How to Keep Pets Away from Your Sofa

Most of us love pets for they are our friends. Some even treat them as if they are their children. They are loving and are always there to accompany us. However, they can bring nuisance to our furniture. Furs fall off the sofas and other furniture. They chew and scrape them as well. Even if they have been trained, they still commit the ‘crime’ of damaging our couches. So how do we keep them away from our sofas and other furniture?

1. Train the pets to stay away from the sofas while they are still little. To encourage them not to go up the sofa, provide them with a comfortable area to lie or sleep on. Allow your pets to lie on the sofa if somebody is at home and let them understand your rules. You can also make use of a child’s gate.



2. Make use of a pet throw. This can be bought from furniture stores. A pet throw covers the whole couch; therefore, your pet will not be in direct contact to the couch. Available in various hues and designs, it can be easily washed in the washer. Your pet can duck near you with the quilted type of pet throw.

3. Provide your pet with a toy to take the boredom away. This will prevent him from chewing on the sofa and will keep him busy. For your cat, it would be nice to have a scratching post.



4. Have on hand a spray repellant which can be bought in any pet store. Mix it with water; and once sprayed, your pet will no longer bother your furniture. The mint or citrus scent is nice.

5. Bathe your pet everyday and put scented sprays. Give their fur a brush; this will prevent their fur falling off your furniture and floor. Cut their nails to prevent them from tearing on the sofa.

How to Make Your Living Room Better With Gadgets

Life can be better with simple living room gadgets. Technology has made watching television livelier because of the high density TVs and surround audio system.

Other devices which will enliven your living room are:

• A universal remote will help solve the clutter of remotes on your coffee table. With just one device, you can control about 15 gadgets comfortably.

• A TiVo can manage the manner you watch TV. With this gadget, you can watch your favorite TV show much the same way as watching a movie on a DVD player. The facility of rewinding, fast forwarding and pausing the show can be done with the TiVo. Other special facets of TV shows such as trailers and omitted interviews and scenes can likewise be included. The TiVo is the best expedient and useful TV device after the remote.

• The Digital Picture Frame as the name implies are for pictures specifically family photographs. With this gadget, you can put all together the pictures that you want to display in the same manner or area that the ordinary picture frame would require. They are available in different colors, sizes and styles so it is easy to find one that will blend with your furniture.

• An Air Purifier will help eliminate the smell of your pets or if a member of the family smokes and the smell of fish which you had last night for dinner. With the air purifier, you are assured that you can breathe well. It, likewise, has demonstrated to aid in improving dust-triggered allergies and other stuff from the air. Your sofas and other furniture will similarly smell cleaner.

• A Dimming Switch can tone the glare of your lights and at the same time is another good device in your living room. Watching TV while table lamps or ceiling lights are turned on can be too glaring. The dimming switch can diffuse the glare of your lights. Eye strain is even reduced while enjoying your TV show.

With the above gadgets, you are assured of making your living room feel better.

Tricks to Keep Your Dining Room Clean Longer

The dining room can be one of the messiest rooms especially if there are children around the home. Children spill liquids on the furniture which will naturally ooze down the floor. Food crumbs can also fall on the floor and the dinner table can be full of these crumbs, spills and sauces, etc. Not being able to clean the dining room after every meal can really make cleaning a tough job.

Another thing that can make the dining room chaotic is the presence of reading materials, coats left hanging on a chair and other things which were left there in a hurry.

If you got yourself tied up to the neck with your job and other home errands, tidying the dining room can mean a big job and by the time you realize it, a huge pile of work is ahead of you. Following are steps to maintain the cleanliness of your dining room with less time.



Put Things in Order

Every item must be returned to where they belong to. Provide extra storage space such as a storage cabinet with drawers or a dining room buffet.

Eliminate Filth in your Dining Room

To do this, regularly clean air ducts and replace old heating or air unit filters. Close windows to minimize the dust coming inside. Curtains must be washed or dry cleaned periodically. Place a mat or a rug in every door and encourage each member of the household to wipe their feet prior to entering. Vacuum the carpet regularly to lessen the dust.



