Ann Arbor Window Cleaning

Decorative Pillows For Pizzaz
 by: Patricia Bowlin

Decorative pillows can add just the right touch to any room in your home. Whether you choose the bedroom, living room, den, or office, you will find many places that just the right pillow that is decorative as well as practical can fit into your decorating scheme.

Monotone or tone on tone decorating is all the rage today for smaller rooms.

The clean, uncluttered effective of monotone decorating schemes expands and opens up the space so that it appears much larger and more airy.

Yet monotone color schemes can end up being rather blah- without the right touches of color here and there. That splash of color can be added through the use of a brightly colored decorative pillow here and there. Even two-toned color schemes, such as the ever popular black and white, can be greatly enhanced by adding wondeful color by using decorative throw pillows in bright red, forest green, ocean blue or yellow.

Place these color accents in areas that you want to eye to travel to such as underneath your favorite print or painting, near a piece of sculpture or in a corner that would be rather dark without the added color.

Pillows that are decorative can also add a varoiety of interesting detailing and texture to a room.

Crushed velvet makes a rich feeling pillow for decorative placement. Smooth, soft suede or faux suede will be an inviting addition. Braid, tassels, interesting architectural details such as buttons or pleats add just the right touches of texture and softness to any room in your home! Simple and elegant.

Boudoir pillows or neck pillows placed on the bed or in a chair near the bed add a beautiful elegance reminiscent of days gone by.

These pillows are not only decorative; they are very useful for comforting a sore neck. You’ll often find boudoir pillows in soft, smooth satin, rich velvet, lace, crochet covers and more. These can be used in a lady’s bedroom but also have a place in the more masculine bedroom design.

For a less feminine look, simply select suede, leather, corduroy, denim or another masculine feeling fabric in a darker color. The man of the house will be happy to rest his tired neck on these pillows- and when not in use, they of course add a nice decorative touch.

Floor pillows are often overlooked- but are great near the fireplace or in the den.

These large comfy, cushy pillows, stacked in different colors and fabrics, can be pulled out and made into a comfortable pile of cushions for enjoying a fire and playing a board or card game on the floor. Fringed edges, piping, and buttons add detail to these pillows.

Choose sturdy construction and covers that can be zipped off for washing so that your floor pillows will be decorative and practical for years to come. Floor pillows come in a huge variety of sizes, so consider creative a stack of tapering sizes to create a colorful accent in a corner where the decorative cushions can become comfy pillows at a moment’s notice. An unusual and unique touch, wouldn’t you say?

Pillows that are decorative can be found in just about any price range that fits your budget. Elegant satin and silk coverings with braid and lace can cost quite a bit. Pillows that are just as decorative and colorful but made from less expensive materials can also be used if you have to stretch your decorating dollars.

One of the great things about pillows being used decoratively is that once you purchase a good quality pillow, you can recover it should you ever change your color scheme or get tired of it.

You can purchase pillow covers or make them yourself easily at home. It doesn’t even require much sewing skills to put together a simple, practical, yet unique pillow cover for decorative cushions. You can also embellish a plain pillow with your own buttons, ribbons and pieces of lace. As you wear out clothes that have unique buttons, save them for just such a project.

Your friends will all ask WHERE you got that unique designer pillow that is so decorative and different!

Pillows, whether decorative or practical, need to be aired out and cleaned periodically. Depending on how much use the pillow receives, you may need to add this to your spring cleaning or do it several times per year.

When you purchase a pillow for decorative purposes, read the label to learn about cleaning instructions. Many pillows that have decorative covers that zip off can have the cover machine washed and the inner pillow form placed in a cool dryer with a dry sheet to fresh it.

Other covers must be dry cleaned and almost all pillows that don’t have removable covers must be dry cleaned. It’s always nice to place your decorative cushions, soft pillows and even your bed pillows outside on a warm spring day to air out in the breeze. This will bring the freshness of the outdoors right into your rooms.

Using decorative pillows make it very easy to add some instant pizzaz to your home decor!

About The Author

Patricia Bowlin makes it easy to create a bedroom with flair! Find countless Free tips, ideas and information here on choosing all of your bedding by visiting now http://www.best-in-bedding.com.

