First-Aid Guide For Furniture

When furniture arrives in your home, it's factory-issued, perfect and clean. From that day forward, however, accidents can happen, causing damage to your pieces. Sometimes the damage is permanent.
Know how to react when the inevitable spill or scratch occurs and you can "save" your furniture and extend its useful life.
From Martha Stewart, these "first-aid for furniture" tips should come in handy.
Wood

• Moisture "rings" : Pour table salt on the white rings/haze and cover with a terry cloth. Apply hair dryer on low setting until rings are gone.
• Alcohol spills : Blot spills immediately, do not rub. Apply small amounts of ammonia to damage.
• Wax spills : Allow to cool and harden, then freeze the wax with an ice cube in a sandwich bag. Use a butter knife to gently scrape off wax.

Fabric

• Red wine stains : Cover wine with table salt and let sit until salt has wicked up the wine. Vacuum salt and repeat, as necessary. Blot remaining stains with damp cloth and dish soap.
• General spills : Repeatedly blot with a damp white cloth. Use white cloths to prevent dye transfer.
• Oil spills : Cover spill with baking soda and vacuum once absorbed. Blot remaining stains with rubbing alcohol

Leather

• General stains : Blot with all-purpose household cleaner. To prevent fading in the upholstery, avoid products with bleach or bleach alternatives.
• Scratches : Apply saddle soap to a damp cloth and rub the scratch to help it "blend in". It won't go away.

The tips on leather furniture also makes mention that you should never bother with touch-up kits or colored markers. It's nearly impossible to match leather colors and your repair work will only make the scratch more noticeable.

Make Better-Tasting Food On Your Grill

Labor Day is nearing; the unofficial end of summer across New Jersey. If you're among the many Americans planning an end-of-season barbecue, you'll want to make sure your grill is clean.
A clean grill makes better tasting food.
There are several ways to clean a grill but, for owners of gas grills, the first step always is to disconnect the gas source.
Next, open your grill and remove its metal pieces. This includes grates, trays and flame guards. Take these pieces to your kitchen. If the oven has a self-cleaning mechanism, place the items in your oven and let it "self-clean". As the temperature reaches 900 degrees or more, residue will literally fall off your grill parts.
Be sure to wipe clean your oven once the cycle completes.
If your oven is not self-cleaning, wash the grill parts in your sink using hot water and detergent. You'll want to soak the parts in soapy water if they're especially dirty. Once clean, allow the parts to air dry.
Then, return to your grill and using a wire brush, scrape the residue from the sides, top and bottom of the appliance. Again, using a soapy hot water mixture, wash and wipe down the inside of the grill. Rinse it clean once the residue is removed.
Re-assemble your grill.
Lastly, reconnect the gas source (if applicable) and allow the grill to burn for 5 minutes. This will burn off any lingering residue from the cleaning process, including soap and detergent.
And that's it!
Plan on cleaning your grill at least twice annually with heavy use.

How To Clean Your Grill For Better Tasting Food

A well-maintained grill is the key to great tasting food, season after season -- chicken, meats, fish or other.  And keeping your grill clean is simple.
In this 4-minute from Lowe's, you'll learn basic, pre-grilling cleaning tricks, plus how to breakdown your gas grill completely and clean its parts.
Some of the pointers from the video:

• Clean your grill before every use using the grill's own heat and a wire brush
• Don't try to clean rusted and/or broken grill grates -- replace them
• After long periods of non-use, check your burners for insects and pests

The video is geared at beginners and includes a step-by-step tutorial. Even the most seasoned griller could probably pick up a tip or two.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Grilling Methods For The Family (jaysdad.com)
• Let's See What You're Grilling (dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com)
• 6 tips to get the grill ready (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Do Your Spring Cleaning Like Martha Stewart

Spring is here and Philadelphia homeowners are starting their respective Spring Cleaning rituals.

In some households, Spring Cleaning is best tackled in a single weekend filled with rubber gloves, ratty clothes, and sweat. In other homes, it's a less serious undertaking. Either way, to clean a home from top-to-bottom, you need to have a plan.

If you've never used the Martha Stewart, 9-step Spring Cleaning Organizer, check it out. It covers the basics:

• Cleaning shades and windows
• Sorting through wardrobes for "old" clothes
• Cleaning and rotating mattresses and cushions

For most of the cleaning, everyday household cleansers and a vacuum or rags will do the trick.

There are a few items on the list, however, that require heavy-duty appliances; ones you may not keep at-home. For example, cleaning carpets is best-handled with a steam cleaner. You can choose to rent cleaning equipment from a local hardware store, or considering hiring an Angie's List contractor to do the job. It'll be more expensive, but the job will be done properly.

Also on the list is a reminder to check batteries in smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and flashlights.

Vacuum cleaners are meant clean our homes, but in addition to picking up dirt, dust and mites, most vacuum cleaners also spread harmful bacteria.

As revealed in this this 4-minute video from NBC's Today Show, E. Coli, salmonella and other virus-causing entities are commonly found on vacuum cleaner under-bristles and, in some cases, bacteria can be 100 times more concentrated than on a public toilet seat.

The video goes on to give some general rules to limit indoor germ exposure -- some more practical than others. The rules include:

• Avoid wearing shoes indoors
  
• Wash your hands after playing on the carpets and rugs
  
• Don't stop vacuuming

And, of course, having the right hardware can help, too.

If it's time to replace that old vacuum, start your search online with a discount store like GoVacuum.com. Most online sites will have a wider selection than your local hardware store and shipping is usually free.