Purchases for Home

Always Things to Buy With a New Home
I finally found a rug for the living room of the house. We have wood flooring in the living room and dining room, and really need a rug in our seating area. The wood is beautiful, but even too much of a good thing is enough. There is also a bit of an echo still in here and I know the rug will help.

I did my research after just hitting the stores and gasping at the prices of larger rugs. It's amazing how expensive these things get, but I have come to find out that the old saying of "You get what you pay for" tends to apply here in part. I am still a shopper through and through so it goes against my very nature to just cough up hundreds of dollars for something until I know that I have exhausted every possible avenue of resources. I already had access to QVC and had seen their hand-carved wool rugs, which my research had told me was the best as far as material, so I had that in the back of my mind. I am picky about what kind of rug I want to spend $200+ for, as I am sure everyone reading this would be too. My husband came up with an idea, but it involved plane tickets to Pakistan to buy the rug plus shipping cost on top of the cost of the rug, which he pointed out would be cheaper than buying here. "Nice try, and I won't forget that either" I told him. "That rug or rugs comes later."

Keys to Rental Turned Over

Finally Done With Townhouse
As is always the case when you are moving, you have one place to move into and set up, and one place to move out of and clean. Last night we finished cleaning the townhouse we have rented for the last year, or at least as much as could be done. It was not as clean as I would have preferred, but then I have never moved into any rental that I did not spend time cleaning first either. I just was not able to physically do any more. My husband had spent several mornings going over there and cleaning at things. When I went to check the townhouse last week, it became apparent to me that men not only clean at things, but they must be unaware of some things. So for those males out there that need to clean an apartment before you leave, want your deposit back, and don't want someone like me talking about you like I have been talking about the previous owners of this house....I offer the following tips.

Male Household Cleaning Tips
**The vegetable bin comes out of the fridge for cleaning and most definitely will have something under it that you probably don't really want others to see.
**Hair anywhere in the food preparation area is bad. If you eat your own hair, well that's one thing, but no one wants hair in their fridge that mysterious in origin.
**The kitchen floor actually ends when it hits a vertical surface, IE up under the cabinets, stove, and fridge. The imaginary straight line down in front of the previously mentioned objects doesn't count.
**When using an oven cleaner, read the directions. If electric, when you spray the oven, save yourself some time and also take out the burner elements on the stove (they just plug in), remove the drip pans under each, place in sink, and spray these too. You must rinse the oven after cleaning with oven cleaner. Wipe out the oven cleaner with paper towels, then again with wet paper towels to get all the cleaner off the oven surface. If anything stubbornly remains, grab a Brillo pad. If the drip pans are beyond hope, they can be purchased at many retailers for a few dollars per set.
**That dark brown scum ring all around the faucet and sink drain will come out so don't ignore it. Scrub it. The same thing goes for around the base of the toilet.
**Don't forget to look up. Get the cobwebs down from the ceiling with the broom, clean the light fixtures, wipe the top of the door frames, and the top of the fridge counts as a surface too. (I actually take down dirty light fixtures yearly and soak in tub with warm diluted bleach water. Throw the shower curtain in first and get all soaked clean at the same time including the tub, if not too icky.)
**The places you put your hands all the time are dirty. Light switch plates, around door knobs, fridge handle, etc.
**Don't play around with 20 different products to clean. Glass cleaner, Comet type scouring power & toilet brush, dish washing liquid, Clorox spray, Brillo pads, paper towels, nylon/plastic scouring pads, oven cleaner, mop, broom and dust pan. Outside of cleaning the carpet (vacuum & carpet cleaner, which can be rented) you can clean any place with these items. The Clorox spray and Brillo pads are the heavy guns so use with care and only after the dish washing liquid has failed. Clorox spray is bleach so watch what you are spraying it on, and the Brillo pad will scratch some finishes. Mop floors with a appropriate floor cleaning product and be sure to rinse. (Remop with clean water)