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Some jobs can be left until the big “end of tenancy cleaning” or “moving house cleaning” (jobs such as dusting the tops of door frames and scrubbing the floor underneath the washing machine). Other jobs can’t be left semi-indefinitely, and cleaning the refrigerator is one of them. Here’s how:

1 Start by turning the power off at the wall or you will waste oodles of electricity and power as the fridge tries to keep cool with the door wide open for quarter of an hour.

2 Remove all the food and other bits from inside the refrigerator. Check all of them to make sure that they’re still in the land of the living. Items that are not can have a quick one-way trip into the compost heap.

3 Remove any trays, drawers or racks that can come out. Run a basin full of hot water and dishwashing detergent or soap and put them in to soak as best you can.

4 Arm yourself with your cleaning tools. It’s important to use natural cleaning products that have low toxicity as harsh chemicals can and will contaminate your food. For this reason, it’s also best to avoid using essential oils to clean the fridge, lovely and natural as they are. Few people like lavender-flavoured cheese (although fresh lavender could go quite nicely as a marinade or in a cheese sandwich, but that’s another story…). Baking soda is your best bet, as it doesn’t scratch and absorbs those smells. Use dilute white vinegar as a back-up if you need it. Also provide yourself with a small array of soft cloths, some dipped in fresh water and some left dry. An old toothbrush (not the one that you keep for cleaning the lavatory) will also come in handy.

5 Shake baking soda liberally around the refrigerator and don’t forget the door. Use one of your wet or damp cloths to scoop up some more baking soda – it will form a paste when wet – and start applying it to the sides and roof.

6 Rub vigorously at all surfaces, starting from the top and working downwards. If one of your cleaning rags starts looking an interesting colour, change it, or else have a handy basin of warm water nearby to rinse it out in.

7 Use a clean damp rag to remove the baking soda paste once you have scrubbed everything.

8 Have a good look around. If any food or other smears still remain, use the dilute vinegar and the old toothbrush to get them off.

9 Use a dry rag to dry everything off.

10 If you have one of those refrigerators with a drip pan underneath the cooling element, make sure that this is cleared out and that it can drain freely. Pour a little vinegar (full strength, not diluted) into this to deal with any mould. Yes, mould can grow inside a fridge, albeit more slowly than in a warmer spot.

11 Tackle the trays, drawers and racks. Wash these the way that you would wash the dishes, either in the sink or in the dishwasher (in the sink is probably quicker and easier, as the trays are a beast to fit in the dishwasher). Use vodka or some other strong alcohol to wipe down meat drawers or meat trays to kill any bacteria. Rinse and dry everything as normal.

12 Put everything back into the fridge. Start with the racks, etc. first, of course!

13 Keep the milk out and have a cup of tea as a reward for a job well done.

About The Author

Nick Vassilev is the managing director of a successful London based cleaning company Anyclean Premium.

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Although estate agents and property pundits keep telling us that the “kitchen-diner” is the place to be, there’s still a lot to be said for a more formal dining area in your home. Many people who love the informality of a kitchen table also want to have somewhere special for family occasions, holiday meals or just to provide an additional eating space.

When you’re choosing dining room furniture, you want to be sure that you are buying a table and chairs that will fit well into your room and give you the flexibility and space you need for those special meals. You want a table that will look great when it’s not in use, but is practical; able to sit a large number of people comfortably, wide enough to accommodate place settings and serving dishes and sturdy enough to withstand late-night dinner parties or raucous children’s teas.

You’ll also need to think about how much you can spend on your furniture. A dining room table is a big purchase and an expensive one. Consider how often you will be using the room and what for – make sure you choose a table that you can live with for many years, rather than one that’s trendy this year but will be out of fashion by next Christmas.

There is a wide range of dining furniture available, and it pays to take the time to do some research. Browse the internet for ideas, or take a look at interior décor magazines to see what sort of furniture appeals to you. Visit showrooms to check out prices and to try out the furniture for yourself. There’s nothing worse than spending a fortune on furniture only to discover that the chairs are uncomfortable or the extendable leaves don’t work smoothly.

Buying furniture for your dining room needs to be an informed process, just like any other. Get it right, and you will have invested in a beautiful piece of furniture that will last a lifetime.

About The Author

Napton Teaks specialises in teak and rosewood furniture for your home. Visit our website now by clicking on http://www.naptonteaks.co.uk.

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