Regularly Dust the Ceiling Fan’s Blades

A mild soap and warm water is good to clean the fan’s blades. Furniture polish can be used, however, if they are wooden blades.

Spills, drips and trickles must be wiped off without delay. They are harder to wash off if they were left for some time. Soap with warm water can be used to clean the spills. Use an excellent carpet and upholstery cleaner if the drips or trickles are tough.



Remember to maximize your cleaning time. When you clean the dining table after a meal, clean the whole table including the chairs. You can wipe the buffet or the cabinets if you are storing table linens or hand towels. Include the dining area if you are vacuuming the living room.

Keeping your dining room spic and span is an easy thing to do as long as you are systematic and asked the family members to maintain its cleanliness. The best rule of thumb here is not to wait for items and dirt to pile up.
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How to Save Your Dining Room Chairs From Kids

Even if you have purchased the best quality furniture for your dining room, you can still experience chaos and problems brought about by spills and stains. This, of course, is caused by children at home. So, what is the best way to prevent the chairs from such spillage and spoilage? Here are a few tips on how to save dining room chairs from kids.



1. Select dining room chairs that are suitable for kids.

Spillage on wooden and leather chairs can be wiped off without fuss although the latter can get stained by the spills. When buying chairs made of leather, ask if the material was treated to be stain resistant. Dark shades are a good option as stains can be concealed. Stain resistant microfiber can be washed off effortlessly making it another good choice.

2. Make sure that chairs are tightly screwed

Children may be lighter in weight compared with adults but because of their regular movements, dining chairs can get wobbly. This can pose danger not only for the children but to adults as well once the screws start to slacken. Repair dining room chairs if there are any loosed screws.



3. Get dining room chair vinyl protectors

These can be easily acquired from any furniture store and come in a myriad of selections. The only thing with vinyl is it gets real warm during summer and cold during winter. Vinyl also creates sounds when moving in the chair. This can be solved, nevertheless, by using the vinyl protector only for kids.

4. Make use of chair pads

Chair pads are secured onto the chairs with their strings. Similar to a pillow, they do not only act as extra cushion but are also very attractive. You can get one that can fit any occasion. They are, likewise, easy to maintain and cheap.



5. Chair covers

Chair covers are slide over the chair, thus covering the chair as a whole. Some chair covers come with strings fastened within the cover so they can be tied to the chair. They are also easy to maintain as they can be thrown into the washer or you can have them dry cleaned. Dining room chair covers are also available in a wide variety ranging from the conventional ones and well-designed and the stylish ones.

TV Stands: Glass or Wood - Which Is Better?

TV stands have been modernized to match the changes made in television sets. Gone are the days when a table will do as a stand for this gadget. Furniture manufacturers have made TV stands to become a part of the whole living room modern furniture set as well as to go with the room setting and style.

The materials, too, have become varied. It is no longer constrained to wood but glass is also being utilized these days. However, it is always a must to know the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of TV stands. Let us try to find out what these are:

If you opt to have a TV stand made of glass, check the depth of the glass. Thick glass TV stands spells good quality although it can be pricey; nevertheless, you can always find one that suits your budget.



The Advantages Glass TV Stands

• available in tinted or clear glass.
• framed in glass that goes to a contemporary living room style
• can match any color design
• cannot be outmoded
• easy to maintain, smooth; and
• easy on the pocket unlike its wooden counterpart



The Disadvantages of Glass TV Stands

• sears and fingerprints are very visible
• not advisable when there are children or even if pets are allowed inside your abode
• more prone to getting scratches which is hard to refurbish
• even as some TV stands are built with wire organization scheme, wires can still be seen even with tinted glass; and
• come with fixed shelves that are normally left open; however, there are a few made with doors.

Wooden TV stands are perfect for a traditional type of home or if most of your furniture are made of wood.



