in comfortable dress to lie on the mattress, measure room’s dimension and bed frame’s length and width.
• Start analyzing a mattress with its comfort point. To test a mattress lie on it for 10 to 15 minutes in your usual sleeping position and judge whether it will provide you ease or not.
• Some low quality mattresses possess a piercing smell due to low quality stuff inside them. Be smart in diagnosing any smells.
• Ask the price and analyze again. Low quality mattresses come in low prices with a need to be changed soon.
• Ask the seller what the mattress is made up of and where it is made. Most of the sellers get the stuff prepared elsewhere, assemble in UK and claim to sell made in UK mattresses. Be careful of these tactics.
• Seek discounts and after sale services like free shipments, warranty, guarantee.

I hope these tips will help you a great deal in bringing a quality mattress for your bedroom.

Cheap Ideas to Give Your Bed Style

Competition between wooden and leather bed, bunk bed and storage bed seems a little older, when you see the latest trends in bed designs. Now the bed frames do not seem to occupy the central place. What counts more is the way you deal with your bed, either you have just bought a piece of furniture and installed it in your room like most of the households do or you have spent some good time on it in ornamenting it and preparing it for the bedroom. This is exactly what designers do; making something of great interest and exclusiveness out of an ordinary item. You can do it home with almost some pennies spent and a little time used.

• Paint the bed head of your traditional wooden bed to give it a unique taste. Contrast the color with walls and sofa fabrication.
• Add some flowers to the leather bed head that will soften the royal feel of leather, providing room with some romantic appeal.
• Changing the slip-on cover will change the overall looks of the bed. They are costly and do not require extra work to give the bed new feel.
• Addition of buttons and studs do not cost much and changes the appearance.
• An old rustic door can be shaped to be used as a bed head.

I am quite sure incorporating these tips will help you a lot in making your bed special and attractive and you will notice a good change in your bedroom.

Cheap Ideas to Give Your Bed Style

Competition between wooden and leather bed, bunk bed and storage bed seems a little older, when you see the latest trends in bed designs. Now the bed frames do not seem to occupy the central place. What counts more is the way you deal with your bed, either you have just bought a piece of furniture and installed it in your room like most of the households do or you have spent some good time on it in ornamenting it and preparing it for the bedroom. This is exactly what designers do; making something of great interest and exclusiveness out of an ordinary item. You can do it home with almost some pennies spent and a little time used.

• Paint the bed head of your traditional wooden bed to give it a unique taste. Contrast the color with walls and sofa fabrication.
• Add some flowers to the leather bed head that will soften the royal feel of leather, providing room with some romantic appeal.
• Changing the slip-on cover will change the overall looks of the bed. They are costly and do not require extra work to give the bed new feel.
• Addition of buttons and studs do not cost much and changes the appearance.
• An old rustic door can be shaped to be used as a bed head.

I am quite sure incorporating these tips will help you a lot in making your bed special and attractive and you will notice a good change in your bedroom.

8 Musts for a Bunk Bed

Bunk beds are kids’ all times favorite. You can find out your kids’ choice by simply taking them along to a furniture shop. Let them play there and after some time you are more likely to find them out playing on a bunk bed. All kids are adventure and fun seeking and this behavior leads their way to the stacked beds. Climbing up to the upper bunk then getting back through ladder or staircase provides fun and joy to them. A part from being kids’ favorite, they are most suitable for small houses where they can double or triple the sleep space through its bunks. Many parents consider bunk beds unsafe for kids, thinking kids may fall sleeping on the upper bunk or may start jumping on it or any other activity that may turn the scene serious. Remember as a rule of thumb, there is nothing wrong in a bunk bed choice makes it so. To avoid any harm to kids, parents must think over some points before making a purchase decision.

• If you bring a toy home, kids will treat it as a toy. Designs like castle, doll houses and other exotic ideas make a bunk bed merely a toy. In making a mere attraction most of the manufacturers do not consider the safety issues that may arise when adventuresome kids play in it.
• Ladder or staircase must be strong and sturdy. Its structure must not be flimsy or loosely attached to the bunks.
• Railings are a must on the upper bunks and ladder. If your kids toss and turn during sleep, railings will protect them from falling down. Some kids play jumping on the beds, railings will serve there as well.
• Kids who are sleep walkers must not be allowed to sleep on the upper stacks. Lower stack is perfect for them.
• Kids often get cuts or scratches from sharp corners or edges in furniture. Absence of any sharp edge in bunk bed will make sure your kids’ safety.
• Get your piece painted with water paint. If you are buying a finished item make sure the paints lack lead.
• As a ground rule, kids under 4 years of age must not be allowed to sleep in a bunk bed. If you let the younger ones to stay on the lower bunk they must try to the upper bed as well in your absence.
• Having young kids in family or planning for more means that you will have to stand on your toes to guard little ones to reach the bunk bed.

Purchasing a bunk bed with some drawers will make it a good storage bed as well providing a perfect space to store kids’ seasonal stuff, toys and other stuff. To put it in a nutshell, bunk beds are just beds. They cannot harm your kids in any manner until and unless you show negligence while making selection criteria for them.

Unique and Easy Ideas to Make a Bed Head

Having a head board with bed seems an old fashion; same that you might have observed at your grandparents’ place as well. Market is full of such beds offering a variety of bed heads but most of them are owned by nearly every household so, investing on it does not make sense especially when you are upto style and exclusivity. Why not think of something different to make your pace more trendy and fashionable. You can build a bed head of your own in minimum cost and less time. Just use your imagination and sort your style out, you will cast a magic on eyes.

