What home staging tips helped you sell your home?

We are going to put our house on the market this week. It’s in great shape, is decorated well, and clean. I’m going to "stage" the house to make it even more desirable. If you staged your home before you sold it please tell me what tips worked well for you. Thank you.

p.s. No smartie-pants answers needed. Please voice your sarcasm elsewhere.

Take out all the clutter especially on counter tops.
Take out anything personal if you can…pictures of family, etc.
Make sure the only furniture showing is your best.
Dust everything from ceiling fans to the base boards and polish, polish, polish. Pull all the window treatments back, up or whatever so the light comes in. Make sure windows are clean.
Put your best smaller furniture in the main rooms to make them look bigger.
Paint is your friend.
We also worked hard on staging the back yard. Trimmed and new flowers from the nursery.
The garage we hung every tool we could find to show it would hold a lot and be organized.
Hard work but worth it when the bids come in.

Starting to go "Green"- what products should I start with- how do I start being "Green"?

I am really really trying to "go green" and be more environmentally friendly. How should I start doing this? I recycle, I walk everywhere possible, I compost, I use cloth chopping bags and cloth diapers, all natural biodegradeable cleaning supplies… what next? How do I take my "being green" to the next level?

ALSO can you tell me your fave green eco friendly products? I want to try to slowly replace everything in our home with eco friendly alternatives. What products should I start with? AND how can I "be green" ON A TIGHT TIGHT budget? (Single mom with 2 kiddos!!)…

ANY tips and suggestions on how to be green on a tight frugal budget would be really appreciated!

PS- I’m looking into eco friendly furniture to replace some of the crappy stuff we have now!

try planting some of your own vegetables, or even just herbs, and try saving water; for example: try putting a bucket in the shower to catch warm up water, or under the downspout outside when it rains; you can store this in barrels until you need it for watering your plants, unplug your TV at night or during the day when not in use for long periods of time, and most easily you can switch your lightbulbs to CFLs if you haven’t already (if you buy them in bulk, they cost less, but make sure they have the energy star label on them).

also check out this web site (Care2.com) for really great ways to be more earth friendly and healthy from homemade cleaning supplies to natural pest control, it is a treasure trove that I frequently seek advice from.

good luck!

How to prevent and get rid of Mould?

I live in Hong Kong in a new block. I have 3 new air con units and also a dehumidifier and yet I keep getting green mould on my clothes and walls. Is there a way to prevent it and also an easy way to remove it? It is costing me a small fortunate in Dry Cleaning. Also my closets are open so the air moves freely and I undo the windows once every 2 weeks to let fresh air in. Many thanks for all tips.

That’s kind of freaky. I’ve never heard of that before. I would look at it as an enviromental thing. Mold spores have to come from some place. Check around in the closet and see if you can find the source. I dont know if covering your clothes in bags will help keep them spore free but it might be worth the try. Space bags would be even better since you can vaccuum pack your clothes.

How does one clean cowhide leather?

I have a green bag which I really like but after occasional use over the past few years, it’s now a bit dirty and I’d like to clean it up but I don’t want to just put it in the washing machine cz it might ruin the whole thing. Any tips? Thanks!

If you regularly clean and protect your handbag it will last you a lot longer than if you don’t.

The following will be perfectly safe as long as the leather is not suede or nubuck.

You need to use a good quality water based foam leather cleaner.

DO NOT use anything containing oils, waxes or silicones. (Most ‘conditioners’ contain waxes or oils) and furniture type polish contains silicones

BABY WIPES are the worst thing you can use as they will destroy the finish on your leather. They are very strong alkiline cleaners to neutralise urine (acid) on babys skin so they are not the right thing to use on leather.

Saddle soap is too harsh to use on a leather handbag.

A lot of leather wipes contain chemicals which will also destroy the finish or leave residues on the leather which will damage it.

Fairy liquid contains more salt these days to get dishes clean and this will break the finish down on your leather. This has been verified by the manufacturers (as with the baby wipes).

You should also follow cleaning with a good water based leather protector which will act like a ’scotchgard’ and inhibit dirt and stains from being absorbed and make cleaning easier the next time.