The Pluses of Wooden TV Stands:

• available in a myriad of hues as they can have light to dark hue finishing
• can easily go with the modern type of abode especially those that were made from uncomplicated type of wood
• dictate beauty and elegance particularly if they come in fine-looking patterns and carvings



• those that are made from excellent wood are sturdier than glass TV stands
• require irregular dusting making them easier to maintain
• normally come in closed shelves making them good solution for additional storage area; and
• backs are enclosed keeping cables safe and hidden from anybody’s view.

The Benefits of Shopping from Furniture Stores Online

There are actually trouble-free ways to evaluate online furniture stores. The truth of the matter is you will find shopping furniture online a whole lot easier rather than going from one store to another.

The first thing that I will tell you are the benefits that you will get if you shop from furniture stores online.

1. Because of the so many things that you need to accomplish in one day, there seems no time to squeeze into your schedule to check what is available from the different furniture shops. By the time you are free, these shops are already close. Online stores are at your service the whole day. All you need to do is open your computer and search for furniture online stores and presto! -- It is there on your desktop.



2. Online stores are by and large cheaper as you do not have to hop in from one store to another to compare the furniture prices. Imagine the money you will save on gasoline and what is important is the time of traveling from one shop to another. With online stores, you only need your fingers, hands or mouse.



3. More choices are available compared with the shops. The local stores can only show you what is on their stock whereas online stores can show you varied selections.

4. Local stores add delivery charges while online furniture stores do not. A 12-month 0% interest is even offered by some online furniture stores.

Nevertheless, there are still some people who are not at ease buying furniture online. Let me assure you that even purchasing big items online is totally safe and sound and is a very expedient and practical way to buy furniture either for your home or office.



Here are some tips so you will be able to know if the online store is credible or not.

1. Differentiate the prices offered by the online furniture stores and then compare. Since you only need to use your fingers or click your mouse, you can check which online furniture store offers the best price. However, do not grab the chance of buying furniture that are priced lower; check the quality first. Even if you were able to get low-cost furniture but the quality was sacrificed, you did not get a good deal there. Furniture that is priced lower normally signifies poor quality.



2. Check on the online furniture store warranty section. If no warranty is given, then do not dare purchase furniture on that online store. A one-year warranty period is always an SOP for most furniture manufacturers.

3. Read the return procedure of the online furniture store. A 30-day period is commonly offered by online furniture stores.

Tips on How to Clean Leather Sofa

Leather furniture requires minimal attention because the material itself can assure you of sturdiness. Nevertheless, we do not want our leather sofa to lose its luster and would want it to look good and fresh. Sunlight, heat and dust cannot be avoided and these are the culprits that can cause our leather sofa to age easily if proper maintenance is not observed. If exposed to too much heat and sunlight, leather will break as it turns out to be arid and will lose its color and shine. Here are some tips to help you clean your leather sofa.

Vacuum your leather sofa once every week. Cushions must be taken off and vacuum the bottom part as well as the gaps. Make sure that the bristles of the vacuum’s brush attachment are soft.
You can either put a little amount of soap in tepid water or pour a little soap on a moist cloth and work to make a foam. The cloth must be wringed of water and just dab the area.

Test a small area of the leather such as the underneath or the back part. Let it stand for 24 hours and check for any discoloration. If no harm was seen, then you can start cleaning the sofa with the same cleaning materials you used.



Spills must be attended to without delay. The leather can absorb the liquid if it will be left there for quite some time. Moist cloth is the best answer to spills on leather furniture and dry it with a soft, dry clean fabric. Use a dry cloth to dab oil spills and spread some baby powder to take in the excess oil.

Get your hair spray to remove ink blots,. Spurt a little amount on the ink blot and dab the spot with a dry fabric. Do this procedure until the ink blots are completely removed.
To remove mildew, mix a cup of water and rubbing alcohol. Put the mixture on the area and clean with a soft fabric.

Refrain from using cheap cleaning materials. It is best to buy the quality ones although these may cost more. Do not take the risk and be sorry later. You can buy liquid and spray cleaners and wipes that are exclusively made for leather. Make it a point to utilize a quality leather conditioner and apply it once every two years.