3 Trends in Kitchen Hardware to Keep an Eye On

You don’t have to transform your entire kitchen to feel like your kitchen has been upgraded. All you have to do is update some of your kitchen hardware, like the knobs on your cabinets or the handles on your drawers. You’ll get that new kitchen feel for a fraction of the cost. However, choose your new hardware wisely. Here are 3 trends in kitchen hardware to keep an eye on.

1. Artsy knobs

The great thing about the term “artsy” is that it’s totally up to your interpretation and discretion. You can take your pick of colorful knobs, varying sized knobs and knobs of many different styles. Got a theme for your kitchen? Go all out by getting knobs that matches your vision. 

Whatever your method of madness, personalize your kitchen in the subtlest and classiest of ways so you can impress guests. You can peruse the knob section at Home Depot or Lowes for ideas, or you can check out what’s new in the DIY section of the internet.

2. Bar handles

You can make your kitchen seem more modern and sleek without replacing a single panel or backsplash tile. Just incorporate long, straight lines in your kitchen with bar handles.
These handles are most commonly seen in restaurant kitchens: They’re long and slim metal bars that run the length of drawers. They’re not only great for design but also for utility. You can be completely engrossed in a recipe, reach over to grab a drawer handle and grasp it every time, without fail.

Now, if you have a theme for your kitchen, these handles are maybe not the best way to go. If you’re going for minimalist and even futuristic vibe, these handles are for you.

3. Finger handles

Although they may look like it, finger handles aren’t actually tiny shelves for mice (knock on wood that there aren’t really mice in your kitchen). These flat, stainless steel handles work great for the lower, base cabinets in your kitchen. Just slip a finger or two under the small lip of the handle to open your cabinets.

They look great and they’re completely functional. No more bending down to open a cabinet just to discover the pot you were looking for wasn’t even in there.

Pro tip: Updating the hardware in your kitchen is a great way to spruce up your kitchen before showing your house to prospective buyers. When you’re ready to sell your home, give us a shout. We’re here to help.

THESE SIX HOUSEPLANTS WILL CLEAR THE AIR

You spend a lot of time focusing on what you eat and how it impacts your health. But there’s more to being healthy than what we put into our stomachs.

Here are just a few of the essentials:

·       You need to give your body the right amount of rest.

·       You need to stimulate your mind and expose yourself to beauty.

·       You need to make sure that the air that you breathe is healthy and clean.

Did you know that there are house plants that can meet all those needs? It’s true!

No matter how well you clean your home or how organic the products you buy, toxins in the air are hard to wipe away.

Some can cause allergic reactions and illness. But there are houseplants that remove impurities from the air while they help add to the warmth and serenity of your environment.

They’re easy to find and inexpensive too!

By adding any of these green beauties to your home you can give yourself greater peace of mind and cleaner air to breathe.

1. Boston Fern

Boston Ferns are the most efficient air filtering plant you can buy.

They’re also available for purchase everywhere… chances are good that if your supermarket sells plants, they will sell Boston Ferns.

Keeping a Boston Fern healthy is pretty simple. Give it a dose of plant food once a month and water it regularly. If you live in a dry area, you should mist it once a day too.

2. Palm Trees

These tropical beauties are very good at removing toxins like formaldehyde from the air.

The Dwarf Date is best of all, but other good choices include the Parlor Palm, a Bamboo Palm or a Lady Palm. Palm Trees will flourish in a sunny spot in your home.

3. Rubber Plant

If you think your home doesn’t get enough light to sustain a plant, try a Rubber Plant or a 

They don’t need much sun and they do a great job of cleaning the air.

4. English Ivy

This is another plant that is sold just about everywhere.

Though most people think of English Ivy as a climbing plant that lives outdoors, if you keep it inside it will stay pretty compact.

It needs very little care – just water and mist once a week or so – and it will keep your air free of toxins and mold.

In fact, a study showed that it cuts airborne mold by 94%.

5. Peace Lily

There are a lot of good reasons for choosing a Peace Lily for your home.

This beautiful plant needs very little light and will bloom all year long. It is good at removing all types of harsh gases, and even adds humidity to the air.

6. Aloe Vera

This spiky succulent is not only good at improving your air quality: you can also use the gel that flows through its leaves to help speed healing.

It’s an especially good plant to keep in the kitchen to quickly soothe the pain from burns.

