Thursday, November 19, 2009
Have a feng shui Thanksgiving
By Julie Wiegan
Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be stressful and can be the peaceful holiday it was meant to be. Create a warm and positive environment using these Feng Shui tips from ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Andie Pearson, DMD.
Clean and Clear
No matter what the occasion, the first step in Feng Shui is clearing clutter and cleaning the area.
Analyze
Decide on themes, purpose, how many people will be invited, who will be there, and what activities and foods you will have. This should help you with the rest of your planning.
Color It Warm
Plan the decorations with warm relaxing colors. Use goldenrod, earthy greens, tans, amber, deep rich reds or maroons.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Eliminate Allergens in Your Home
By Sara Moore
There are so many great things about warm weather, but allergies isn’t one of them. Michelle Rohrer-Lauer of Michelle’s Interiors gives us her top five tips to keep your house allergy proof.
Filter out dust and pollen
Buy an air cleaning machine or filter for your home. Air cleaning machines help filter out dust, pollen and other allergens from the air. These machines have removable filters which can be cleaned or replaced.
Get rid of carpeting
Carpets are a key place for dust mites, pollens and pet dander to harvest. Dust mites are especially difficult to remove from carpets. Replacing your carpeting with hard surfaces and area rugs will greatly reduce allergens in your home and besides bare floors are easier to clean.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The magic of vinegar
By Julie Wiegan
Did you know that May is National Vinegar Month? Not only has this magical ingredient been used for over 10,000 years in recipes, it is also a solution to common household problems. Here are some ways on how to use vinegar you never imagined possible.
Deodorant stains
Remove deodorant and antiperspirant stains from clothes by lightly rubbing with white distilled vinegar and laundering as usual.
Keeping colors fast
To hold colors in fabrics, which tend to run, soak them for a few minutes in white distilled vinegar before washing.
Cleaner for gold jewelry
Use one cup apple cider vinegar.
Submerge solid gold jewelry item in vinegar for 15 minutes.
Remove and dry with cloth.
No-wax floors
To wash no-wax floors, add ˝ cup of white distilled vinegar to a half-gallon of warm water.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Turn your home into an eco-friendly haven
By Sara Moore
What should your next alarm clock be? How about eco-friendly and fashionable. Bedol alarm clocks don’t need batteries or charging. Just fill up the tank with tap water and some lemon juice to find out the time and repeat every 5-7 weeks to keep it going. BedolWhatsNext.com, $16.
Dress up your bed with Essere Organics duvet cover set. The prints on the shams and covers are non-toxic, water-based eco-friendly dyes on 300 thread count, certified organic cotton percale. EssereOrganics.com, Cream & Cocoa Cove Organic Duvet Cover, Starts at $299.
You won’t find a warning label here. That’s because Universal Botanicals Multi-Purpose Cleaner is made from renewable and sustainable resources, making it safe to use around children and allergy and asthma sufferers. They’re also helping the environment by packaging the cleaners in biodegradable bottles. UniversalBotanicals.com, $6.95.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Spring Cleaning with The Accidental Housewife
By Sara Moore
It’s that time of year again– yes, we’re talking about Spring cleaning! Julie Edelman a.k.a. The Accidental Housewife tells us how we can get clean and organized in six easy steps.
SAY HI-LO TO DUST
Start from the highest places where dust has gathered such as ceiling fans and high lights.
Move on down to blinds, then walls and to the baseboards.
Finish by disturbing those dust bunnies who have taken up permanent residence under your couch!
Use microfiber cloths and mops with extendable handles. These are great at attracting dust, whether dry or complimented with water or store-bought products.
SEE YOUR WAY CLEAR
Grab a microfiber window cleaner and/or squeegee with a mix of 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water to clean windows for just pennies.
You can also use yesterday’s newspaper to dry, which is lint free and very eco-friendly.
