We get it – your bathroom showerhead is one of those spots in the home you’d expect to be somewhat self-cleaning, but it does need some routine upkeep to look new and function at full capacity. It may not come into contact with much besides water and soap, but cleansing the showerhead helps to treat hard water build-up and keep soap scum at bay. Mineral deposits like limescale in your water supply can create blockages in the holes through which water passes, reducing the power of the jet or entirely clogging it. Time to get those micro-jets clean and improve your overall showering experience.
Materials Needed
pitcher
gallon-size plastic bag
1/2 cup of baking soda
4 cups of white vinegar
1 cup of water
zip ties or rubber bands
Inspect Showerhead
Start by checking out your showerhead closely. Turn on the water, and identify which water holes seem plugged when the shower is running. Make sure those affected holes are completely submerged while cleaning.
Mix Cleaner
Place the gallon-size plastic bag, open, inside the pitcher, and fold the edges of the bag around the outside of the container. This helps to keep it upright. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the bag.
Slowly pour the vinegar into the bag. Emphasis on slow! This isn’t meant to be a science experiment, but we guarantee that you’ll enjoy witnessing the bubbly reaction. Without causing the bag to overflow, continue adding the vinegar until it’s fully mixed and settled. Add 1 cup of water to dilute the mixture.
Submerge Showerhead
The size and angle of your showerhead makes this next step a bit of a challenge to direct universally. Best-case scenario, you’ll be able to angle the showerhead downwards and fully submerge every single water jet into the bubbly cleaner, securely tying the bag around the neck of the showerhead. A removable showerhead or two-in-one design might call for a little extra work in order to get all of the jets soaked in cleaner. You’ll see that I took the handheld attachment of the showerhead out of the fixture and soaked it separately in a bowl on the floor of the shower.
A zip tie is a very secure way to attach the bag around the neck of your showerhead. You can also use a rubber band if you’re able to wrap it well and keep the bag in place. Be mindful of the bag’s weight, too; if you have a small showerhead, you may want to reduce the amount of cleaner weighing down your fixture. (Just pour any excess onto the floor of the bathtub or shower and give the area a good washing while you’re at it.)
Allow the showerhead to soak in the cleaner for four hours, or even overnight.
Wipe Down Showerhead Surface
When you remove the bag, pour the liquid down the drain and turn the water back on to see if any of the previously clogged jets have opened up. If your showerhead produced a low water pressure prior to cleaning, you might notice a big difference now.
Use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe down the surface of the showerhead gently to wash away any remaining build-up or residue on the metal or plastic. Soap residue and hard water spots should be completely gone, and your shower should be good to use again, so have at it.
Routine Cleaning
For routine cleaning, keep some diluted vinegar in a spray bottle — no baking soda necessary. You can keep build-up at bay by spraying and wiping down the showerhead during your regular cleaning process, reducing the number of times you need to do a deep soaking treatment.
We all have junk drawers. And we all have various junk floating around closets and garages we know we need to get rid of.
And on top of those piles of junk, many of us also have certain items we straight up keep—and add to—without even thinking about it. But sometimes this habit can ultimately lead to an unfortunate (mild to moderate) case of hoarding.
Do you have this problem? I certainly do. And some of the odd things I can’t seem to throw away are shared by others—and listed below. Read on to find out some weird things people hoard and how to purge them if you do the same.
1. Tons of totes
The No. 1 thing people seem to hoard? “Free tote bags,” says Marissa Hagmeyer, co-founder of the NEAT Method, a nationwide professional organizing company. “I frequently find an entire closet or pantry floor full of them.”
Hagmeyer encourages her clients to pare down their collection to only a few totes.
“I ask them to realistically think about how many totes they can use at one time,” she explains.
The remaining tote bags are donated or used to carry other donations to a drop-off center. But the best strategy for getting rid of tote bags is not accepting free ones in the first place.
“Just say no,” says Hagmeyer.
