House Cleaning Tips

I was watching a cooking show on T.V. the other day and the chef was making a deep dish pizza using a cast iron skillet. As my mouth watered from the delicious looking pizza with tasty toppings, I wondered what ever happened to my cast iron skillet. Now it was a quest to find it and recreate the delicacy I was watching. I dug through my cabinets and there, in the bottom, way in the back, lay my sturdy skillet. After digging it out, I found that it had not been properly cleaned. I now need to clean and season it before cooking anything. If you find yourself with a rusty or dirty cast iron pan, don’t worry, there are simple tips to get your skillet back in shape. Here is what you will have to do: Cleaning Cast Iron Do not use soap and water…ever! Instead, place the pan on the stove and boil some water in it. Let it soak for a while. When food particles start to loosen, turn the heat off. Use an oven mitt and pour out the water. Wipe out with a paper towel. Never use Brillo pads (or a...

There are those of us who have green thumbs and those of us that don't. For those of us that can't manage to keep the simplest of plants alive - the silk flower is often turned to to add color and a little something to decorate and make a room cozy. A word of advice - keep them out of direct sunlight to keep the color from fading. Keep a variety on hand so you can change them around every now and then. Alright so let's move on to a couple of cleaning methods you can use to clean your silk flowers and keep them beau-ti-ful. Shake, Shake - Shake It Up! In a paper bag (grocery size), put either a handful of salt or cornmeal (about 1 cup, more if you think necessary), or a bag of dried rice. Put your flowers in and shake them up. This is a good way to remove dust and dirt. Don't forget to make sure the bag top has been folded down a few times to keep everything from flying out. Water and Liquid Dish Detergent. Fill your sink half full with cool to luke warm water. As t...

There’s no time like summertime to make some changes around the house. Maybe this time you've decided you no longer want wallpaper in the office or sitting room? Maybe you want painted walls instead? Removing wallpaper may not be one of the easiest things to do, so I hope we're able to help you out. First you need to clear the room and take everything off the walls. If there is large furniture that can’t be easily moved out of the room, move it as close to the center of the room as possible and cover it with a drop cloth or whatever you have handy to protect it. Then you need to have all the right tools to complete the job. Here's a list of the things you'll need: 6" scrapper Wallpaper glue remover Drop cloth or plastic wrap Ladder Garbage can or garbage bags Scoring tool Spray bottle Now lay down the drop clothes and get started. Peeling the Wallpaper Off If luck is on your side, you will be able to just loosen a corner of the wallpaper and gently peel it from...