Kitchen Cabinets

Should You Hire a Professional to Clean Your Tile and Grout?

2014-05-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Unlike carpets that you can vacuum and steam-clean, tiles require more attention and more serious cleaning than any other floor or wall. Tiled floors are lovely and their designs can truly brighten up the house, but tile and grout can accumulate more dirt and their appearance will turn less appealing over time. Furthermore, filthy grouts in the bathrooms and kitchens are bacteria magnets and can be a health risk, especially when you have children in the house.

Hiring a cleaning service may be expensive for the average homeowner, but is it worth it to have the tile and grout professionally cleaned?

Image credit: Andy Franklin

What is grout?

Grout is the combination of sand, cement, and water and it is filled between the floor tiles during installation. Dirt and grease are easily absorbed by grout; thus, you often see marks and patches on the tiles making them look filthy and old. Areas that get a lot of foot traffic are bound to get grimy because of dirt from shoes directly attaching itself to grout. In the kitchen, food stains and mildew contribute to the grout stains, while the bathroom grout also falls victim to mold, mildew, and soap scum.

Dirty grout means deadly bacteria

Grout is a breeding ground for bacteria, and not cleaning it means different diseases from microbes and mold may spread right inside your home. It also releases a pungent smell that can give anyone a headache or make one’s stomach turn. The more grout suffers from neglect, the harder and longer it takes to clean it. Besides causing illnesses, unclean floors tend to become unattractive and make the house a far from ideal living space.

Hire a professional cleaning service

It takes regular, proper cleaning to remove the build-up of deep-down dirt on the grout because it is difficult to clean. Extra care and special cleaning supplies and equipment are necessary to clean the grout effectively. Instead of doing it on your own, you can rest assured that the cleaning will be done by floor-cleaning professionals who have the skills and experience to get the job done right and on time.

It may be cheaper to clean the tile and grout yourself, but you may end up losing more money in the long run. Check with your Chicago financial advisor to see what makes the most sense. Steam-cleaning machines can be rented in hardware stores and supermarkets; however, you need to learn how to use it and use the correct cleaning solutions. You would have to spend an entire day cleaning the kitchen floors and walls, and you are not sure that everything has been cleaned properly. Precious time and money would have been wasted.

A professional tile and grout cleaning service may seem to be a big expense when you pay upfront, but hiring experienced people to clean and sanitize your home will be worth it. You just need to find the right professional that will give you the best offer for your floor.

How much?

The biggest factors you have to consider are the dimensions of the area to be cleaned and the time it will take to clean. Cleaning companies will ask you for the square footage of the area to calculate the price. If it’s the initial visit, the rate may be higher because of the amount of grime on the floor. Regular visits will get you a lower flat rate and you will get a notice in case of a price change.

Spring Cleaning

2013-04-22T11:54:00.001-07:00

I have a love-hate relationship with spring cleaning. I love how clean my house is afterward, but it is a lot of work to clean it. I generally keep my house pretty clean, but know a good thorough clean is necessary each year so I do it.

To make spring cleaning a little better, I always make a checklist of everything that needs to be done inside and outside. Being able to mark things off and see what I've accomplished helps keep me going throughout the long process. Since I have lived in the same house for so many years, I have been able to create the perfect spring cleaning checklist, but didn't always have one. For those of you who don’t have a checklist, I would suggest making one. It truly does make things easier and prevents you from missing anything. Here are a couple of links I used when I first created my list:

Right@Home

Martha Stewart Living

The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking

Before I tackle my checklist, I like to do a quick search to see if I come across any new cleaning tips and tricks that can make things a little easier for me. I found these articles to be beneficial so I wanted to share them in case they are helpful for someone else:

10 Simple Steps to Detoxifying Your Home

Surprising Uses for Your Dishwasher

10 Essentials for Your Cleaning Kit

Happy cleaning!

