
A resource for those seeking information on organizing and transforming spaces.
Guest Post - How to Baby Proof Your Kitchen Efficiently
Babies are so playful and curious, right? It’s very cute to watch how they do naughty things and play around with their environment.
However, the cute could quickly turn into dangerous, especially in the kitchen where there are many sharp, toxic, and hot items and appliances that could seriously injure your baby.
So how do you baby-proof your kitchen efficiently?
Fortunately, there are quite many things you could do for that. And we’ll be talking today exactly about that!
Babies are so playful and curious, right? It’s very cute to watch how they do naughty things and play around with their environment.
However, the cute could quickly turn into dangerous, especially in the kitchen where there are many sharp, toxic, and hot items and appliances that could seriously injure your baby.
So how do you baby-proof your kitchen efficiently?
Fortunately, there are quite many things you could do for that. And we’ll be talking today exactly about that!
Store away your cleaning chemicals
If you are using any detergents, pesticides, or cleaning products containing toxic elements, make sure to lock them up in a place that is out-of-reach for your baby.
Aside from storing away harmful chemicals, you might want to consider switching to something safer. For example, use non-chlorine bleach, mineral oil, vinegar, borax, and other products.
Still, you would need to make sure that you keep them away from the baby since those safer solutions could be harmful anyway, albeit much less than the more harmful chemicals.
Buy products with child-resistant caps
A child-resistant cap is a good way of restricting the baby’s access to stuff that he shouldn’t be touching. However, it is more of a last-resort thing since babies could figure out how to open them anyway.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission even once stated that the child-resistant packaging is the parents’ last line of defense, so don’t just rely on buying a product in a child-proof container.
Store dangerous items as high up as possible
Cutlery, plastic bags, boxes of cling wrap, aluminum foil, and other hazardous items should be kept as high up as possible. If you just store all those dangerous items in a floor cabinet, your baby might be able to easily reach them.
Instead, make sure to put all those items in wall cabinets.
Unplug your appliances when not in use
You may be too lazy to unplug your appliances after using them, but that’s a thing that you should definitely do.
First of all, your baby could trip over the wires. Not only will he fall down, but he may also get injured from the appliance coming down on his head.
Aside from that, your baby may injure himself while playing with a plugged-in blender or coffee maker.
So, don’t be lazy and turn off your kitchen appliances after use.
Never leave glassware or hot food unattended
Even if it’s just for a few moments, never leave glassware, china, and hot food and beverages unattended. Besides, don’t use tablecloths in the kitchen since the baby could just pull on them and then get injured from whatever falls down on him.
Put latches on the knobs and doors of your appliances
All those knobs on your oven or stove sure could be of great interest to your child. While he may not injure himself directly while playing with them, he could cause a serious fire hazard that could end very badly for your home.
To make sure that this doesn’t happen, use knob covers and/or latches on the knobs that you don’t want your child to play with.
Use the back burners of your stove
Whenever possible, use the back burners of your stove so your kid doesn’t have access to them. If you have got the stove crowded and have no other choice than to put pots in the front, make sure to turn their handles inward so your baby can’t grab onto them.
Use a safety gate to keep your baby out of the kitchen
Possibly the most efficient way of keeping your baby away from all the kitchen hazards is just not letting him accessing the kitchen. If he simply doesn’t have any access to the kitchen, then how possibly could he injure himself with a knife or a stove?
As great as this method is, you may not be feeling right about not allowing your baby to explore the house. In fact, he should do that, so you may want to opt for the other options we have talked about.
In the end, even if you go for restricting your baby’s access to the kitchen, you should probably still use all the other child-proof stuff: if your child manages to get into the kitchen in spite of all the baby-proof gates you put, he will still be safe because your kitchen is baby-safe.
Cover all the power outlets in the kitchen
It just sometimes seems that there is some kind of a magic connection between babies and power outlets. Some mysterious force just urges them to stick their fingers in.
You have to prevent that.
Cover any outlets in the kitchen that you don’t use with baby-proof outlet plugs. You should also do this for every outlet in your house as well.
Set up a special corner for your baby in the kitchen
It is an excellent idea to dedicate one cabinet in your kitchen for your baby to open and explore. This cabinet should be located far away from your kitchen appliances.
