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Whether by choice or necessity, gutting a room means lots of sweat and hard work. If you're doing a full scale remodel of a space usually requires removing everything "to the studs." A natural disaster, such as a flood, may force you to gut a portion of the house. In a nutshell, gutting means pulling or ripping everything out of a room and getting down to the bare structural elements. Once gutted, you're ready to rebuild the room however you see fit.
When coated aluminum furniture is exposed to the outdoor elements, oxidization occurs. Oxidation is a type of corrosion that actually can protect the surface of the furniture, but it destroys the appearance. Left untreated, oxidation can cause pitting in the metal, and no amount of cleaning can repair it. Clean off the oxidation when it appears to extend the life of your furniture.
Leather is durable and most quick spills, such as juice or tomato sauce, are easy to wipe up. Paint scuffs are trickier to remove, however, especially if the paint has already dried. With items from your kitchen and garage, you can remove stubborn paint stains from your leather furniture to keep your piece looking like new.
Despite frequent grooming, cats can leave hair behind on just about any surface. Upholstered furniture is a magnet for cat hair, as many of the fabrics used for home decorating have a textured nap that traps the hair on contact. If your cat has a favorite piece of furniture, you may have to remove hair from this special spot each day. If your cat has light-colored fur, dark-colored furniture will be most affected by the hair; dark-colored cats will leave what looks like a striking amount of hair on light-colored furniture.
Vacuums are notorious for leaving white scuff marks on baseboards, wooden furniture and sofa legs. These white marks are sometimes minor stains, easily removed with a mild cleaner. Occasionally, though, the white marks represent actual damage to the furniture's finish. Start with the least invasive cleaning method to remove the scuffs. If that doesn't work, use products aimed at hiding stains or repairing finishes. Work gently and try any product you use in an inconspicuous place first to make sure it won't damage furniture.
Buying vintage furniture can help create an interesting and unique decor in your home, while saving you money over the cost of new pieces. One downside of buying vintage furniture, however, is that you may not know where it has spent the past several decades. Furniture that stayed in storage for a long time may have mildewed or molded. The furniture may have been packed with mothballs, belonged to smokers, or stayed in a house full of pets. Fortunately, most furniture odors can be significantly reduced or eliminated with some effort.
Sap is an essential component of trees, serving to transport nutrients throughout the plant. But sap transported inside on shoes, pets or toys can be a household nightmare if it winds up on your furniture or flooring. Dissolved sugars in the sap make it a sticky mess when liquid and a hard-to-remove chore if it dries. There are two general approaches to removing tree sap from furniture and fabrics such as carpets: softening and dissolving. The first depends on rehydrating the sap using products containing oils, while the second uses solvents such as alcohol.
When properly cared for, leather furniture lasts a long time. To keep leather pieces looking great, take care of any problems as they appear. It also is important you treat furniture according to the manufacturer's instructions in order to prevent issues such as scuffs from appearing in the first place. If your furniture does get scuffed, some basic leather treatment products and a little bit of work should get it looking good again.
Furniture can be a major purchase, so it is important to keep it looking new for as long as possible. However, even new furniture is prone to having lint, fuzz balls, and small imperfections in the fabric. Thankfully, “fuzzies” can be removed from new furniture with a minimum of fuss if you have the right tools.
You treat your doberman just like a member of the family, and that includes letting it sleep on your chairs and couch. Unlike people, though, dogs have plenty of fur to shed, and you often find your furniture coated in hair. Antistatic spray removes the dog hair that clings to your furniture. If you prefer to avoid chemicals, a wet sponge, a vacuum cleaner or a lint brush has the same effect.
One notable downside to fingernail polish is that, aside from your nails, it stains almost anything it comes into contact with. Slip up just once and that bottle of nail polish may leave a hideous stain on your upholstery. If you attack the stain quickly, you might just save your furniture – ensuring that the price you pay for beauty isn’t the cost of new upholstery.
White furniture creates a clean, neutral palette that looks attractive in nearly any room. You can accent white furniture with a wide range of color options. The downside of having white furniture, however, is that marks and stains tend to be highly visible. If you happen to find a stray pencil mark on your white furniture, remedy the problem by using cleaning products and techniques that will remove the stain effectively.
Always lay a magazine or an old towel under your hands when you paint your nails, as it is easy to knock a bottle of nail polish over and ruin antique furniture. Nail polish contains some of the same varnishes that are present in stain and clear sealants. Because of this, the solvents that dissolve nail polish can also dissolve the stain or sealant. Be careful when cleaning the nail polish so you don’t ruin the piece. And if the antique furniture is valuable, take it to a professional cleaner who deals with antiques.
Burning tobacco can cause stains from tar and nicotine carried by the smoke. At first, tobacco smoke seems to do nothing more than leave a stench in the room. Over time, stains build up and become especially noticeable on white furniture. The yellow or brown, greasy film detracts from the appearance of white furniture and leaves an unpleasant odor. There are ways to remove tobacco stains that will restore your furniture's appearance and leave it smelling clean.
If you have wood surfaces in an area in which you usually style your hair, you may begin to notice hairspray residue on the wood. This residue not only dulls the appearance of wood furniture, but it can also damage the finish of the wood over time. You can remove hairspray from wood through a simple cleaning process. This process involves gentle, inexpensive products that you may already have right in your bathroom cabinet.
Odors in carpet can be persistent annoyances. The stench of spilled beer in a carpet can be especially troublesome, disturbing and challenging to remove, even if you use some expensive or rented rug shampooers or cleaners. Luckily, the smell of beer can be removed from carpeting using only a few simple household supplies and little effort. If the beer smell is accompanied by a stain, it may require additional cleaning. As with all spills and smells, the sooner the accident is cleaned, the easier the stench will be to remove.
