|
When it comes to removing clutter from your home, the first step is always the hardest. It seems that it's easy to find almost anything else to do, and it's hard to find the "time" to dive into de-cluttering. All that's needed to get you going is a spark of motivation. That's where we come in. Here you'll find 15 excellent reasons that will get you started AND keep you motivated to maintain a lovely, serene, clutter-free home.
Well, what are you waiting for? Quit procrastinating and take steps today to make your life cleaner, simpler, and easier. You'll be so glad you took that first step to rid your home - and life - of clutter!
1 Comment
So you're building or remodeling your home, but can't decide whether to go with painted or stained cabinets. Allow us to help! We've laid out a few pros and cons so that you can make a confident decision when it comes to your cabinets. Stained Cabinets  Pro: Allow the natural beauty of the wood to show. A stain will beautifully enhance and add contrast to the whorls and grain that make your cabinets unique. Pro: Stained cabinets look very rustic, and will meld perfectly with that style of home.  Pro: Touch-ups on stained cabinets tend to blend well into the wood, especially if it has a lot of grain. Finding a touch-up marker that closely matches your stain is typically pretty easy. Pro: Stained cabinets lend a warm, rich, luxurious feel to a room.  Con: Medium density fiberboard cabinets don't take stain as well as they do paint. They are less-expensive cabinets, but staining them won't look as authentic as stained walnut cabinets, for example. Con: All of the wood's flaws (some call it character) are easily visible when you use a stain. While paint covers that up, a stain will enhance it. Painted Cabinets  Pro: Painted cabinets give a rather crisp, clean, contemporary feel to a room. Pro: Paint sticks better to medium density fiberboard. You can cut cost on the actual cabinet.  Pro: You're not limited to the color of the wood. With paint, you can customize your cabinets to whatever color you'd like. Pro: If painting your cabinets white, it'll really open up the area and make the room appear spacious, well-lit, and airy.  Con: Paint tends to be more expensive. You'll have to decide if the added expense will work with your budget. Of course, you can always go with medium density fiberboard to combat the added cost. Con: Paint can be pretty tricky to touch-up. If your cabinets are bought pre-fabricated, it might be impossible to find an exact match in color. Also, if the manufacturer applied the paint by spraying, it'll be hard to perfectly blend the touch-up with the smooth finish. Brushed paint finishes are easier to touch up. So there you have it! Hopefully this article will help shed light on which direction you want to go with your cabinets. Contact the helpful staff at Michael's Homes if you have any further questions, or if you'd like to schedule a remodel today! Although mundane household tasks like laundry and cleaning can sometimes be put off for another day, an issue like household mold should always be taken seriously. Not only does mold cause considerable damage to your home, but it can cause serious health problems for your entire family! In this article, we’ll guide you through some of the basics of mold prevention and maintenance so you’ll never have to worry about it again. So how does mold form in the first place? Mold spores float through the air and eventually will come to rest on a damp surface. Over time the mold grows and eats away at the damp surface, causing substantial damage to your home. The damage doesn’t stop there though. Exposure to mold can also cause health symptoms like allergic reactions, asthma, and other respiratory complaints. So how do you know when to call a professional? The EPA recommends calling a Mold Remediation Expert when affected area is larger than 10 square feet (roughly 3x3 feet). If you’re extra sensitive to the spores though, even 1 square foot of mold might be too much for you to handle alone.
When mold buildup occurs on porous surfaces like ceiling tiles or carpets, you need to completely replace the affected area. It's impossible otherwise to entirely remove the mold, and you'll just end up with the same problem again. If an area like this has been affected, contact Michael's Homes today to schedule plans for a renovation. You'll be on your way to a mold-free home in no time at all! The key to control future mold growth is to control moisture. Do you have a leak or water problem? Find the source of moisture and fix it. Make sure your indoor humidity is at somewhere around 30-60% to decrease mold growth. Check bathrooms, laundry rooms, and other sources of moisture to ensure that they ventilate properly to the outside. Increase ventilation. Use air conditioners and de-humidifiers. Use exhaust fans when cooking, dishwashing, and cleaning. Prevent condensation on cold surfaces by adding insulation. These are a few proactive steps you can take to prevent future mold growth in your home. You've now got all the keys to permanently rid your home of mold. Use one of the DIY options mentioned above, contact Michael's Homes to schedule a renovation, or look up Mold Remediation Experts in your area. Don't risk your health and home by waiting too long. Get started today! NOTE: The Environmental Protection Agency advises wearing rubber gloves, goggles, and possibly an N-95 respirator to avoid breathing in mold spores while cleaning. The EPA also advises caution when using bleach or biocides since they can cause severe reactions in some people. The photo above was taken by Infrogmation and used under the terms of Creative Commons License 2.5. Do you have a roof leak that keeps coming back to haunt you no matter how many times you have had your roof repaired? If, during the winter months, you have icicles hanging from your roof, then those leaks are likely to be caused by ice dams. Those icicles hanging from the eaves may look beautiful, but they can be an indicator of serious damage being done to your home! Torn gutters, loose shingles, and persistent leaks are only the start. Peeling paint, warped floors, sagging ceilings, and mold & mildew infested insulation are sure to follow. Luckily, there's a fix that can solve your problem completely so you never have to deal with it again. 
To understand what an ice dam is, you first need to understand how and why they form. Due to improper ventilation and insulation, heat collects in your attic and warms the roof everywhere except the eaves. The warmed roof melts snow which trickles down and freezes on the cold eaves. Ice continues to accumulate on the eaves, which eventually forms a dam. Melted water backs up behind the ice dam, flowing under the shingles and into your home. And thus, your resulting leak has been created. Now you know how the leak is happening, but how do you fix it? Getting up on your roof to hack away at the ice dam with a shovel, pick or chisel is one way, however this is dangerous for both you and your roof! Besides the obvious danger of slipping and falling, you're also likely to damage your roofing. Salting your roof is also a terrible idea. These are both short-term fixes anyway. The best long-term way to solve any problem is to fix the root cause. Ice dams are caused by improper ventilation and insulation, so that's where you need to start. By properly fixing the problem, you'll live worry-free for decades. Plus, you'll also have a more tightly insulated home, and that means lower home energy costs. Contact Michael's Homes today at 906-401-0575. Our qualified staff will be happy to asses your home and provide a no-obligation quote. Get started today! |
RSS Feed