Showrooms, Evolution of Construction

2013-02-19T11:22:00.001-08:00

This post is not all about kitchen cabinets but it shows how the construction industry has evolved and how home owners have more information prior to construction.

Many years ago when someone wanted to build a home they would find a contractor or an architect that built homes or design similar homes to what they would want to build. The contractor or architect would tell the owners what products were available and would guide the owners through the process. The building material sales person would be the one that would keep the contractor informed of the new products on the market. The contractor controlled where the products came from and what products were used.

With the growing use of the internet this process has drastically changed. Now with the growing interest in green building it is even changing more. Home owners are so much more informed about which products they want to use in their homes. More and more the owner is going to the contractor with a list of what they want in their home and how they want their home constructed. The building material sales person now has to find different products rather than selling the contractor on new products.

The building material supply companies having to compete with the internet have had to also evolve. Several years ago many supply houses added small showrooms to display products. Customers would find items on the internet then they would want to see and touch them before they went into their home. But these small showrooms would not have every item that is available on the internet. So the showrooms had to grow and include more products.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The problem with many of these showrooms was the fact that products would be added to complement another product but was not available from the select showroom. Appliance showrooms are a prime example of this, adding cabinet to show off the appliances but not actually selling the cabinets. There are not many companies that have the full mix of products to be able to provide this type of showroom. But one company has finally made it happen.

Wolseley is a company from the UK and is the parent company of Ferguson Enterprise, one of the largest plumbing supply companies and Stock Building Supply, one of the largest building material companies. Stock Building Supply and Ferguson have come together to create what is called The Home Selections Showroom. So far there is only four of these mega showrooms in the U.S. The Home Selection Showrooms are 20,000 plus square feet of almost every type of product used in a home. These showrooms have appliances, cabinets, countertops, plumbing fixtures, doors, windows, hardware, siding, decking and so much more. This is one showroom that sells every product that is on display.

Building a new home is one of the biggest investments someone can make and being informed about the products going into the home is something everyone should take seriously. With the use of the internet and finding companies that have good showrooms there is no reason to not be informed. These resources below are a few of my favorites from when I built my home as well as some recently discovered ones too:

Wood Dressing Tables are the Best

2012-10-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

A dressing table is like mustard; you either love it or hate it. For many of the younger generations, a dressing table is something to be sneered at as an item of furniture found only in their grandma’s bedroom, or similar characters with a reputation for being something of an old maid. Well, speaking for ourselves, we firmly believe that all those people are wrong.

The dressing table is perhaps the must have piece of furniture someone should have in her bedroom. Well, after the bed. And the wardrobe…maybe a chest of drawers, but after all those items have been sourced you simply must look into getting yourself a dressing table.

A good dressing table will take on a life of its own, becoming an extension of your own personality as it guides you through choppy seas; holding your hand and reflecting the truth good or bad as you prepare yourself for each and every day of your life. You will sit in front of your dressing table mirror at least once every day and you know that it will not let you go out on that important date, or big job interview until every last hair is in place and you look and feel the best you can.

Whether you want a traditional or a contemporary option there will a dressing table to match your own personal taste. You should also consider how it fits with the rest of your home. If you have a log siding home with cedar exterior, maybe you should consider getting a dressing table made out of cedar wood. A single pedestal dressing table will do, affording you enough storage space to accommodate all your cosmetics, moisturizers and hair care products, without being too big or costing too much. You will be able to pick up a decent painted dressing table from any of the top furniture stores online (or if you are after a traditional look then there you can get solid pine, cedar or oak dressing tables in all manner of wax finishes) and once you've got one installed in your room you will wonder how you ever managed without one.

How Our Planet Changes

2012-08-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Global Warming 1/2 (Photo credit: lamazone)

I suspect the only proof I have that there is intelligent life in the universe is the fact they have not tried to contact us.

I can only imagine how we look when you view the Earths occupants from a distance. Humans may likely be the only species ever to know they are causing their own extinction and still do nothing to change that course.