Fill that cabinet with interesting and safe objects that would keep the baby occupied so he doesn’t even think about playing with stove knobs. And besides, such a playing space would allow you not to put any restrictions on your baby’s access to the kitchen.
Never leave your baby unattended
Regardless of how many safety precautions you take, never leave your baby unattended in the kitchen, not even for one second. Your baby may still be able to figure out ways to bypass all the mechanisms that you’ve put to stop him with.
You should never rely on all those baby-proof measures since they could just not work when they are necessary. They aren’t 100% fail-proof, though they still are able to do a great job.
Instead, perceive the safety precautions in your kitchen just as some kind of a helping hand. If you have looked away for just a second, your baby probably won’t be able to bypass all the restrictions you put.
But if you just leave him in the kitchen unattended, he will have all the time in the world to do some stuff that could end up badly.
About the Author: Hey all, I am Morgan & I run my own home blog, Tools Inside. Being a mom and a home-maker, I get to play with a lot of tools and I review them on my spare hours.
Guest Post - Learn to Be Organized: 5 Tips for Creating an Effective Home Maintenance Plan
It’s no secret that owning a home brings on a lot more responsibility than renting: if something breaks down, no landlord will come to fix the problem – you’re on your own. This includes keeping the home clean and well-maintained all year round. By now, your mortgage lender, realtor, and your mother have told you how important it is to have a well-kept home, and the Internet’s told you a million ways to do it. Let’s sum it up into an effective yearly plan.
We partnered with a home improvement company for this post. The opinions in the post are honest. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on our personal views. We are excited because we know you will love it.
It’s no secret that owning a home brings on a lot more responsibility than renting: if something breaks down, no landlord will come to fix the problem – you’re on your own. This includes keeping the home clean and well-maintained all year round. By now, your mortgage lender, realtor, and your mother have told you how important it is to have a well-kept home, and the Internet’s told you a million ways to do it. Let’s sum it up into an effective yearly plan.
Set up a home maintenance fund
Your home is nothing short of an investment, and once you’ve bought it, you should expect to continue investing in its maintenance, so that when the time comes, you can get a good return. A rule of a thumb is to allocate about 1-3% of your home’s initial purchase price for upkeep and repairs. The U.S. Census has come to a figure of $3,000 a year, which is the amount an average home requires for proper maintenance. Paying for repairs and maintenance will become much easier once you accept that setting an upkeep budget aside isn’t an option, but a necessity.
Take care of hardwood floors
Old or new, hardwood floors in your house are here to stay, but their upkeep can be challenging. Apart from dust that the occupants bring in from the basement and the outdoors, it seems that footprints and spills never end. Many homeowners are happily recommending a cordless and rechargeable Swivel Sweeper with interchangeable brushes, which can be found on Amazon. Another great tool is the Hardwood Floor Spray Mop with refillable cartridges. Both cleaners have a lean swiveling design which allows them to get to hard-to-reach areas. Hardwood floor maintenance should be done weekly.
Prevent sewage backup
Unpleasant odors from the bathroom and kitchen drain and slow draining are the first signs of a clogged system that leads to the communal water sewage grid. Unless tackled, the problem can grow to disastrous proportions, with liquid waste returning up through your drains, especially if your house has multiple toilets and floor drains. However, the culprit is more likely in your front yard than in the house. Always reaching out for moisture, tree roots in your garden may have wrapped around the pipes, dislodging junctions or causing cracks, or in the case of clay pipes used in many older homes, completely breaking through.
Luckily for us, there are companies today that offer trenchless pipe relining, a process in which a textile liner-sleeve is soaked in environmentally-friendly resin and then inserted into an existing pipe using compressed air. This way there are no excavations, so your landscaping remains intact. If you’ve purchased an older home, consider preventive pipe relining, if nothing else, to buy yourself a peace of mind.
Check for leaks
A small leak can easily grow into a big problem. Aside from elemental damage to your floors, walls, appliances and insulation, unless discovered on time, a leak can instigate mold growth, which comes with its own set of problems. It pays to check for water leakage or dripping under the fridge and dishwasher. You can do it by laying a few paper towels under the appliances and using them to check for moisture. Leaks can cause internal corrosion and mechanism damage even when it comes to your washing machine. Checking for leaks should be your weekly or bi-weekly routine.
