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How to Keep Your Home Clean When you Have Pets

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Jaymi Naciri writing for Realty Times gives us the tips we need to keep our home clean with pets.

Hairballs, tracked-in mud, and accidents, oh my! Picking up after a pet (or three if you live in our house!) is no joke. So how do you enjoy your place and keep it looking spiffy when you have pets, during this and every other season?

Unless you want to live in something resembling a pig sty, you have to be smart about your pet-cleaning tools and techniques.

Spring for the good vacuum

If you have pets that shed, you know the value of a good vacuum. But if you’ve been getting by on less, and dealing with vacuums that don’t have enough suction or just aren’t intended for pet hair removal, it’s time to trade up.

Pet Life Today likes the Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet Upright Vacuum, which it calls a “versatile upright vacuum easily converts into a canister unit to provide a powerful clean for your entire home.” This one came out on top after their study of dozens of vacuums thanks to its “power, versatility and efficient removal of pet hair. The ability to convert this vacuum from an upright to a canister or handheld makes it the perfect all-round choice for cleaning every area of your home. The reasonable price and high amount of positive feedback from Amazon users is another reason this vacuum takes our top position.” This vacuum is available for $263.99.

Personally, we’re partial to the Dyson V8 Animal vacuum. It gets up all the hair, it has tons of attachments and do-dads, and is also cordless, which makes it super versatile. The potential downsides: it’s pricey, at $399, and it has a small canister, which means you have to dump it out more often.

Stock up on lint rollers

We can’t decide if this giant-size, pet-themed lint roller is genius or ridiculous, but we’re definitely intrigued. We have regular-sized lint rollers stashed all over our house because they’re the greatest for removing dog hair from upholstery, rugs, bedding, and clothes. The 10-inch width of this one is enticing, and the pole sounds like a back-saver, frankly.

But the price seems a bit steep. At $21.99, we predict the 25 sheets will last us a day or two. Refills are as low as $10.49 and come with 50 sheets, but that still doesn’t compare to the five-roll (95 sheets each) combo pack for $10.79. So the real question is: How much is a pole worth?

Go for indoor-outdoor rugs

“They’ve come a long way since you last saw them in your grandparents’ basement. There are lots of stylish versions out there, and they’re available in a variety of color schemes,” said Architectural Digest. “Put a small one in front of each door—sort of like an indoor doormat—to catch any dirt and water your pet may drag in. I also recommend placing one under the sofa, dining room table, and any other place your pet likes to lounge. These rugs don’t let anything soak in, and they wipe clean with a damp rag.

If you don’t like the look or feel of indoor-outdoor rugs, look for something with a short weave. Hair will be much easier to get up if it can’t get stuck in the fibers.

Get a black light

If your pet does have an accident here and there (or even more often), a black light can help you pinpoint the urine so so you eliminate the stain and odor. “There could be urine or other waste stains your pet could be leaving around the house that you do not know about,” said Of Life + Lisa. “Once every week, conduct a sweep through of your rooms with a black light to find and eliminate these hidden stains.”

So why does this work? “Urine glows under a black light primarily because it contains the element phosphorus,” said ThoughtCo. “Cat urine, in particular, glows very brightly under ultraviolet light.”

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The Property Brothers Reveal One Question Home Buyers Rarely Ask, but Should

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Lisa Johnson Mandell writing for Realtor.com gets some good home advice from the property brothers.

“Property Brothers” stars Jonathan and Drew Scott have met a lot of interesting clients, but a hunky firefighter who starred as Mr. February on a “Red Hot Firefighters” calendar? That may be a first!

“It was for charity,” Matt says with a laugh in the episode titled “Growing Boys, Grander House.”

Matt and his wife, Nicole, have three young boys—two of whom are twins—and suddenly the 1,200-square-foot starter home in Canada they bought six years ago feels more than a little cramped. Especially since it has three bedrooms and only one small bathroom.

Jonathan thinks he can rip the dated ’50s home apart and build it back up again for $70,000. If he can swing it, Drew estimates that their home can be sold for close to $800,000, rather than about $650,000 as is.

Meanwhile, the burning question for Drew is whether or not he can find them a new home with more bathrooms in a neighborhood that’s not too far from friends and family, on their budget of $925,000. It seems like a big ask, but if the Scott twins couldn’t stand the heat, they wouldn’t be in the kitchen.

Along the way, they come up with some smart advice for the buyer and seller in all of us. Take a look!

Give your kitchen island or peninsula an overhang for seating

When Jonathan and Drew walk into the family’s kitchen, they find a peninsula. But there isn’t really room to pull up a chair, because of the shelves below. Drew immediately resolves the situation by kicking out the shelves—now there’s plenty of space for his knees.

