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Basic Mattress Care: 4 Tips For Maintaining Your Mattress

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Finally, you have purchased a new mattress. A mattress is a very important investment. It can affect your sleep, which will then affect the overall quality of your life and health. For this reason, the maintenance of your mattress must never be taken for granted; especially if you want it to last for many years. Mattresses usually last about ten years; however, a few simple maintenance tips and techniques can add more years to their useful life; while improving your sleep comfort.

1. Consider Your Mattress Support And Foundation

When buying a new mattress, it is vital to have a sturdy base and matching foundation. Today, a lot of mattresses already have a matching foundation which is created to provide the best support and durability for that specific mattress. This is important since it will protect the mattress and will add more height to the bed.

If you are still in the process of buying a new mattress, try purchasing the matching box spring as well. Putting a new mattress on a mismatched and old box spring will only lead to problems. Some of the problems you might encounter include:

  • Not getting what you expected. The comfort you felt back at the store won’t necessarily feel the same when you bring your mattress at home.
  • The mattress will sag and wear sooner. This means that the mattress won’t live up to your expectations, won’t last for many years, and the warranty will probably be invalid.

2. Avoid Folding Or Bending Your Mattress

It is very important to avoid bending or folding your mattress, especially when you try to fit it in or out of a particular room. You can consider flexing the mattress so that it will fit, but you can never fold, curl, or bend the mattress. In doing so, you will cause damage to the springs and coils because the comfort layers will shift and will become an uneven space for sleeping. To carry the mattress to your bedroom, you can carry it upright. This way, you can easily handle it and you will avoid damaging it.

3. Turn Your Mattress

Most people sleep on the same spot on their mattress every single night. This will eventually lead to uneven wear on coil springs which provide support for the body. To reduce the chances of wearing and to enjoy more years of sleep comfort, it is recommended to turn your mattress every two weeks during the first couple of months after buying it. After a few months, you can then turn it every two months. As an additional tip, you can turn it head to foot, and flip the mattress. In doing so, you will be able to distribute the wear patterns.

4. Clean The Mattress

To keep your mattress looking and smelling new and fresh, you need to clean stains using a mild detergent and a clean, dampened cloth. Never use any volatile chemical removers because this can damage and degrade the fabric of the mattress and other materials. In addition, you can also vacuum the mattress. In doing so, you will not only get rid of dust and other allergens, but you can also get rid of any dust mites and bed bugs.

You can also consider employing a professional cleaning service provider who can offer mattress cleaning services; however, you have to make sure that they are not using techniques that were not approved by the manufacturers of mattresses. This means that the professional cleaners must not use shampoo or steam to clean the mattress. Remember that using the wrong cleaning methods will only damage it; thus, it will reduce its comfort and support level.

Citations:
Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Interiors_g380-Luxury_Modern_Bedroom_p34641.html

Kris Lim is a prolific blogger for lifestyle websites where she offers simple tips on how to clean and maintain mattresses. She also contributes her thoughts to online mattress stores, such as www.parklanemattresses.com.





The Right Lighting Can Help Keep Your Home and Family Safe

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When many people think of a home security system, the first thing they think of is an alarm or other piece of advanced technology. While those components of a system can play a major role in keeping your home secure, it’s important to remember that there are other ways to keep your family safe. Quality lighting can be very effective at deterring thieves or other types of intruders. If you want to improve the safety of your home through the use of lighting, let’s take a look at the two main areas you need to focus on:

Interior Lighting

If your family is like most, your home is empty for anywhere from five to ten hours a day. But just because no one is actually at home doesn’t mean you can’t give the impression that there’s activity going on in the house. By utilizing an interior security lighting system, you can illuminate an otherwise dark home during the early morning, middle of the day or at night. The type of lighting you ultimately choose will come down to exactly what you want to accomplish.

The main concern homeowners have about using interior lighting for security purposes is it’s going to significantly increase their monthly utility bills. While that’s a legitimate concern, there are two main reasons this type of lighting doesn’t need to have that unwanted effect. The first is that you can use energy efficient bulbs to provide interior security lighting. The second reason is that a lighting security system can be controlled by a central automation unit. Setting your system up in an automated manner means you’ll get all the security lighting your home needs without unnecessarily using any energy.

Exterior Lighting

It should come as no surprise that criminals with bad intentions prefer to operate in darkness. Even though it may seem too simple to be effective, lighting up the outside of your home can be enough to make potential intruders think twice about approaching your specific house. Many homes have backyards that are very dark. By adding lights, you can illuminate areas that would otherwise be pitch black. Keep in mind that for outdoor lighting, automatic solar options can be a very convenient and green way to start illuminating your home’s exterior and yard as soon as the sun goes down.