Check caulking for damage
Wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms are the most susceptible to this kind of damage, so you should check them every three to four months. You might have applied new caulking around the countertop, only to see it peeling away after a short while. The same accounts for caulking around bathtubs and showers, where damaged sealing can allow moisture to seep into the downstairs ceiling or give way to mold infestation. Always try to use 100% latex or silicone caulk instead of acrylic, so it wouldn’t shrink and crack over time. It comes in squeeze tubes which are easy to apply and control for small jobs like these.
Have a special notebook or a binder where you’ll keep receipts and records of all the maintenance and repairs you’ve completed while you owned the home. This will not only help you remember the dates and tasks you’ve done, but also how much you invested in your house over time.
About the author: Mike Johnston is a home improvement blogger, DIY enthusiast and sustainability buff from Sydney. He is a regular writer at Smooth Decorator and contributor on several interior design, real estate and eco blogs, always on the lookout for new ideas and the latest trends in these fields.
Organizing Does Not Have To Be Expensive
So you want to organize your life. You see all the beautiful Instagram posts and magazine layouts of perfectly organized homes. Beautiful built-ins where kids backpacks are hung, baskets for mittens and shelves for shoes. You think to yourself how wonderful it would be to have such organization, if only you could afford to have someone come build a mudroom with cubbies and shelving. What to do? Not everyone can afford to live like the photos in House Beautiful, and sometimes the pictures are unrealistic to maintain. There are simple inexpensive tips that you can put to practice in your own home which can help with various “dumping areas.”
So you want to organize your life. You see all the beautiful Instagram posts and magazine layouts of perfectly organized homes. Beautiful built-ins where kids backpacks are hung, baskets for mittens and shelves for shoes. You think to yourself how wonderful it would be to have such organization, if only you could afford to have someone come build a mudroom with cubbies and shelving. What to do? Not everyone can afford to live like the photos in House Beautiful, and sometimes the pictures are unrealistic to maintain. There are simple inexpensive tips that you can put to practice in your own home which can help with various “dumping areas.” These areas are usually the places strewn with clutter. For example, backpacks dumped by the garage or front door, mail in a large pile in the kitchen, and laundry areas filled with clutter.
Home from School
For backpacks, try hanging hooks by the area where your children come into the house. Remember to use heavy duty hooks so that as they get older and the backpacks get heavier, they won’t fall off the wall. Baskets are inexpensive and can be bought in most stores. These inexpensive plastic wicker looking baskets can be found at Bed Bath and Beyond. These baskets come in three sizes. Maybe have one basket per child for them to put their hats, mittens and scarves. You may want to purchase different colors and assign each child to a color. Milk crates can be another inexpensive option for kids shoes.
Children bring home a large amount of paper. If you don’t have lots of shelf space, you can find inexpensive rolling carts with tiers so you can have a tier per child to hold their papers. Here is an example:
Forever Stamps
Mail can pile up if not dealt with immediately. Try getting in the habit of recycling your junk mail daily. Assign an area of your kitchen, office or foyer where you would like mail to live. Purchase a small desktop mail holder to keep mail from laying in piles on your counter. If you get magazines or store catalogues, try to read them promptly and then recycle. We all fall into the trap of putting mail aside and saying to ourselves we will get to it later. Before you know it you have a pile of magazines which builds and builds and never is read.
Wash & Fold
The laundry room ends up being a catchall for many things. Pet supplies, cleaning products, dirty laundry- you name it. Try putting your cleaning supplies in a container. Perhaps an inexpensive carry-all caddy or an open-top container. The carry-all is convenient as you can just grab it in one hand and rags in another. All of your supplies are at your finger-tips. For pet supplies, create a small pet zone. Food dishes, beds/crates, pegs to hang leashes/collars, and a shelf to put food. Be sure everything is not in the flow of traffic so people do not trip. By creating a pet area, you can see how much pet supplies you have and it will help you from over purchasing pet supplies at the store. Laundry can be a hassle. Everyone in the house is dumping their dirty laundry all over. If space allows, having 3 hampers makes sense. A dark color for darks, white for whites and a lighter color such as light grey for light clothing. As your children get older teach them to bring their dirty clothes to the laundry room and put in the correct hamper. This is a win-win for everyone. Your kids will not have dirty clothes strewn all over their rooms, it teaches them responsibility, and it will make your life easier when doing the wash.