Color the kitchen

“I don’t want to do just a white kitchen,” Jonathan tells Nicole as he officially starts the renovation. “Now we’re seeing a lot more color trending.”

He advises using soft, subtle green undertones. But Nicole is not good with that—she prefers all white and neutral.

“Trust me,” he says. “We’re seeing greens and blues—that’s what’s trending.”

He promises her he’ll come up with something buyers will love, and he does—deeply dark blue lower cabinets with white, marbled quartz countertops. It is divine!

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Save Money on Spring Cleaning This Year

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Jaymi Naciri writing for Realty Times passes on some tips to help reduce the cost of spring cleaning.

It’s spring cleaning time, but this year you don’t have to stock up on all those expensive potions and cleaners. The stuff you already have in your house might be even better at getting—and keeping—it clean.

Here are a few of our double-duty (or triple or more!) products:

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

Dirty baseboards. Scuff marks on sneakers. Crayon or pen on painted walls. Shower scum. What do they all have in common? They can be cleaned with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. They’re good in a pinch and also as a regular addition to your cleaning regime, so do like we do and buy them in bulk!

Dryer Sheets

The sheet that keeps static cling away from your clothes while they’re drying can also be useful in a few other areas of your home. Have company coming over and just realized you’re out of Swiffer Dusters? Run that Bounce over your surfaces, instead. The bonus: If you have scented dryer sheets, they’ll leave a fresh smell behind. You can also use them to wipe window casings, baseboards, and doors that tend to collect dust and dirt in the grooves.

Sponges and Dishwashing Gloves

Forget those pots and pans. Sponges and dishwashing gloves can also help clean dog hair off of upholstered surfaces. This tip could come in very handy for a last-minute cleanup when you don’t have time to vacuum. For regular cleaning of dog hair on a stubborn surface like a low-pile rug, try a dog brush. The short, stuff bristles make it easy to gather the hair.

White Vinegar

It’s not just for salad dressing! Vinegar is a multi-purpose cleaning agent, and one you can feel good about if you’re looking to stay away from harsh chemicals and commercial cleaners.

“If you could invent a green-cleaning ‘wonder’ product, it would probably end up being a lot like white vinegar,” said The Spruce. “Safe, readily available, and really cheap, there are perhaps hundreds of uses for vinegar. There are at least two great uses for vinegar in your automatic dishwasher. First, it can be used as a cheap, effective rinsing agent to get your glasses, plates, and other dishes sparkling clean. Second, it can help to clean the dishwasher itself: Once a year or so (more if you have hard water), pour a cup of white vinegar into an empty dishwasher, then run it for a short cycle to get rid of the lime and soap build-up that can prevent your dishwasher from working at peak efficiency.”

White vinegar is also great for cleaning tile and caulk, “windows, hardwood floors, carpet stains, fireplace bricks and irons, CDs and DVDs, shower curtains, upholstery, mattresses, wood furniture (when combined with olive oil), and glassware. If it’s in your house, you can probably clean it with vinegar.”

Lemon

Pick up a few extra lemons at the market because you’ll get more use out of them than just as a squeeze in your water. “High in citric acid, lemon juice is one of the best natural cleaners due to its low pH and antibacterial properties,” said Networx.

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How to Build a Reclaimed Wood Sliding Barn Door

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Brittany Bailey, AKA pretty handy girl, shows us another do-it-yourself project in building wood sliding barn door.

How to Build a Reclaimed Wood Sliding Barn Door

Earlier this week when I showed everyone the master bedroom in the Saving Etta house, you probably noticed the sliding barn door. I am in love with that door and especially excited that I was able to salvage the old beadboard and repurpose it as cladding on the barn door. Now it’s time to show you how to make your own barn door out of reclaimed wood. Let’s get building!

Notes about Materials:

To build your custom barn door you’re going to need to purchase a 4×8 sheet of plywood. The plywood will offer strength and rigidity and will add some thickness to the barn door. You don’t need to buy the finish grade plywood, instead purchase the cheapest plywood you can find because it will be covered up. One side will get a sheet of masonite bead board, and the other will be clad with the reclaimed lumber. And the sides will get trimmed out to hide the layers. So, as long as your plywood isn’t warped, it won’t matter how it looks. For my door, I used 3/4″ plywood, but it was heavy. You may want to use 1/2″ plywood instead, but be sure to check the thickness requirements for your barn door track and hardware. This will ultimately dictate your width and weight!

Stripping Paint and Lead Paint Warning:

When you are using reclaimed wood, always test any paint with an instant lead check swab. Or treat it like it is lead paint. Because of the age of the bead board, I’m pretty sure my wood had lead paint. Before stripping lead paint, you definitely need to wear a dust mask or respirator and gloves. Eye protection is a good idea. And since my HEPA vacuum is loud, I wear hearing protection too.

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Craig Diez

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