2. Ancient paperwork
“I see plenty of clients hoarding old paperwork and receipts,” says David Aylor, CEO of South Carolina’s David Aylor Law Offices.
Some paperwork—such as old tax returns and financial records—is necessary to keep, at least semi-permanently. But when you’re holding on to a 20-year-old receipt for a computer that you don’t own anymore? It’s time to purge.
Pay stubs and monthly financial statements need to clutter your desk for only a year. And toss utility bills after one month.
“Keep taxes and supporting financial records for seven years, then shred them to protect your sensitive financial information,” says Aylor.
3. Buttons, buttons, buttons
“I like to hoard buttons,” admits Setlla from Gobadtips.com, a website dedicated to food storage and spoilage. “I think they’re cute and I find nifty little boxes to store them in.”
But the truth is, those cute little buttons can pile up. For Setlla, the button brigade became overwhelming and she had to figure out a way to winnow the herd.
“Now I use the buttons to make small handmade objects such as embellishments for woolen dolls, button paintings, or on earrings,” she says.
4. Plastic shopping bags
James Crawford, co-founder of the shopping voucher website DealDrop.com, recalls helping an elderly relative move to a nursing home.
“My job was clearing her house,” he explains. “She was always a tidy person, and it should have been straightforward.”
So Crawford wasn’t prepared when he found a home crammed full of plastic shopping bags.
“Everywhere I looked—in every room, in the garage, in the attic, under beds, in every cupboard—there were thousands of plastic shopping bags neatly folded away.”
Crawford found a charity that took the bags to use in its shops. And a classified ad he placed led to a crafts group taking some for an art project.
“But I often wondered why my relative didn’t just buy a reusable shopping bag,” he adds.
5. Pens and pencils
“I know, I know, pens are always handy to have,” says Marty Basher, organization and decluttering expert with Modular Closets.
We all have had a time when we really needed a writing implement but didn’t have one. That said, no one needs enough pens or pencils to supply an entire school.
To purge pens, Basher advises testing each one to see if it works. Throw away any that don’t. If you still have more than a large cup can hold, donate any you got as a giveaway or don’t like.
For pencils, toss broken or stubby ones. If they’re mechanical pencils, chuck any that are out of lead or erasers.
6. Mugs
You’re at a store and you see the cutest mug in the world. You buy it, take it home, and realize your mug shelf is already stuffed—with the world’s cutest mugs.
“Go through your collection, and set aside any that have nostalgic value or are your absolute favorites,” advises Basher. Give away or donate the rest of the mugs.
“If you can’t part with enough mugs to make a dent, repurpose some into small planters,” adds Basher. “Simply drill a small drainage hole into the bottom.”
7. Takeout containers
“The weirdest thing I’ve hoarded are plastic takeout containers,” admits James Jennings, creative manager of Home Garden HQ, one of the United Kingdom’s top home gardening sites.
Think: disposable plastic cups, boxes, bowls, lids, deli containers, and sushi trays.
Yet Jennings has a creative way to purge.
“As a master gardener, I use plastic containers as pots for my seedlings and grow some of my plants in them,” he explains. “This way, I turn my hoarding addiction into a recycling endeavor.”
8. Condiments
“I have yet to go to someone’s house, look through their condiments, and not find at least three expired ones,” says Basher.
Other common problems: a fridge door crammed with 10 types of mustard or a jam jar with a half-teaspoon left.
To unburden your fridge, go through all your condiments and check the expiration dates. If they’re old or mostly empty, trash them. If you have some that are unopened and not expired, donate them to a food pantry.
Among the top home maintenance items that are overlooked is garage door maintenance. It’s one of those things we assume will work forever or smoothly until our neighbors start waking up to the squeaking, creaking, and squealing every time we come home late! So, here are five simple steps to ensure your garage doors stay operating smoothly (and quietly).