Dry leather needs rehydrating with water and oils and waxes should not be used as the natural oils do not dry out of leather. Wiping over with a damp cloth regularly will help to do this.

It is important to maintain a regular cleaning regime cleaning dirt off the surface regularly and inhibiting the absorption of dirt and oils into the leather with a protector is the best way of doing this.

The alternative is a brand new product on the market called Lazy Leather. This is the latest technology in cleaning and combines an effective cleaner with a protector. It is quick and easy to use and should be used as a maintenance product once your bag has been cleaned or from new if you have just bought it.

Source(s):

www.LTTsolutions.net
Leather care consultants to the furniture and cleaning industries

To all the "Green" mothers out there, I have a new baby on the way and I want to go Green?

As a new mother I am finding that things that never bugged me before are now driving me crazy ( I am nesting as well, so this is probably where this sudden want is coming from )
I want to go green because I am determined to have a happy healthy family that helps the environment. During my nesting I have discovered so many things that make me sick about the way we are living (cleaning products, how many electronics we use, just the general junk around the house, etc. )

I want to get some good advice on how you went green and how long it took. Do you feel you are living as green as you could be? What tips do you have, what should I start with first? Please give me your personal tales as well as links (please not just one or the other!)

THANKS A BUNCH!
**I am going to use cloth diapers
**I am also ordering Soap Nuts for Laundry

Going green is easy, there are so many great resources about the subject. My personal favorite is "The Green Book" which has parts of its book online as well at www.readthegreenbook.com.

As I have been striving to "Go Green" I realize it is like stepping back in time without getting rid of my modern conveniences. I’m doing many things I learned as a child, like line drying my clothes, sweeping instead of vacuuming, opening the windows in the morning to catch the cool breeze, only buying what I need instead of everything that looks cool, growing some of my own food, and canning what I can’t eat now.

To me "going Green" is a frame of mind. Do what fits your lifestyle and do the easy things first, it is a process and like dieting if you go to radical to soon, you are more likely to go back to bad habits. I also believe there are good, better, best choices in most things. If you aren’t ready to start a home garden, then try finding a farmers market, until you locate one look for produce grown as close to home as possible and go organic when available.

Many people think "going green" is expensive, I disagree. Some changes may take an initial investment, but they usually have a short payoff time. Things like weather stripping and insulation cost, but the energy savings will add up quickly. You may need to purchase reusable bags, but most stores give you a 5 or 10 cent credit, so you are paid back within a few months.

Reduce your packaging, if you eat more fresh food you will generally reduce packaging, it’s the same thing they tell dieters, shop the perimeter, that is where all the meat, dairy and produce are located. Only buy what you will use, many Americans throw away a lot of unused food. Buy in bulk, that doesn’t just mean large packages, but that area with the bins that you buy only what you plan on using.

Replace disposable items with durable items, if you eat outside often and use disposable paper or plastic plates, it is a wise investment to purchase a set of reusable plastic plates. Replace disposable razors, diapers and cleaning products like swiffer. Avoid bottled water, get a home filter like Pur or Brita.

Recycle, www.earth911.org will help you locate the nearest recycle center. I try to only purchase plastics that are #1 or #2, they are more easily recycled. I also buy recycled products when available, that includes paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, tissue, school/office supplies and clothing.

Detox your cleaning, vinegar and baking soda clean almost anything, they can even loosen a hair clog. Seventh Generation and Method are a couple mainstream brands that are very earth friendly.

Just start small and build from there, don’t get overwhelmed.

How do I remove dish detergent from my carpet?

My NY eve party resulted in guest vomit on everything from my PS3 to my carpet. Setting my rage aside that night, in the absence of anything other cleaning solution we used dish detergent to clean up the mess. Now, the vomit is gone, but the green detergent streaks are readily visible on the carpet in three places. The soapy part is gone but the color is stained in. I’ve used 409 and Kids n Pets but it is not coming out. Any tips? Thanks!

Use a white vinegar. Try rubbing it in with a brush and then soaking it up with a big, wet sponge. I wouldn’t heat the vinegar though. It’s not necessary and your carpet may be wool or a fiber that wouldn’t take the heat well.

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