Yours in health and happiness,

Danette May
America’s Leading Healthy Lifestyle Expert

THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN HARDWOOD FLOORS

Many homeowners love hardwood floors not only for their look and durability, but also because they're simple to clean—at least relative to carpet, tile, and many other surfaces. But maintaining spick-and-span hardwood floors isn't quite as simple as it may seem, which leaves many homeowners wondering: What's the best way to clean hardwood floors, anyway?

“There’s a responsibility that comes with owning a wood floor,” says Brett Miller, vice president of education and certification for the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. “People who haven’t had a wood floor before don’t always consider the importance of properly maintaining those floor coverings.”

If you want to keep your hardwood floors looking their best, here are the steps to take.

Related Articles

·       Hardwood for Flooring: Pros and Cons

·       Decoding the Listings: From Bamboo to Vinyl, Know Your Flooring Facts

·       You’re Cleaning Your House Wrong! Here’s Why

Remove debris regularly

Your first line of defense is to remove dirt and debris as quickly and often as possible. Even the smallest specks of dirt act like sandpaper, and can scratch the floor's surface and make it look dull. So make sure to vacuum or sweep regularly—ideally once every two to three days, or more for high-traffic areas, says Miller. If you vacuum, use the hard surface setting on your machine, which turns off the beater bar and lowers the vacuum to the floor for better suction power.

Wipe spills immediately

Hardwood floors may look impervious to spills compared with carpet, but certain substances can actually eat away at the top coat of polish on your floor. Some common offenders include milk, mustard, and pet urine. So if Fido or Fluffy isn't fully house trained, make sure to pick up after accidents pronto.

Mop the right way

A damp (but not sopping) mop can also help keep a hardwood floor clean, provided you use the right cleaner (more on what not to use next). Most wood floor installers or manufacturers recommend cleaners that contain isopropyl alcohol, which dries quickly, and are available at home supply stores.

To make your own solution for a monthly clean, add a capful of white vinegar to a gallon of water, which will help dissolve grease and grime on the floor, but not strip the finish. To remove shoe scuffs, rub marks with a tennis ball, which cleans without scratching the finish.

Whatever you do, do not clean wood floors with a steam mop, Miller says. “Steam is horrible for wood floors. It opens the pores in woods and damages the finish, causing irreversible damage to any wood floor.”

Use the right cleaning products

“Wood is probably the easiest floor covering to keep clean, but you have to use the right cleaning products,” says Miller. In fact, contrary to what you might think, he adds, “anything that says ‘polish’ or ‘shine’ indicates you’re adding a layer of something to the floor, and it’s not a protective coating.”

The result? Your floor might look shiny right after you're done, but it will quickly smear and look dull (prompting you to clean your floors again). So when in doubt, stick with cleaning solutions recommended by a hardwood floor specialist rather than what's being hawked at your average grocery store.

And if it still doesn't look clean...

If vacuuming and mopping don’t restore the luster to your hardwood floors, it may not be due to lack of elbow grease. Eventually, wood floors withstand enough damage that they should be refinished—meaning the top layer of wood is sanded down to remove marks, then covered with sealant. Hardwood floors should be resealed about once every 10 years, or every two to five years if they get substantial traffic from kids or pets.

“XANADU 2.0” IS AWESOME

·       Costing $60MM, it took seven years to build; Bill Gates also bought several surrounding houses for about $14.4MM.  The home has 24 bathrooms. Annual property tax is over $1MM.

·       Pool measures 60’x17’ and has a fossil-motif floor and underwater music system.  Locker room has 4 showers and 2 baths. Dive into the pool and you can come up by an outdoor terrace, going under a glass wall. Fitness gym is 2500 sq ft;  trampoline room has 20’ ceiling.   There is an elevator, but if you are into fitness, set your fitbit and head up or down the 84 steps from the entrance to the ground floor.

·       1000 sq ft dining room seats 24. 150 people can be fed dinner or 200 can be at a cocktail party in the 2300 sq ft reception hall.  Guests receive a pin that interacts with room sensors and can change to your preference the temperature, music and lighting.  This was built in 1995.

·      Guest house has 1 bedroom, 1 bath and is 1900 sq ft.

·       The grounds include an artificial stream and wetland estuary stocked with salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout. The sand on the lake bank is imported from warmer sandier climates, perhaps Hawaii.