The whole process, which experts recommend to do monthly, should only take a few minutes, and it’ll help ensure that our garage doors stay in good working condition for a long time.
We found that applying the 3-IN-ONE Garage Door Lube (Home Depot, $6) made everything noticeable quieter as soon as it was applied, which is a win all around.
You might be gazing out at your backyard and thinking it’s seen better days. Sure, the past year was tough on all of us—and even your backyard may be showing battle wounds.
But does fixing up your outdoor space really need to be a big financial commitment?
The American Society of Landscape Architects recommends homeowners budget the cost of a major landscaping project at 5% to 10% of the value of their home. And if you have that much to spend, god bless. But whether it’s a whole outside concept or a revamp of the patio, renovating your yard doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or be too time-consuming.
To get started, use these clever design tricks to transform your basic yard and make it look like you had it professionally done.
1. Define your spaces
“Cleary defined spaces in your backyard will give your yard dimension and purpose,” says Matt Blashaw, TV host and licensed contractor. “This is why designing a yard is so hard to do for some people. In a home, the spaces are already defined for you, but outside you have to organize those spaces and add all of the features.”
For example, define an outdoor sitting area by gathering a few all-weather chairs, facing them inward. Add an outdoor coffee table in the middle.
Blashaw says he also likes to use an outdoor area rug under a dining table and chairs to define the space and add color and texture to the yard.
Clearly defining an outdoor kitchen space doesn’t have to break the bank either.
“Place a kitchen cart topped with butcher block behind the chef to add more workspace and perfectly define your outdoor kitchen,” he says.
“I love bringing old brick or stone pathways that have been overrun by weeds back to life,” says Blashaw.
He uses Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer ($8, Home Depot) to eliminate weeds in between bricks and stones and breathe life cost-effectively into walkways.
You can also lay a new path with gravel, pavers, or concrete slabs.
“One of my favorite pathways is made from a decomposed granite mix with polymeric sand,” says Blashaw. “Create the pathway by installing thick lawn bender board, add the decomposed granite, compact with either a hand tamper or plate compactor, then lightly mist with a water. In a few hours the surface will harden giving you a very solid surface.”
3. Add some paint
Consider painting the back of your house a different color than the other three sides.
“Painting the back of the house has been one of my most cost-effective backyard renovation tricks for many years. Sometimes it takes me a little while to convince a homeowner to do it, but when they do, it makes an instant impact to the yard,” says Blashaw.
He recommends imagining the back of your house as an accent wall for the house. Choose a wall color that coordinates with the rest of the house’s exterior color scheme. And be sure to take into account the landscaping in your yard so you don’t clash. For example, a back wall painted green in a yard with heavy foliage will get lost.
“A lighter color will brighten a space and make your existing backyard elements stand out,” Blashaw says.
4. Think vertically
Chiminea (Terrain)
Switch up your perspective and add some vertical elements to your backyard.
If your backyard has a large, flat lawn, add some dimension by bringing in a colorful glazed pot with some colorful annuals planted inside, Blashaw says. “This will give you color even during the winter.”
You can also add a birdbath ($125, CB2), a geometric chiminea ($528, Terrain), a trio of planters ($129+, Frontgate), or a hanging garden wall ($24.95, Amazon).
5. Mulch it up
By laying like-colored mulch on all flowerbeds and exposed soil in your backyard, you can give your space a finished, unified look, experts say.
“Adding mulch to your garden beds is one of the most important things you can do for the health of your plants and soil,” says Aaron Lynn-Vogel, horticulture answer service coordinator for the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Lynn-Vogel says several studies have shown that mulching can conserve water, reduce weeds, prevent soil compaction, and increase soil fertility.
“I describe mulch as ‘the paint of landscape.’ It’s a very inexpensive way to make your planter look brand-new,” says Blashaw. “I personally love a good cedar mulch. It lasts longer, has amazing color, and it smells great.”