I highly suspect humans are the only ones that will argue whether there is enough proof of their demise. How much “proof” does one need? Take global warming (or is it cooling this week?). Perhaps the earth is warming and perhaps we, the human race, are the cause of it. I am being generous with the “perhaps” but I am fairly certain that Ducks, Dolphins and the majestic Platypus have nothing to do with it. It is also possible that this global warming is a natural cause of events. We really don’t have much more than 100 years of documentation, so for all we know, the normal cycle of the planet is 250 years or so of hot and cold flashes.

With that said, there is certainly sufficient documentation that the planet is changing. There is also sufficient documentation that we are using up the planets resources at an expediential rate. I suspect that alone should be enough to seriously look at our behavior and make changes…just in case. Alas, it is not.

If there is no other life out there, not only does that make our plight even more tragic, it would be incredible waste of space.

Learning From Business Mistakes

2012-08-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Business Card (png file) (Photo credit: docpop)

My logistics business was my first official entrepreneurial venture. Starting in January of 2005 I left my retail management job to get my MECP (mobile electronics certified professional) certification. Upon completion of my certification I returned home and with the help and support of my family and friends financed the start-up of a small store front and installation bay on industrial eastside of town. The majority of my clients were young car enthusiasts.

My business opened it’s doors and after a challenging five months was promptly shut down. Where did I go wrong? For starters, the lack of a business plan, I mean I had absolutely nothing written down, no plans for success, no market analysis, no competitive analysis, no projected sales, nothing. Second of all I got caught up in living the dream, no more boss, just me, calling the shots, doing it how I want, when I want on my own terms. Well Mr. Big Shot somebody has to be able to pay the bills, oh yeah and who’s going to do all the work? I contracted two employee’s one who specialized in car alarms, and the other in vinyl graphics, while I handled custom speaker enclosure fabrication, stereo, speaker installation and mobile video.

Would I do it all over again? For sure I would, it was “one of the best failures of my life”! I have absolutely no regrets, I have always been able to see the silver lining every dark cloud. “Everything always works out” is what I always tell myself and somehow it does, I wont let this fool me into beliving that I can jump off a cliff and expect to land on my feet. Closing up shop, and failing miserably may not seem like working out to you, but it was a necessary experience that made me stronger and wiser. So yes I will do it again, but this time I will be prepared, I will work both smarter and harder, I will Build a better site and a Better World. Since then I have taken proactive steps in starting up a new logistics page and I will communicate and collaborate with a community of entrepreneurs who have faced adversity, failed and come back for more, and ultimately reached their goals and built successful businesses.

The entrepreneurial bug keeps calling me, stronger and louder each time, when I do answer the call again I will make sure that I am ready.

Dream Big, Take Action, and Make a Difference.

Getting the Right Wooden Kitchen Table

2012-07-26T13:10:00.001-07:00

Kitchen (Photo credit: QuintanaRoo)

With the hustle and bustle of life today, families just do not gather around a formal dining room table to share their time. If it is not a Thanksgiving holiday, or an Easter dinner, people do not take the time to eat their meals together, share stories, laugh and discuss important issues. The kitchen, however, lends a special feeling of informality and coziness to the home and to the family. That is why you should add a round kitchen table to your kitchen today. Your family needs this vital piece of furniture to communicate and spend quality time together.

The kitchen table is not an austere and informal piece of furniture like, for example, a large and imposing dining room table that seats twelve people. People feel cozy warming up to a hot cup of coffee in the morning and reading the paper together, discussing the day’s events. There are plenty of kitchen tables to choose from when shopping around for a dining room table. The round kitchen table, however, creates a feeling of equality. There is no “head” of the table and everybody can sit around and share time with the whole family. These tables are essential for communicating with your loved ones on any occasion.