Basic, Casual or Formal
One final note, kitchen tables and dining rooms tend to be dumping areas for everyone on the family. One way to avoid that, is to have it set with placemats, and a center piece such as candles all the time. Most people will not dump their stuff on a set table. Remember, organizing does not have to break the bank. As you can see there are inexpensive ways to organize to bring calm and less chaos into your family’s life. Have another inexpensive idea to help organize your house? Post on our Facebook page and let us know!
Guest Post - 5 Ways to Increase the Comfort of Your Home
When you think about home, probably the first thing that comes to your mind is comfort. The more comfortable your home is, the more relaxed you are, both mentally and physically. That being said, aiming at making your home as comfy as possible makes a lot of sense. And if you don’t know where to start, here are five great ways for increasing the comfort of your home.
When you think about home, probably the first thing that comes to your mind is comfort. The more comfortable your home is, the more relaxed you are, both mentally and physically. That being said, aiming at making your home as comfy as possible makes a lot of sense. And if you don’t know where to start, here are five great ways for increasing the comfort of your home.
Bring the nature in
Filling your home with plants really is a good idea. Not only that potted plants can cheer up your place but they can also help you improve the air quality inside of it. For example, aloe plant is considered to be one of the best natural air purifiers out there. Of course, there are other plants you can go for such as spider plant, dracaena and peace lily. No matter which of these you decide to go for, there’s no doubt you’ll be making your home more comfortable. Introducing plants into your home is possible even if you spend a lot of time at work, since there are so many low-maintenance houseplants you can opt for.
Go for comfortable and warm floors
Another thing that can make your home more comfortable is your floor. If you pick the right type of floor, you can ensure your home is as cozy as possible. For instance, carpet flooring is an extremely popular option right now as it can provide you with all the coziness you need. In case you want to go for something more lasting, hardwood flooring is also an interesting option. However, it doesn’t offer as much comfort as carpet flooring and you’ll have to throw in a couple of cozy rugs to get that barefoot soothing feel. For ultimate coziness, you can consider the idea of installing floor heating.
Invest in air quality
We already talked about how plants can help you increase air quality inside of your home. Even if you do get potted plants for your home, it’s still a good idea to spend some money in order to make sure the air inside of your home is both clean and fresh. The best way to do this is to get a ducted air conditioner for you and your family. Many new air conditioners have been designed specifically to help you reduce your energy consumption which is an important thing to have in mind if you want to go green. Of course, getting a brand new air conditioner is recommended, simply to avoid dealing with repair issues.
Think about the lighting
You won’t be able to fully relax in your home until you get the lighting right. Of course, you need lighting in order to be able to perform your everyday tasks but too much lighting can sometimes cause stress. Therefore, what you might want to think about is installing dim lights in your home. That way, you’ll have separate lighting for when you want to just sit down and relax. Switching from standard incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs is also a smart move. Not only that these little things consume less energy but they also create less heat, which should help you achieve that cozy environment you’re aiming for.
Get rid of the clutter
No one is able to fully relax in a messy house. So, if you have a lot of clutter just lying around, it might be the right time to get rid of it. In case you’re not sure how to do it, there are certain strategies you can use. For instance, you can take three different boxes, labeled keep, sell and donate, and use them to separate your clutter. That way, figuring out what you really need will be made easier and you’ll manage to help someone along the way. When it comes to selling the clutter you have in your home, you can always have a garage sale or sell your things on eBay or Craigslist.
If you want to turn your place into a real sanctuary, following these five ways should help you get the job done. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should ever stop looking for new ways to add comfort to your home.
Lana Hawkins is a young architect and a home décor blogger on Smooth Decorator. She enjoys writing about interior decoration and landscaping. Lana is interested in sustainability and green building, and that's where she gets most of her inspiration from.