Unlike traditional vacuums, a Dyson brand vacuum cleaner uses a bin that allows you to dispose of debris after each use if you want. If your Dyson has an unusual odor, it may be due to something in the clear bin or an issue with the filter. Fixing the problem is something you can do yourself without needing to call for a service repair.
Carpets in your home may emit smells after steam cleaning. A certain amount of moisture will stay in the carpet until it dries naturally. A steam cleaner using a hot-water extraction method should remove dirt, but sour smells may be apparent due to oversoaking of the carpet or deep sitting stains and bacteria left in the pile. Keep the room as ventilated as possible by opening doors and windows and allow the carpet to dry naturally before deodorizing.
Undetected food or drink spillages will soak into a household carpet and produce a variety of bad odors. Dairy products such as milk, cream cheese, yogurt and milkshakes eventually go bad and grow bacteria, even a tiny amount that may have soaked into the carpet after cleaning. Pets will also produce bad smells that may seep into the carpet. A specialist company can clean and deodorize your carpet, but cheaper methods are available using inexpensive, household items.
Oil art is generally defined as art made from oil-based paints. Oil paintings are often painted on canvas. If you hang this type of oil art in a room with ventilation, moisture or humidity issues, such as a bathroom or laundry room--or if it's in storage in such a place, such as your garage or basement--the art might eventually mold. If you find mold on your oil paintings, remove it immediately.
Those annoying water stains or rings pop up on furniture after water has been left to evaporate on the surface. Water contains minerals that leave behind white marks on furniture, and wiping the stains with a damp cloth does little to remove them. The water stains require a cleaning agent that can strip the minerals from the furniture without inflicting damage to the surface.
Leather -- a material made from the hide of animals -- is durable and typically easy to clean. Urine -- from both humans and pets -- can create stains and odor on your leather furniture. If the urine is removed immediately with a damp cloth, no odors or stains should develop. If the urine dries on the leather furniture, the risk of stains and odors increases.
Cleaning furniture, blankets, towels, sheets and clothing after a lice infestation is just as important as treating your hair. According to the University of Iowa's Health Care website, lice can live on cloth furniture for up to two days without a host. If left untreated, the lice can re-infect any eligible hosts in the house. The best time to clean lice off of your furniture is on the same day that you treat the main infestation.
Understanding the ins and outs of using your Dyson swivel vacuum will help you get your floor as clean as possible. Dyson vacuums that have the swivel base include its Blueprint, Animal and All Floors series. These Dyson vacuums have a ball at the base of the unit that gives them unique maneuverability.
Paint mist can accidentally land on furniture when you are using spray paint and a breeze blows small paint droplets onto uncovered furniture. Normally wet paint can be removed without much problem, but dried paint needs to be softened before removal so you will not scratch the furniture's surface. You can purchase items to remove paint at your local paint supply or hardware store.
Anaglypta is a type of wall covering that features a raised texture or pattern that can be painted over. It is very popular for creating the look of a crushed tin or metal ceiling and as a substitute for wainscoting. Removing anaglypta from a wall or ceiling is much like removing any other wallpaper, except the strong adhesives used to hang anaglypta make the process slightly more difficult and time consuming.
Shoji screens remain a traditional element in Japanese decor. They play a role outdoors in Japan at dances, Buddhist ceremonies and processions. American homes incorporate shoji screens for their versatility. Shoji screens feature rice paper in wooden frames, which allows light through. The term "shoji" refers to rice paper, though shoji-style screens are made in silk and plastic. Some retailers use the term "shoji screen" to refer to other types of room screens and room dividers. With a basic plan you can buy an outdoor screen to suit your needs.
Whether you're looking to redecorate your living room, furnish your new office, or move into a dorm to start college, furniture shopping can be a challenge. If you're looking for a deal, retail furniture stores often run specials for "no money down" or no interest for a period of time. Some furniture store owners are open to some negotiating the price when you make your purchase. Here are some tips about how to get the furniture you want at the price you need.
It seems as if ink stains are always showing up on the furniture, either from the kids writing on it or from the pen in your pocket. There's a good chance you can remove those ink stains from your fabric- or vinyl-upholstered furniture. Most stains come out more easily if you attack them right away, using a method that's appropriate for your furniture type. Test your chosen method in a hidden area of the furniture to make sure it doesn't cause discoloration.
Winter is ending in most parts of the U.S. and the spiders will be with us soon. Some people say that spiders are great pest controllers and I agree as long as they are killing insects outside of my home.
If you’ve got an area in your home where a mirror is placed over a piece of wooden furniture, chances are someone has used the spot as a vanity. Though you probably don’t mind hosting a last minute primp, sticky hairspray residue can ruin the finish of your woodwork, not to mention that it looks unattractive. Here are a few tips to keep your woodwork hairspray-free.
Removing mold and mildew from furniture is quite easy if the furniture is wood or metal. It can be more challenging if you have mold on furniture upholstery, but there are several solutions to try that won't ruin the fabric.
Skunk smell is one of those little inconveniences in life that can seem like a nightmare until you get rid of it. A skunk's spray is its only natural defense and if you happen to run into on you can't blame the little guy for trying to protect itself. Removing skunk smell from your pets and yourself is hard but removing it from furniture and carpeting is even harder. If you do get 'skunked' try not to sit on any furniture or carpeting. If you do, follow these steps to eliminate the odor.