Hummingbirds have long been considered a symbol of joy and happiness and are said to bring good luck and positive energy to those who encounter them. So why not keep the good vibes going by creating a hummingbird hangout in your garden that can ensure these beautiful creatures return year after year?
“Adding a hummingbird-friendly spot in your garden, with a foundation of native plants, is an amazing way to support local wildlife and the broader natural environment,” says David Bryant, manager of campaigns and engagement at California Native Plant Society. “You’ll be rewarded with gorgeous floral displays, the beauty of these winged visitors, and a deeper sense of connection to the place you call home.”
Building a haven for hummingbirds is not as complicated as it sounds. By providing the basics like water, shelter, and colorful flowers, “you will be rewarded with the company of these wonderful wild birds,” says David Salman, chief horticulturist for High Country Gardens.
To begin, experts at Wilson Bros Gardens suggest creating a curved, narrow flower bed in an open area so that hummingbirds will have access to the flowering blooms from all sides. They also suggest planting your hummingbird garden near a deck, patio, or porch, or outside a window.
Here are a few other steps to take to bring the hummingbirds to you.
Pick a variety of plants and flowers
To help support the full life cycle of hummingbirds, experts recommend planting native flowering plants, vines, shrubs, and trees.
“Native plants like trumpet honeysuckle, bee balm, and hummingbird sage are just a few of the nectar-providing options that hummingbirds are attracted to,” says John Rowden, senior director for bird-friendly communities at the National Audubon Society.
Gardeners can use Audubon’s native plants database to find what plants are best for their local area.
“If you have space, it’s ideal to provide a variety of plants. Grouping similar plants together and choosing species with different blooming periods will help ensure that there is a steady supply of flowers and nectar,” says Rowden. “If done deliberately, you can support hummingbirds year-round—if you’re lucky enough to have them throughout the year.”
Katrina Godshalk for High Country Gardens says nectar-rich perennials are a good choice to plant in your hummingbird garden. She also endorses the practice of organic gardening methods, which can eliminate and restrict the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides.
Cultivate a natural ecosystem with insects
Hummers love sipping flower nectar, but did you know they eat insects, too?
An important part of an adult hummingbird’s diet is small spiders and insects, says Rowden, “and young hummingbirds still in the nest are almost exclusively fed on those protein-rich foods.”
To encourage spiders and insects in your hummingbird garden, Rowden says to make sure your yard has insect-pollinated flowers, hummingbird-pollinated plants, and native plants.
Provide a perch
Hummingbirds like their perches and spend up to 80% of the day sitting on one.
Salman says conifers, shade trees, and taller shrubs can create a sheltered perch “where the hummingbirds can rest, build nests, and safely survey their garden domain.”
“Leaving some sticks and small branches on bushes and trees will provide perches for hummingbirds,” says Rowden. He says it’s also important to place some in more sheltered spots hidden from the view of predators.
“Hummingbirds use bits of spider web, insect cocoons, and other lacy material to construct their nests,” says Bryant. “Be sure to leave some cobwebs in the nooks of tree branches and shrubs for hummingbirds to utilize.”
Gardeners can place bunches of dryer lint in the branches for nest-building.
A water feature with a splashing fountain or dripper will also get the attention of hummingbirds.
“Hummingbirds like to bathe frequently—even in the pools of droplets that collect on leaves,” says Rowden. “Provide a constant source of water in your yard.”
Hummingbirds prefer water sources that drip or spray, Salman says—such as a fountain with multiple tiers that drip or a very low–volume mist nozzle attached to a branch or tree trunk. Make sure to put the mist nozzle or fountain in the open, “away from hiding spots where cats can hide and ambush the birds,” he says.
Consider feeder placement
Get ready to bird-watch once you hang a feeder! But remember, the location of the feeder is very important.
“Hummingbirds are territorial and will protect their nectar sources. Hang several feeders far enough apart that the hummingbirds cannot see one another; this will prevent one bird from dominating the rest,” says Rowden.
