434.817.7222........www.advantagehandy.com

Friday, May 24, 2013

Steps to Clean Your Shower without Using Any Chemical Cleanser


Many homeowners avail professional bathroom remodeling services to completely transform the look and feel of their bathroom. Some people even spend a lot of money to modernize their bathroom to enjoy a spa-like experience. But after remodeling the bathroom, you need to consider some simple options to keep the area fresh and comfortable.

For instance, you must avoid using chemical cleansers to avoid their harmful smell. Instead of using the chemical cleansers, you can clean you shower using some simple ingredients. The homemade bathroom cleansers are also effective in enhancing the look and performance of your bathroom shower without causing any harm or damage to the environment.
  1. Take a spray bottle and get it filled with undiluted vinegar. Identify the areas of your shower affected by mold or mildew developments. Mist the affected areas of the shower by spraying undiluted vinegar. Allow the vinegar to sit for about 10 minutes to weaken the mold or mildew.
  2.  After 10 minutes, cover the surface of the shower by sprinkling a light coat of baking soda. After sprinkling the baking soda, you have to use a moistened sponge to scrub the shower.
  3. After scrubbing the shower, you can directly apply tablespoons of baking soda to the moistened sponge. Now use the sponge to thoroughly wipe the walls and areas of the shower misted with vinegar. Now use clean water to rinse the shower thoroughly till the baking soda and vinegar are removed completely.
  4. Similar to the shower, you also need to clean the shower head and removable fixtures. You can remove these fixtures from the shower, and place these in a bowl filled with a solution made of ½ cup of vinegar and one quart of boiling water. Allow the fixtures to soak in the solution for about 10 minutes. Now rinse the components thoroughly, and reattach these to the shower.
  5. You also have to dab a soft cloth in undiluted vinegar, and use it to wipe the fixtures that cannot be removed from the shower. You can even use the cloth dabbed in undiluted vinegar to wipe the glass for shower door. Similarly, the shower curtain can be cleaned using your washing machine after adding ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of baking soda.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Preparing Your Room for Painting



If you are planning to change the look and feel of your home, the best idea is to paint the wall. The right color will further make you smaller room look substantially bigger. Also, you can keep the environment more comfortable by choosing the right paint color.  However, the room must be prepared properly for painting. A number of companies also offer customized residential painting services to suit your specific needs and budget. You can even consider preparing the room on your own to reduce the overall cost of the residential painting project.

When you decide to paint a room, it becomes essential to protect your doors, windows, furniture and molding. The small furniture must be moved out of the room. The large furniture can be moved into the center of the room, and covered using drop clothes. Similarly, the doors, windows and molding must be protected using removable masking tapes. Also, you can protect the furnishings and floor using drop clothes. If you have installed an air conditioning or heating system in the room, the system must be turned off while sanding and painting.

Now you have to remove the flaky and loose paint using paint scrappers and sandpaper. The paint must be sanded or scraped down till the surfaces become bare. Similarly, the screw and nail holes must be filled with spackling compound by using a putty knife. You can even consider hiring a home handyman to carry out serious repairs till the cracks are completely filed. Once the walls are repaired, you have to remove dirt and grease by washing the surfaces with trisodium phosphate. The trisodium phosphate has to be removed by rinsing the wall surfaces with water. 

After rinsing the surface, you must allow these to become thoroughly dry. Once the surface becomes dry, you can carry out the requiring dusting and vacuuming. Now you have to turn the power off to the room, and then remove the cover plats from all electrical switches, outlets and fixtures. The electrical outlets and fixtures can be protected from paint by using small bits of masking tape.
 
Similarly, you have to remove cover plates from light fixtures, and cover the devices with plastic bags. However, you must not turn the light on, as it will melt the plastic. It is also a good idea to turn power off to the room, till the painting work is not completed. You can even consider painting the room during daytime to get maximum amount of natural lighting. Otherwise, you can also consider using an extension cord to get light from another room.