The round kitchen table can be the place where you eat your breakfast, share casual family diners, and do your homework in. They can come in a variety of makes and sizes. Wooden kitchen tables made from log siding materials can radiate a warm and cozy glow in your kitchen. Glass round kitchen tables can add an elegant touch to the place where you cook all your meals in. You can dress your table up with a pretty vase of flowers or down with a simple salt and pepper shaker in its center. Either way, this table will bring about a whole new feeling of community to your kitchen and home.

All in all, the kitchen can benefit from the addition of any kind of round kitchen table. Whether you choose to have a traditional wooden table and chairs or a glass table, your family can now spend quality time together without feeling intimidated. You no longer have to wait for Thanksgiving to arrive. Pour a bowl of cereal, serve yourself some spaghetti and have a seat around your brand new round table and enjoy spending time with those you love.

This post provided by Town & Country Cedar Products, a distributor of log siding. View their log siding products on their website -- http://www.michigancedarproducts.com/log-siding.html

Taking On Childhood Obesity

2012-07-16T06:50:00.001-07:00

Obesity Campaign Poster (Photo credit: Pressbound)

Bottom line is quite sad: there are a great deal of factors that are fueling, driving, and helping to spread the obesity epidemic that is sweeping our nation and the entire world. The epidemic is so widespread and so big, no pun intended, that even our children, who for a long time were so much more invincible to it, are now falling prey to obesity in huge numbers.

One factor that can not be disputed, is the lack of access to exercise facilities, opportunities and education all over the country; this lack is much worse in lower-income areas. The latest issue of Pediatrics, a magazine aimed directly at the health of children, is showing that this childhood obesity epidemic is hitting hardest in low-income, minority, and more removed areas.

Furthermore, this lack of a place to exercise also effects general activity levels as well as prevalence of obesity. So, bottom line, people need more places to work out, easier access to those places, and more education on why it’s so vital. This can start in the schools, in the homes, and in the communities. Heck, you could even make money off it, open up a fitness center in your area and start showing people in your community how valuable exercise really is. Lets put a dent in this massive problem. Start now.

Designing Your Kitchen

2012-05-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

Kitchen (Photo credit: deborah|silverbees)

A great deal of time, work and money can be put into designing a kitchen. Doing so without a plan of action can lead to great frustration and time poorly spent. Take a few tips from us before you go to the store and take out the credit card.

Hire a professional: Where I grew up, there were Albany Oregon real estate agents that were quite knowledgeable about home interior design. Hiring a real professional can be extremely expensive, but someone like a real estate agent is smarter than your average bear, and is perfect for the needs of the majority of people.

Set a Budget: Know how much you are going to spend before going to the store. Do some research online to see the prices of paint, tools and electrical supplies. If everything seems too much, then pick and choose to make the adjustments. Once you go to the store, you will be frazzled and ready to leave at any cost.

Hire a surveyor: If you're buying a new house and looking to renovate, be sure you hire someone that can do a property condition assessment on the kitchen. They can find safety hazards and structural damage just by looking at it, which can save you huge amounts of money.

Home Renovations

2012-04-10T06:57:00.001-07:00

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

We love home renovation projects. Not only is it a great hobby that keeps the mind active, and requires a decent amount of physical activity, the end result of your hobby can be astounding! Although it may cost a bit of money to revamp your living room or kitchen, the value of your house will greatly increase, and your hobby will benefit in the long run. We hope you enjoy the project ideas we will share in the near future. If you have any projects you are working on, or renovation ideas you would like to share, fill out a comment and let the world know!

Kitchen Cabinets

Should You Hire a Professional to Clean Your Tile and Grout?

What is grout?

Dirty grout means deadly bacteria

Hire a professional cleaning service

How much?

Spring Cleaning

Related articles

Showrooms, Evolution of Construction

Related articles

Wood Dressing Tables are the Best

Related articles

How Our Planet Changes

Related articles

Learning From Business Mistakes

Related articles

Getting the Right Wooden Kitchen Table

Related articles

Taking On Childhood Obesity

Related articles

Designing Your Kitchen

Home Renovations