• If you know a little about painting you can use it to paint wall behind the bed to make it a good piece of art that will immediately become the focal point and serve as headboard at night.
• You can call a cabinet maker to get a headboard having book case inside. If you are among those who like reading in bed, this will be the handiest place to save your books. It will turn your bed into a storage bed.
• Hang a fabric on wall behind the bed and it will create feeling of headboard.
• To create rustic appearance you can have an aluminium sheet without any paint on it.

These bedhead ideas will work great in making your bed special for you and they will be immediate attention diverters of your bedroom. You will like your new bed for sure.

Selection of Bed for Small Bedroom

This is the age of flats, apartments and small houses due to the increasing rates of land and ever increasing rate of population. Large bedrooms, corridors and vast lawns are exchanged with small rooms where every inch of living space is needed to be occupied and furnished with great care. Bed as a big-ticket item covers most of the bedroom space and should be chosen with great care especially when you have small space in your room. Loft beds and storage beds work best in such conditions.

Loft beds are held high above the ground level to leave the space beneath it free. In this free space a study nook can be formed or a sitting area whichever the room needs. Loft beds provide sleeping space without using any floor area at all. You may not need separate space to put a closet or a chest in room but the space underneath is sufficient to provide room to these furniture pieces.

Storage beds are multipurpose. Drawers underneath provide good space to store extra bed linens, seasonal stuff and toys. If you have kids in family that leave toys behind after playing, the drawers can be used as a stashing point for toys. Number of drawers varies from one bed to another. With a storage bed you will not need the closet in your bedroom.

Apart from being solutions to small spaces they are well suited for households who want to show something out of ordinary through their furnishings. Having loft bed or storage bed will provide you some style and ease at the same time while using your small space efficiently.

Maintenance Tips for Home Owners

For most of the UK residents home is the biggest investment. So, it becomes important to maintain and manage them with care.

Maintenance refers to everything from routine cleaning to repairs and restorations. It can be a small task like sweeping or moping or a big one like repainting. Good maintainers keep 4 things in mind.

• Do it daily and at the end of the day you will not have accumulated tasks to carry out like clearing tea stains from your leather bed means you are not adding up small stains to grow larger for time when it will be quite tough to clean dried up stains.
• Repair as soon as possible. Changing washer of a tap dripping means you are not cluttering your small repairs to grow big.
• Plan for large scale maintenance tasks. Save money from today and make your mind so that these will not become headaches in long run.
• Prepare yourself for emergencies. Some money saved for rainy days may work a lot. Water and gas pipeline may need to be replaced soon.

Moisture

Moisture is one of the major problems faced by UK residents. Humidity collects and resides indoors making living space unhealthy, damp and harder to heat. This situation can be avoided through:

• Insulation in the roof, under the floor and in walls.
• Ventilation through exhaust fans and windows in kitchens, bathrooms and basement.
• Heating indoor to raise temperature
• Remove water stains and mould if you find it in kitchen or in washroom.
• Damp and moisture must be treated seriously and in time. It can be caused though leaking pipes or damp around bathing tub. If not worked out properly it may lead to some major issues.

Major maintenance matters

Balconies and decks

balconies and decks are very common in modern apartments and houses. They can collect water and moisture easily if a proper drainage system is not available. Even surface allows water to spread but slope is there water will gather in some corner from where it can go in drainage through some downpipe. Such points must be kept clear of leaves and other things that can clog them. Balconies may develop damp if ventilation is not there. Bolts o flashings may rust easily.

Roofs

Once in a while check roof cladding and chimneys to make sure that issues are not developing. Make sure that you have flashings in your ceilings that protect vulnerable spaces from damp and moisture. Any flashings damped or corroded must be repaired or replaced. Repaint on membranes. Overhanging branches may harm the roof so trim trees timely. If the manufacturer advises for some periodic maintenance requirements go for them as well.

Drains and gutters

Damaged or clogged pipes can cause serious problems and can demand some major cash outflows if not timely managed. You may need professional cleaners to handle situation. Trees with extensive root systems are dangerous for drainage pipes.

I hope taking these things in mind would help you a lot in maintenance of your house.

Kids’ Favorite Bunk Beds

If you know your kids you must know their choices as well. Ask them or observe them you will find out their preferences. Bring them to a furniture store and after some time you will locate them playing in a bunk bed. They are kids’ favorite for their structures and appearances. For your kids they are more like toys than the ordinary furniture articles. What makes them that much dear to kids is construction.

Bunk beds which offer a playing area are kids’ love. They like getting fun in their sleeping domain.

Curtains hanged from upper bunk provide privacy to the lower bunk sleeper.

Railings on the upper bunk ensure safety and security of kids. It is particularly essential when kids are habitual of turn and toss during sleep.

Wooden bunk bed with slide instead of ladder is fun and attraction for kids.

Pink is girls’ favorite. Although the bed has some security the upper bunk is still not for under 4.

Wooden bunk bed with firm structure is safe and ideal for kids.

Two lower bunks and one upper bunk will serve 3 kids well.

Bunk bed with storage is ideal for small spaces. In drawers you can stash their toys and put their clothes.

Variety of bunk beds are available in market. Its entirely upto you to find out a perfect solution for your kids. One thing that must be kept in mind is that bunk beds are not recommended for kids under 4 years of age.