He also recommends hanging feeders in the shade to prevent the nectar from spoiling quickly. He notes that cleanliness is important with feeders, too.
“Be sure to change the nectar regularly, every few days,” says Rowden. “If it gets cloudy, it is spoiled.”
Clean feeders with a solution of one part white vinegar to four parts water about once a week, and rinse the feeder with warm water three times before refilling it.
Anayat Durrani is a freelance education reporter for U.S. News and World Report. Her work has been featured in Military Officer, California Lawyer, the American Scholar, and PracticeLink magazines.
Moving is the perfect opportunity to declutter, jettisoning the dead weight of your unneeded stuff before you haul it into your new home.
Yet while the very best time to cut your losses is before you pack your things, unpacking is another prime opportunity to edit your belongings, too.
It could easily come in handy, especially if you packed in a frenzy, without fully considering what to keep or toss, or if you hired movers to pack up everything for you.
So if you’re ready to wipe the slate clean, here’s how to declutter while unpacking—and how this strategy helped with my own most recent move.
Unpack room by room, starting with the essentials
“Don’t unpack a little bit here or a little bit there,” says Megan Ludvinsky, a professional organizer and owner of About Space in Little Rock, AR. “It’s much better to have one room fully unpacked than three rooms a quarter of the way unpacked.”
Ludvinsky recommends starting with essential items, like bedding, toiletries, medications, a coffeemaker, or whatever else you need for the first day in a new place. Pack these in a way that you can find them easily.
Keep purging as you unpack
Even if you thought you did a lot of sifting as you were packing, you’re sure to find more that you don’t need or want as you unpack.
“You definitely want to kind of ruthlessly edit everything that’s coming out of the box,” Ludvinsky says.
She suggests setting aside some empty boxes and tossing in items you don’t want, before you put them away. Then, take them to a donation center.
This tactic worked wonders for me in a recent move: As we were unpacking, my husband and I found several things that we realized that we no longer wanted or that didn’t work in our new home, so we donated them before they took up permanent residence.
Separate items by general category, then zero in
When unpacking, work “macro and go to micro,” Ludvinsky recommends.
In other words, group like items together, think about where they should go, and put them in a tentative place.
“They don’t have to be arranged in a beautiful manner yet. You just want to get all your plates together and cups and glasses together, and so on,” Ludvinsky says.
This helps the unpacking take shape, and gets all the boxes out of the way, so you can get a sense of living with the items in those spots. As you put things where you think you want them, don’t feel that the spot has to be permanent. It’s OK to change it up if it’s not working.
“Then you really start to hone in on the micro,” Ludvinsky suggests, like putting silverware in the silverware tray or arranging dishes in a logical way.
This was a key stage of the unpacking process for us. We randomly hung our clothes in closets and dumped boxes of shoes on the closet floor to get them out of the way.
Later, I fine-tuned everything, hanging dresses with dresses and sweaters together, and bought boxes to organize the shelves in the closet.
I grouped types of clothing together and added shoe drawers and bins to the shelves, so that I can see everything. (Erica Sweeney)
In the kitchen, we tossed pots, pans, spatulas, and wooden spoons in the cupboards and drawers near the stove. Once we decided the items were staying put, we added cork liners and trays to the drawers and arranged the cabinets definitively, so we could easily grab what we needed.
Use organizers to cut clutter
After you’ve found a home for all your items, it’s time to get sort everything out for good. Examine each closet, cupboard and drawer to size up what kinds of trays, boxes, or other tools can help make things easier to access visually.
“It’s going to just look neater and make your whole area much more cohesive,” says Ludvinsky, explaining that adding organizational tools is part of the “micro” stage of organizing and unpacking.
She also suggests getting trays and boxes that match, if possible.
We spent a small fortune on trays, bins and other organizers, but it was worth every cent. The organizers designate a place for everything, so that it can easily be returned there. More than a year later, this has kept the spaces from becoming junky.