One thing to keep in mind is to be strategic about where you place your exterior lights. If they’re all in an area that’s easy to access, it’s going to defeat the purpose of having them in the first place. But if you place your outdoor lights up high or behind something that will keep them from being tampered with, odds are someone’s not going to take the risk of trying to mess with them.

By beginning to think of lighting as an option for helping to secure your home and keep your family safe, you’ll find that you start coming up with all kinds of ideas for using this strategy in an effective and affordable manner.

Attached Images:

Lynn Darsow is a writer that blogs for http://www.securitychoice.com/ which is a home security company with offices in SC.

Decorating Trends For 2013 Focus On The Male Influence

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2013 decor

These days, more men are staying home, as women become the breadwinners. This is bringing change to home décor with a focus on comfort.  Comfort is the key. Designs are both cozy and comforting on all levels.

Decorating for Men

Men’s taste is having a strong voice in décor in new and revolutionary ways. Kitchen designs are more rustic, homey imperfect and textured. Inversely, technology is no longer hidden in the living room. Large screen TVs are now central and proudly displayed. Computers and electronic gadgets are everywhere, haphazardly mixed with the Victorian and art deco accent pieces. Overstated dark, dusky and vibrant colors are coming in.

Speaking of Colors…

Men are even influencing the types of colors we choose in our homes. Powerful and vibrant color pallets are replacing understated sleek and basic neutrals. Colors like yellow and blue are being used as neutrals instead. Black, white and beige are still around, but now used as accents instead of anchors. Here is a sampling of colors staking claim in 2013:

  • Dusky blue – a new neutral
  • African violet – excitingly powerful new accent color
  • Sea Green – soft and gentle background color
  • Shades of Turquoise – blues, greens and turquoise are all popular room colors
  • Pale lemon yellow – popular as a background neutral
  • Poppy red accents – used sparingly as an accent

A Flashback with a Twist

Today’s decor pulls heavily on the past two major economic recovery periods. We are seeing a strong revisiting of the1880s and 1890’s with strong hints of both art deco and the Victorian influence. The furniture and overall feel or our new decor era also seems borrowed from the late 1940s and very early 1950’s. In fact, we see a powerful correlation between the decor of the three great economic recovery periods. Modern history has gone through this cycle three times and an obvious pattern is emerging.

Metals

One good outcome of the new trend is a move away from Chrome as a primary metal color. Chrome and silver are out! In are warm metallics. Texture is also back. The new metal can be intricately sculpted or roughly hammered, but not polished and sleek. Look for these trends in metals:

  • Textured metal
  • Brass
  • Copper
  • Gold tones and gold leaf
  • Rose gold
  • Gunmetal

Vintage and Antique Furniture

Partially because of the historic echo, but more likely because we are longing for real furniture at an affordable price, we are abandoning the cheap sleek foreign furniture in favor of antiques and replicas. Today, America is reclaiming quality by choosing used furnishing with curves and fine lines.

Print Fabrics

Fabric prints are very reminiscent of bygone days, but with a boldness unseen in the past. We are seeing photo realistic CG, detailed animal and floral prints with painting quality detail. Look for these types of prints in 2013:

  • Bold graphic prints
  • Animals, particularly dogs and elephants
  • Big floral prints with a historic feel
  • Photo realistic CG prints
  • Menswear prints
  • Tribal prints

Home is where the heart is and today’s new interior designs definitely have heart. They are warm, inviting, friendly and soft. They speak to the need for a place where comfort is king, where sharp, stark spaces are banished to where they belong: the office.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/181189

Jessica Bosari writes about home improvement and décor for online roll up blinds seller Super Blind Smart. 

Taking the ‘Pane’ Out of Styling Up Odd-Shaped Windows With Window Treatments

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Hexagonal windows, arched windows, skylights, windows with sloping top, and bay or corner windows lend a unique architectural detail to a home. However, the same unique details that make them interesting are also what make them challenging to decorate. Since window coverings don’t come in unusual shapes, it can be quite confusing for an average homeowner to know what type of window treatment to use or how high the treatments should be placed.

If you happen to be one of those homeowners whose home is fitted with odd-shaped windows, chances are, you are facing the same problem. Don’t worry, though, there are ways you can deal with odd-shaped windows and successfully dress them up with treatments. Read on to learn how.

