fancyAhouse

Archive for March, 2011

When you have children you will find that your home is not as baby friendly as you may think. Most people will move things around and buy child friendly products whereas some will just wait until baby is here to see what changes are needed in the home. There is no need to have a complete home makeover as they smallest things can be done on even a tiny budget to ensure that your home is ‘baby proof’.

How to baby proof home?

You won’t really need to take any action until baby is able to crawl usually from 6-7 months onwards, if a child does something naughty like starts pulling on trawling floor wires don’t shout but gently explain that it is naughty. If you have a big reaction they will just do it again, find calm ways of teaching babies and young children right from wrong.

Fireplace – if you have a fireplace or back boiler it may be worth buying a barrier to form around the area to prevent little ones from getting too close. They are cheap and can be made by yourself if you are a good tradesman

Oven – ovens can get hot and when children start crawl and walk you may need to buy a sheet that protects the oven door so if little hands were to get too close they don’t get burnt

Sockets – sockets that are low level can cause problems as little fingers like to poke into the small holes, you can get bundles of socket protectors off the internet cheaply

Stairs – as babies learn to walk they will be eager to climb up and down the stairs, this is dangerous without adult supervision as they can tumble down the stairs causing serious injury, a stair guard can prevent this from happening. They sometimes come in packs of two and double up as a room divider

Sharp furniture corners – not all tables and chairs have rounded edges, you can take purchase clear bumpers that stick onto such edges to prevent bruises

Floors – if you have wooden or laminate floors then check that there are no dangerous connections as babies will end up scraping knees and elbows on poorly laid flooring. Also check the floor strips that connect rooms as they sometimes have nails that stick out over the top, they can cause serious injuries to little knees

There are so many dangers that lurk within the home but you won’t know exactly what they are until your child is old enough to explore. Don’t buy child proofing kits from supermarkets or baby shops as they will overcharge you, look on the internet as you can buy most of these essential items are used.

If you wish to rent or buy a house you will need to contact an estate agent who can advise you of properties available or use the internet to search for homes that meet your criteria. It was only a matter of time until the same would be available for squatters. With squatters on the increase and forming groups that ‘watch’ houses more and more places are setting up agencies that provide information for free.

There are many agencies that are marketing empty homes to squatters for them to ‘choose’ from for free and help to break into the property for a small fee. It is known that many young students from all over the world have come to England with the intention of squatting as it is legal, yes you read right, it is legal to squat in England and Wales.

It is strange as many of the houses that are vacant are in affluent areas where middle class owners are a target. On a regular basis million pound homes have been ‘watched’ and taken over. Guy Ritchie recently had his multimillion pound home taken over by squatters until they ‘peacefully’ moved on a month later. Having squatters take over a property can be extremely time consuming and heartbreaking as many empty properties have just had renovations carried out or are in the process of being renovated.

A father of two recently told of his anguish when he purchased a £1 million pound house which was then taken over by squatters because he chose not to move in right away and carry out renovations first. This is extremely popular where homeowners delay moving in, in the attempt to decorate and carry out some remedial works first. If you have young children this may be an option to you but with squatters continuously targeting empty properties you may want to think twice and move in straight away.

If you can prevent your home from being taken over from squatters you should, if you were to take legal action you would need to cover the costs yourself but squatters on the other hand are eligible for legal aid if they are from and EU state. It is also unfair as in Scotland it is illegal to squat and the home owner has the right to remove you or call the police to take you away. If you are worried about squatters taking over your home then read up on how to prevent them from taking over by reading this article.

Most households have items in the house that are stainless steel whether it being appliances or door handles. Stainless steel can be hard to clean as you can’t use any abrasive cleaning agents or persistent scrubbing. Many people use soap and water to clean most things but this can leave a murky residue and leave appliances looking even worse than before.

You can save money by buying a microfibre cloth they are specially designed to clean and not leave behind and smear marks. They work well for windows too so you can use the same cloth for different purposes.

If you have stainless steel items that require a solution to clean them with then try stainless steel cleaners, though they are a little expensive you don’t need to use it as much or as often as you would other cleaning products. Appliances such as the coffee maker, kettle and toaster are sometimes harder to clean if they have built up grease and dirt, stainless steel cleaners will clean off the dirt and restore the metal so that it’s shiny and clean again.

A cheaper method is to use white vinegar as this also works well on stainless steel, cuts through grease while also making it shiny and new again. Always try cleaning stainless steel using a cotton cloth if this doesn’t help shift the grease or dirt then move on to a non-scratch sponge so you don’t damage any of the surface.

Stainless steel cleaning products also help stop the appliance building up dirt and grease by creating a protective layer around it. They can smell a little strong so make sure windows are open and the room is well ventilated.

If you have tips on cleaning stainless steel then share them here by adding a comment below.

One very exciting part of re-designing your new kitchen is choosing the appliances that will last for years to come. White appliances are no longer fashionable as most homeowners opt for stainless steel instead. Stainless steel appliances go with all colour kitchens whether they are modern or classic, they also do not show up as dirty as white appliances sometimes do, so you can get away with cleaning only once a week if you are very busy.

Many people spend a small fortune on their oven to make sure it looks nice and is also functional but in time grease will build up on it making it harder to shift and leave it looking old and dirty. Ovens quickly build up grease and food stains but because the glass door conceals the ugly truth we are more likely to give it a miss most weeks cleaning.

Although there are endless cleaning products advertised that claim they cut through grease and dried food stains not all of them actually do the job it claims to. I have spent too much money on different cleaning solutions for my oven to help it regain its shiny appeal it once had 2 years ago. After using probably every cleaning product available I have found that only one actually does the job.

Cutting through the grease in the oven

I find that if I spray Cif a leave it for two minutes all the grease comes off effortlessly with a measly cloth, no need for scrubbing or elbow grease. After all the grease is cleaned off I use a glass cleaner to make the viewing window clean and clear. I sometimes have to take the oven door apart so it can clean in between the glass panes where grease builds up but I only need to do this once a year if that.

Cif also works brilliantly inside the oven cutting through a year’s worth of build up dried food, the oven is now gleaming. The oven shelves are also sparkling and I am amazed that for less than £5 I have an oven to be proud of. Just be careful of using cheap sponges on stainless steel they can leave scratches, use a good quality non-scratch sponge on such appliances.

To clean the stainless steel surface use a stainless steel cleaning product it will retain shine without leaving any smear marks, they work well with the toaster and kettle too.