We added a tray like this to every drawer in the kitchen, to keep things from getting cluttered. (Erica Sweeney)
Put things back where they go
To get everyone used to where different items live, Ludvinsky recommends sticking a note to the outside of a cabinet or drawer, listing its contents. Leaving them in place for a couple of weeks will help everyone to remember both where things go and to put them away in the right place.
Giving everything its own spot and always returning an item to that spot are essential for a clutter-free home.
“It prevents things like a colander from ending up with the dinner plates, and also helps family members develop automatic responses to finding and storing necessities,” Ludvinsky says.
We didn’t label our cupboards after unpacking, but it would have been a big help in getting used to where things go. Labeling would have made tasks like unloading the dishwasher and putting away laundry a little easier after we just moved in.
Bins keep the contents of the pantry fairly neat and orderly. (Erica Sweeney )
4th of July Festivities
From festivals and fireworks to Independence Day parades, here are the best 4th of July events for your entire family.
** Due to possible last minute changes to times & locations to the events below, we encourage you to click on the link of the event holder (or contact the host city) to get the most updated information.
When it comes to summer activities swimming is on the top of our list. Because of this, it is extremely important to us that children understand the basics of water safety and are able to follow the basic water safety rules. With a little pre-planning and education, it is entirely possible to keep kids (and their friends) safe and enjoying the pool, season after season!
Fun & Educational Video
We found this short (12 min), engaging and age-appropriate YouTube video that teaches kids how to be “Water Safety Smart.” Who can say no to Disney’s comedy duo, Timon and Pumbaa?? Watch it with the whole family!
Don’t have a pool to enjoy?
Here’s some ideas as well as our new favorite site swimply.com if you’re looking to rent a private pool for your next event or to beat the summer heat. One of our team members just hosted a birthday party at a swimply.com pool and had a memorable time with her family.
Private pool alternatives:
Community and City pools
Beaches and lakes
Water parks and water slides
Staycation at a hotel pool
Get a kiddie pool or Slip-n-Slide
Wherever you end up to stay cool this summer, we hope you have an enjoyable one!
Although possessing several benefits to their top-loading siblings, keeping these front loaders smelling clean and free of mildew isn’t one of them. Front loading washing machines are notoriously hard to keep clean. Mold, mildew, laundry soap buildup and funky smells are at the top of everyone’s complaint list. If you haven’t done it yet, IT’S HIGH TIME to clean your front load washer.
You’ll learn how to clean your washing machine the quick & easy way, using household products you already have at home! Cleaning your washing machine will help improve the performance of your washer while removing gunk, odors, mold and mildew.
For FRONT LOAD washing machines:
Add 2 cups (one full box) of baking soda in the washing machine.
Run the longest and hottest cycle possible.
Add 2 cups of white vinegar (with 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil) to the washing machine.
Run the longest and hottest cycle possible.
For TOP LOAD washers:
Fill your washer with hot water.
Add 1 quart (32 oz, or 1 liter) of chlorine bleach to the water.
Start the highest, largest capacity cycle and let it run for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, stop the cycle and let the mixture soak for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, restart the cycle and let it finish.
Restart steps 1 to 5 but with 1 quart of white vinegar (32 oz, or 1 liter).
If you follow these quick and easy steps, your washing machine will thank you and your clothes will smell much better! Plus you’ll lower the risks of getting mold and mildew that could have harmful effects on your family’s health!
? Congratulations to Christine Almarines and the Team at CA Real Estate Group! In 2020, this team was a top team in multiple categories at @kellerwilliamsahyl:
NUMBER 1 in Closed Volume and GCI
NUMBER 2 in Closed Units and Listings Taken
We truly accomplished this by working together and leaning on each other and with the amazing support of wonderful Clients — both past and present, Family, and Friends! ❤️
Thank you for supporting @carealestategroup in 2020 and we look forward to serving all of your future real estate needs!
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