Corner windows

If your windows meet at the corner and there is very little space in between, the best solution is to attach a track on the ceiling or the wall a few inches above the window frame. Use a sheer curtain panel as your treatment and tie them back to the outside edges of the windows. If you will set the track on the wall above the frame, make sure to cover it up with a top treatment such as a valance or swag so that it will not detract from the look of the treatment. If ceiling-mounted, however, the track will be camouflaged by the curtains so you don’t have to add a top treatment.

Arched windows and palladian windows

Having a hard time trying to figure out what to do with your arched windows or palladian windows? You can spend a lot of money for custom fixes or simply attach the curtain rods across the square parts of the windows, leaving the arches exposed. Then, use Roman shades, drapery valance, or sheer panels to cover up the remaining portion of the windows. Keeping the arches open ensures that the room will receive regular stream of natural light. However, if you want to decorate the arches as well, you can have a semicircular fabric treatment customized.

Hexagon windows

Hexagon windows are usually used to add an eclectic touch to the space. However, just like other odd-shaped windows, they can be a bit challenging to decorate. The best way to treat hexagon windows is to outfit them with cellular shades or with plantation shutters. Most companies that provide such type of window treatments can customize the pieces to fit your hexagon windows like a glove. Keep in mind, however, that the more custom the blinds are the price gets more expensive. So, if you’re a bit tight on budget, you may choose to leave your hexagon windows untreated since they are already an architectural beauty on their own.

Dormer windows

Although dormer windows function more as structural additions protruding from the roof surface, they are a great source of light and ventilation for the top rooms of the home. To dress up dormer windows, treat them like casement windows. Just mount the curtains outside of the frames or use mini blinds to spiff them up. Another option is to use soft fabric and shirr it onto an oval rod, and attach the beginning of the rod’s slope away from top portion of the windows. Then, shirr the bottom of the treatment in another oval rod and integrate the piece at bottom of the window to make an angled window treatment.

This home improvement advice was penned by Ericka for www.stylerite-blinds.co.uk. Aside from writing helpful posts about home organization, repair, decorating and maintenance, Ericka is also fond of sharing her knowledge about gardening.

8 Ways to Stay Warm in Your Apartment

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Snowy VonApartments are great for many reasons—like 24-7 maintenance, trash and snow removal, and often cheaper or included utilities. However, when it comes staying warm, you often have little flexibility with heat. For instance, newer buildings can lack in insulation. And if you live in an older building, the quaint architectural features allow the chilly air to seep in. While curling up next to a cozy fireplace may not be an option for you, there are some simple things you can do to stay warm this winter.

Drafty windows

Older apartments especially tend to have single pane and drafty windows. This can result in a 100-300 percent increase in your electric bill. To eliminate drafty windows, tape over the cracks along the edges of your windows or install some simple shrinkwrap insulation.

Layered curtains

Using heavy fabrics or layered curtains over your windows is also a great way to prevent drafts. Not only will your apartment look trendy, but they will also keep the room a couple degrees warmer. Curtains can be expense; check out a discount department store like TJ Maxx first.

Bake something

Get in the kitchen and start cooking up a storm! Not only will the aroma of baked goods fill your apartment, but the heat generated from your oven will feel nice too. For more warmth, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or tea.

Snuggle under blankets

Snuggling on the sofa with a quilt or a fleece blanket makes for a relaxing afternoon. As for the evening, you could add a blanket or mattress topper under your fitted sheet. This will make your bed a far more cozy and warm place to be.

Take a hot shower

Not many things feel better than a hot shower on a cold winter day. For extra warmth, toss your a couple towels in the drier. The warmth will feel great on your damp skin.

Use a space heater

A space heater is a great way to turn the heat up in your apartment while keeping heating costs down. But be very mindful of your space heater. Keep it away from flammable items like curtains and furniture. And never go to sleep with your space heater on.

Wear warm socks

If you’re anything like me, you hate having cold feet! One of the best ways to keep warm during the wintery months is by warming wooly socks. I also tend to layer my socks when I venture outdoors. Fleece socks are great too.

Keep doors closed

While it may seem obvious, keeping bedroom and closet doors closed is a great way to keep heat in. With the exception of cabinets with pipes during a freeze warning, this will helpful in regards to your heating bill.

Attached Images:

Jackie Ryan is a freelance writer living in NYC. Jackie recently installed heated floor mats outside of her apartment, which has helped to reduce the possibility of slips and falls during the wintery months.

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